Fitness tech has evolved beyond activity trackers like the Apple Watch and Fitbit. Today, there are hundreds of streaming workout and wellness apps from brands like Nike, Equinox, and ClassPass to help track your exercises and reach your fitness goals There’s also been a boom in connected fitness equipment like Peloton, Mirror, and Tonal that are paving the way for on-demand workouts from the comfort of your home, with additional content like meditation, yoga, and mobility training to boost mind and body health.
The fitness company is aiming for a comeback with new bikes, treadmills, AI, and higher prices
It’s a very thin line between helpful monitoring and health paranoia.
More accurately: 5.5 million smart rings total, with 2.5 million of those sold since June 2024. That’s a lot considering Oura’s been around for 12 years. That, plus Meta’s smart glasses sales, tells me folks are increasingly interested in wearables other than smartwatches.
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Apple gave the people what they wanted, resulting in the most compelling update to the Apple Watch lineup this year.
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Another year of iterative hardware and smart software tweaks for the world’s most popular smartwatch.
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Everything you already liked about these earbuds just got better.
It’s a complete overhaul of the Fitbit app, centered around the concept of adjustable, conversational coaching.
I’ve lived in that future. Before my health improved, I spiraled into obsession, injury, and disordered eating.
In its Q2 2025 earnings call, Garmin CEO Cliff Pemble says, “Glasses have come and gone once, and the utility and concerns around the use of those have always come up in the context.” He went on to say it’s a “wait and see thing.”
He’s not wrong. Privacy is still a major concern with smart glasses. But frankly, Garmin is probably happy enough with another gangbusters quarter in fitness, logging a 41 percent increase year-over-year.
[prnewswire.com]
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I’m at peace with the squircle. Gemini is promising. But the sum of the parts doesn’t add up to a must-have upgrade.
Whoop’s FDA notice is a reminder that it’s harder to tell what’s a medical feature and what’s “just for fun.”
Specifically, Google says it now works with the Hydrow and Hydrow Wave rowers, the latest models of Echelon machines, and the confusingly named Spinning bikes and the accompanying mobile app. The Strava app is also confirmed to work. Sadly, the official list of compatible devices and apps says the device will definitely not work with Garmin, Life Fitness and TechnoGym. Oh, and there’s a handful of new clock faces too.
[community.fitbit.com]
Gemini’s on the wrist, there’s a new Antioxidant Index, and a slightly updated Ultra, too.
On the Vergecast: our classic mic test with over-the-ear headphones, strength training apps, and AI fitness summaries.
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I regret to say it’s still only athletes who should give a whoop about Whoop.
It’ll cost a combined $149.99 a year, which is roughly 60 percent cheaper than if you were buying both separately. This makes a ton of sense given that Strava announced it had acquired Runna back in April. The caveats are that the bundle is only on an annual basis — no monthly option — and you have to buy through Strava’s app. The good news is that there are refund / subscription extension options if you’re already a Runna or Strava subscriber.
I asked AI for insight into my health data. It gave me a regurgitated book report.
The strength-training startup had a funny campaign last year, ribbing Peloton for allegedly copying the Ladder app for its Strength Plus app. Now it’s flexing that it poached Peloton instructor Jennifer Jacobs (who Peloton originally poached from Ladder) and offering Peloton members a three-month, all access subscription. Word has it Ladder is also planning to send trucks with digital billboards outside Peloton’s NY headquarters advertising the campaign.
The company’s first chief technology officer (CTO), Francis Shanahan, has a remit “to focus on artificial intelligence efforts,” announced alongside a new head of marketing. New-ish CEO Peter Stern has already said AI “has the potential to give humans superpowers,” which in Peloton’s case so far means personalized workout plans and AI-powered subtitles for classes.
After last month’s acquisition of Runna, mostly to get at its running plans, Strava is repeating the trick in cycling. It just acquired The Breakaway, an iOS biking app with a focus on... AI training plans.
It comes as Strava closes a round of funding that valued the business at $2.2 billion. Yesterday it announced new AI route planning and improvements to its cheat detection.
Garmin’s Connect Plus subscription raised fears of enshittification, and lo, the company confirmed in its Q1 earnings call that going forward “certain [features] we will likely reserve for premium offerings.” This isn’t surprising — this is, after all, how subscriptions tend to go. But it does sting given how vocal Garmin has been in the past about not having a paywall. That said, the conversation revolved around features, not data so hopefully raw data will remain free.
The feature is part of “Performance Predictions,” a feature for subscribers that uses a “machine learning model” to give you estimated finish times for 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon races, Strava says.
Last week, I reported that all but two Zombies, Run! staffers had been laid off. Now we have an official statement from Six to Start, the company behind the game, confirming that the ZRX app will remain “available and fully functioning.” Zombies, Run! and Marvel Move subscribers will also retain access to episode catalogues and Rofflenet, its message board. New episodes, however, are on pause.
[facebook.com]
