Withings

Withings
Private
Industry Consumer electronics
Founded Issy-les-Moulineaux, France (June 2008 (2008-06))
Founders
Headquarters 2 rue Maurice Hartmann, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
Number of locations
 3 (2016)
Area served
 Global
Key people
Products
  • Activité
  • Activité Pop
  • Activité Steel
  • Aura Smart Sleep System
  • Thermo
  • Pulse Ox
  • WiFi Body Scale
  • Smart Kid Scale
  • Blood Pressure Monitor
  • Smart Baby Monitor
  • Smart Body Analyzer
  • Wireless Scale
  • Health Mate App
  • Home
  • Go
Number of employees
 200[1] (2016)
Parent Nokia
Website www.withings.com

Withings (pronounced "with-things")[2] is a French consumer electronics company headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and Hong Kong, distributing products worldwide. Withings is known for design and innovation in connected health devices, such as the first Wi-Fi scale on the market (introduced in 2009), an FDA-cleared blood pressure monitor, a high-definition wireless security camera, a smart sleep system, and a line of automatic activity tracking watches. It is a flagship company of the French Tech community and has received numerous awards for its products and innovation, including CES awards.

Withings was purchased by Finnish company Nokia on 26 April 2016. The deal closed on 31 May, with Withings having been absorbed into Nokia Technologies' new Digital Health unit led by the former Withings CEO.[3][4]

History

Withings co-founder Cedric Hutchings in 2010.

Withings was founded in 2008 by two executives from the technology and telecom industry: Éric Carreel, co-founder of Inventel, and Cédric Hutchings.[5] The company's first product was the connected body scale, which officially launched in June 2009.[6]

In September 2010, Withings received its first venture capital funding - $3.8 million from Ventech - to fund the development of the company's next two products.[7] In January 2011, Withings announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that its second product would be a blood pressure monitor that connects to the iPhone.[8] It also announced it would produce a baby monitor for use with smartphones and other connected devices, which was made available to purchase across Europe in November 2011 and in the United States in February 2012.[9]

Withings received a $30 million investment from Bpifrance, Idinvest Partners, 360 CapitalPartners, and Ventech in July 2013.[10]

The company integrated with Apple's HealthKit platform in October 2014. The compatibility across Withing's range of connected devices enabled the integration of self data into the iOS Health app.[11]

At WebSummit in Dublin, 2015, the company announced a partnership with MyFitnessPal after a joint study between the two companies revealed that people who track their calories and weight are 7 times more likely to lose weight.[12][13] The partnership combined Withings' Health Mate app with MyFitnessPal's nutrition data to let the users know whether they were exercising enough in relation to their diet.[14]

In April 2016, Nokia announced it had struck a deal to acquire Withings and integrate it with the group's Nokia Technologies division.[1] The deal closed on 31 May 2016. The CEO of Withings Cédric Hutchings, became the leader of the new Digital Health business of Nokia Technologies, the successor of Withings. The Withings brand will continue to exist, at least for the time being.[15]

Products

WiFi Body Scale

Withings blood pressure monitor.

The WiFi Body Scale measures both weight and fat mass and uploads the data to the company's site over Wi-Fi. The scale data can be accessed by Android, BlackBerry, and iOS devices.[16] It also connects to various Health 2.0 services such as Google Health[17] and Microsoft HealthVault[18] as well as diet and exercise sites such as DailyBurn.[19] It received tech media coverage for its ability to tweet the user's weight loss.[20][21][22][23]

Blood Pressure Monitor

First appearing in 2011, Blood Pressure Monitor was upgraded in March 2014 to a wireless version that connects through Bluetooth to both iOS and Android mobile devices.[24] Approved by the FDA, Blood Pressure Monitor is configured for wireless use, allowing patients to chart their blood pressure readings at home. The monitor measures systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as heart rate.[25]

Smart Baby Monitor

This flip-open camera unit included dual microphones, a speaker, temperature and humidity sensors, and a nightlight with custom colors. The camera was configured via Bluetooth to operate via Withings' iOS or Android app, and send live video via the user's Wi-Fi network. In addition to letting the user watch video from the camera, pan, tilt, zoom, and take pictures as needed, the apps also notified the user of changing data from the monitor's sensors. The user could activate a push-to-talk mode or play a lullaby.[26]

This product was discontinued in 2016.

