Wahoo introduces Fitness Blue HR

Wahoo might sound like a play on Yahoo!, especially for those who are familiar with the Mario video game character and his evil nemesis, the ever greedy Wario. Well, all I want to say is this, Wahoo Fitness is something else altogether, and it is very far removed from the world of gaming. It is, after all, the leader in smartphone fitness technology, and they have announced the Wahoo Fitness Blue HR, touted to be the world’s first Bluetooth Smart heart rate monitor. Sporting the latest in Bluetooth technology, the Blue HR (which stands for Heart Rate) will be able to communicate directly with the iPhone 4S as well as other Bluetooth Smart Ready devices, giving users the opportunity to check out real-time heart rate readings on their smartphone device. You will be able to use Wahoo’s Blue HR and the fitness app of your choice, clearly placing your heart rate data, music playlists, smartphone functions, and GPS maps amongst others in a single place. Now, the all important question that we tend to ask when it comes to newly announced gizmos and gadgets – just how much will the Fitness Blue HR cost? It will retail for $79.99 a pop, and do not expect to see this under the Christmas tree this year as Wahoo’s Blue HR will only be able to make it to stores around the US sometime in January next year. When the Blue HR is launched, expect it to receive the full support of several of Wahoo Fitness’ app partners who have been hard at work behind the scenes, integrating Wahoo’s Open API to support the Blue HR. Some of the most popular fitness apps have already been tested and released in the App Store, where among them include MapMyFitness, RunKeeper, 321Run, Runmeter, and MotionX. Do expect more to join this merry bunch when 2012 rolls around, and it is nice to see the hardware not being tied down to a specific app that offers far more flexibility and freedom to the user.