Huawei is joining the wearable tech race with its new TalkBand B1 smartband with built-in traditional fitness features and a removable Bluetooth earpiece for calling.
Chinese mobile technology leader Huawei is making its debut in the competitive wearable tech race with its TalkBand B1, a hybrid fitness band and smartwatch. The Chinese phone company introduced the wearable smartband at a press conference, Sunday in Barcelona, ahead of the 2014 World Mobile Congress. The TalkBand B1 stands apart for its unique features, which combine a fitness tracker with the basic functions of a phone.
The Huawei TalkBand B1 tracks wearer's fitness by keeping a record of the number of steps taken and calculating the amount of calories burned. Huawei claims the smartband can also track the duration and quality of the wearer's sleep, Wall Street Journal reports.
Unlike other fitness bands in the market, a part of the TalkBand B1 comes off the band and transforms in to an earpiece, enabling wireless calling via Bluetooth. The company says the device is currently compatible with Huawei smartphones, but will work with both iOS and Android-based devices soon.
While Samsung showed off its Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches the same day, Huawei made some significant additions to its portfolio. Besides the TalkBand B1 hybrid band, Huawei unveiled MediaPad X1, a 7-inch Android-powered phablet that will take on Samsung's Nexus 7 and Apple's iPad mini.
Huawei smartband will go on sale in China next month, before it expands to other markets in Western Europe, Middle East, Russia and Japan in the second quarter of 2014. The retail price of the TalkBand B1 is $136, lesser than Nike's FuelBand SE, which sells for $149 through official online store.
Though, wearables are gaining popularity rapidly, some companies like Apple and Nokia are yet to make their entry in the developing sector. An earlier prediction by market research firm Canalys says 2014 will be the year for wearable gadgets.