Smart Kid Scale

Withings Smart Body Analyzer & Wireless Scale.

At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in January, Withings unveiled the world's first Internet Connected Baby and Toddler Scale, which won a CES Innovations Award.[27][28] The Smart Kid Scale features two weighing configurations: the first is for weighing infants with a removable baby basket, and the second is the toddler scale that emerges once the baby basket is removed. Parents can access their children's weight readings from any connected device.[29]

Smart Body Analyzer & Wireless Scale

The Withings Smart Body Analyzer is a smart scale that not only measures weight, but also calculates body mass index and fat mass, registers heart rate and indoor air quality/air temperature, and provides weather reports. The scale can store data for up to eight profiles at a time, recognizing users based on their weight. Measurements can be shared by text, email or social networking sites, such as Twitter.[30]

The scale received media attention when magician Penn Jillette, having lost nearly 120 pounds in four months to preserve his health, attributed his success to a strict regimen and the Withings smart scale. While in hospital, Jillette recruited his friends to use the scale, creating "a kind of cult to see who could lose the most weight the most quickly." Jillette also relied on the Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor.[31][32]

Pulse Ox (formerly Pulse O2)

Withings Pulse O2 fitness tracker.

The Pulse O2 started selling in summer 2013. The product was upgraded in 2014 to include additional features such as the pulse oximetry measurement (SPO2) and the wear-it-your-way form factor, and the name was changed to Ox.[33]

The Pulse contains a pedometer, heart rate monitor and blood oxygen reader. It can connect to other Withings devices such as the Smart Body Analyzer smart scales and blood pressure monitor. The user's data is pulled from those devices and into the companion app. Information like the user's weight is then used to increase the accuracy of the Pulse calorie counter. When the Pulse is not at hand, activity can still be tracked through the companion app itself.[34] The Pulse is the only such device that does reflexive measurement, so users do not need to clip their finger for the SPO2 measurement.[16]

Aura

Withings Aura smart alarm clock.

Withings Aura is a smart alarm clock with sensors, a color-changing light, a speaker and an under-mattress sleep monitor. It has sleep programs to help induce sleep. The Aura also plays specially-engineered wake-up light and sound programs to gently wake the user. Throughout the night, it uses a sensor placed under the mattress to detect when the user is in the lightest sleep phase so it can wake them up at the most appropriate time before the alarm goes off.[35]

When the Aura was presented at IFA 2015,[36] the sensor was optional. It became the Aura Connected Alarm Clock without sensor and the Aura Total Sleep System with sensor.

The device received an update in 2015 which allows integration with Spotify premium for users to stream their own music.[37]

Activité

Withings Activité Pop.

Withings Activité is an activity tracking watch with three models, ranging from stylish to sporty: Activité Sapphire (2014), Activité Steel (2015), and Activité Pop (2015). The watch has no buttons; instead, everything is controlled from the phone app, as the watch is compatible with both iPhone and Android. The watch automatically resets in new time zones. It can track the user's sleep, swimming, walking and running automatically. Sleep and activity are displayed on the app as graphs. The app offers competitions with friends, even with people who only have an iPhone and no fitness tracker. It also incorporates weight, heart rate, and body mass data from Withings’ wireless scales, like the Smart Body Analyzer. The app connects to MyFitnessPal for food tracking.[2]

The Activité Steel is made of stainless steel with chrome hands and a silicone strap. The battery life of the Activité is up to eight months and the device is water resistant to 50 meters.[12] The Activité Sapphire is Swiss-made, with scratch-proof domed sapphire glass, stainless steel and French calf leather. The Activité Pop is constructed from a PVD-coated metal, features mineral glass and has a silicone strap.[38]

The Activité Steel has been described as "a solid, stylish smartwatch that is less expensive than other, less fashionable fitness trackers."[39] One of the users of Activité is French president François Hollande.[40]

Home

This comprehensive home monitoring solution was first presented at CES in 2014.[41]

The Home camera alerts the user to any motion or noise while out of the house. It also tracks the indoor air quality, notifying the user if dangerous levels of volatile organic compounds are detected. The camera can be used with the IFTTT app to create a number of recipes between connected services and the camera, such as turning it on when the user's phone is using geolocation or when the door is locked, or making it turn on the air purifier when bad air quality is detected. Parents can also use the Home as a baby monitor to report any motion or noise in a nursery, use two-way talk with their baby, or soothe the baby to sleep with music and an LED light sequence.[42]

Go

Withings Home.

