Sports technology company Polar announced a new update to its activity tracker Loop that includes enhanced features to better monitor the user's health.

The new fitness tracker is the second-generation of its previous wearable Loop that hit shelves last year, and it will reportedly include more smart technology compared with its predecessor. Along with tracking calories, distance, steps and sleep, the Loop 2 will also send vibration alerts when the user is inactive for a certain period of time, as well as send smartphone notifications when the user is receiving an incoming call, messages and calendar alerts.

"Smart notifications have been well received in other Polar wearables, and now they will keep the Loop 2 users in the know as well. The soft materials guarantee the bracelet is perfect to be worn day and night," Tarja Määttä from Polar told Wearable.

The device mirrors other fitness trackers like the Nike + Fuelband and Jawbone Up, equipped with an 85 LED display screen on the outside of the silicon band that displays the time and notifications. The band fastens with a stainless steel buckle and is customizable to fit the user's wrist size.

The Loop 2 will also sync with other fitness platforms, including Apple Health, MyFitnessPal and Google Fit, so that users are not forced to only use the Polar Flow app to access the collected data. The app also received some updates that include a new social feature so that users can motivate each other throughout the day.

The wearable device uses Bluetooth heart rate sensors to collect data and is fully waterproof.

Since the Loop 2 sends smart notifications, it does have a shorter battery life, lasting only three days with this feature turned on and eight days with it turned off.

The Loop 2 will be available in white or pink for a retail price of $119.95 in July, and a black option for the same price will be released in September.

Via: Engadget