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Trouble ahead for Jawbone and Nike: Fitness trackers on the way from big tech companies

Published Dec 26th, 2013 9:00PM EST
LG G-Health Release Date
Image: Nike Inc.

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It has been clear for some time that consumer technology industry giants like Samsung and Sony are eyeing the wearable tech market for a boost as growth in the smartphone space slows. The first assault on this emerging market stuck to the smartwatch category, however, and fitness tracking band specialists like Nike, Fitbit and Jawbone were in the clear. It looks like 2014 will be an entirely different story, however. We have already seen reports stating that Samsung is working on a fitness tracking band that will launch early next year, and now a new report from Korea Herald claims LG also has plans to take on the Jawbone UP, Nike FuelBand and other fitness trackers with its own dedicated tracking band.

The report cites unnamed industry sources in suggesting that LG has a device called the “G-Health” in the works that will be a fitness tracking wristband introduced alongside a new “G-Arch” smartwatch. Details are scarce for the time being and it is unclear if the devices will work with a wide range of smartphones or just with LG phones.

Korea Herald claims that both the G-Health and G-Arch will debut alongside LG’s new flagship G3 smartphone during the annual Mobile World Congress trade show that will take place this coming February.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.