- The Garmin Cirqa, Garmin’s long-rumored screenless smart bracelet, lifts the veil
- Trademark filings have been spotted with governing bodies in the US, Canada and EU, suggesting an imminent launch.
- Google launched its screenless bracelet with a redesigned AI-powered app – but I hope Garmin doesn’t follow
Garmin’s screenless smart bracelet, designed to compete with the growing trend of “focused wearables” such as the Google Fitbit Air and Whoop bracelets, is on the way. We first thought it was the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor (pictured above), but it turned out to be a completely different product.
The screen-less fitness tracker will likely be called Garmin Cirqa, according to leaks; This will be an interesting new departure from Garmin’s existing roster of fitness watches, and we now have more evidence that it will launch soon.
Garmin has filed trademarks for the name “CIRQA” (capitalized, but we’ll call it Cirqa in text the same as Whoop, which is stylized on its official mark as “WHOOP”), with an entry in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database spotted earlier this year.
However, Gadgets & Wearables has also found trademark registrations with relevant governing bodies in Canada and the EU, fueling rumors that a launch could be imminent.
All documents refer to a body-worn sensor rather than a communications device, which suggests that the Cirqa isn’t just a new smartwatch: it’s intended exclusively for health and fitness.
It’s pretty exciting: Right now, there’s no shortage of options for people looking for discreet, screen-free wearables, from the Oura Ring 5 to the Fitbit Air to last year’s Polar Loop. Clearly, the category and people’s interest is growing, and a premium Garmin device would sell like hotcakes.
However, I hope Garmin doesn’t repeat an aspect of Google’s Fitbit Air launch. At the same time the Fitbit Air was released, Google transformed the Fitbit app into Google Health, eliminating its latest community features like badges and shareable challenges, controversially redesigning the app, and turning the Premium tier into a “Health Coach” AI chatbot.
Garmin’s user base would revolt if such dramatic changes were made to the Garmin Connect app. There was widespread outrage last year when Garmin introduced a Premium tier with AI-based features – it has a passionate and outspoken community that loves its technology, and any indication that features are being removed or that the app is transforming to better conform to the AI nature of most screen-less trackers would spark a huge outcry.
Garmin will have to make its Cirqa band work within its existing watch-focused ecosystem unless it wants to launch a separate app or risk losing frustrated customers.
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