French startup Withings announced this morning that Android users will now have full compatibility with two of Withings’ leading devices: The Black Wireless Scale, which uses Bluetooth & Wifi Connectivity and can recognize individual users, & the Smart Baby Monitor, which gives parents a new generation of communication with their infant.
The Wireless Scale, which falls into Withings’ ‘digital health’ series of products, comes with the free Withings Health Mate app, and connects to several devices & apps, including the Withings Blood Pressure Monitor & the 3rd party Runkeeper app, which I’ve been using to track my runs for the past few months. Pulling in all your digital health info into one place, Withings’ Health Mate app is a pretty neat tool for QS fans, and I think it’s only going to get more interesting as more tools and devices come out for us to weigh ourselves.
Withings is currently in the process of beta testing a Fitbit-like pedometer/tracker, which I checked out when I visited their offices a few weeks ago. In addition to tracking your walking distance, it can also read your blood pressure through your thumb in a matter of seconds, which I found to be quite cool. I tested all of their devices using my iPhone, but it’s good to see Android getting more compatibility.
The other device, the Smart Baby Monitor, falls into Withings’ “smart parents” category, and also include their most recent product, the Baby Scale, which has a custom basket for weighing your child, and can also keep you in the know about your baby’s health based on sudden weight gain or weight loss, which can be an indicator of potential health problems.
I’m excited to see Withings continue to expand their potential audience, as I think they have touched on a lot of the key information that people often go to doctors for (insights around their health). About the Android compatibility, Withings CEO & Co-Founder Cedric Hutchings said the following:
“We are really pleased to be taking this step forward into helping any user who wants to turn-on their wellbeing. Android compatibility is an essential subject for us, and we are dedicated to build up on this first Android compatibility to offer our future innovations to all Android users.”
I’ve got the Wireless Scale in my home – have you tried it out yet? If so, what are your thoughts? Where do you think Withings will go next?