Google takes on Fitbit and Garmin with screenless Google Band

Google's first fitness band appears online

Fitbit
(Image credit: Fitbit)
Spencer Hart
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It looks like Google is working on its very own fitness band to rival Garmin, Huawei and Fitbit (which it eventually intents to buy). This is according to a patent filed at the US Patents and Trademarks Office (USTPO) for a “wristband for tracking fitness.”

The listing also reveals a potential design for Google's first-ever wearable, showing a simple, screen-less wristband. You can check out the sketch below, along with our predictions for the Google Fitness Band.

The design, spotted by 91Mobiles, looks pretty simple. It's a seamless strap with no (visible) screen and what looks like a velcro buckle. This would make getting the perfect fit incredibly easy.

We assume that Google will allow you to check the tracked health metrics in the Google Fit app on your smartphone. We could also see the band supporting Google Assistant, allowing you to check your progress verbally.

Google Fitness Band

(Image credit: US Patents and Trademarks Office (USTPO) / 91Mobiles)

We like to imagine its made in similar material to Google's range of Nest Home Speakers, and would certainly be available in a range of colours, similar to Google's Pixel smartphones.

The wearable appears to have ridges at the back of the strap, this could be to make comfortable, with increased airflow and breathability.

Okay, so what will the Google Fitness Band actually track? Well, we can safely assume it will count your steps, measure your sleep, and take heart rate readings with the sensor visible in the sketch.

If Google plans to rival Fitbit, could also be used to measure your blood flow, resting heart rate, and VO2 Max. Taking things one step further, if Google wanted to take on the Apple Watch, it could include sensors to take an ECG and measure blood pressure.

Of course, the exact specifications of the  Google fitness band will remain a mystery until/if Google releases the device. Unfortunately, we have no idea how long we have to wait to find out, with no news or rumours around a release date yet.

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Spencer Hart
Spencer Hart
Style and Travel Editor

As the Style and Travel Editor at T3, Spencer covers everything from clothes to cars and watches to hotels. Everything that's cool, stylish, and interesting, basically. He's been a part of T3 for over seven years, and in that time covered every industry event known to man, from CES and MWC to the Geneva Motorshow and Baselworld. When he's driving up and down the country in search of the greatest driving roads, he can be found messing around on an electric scooter, playing with luxury watches, or testing the latest fragrances.

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