With the watch now reinvented, a pair of avid runners believe it’s time to reinvent the watch band.
They have created a band that moves the face of a smartwatch to the spot on the hand just below where the thumb and forefinger meet. The result for runners, cyclists or anyone using the Apple Watch’s health tracking features is the face of the watch remains in the line of site.
The EdgeGear SHIFT is available for pre-order on Kickstarter, where engineers and runners James Gilmore and Andrew Green are trying to raise $45,000 to bring the band to mass production. Early backers who pledge $20 can get a band compatible with several smart watches on the market.
Smartwatches, especially the Apple Watch and its range of apps, have changed the way people interact with watches. To tell time, a quick glance may do, but on watches with touchscreens and programmable complications, athletes find it awkward to access health tracking features like pedometers and heart monitors designed to help them improve performance.
Gilmore and Green, obsessed with both metrics and running form, wanted to interact with their smartwatches without breaking cadence.
The SHIFT is a three-piece adjustable band. Two pieces are made of silicone rubber that are attached by a rivet that allows them to swivel. Each end attaches to a durable band that loops over the thumb. The watch goes on this band, which can fit on either hand.
The watch in its new position improves safety when glancing and involves no arm rotation.
The band will work with the Apple Watch (in both 38 mm and 42 mm), Pebble, Garmin, Suunto and several others providing it’s not watch that integrated with the band (like Polar). Regardless of how your watch connects, EdgeGear will include attachments to fit all watches and tool to change bands.
If the EdgeGear SHIFT hits its fundraising goal and there are no production delays, the band should be ready for shipping in March.
Source: PSFK