Withings Go (2016) is an activity tracker that can be clipped or hung on belts, or worn on the wrist with a silicone strap. It uses a replaceable battery that lasts eight months, is waterproof for swimming, and has an E Ink screen for always-on activity progress status (or, at a touch, the analog time).[43] Using the free Withings Health Mate iOS or Android app that keeps tabs on activity levels, users can also specify a target activity goal. Goal progress will be displayed on the tracker using a prominent circular countdown. The E Ink display also serves as a touch-sensitive button, letting users switch between activity goals and the watch function.[44]

Thermo

Withings Thermo is a temporal artery thermometer which uses a 16-sensor array to deliver fast and accurate temperature readings. In a non-invasive manner, infrared sensors take 4,000 measurements within two seconds, while an algorithm corrects for biases, such as skin heat loss and the ambient temperature, to produce a reliable single temperature reading.[45] The thermometer displays only the temperature, but additional data is stored, analyzed, and presented in the accompanying app. Its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity allows smartphone users to log readings, along with other information such as symptoms and medication.[46] The app stores profiles of several people and lasts on two batteries for about two years.[47] Thermo won two 2016 CES Innovation Awards (Best in Fitness, Sport and Biotech, and Tech for a Better World).[45]

Health Mate App

This personal health coach connects with either the Activité or Activité Pop via Bluetooth low energy. It also connects with Go, Pulse, scales and BPM. Once the watch syncs with the app, users can view their sleep metrics and activity, and set a vibrating alarm. The Health Mate app shows activity and sleep trends over time in graphs. The app also tracks weight, heart rate, blood pressure and more if the user enters the data or owns Withings’ smart scale or blood pressure monitor.[48] Health Mate can be integrated with Apple Watch.[49]

Within the Health Mate App, users can purchase Hy-Result, a protocol that helps users of home blood pressure monitors correctly interpret their results with personalized messages taking account of the user profile. Because blood pressure varies over time, Hy-Result takes three consecutive results, which can be shared with others.[50]

Awards

Withings has received numerous awards for its products and innovations. They include the following:

Research

Withings Health Institute is the company's research body, dedicated to accelerating the connected health revolution through a combination of in-house research and academic partnerships.[60] Using real-time data, it tracks the extent to which key risk factors for heart disease are linked to lifestyle, such as sedentary behavior, overweight and obesity, and high blood pressure, and what steps can be taken to reduce risks.[61] The Institute has published several research papers on various topics, and Withings products have been involved in numerous clinical trials.[62]

Competitors

Direct competitors include Fitbit, with a range of activity trackers and an online app that can exchange data with Withings;[63] Misfit, specializing in wearable technology;[64] Garmin, best known for its GPS products;[64] Qardio, focusing on heart health monitoring products;[65] iHealth Labs, with an iPhone-connectible blood pressure monitor;[66] Blipcare, which produces weight scales and blood pressure monitors that are not Bluetooth-based, but WiFi-enabled;[67] and BodyTrace, with an Internet-connected scale which uses GSM rather than WiFi to connect to the Internet.[68]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Withings.

References

  1. 1 2 Jussi Rosendahl (26 April 2016). "Nokia to buy health tracking firm Withings". Reuters. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 David Pogue (29 January 2016). "Timex and Withings Watches Combine Fitness With Fashion — for Better and Worse". Yahoo! Tech. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  3. ↑ http://company.nokia.com/en/news/press-releases/2016/04/26/nokia-plans-to-acquire-withings-to-accelerate-entry-into-digital-health
  4. ↑ http://company.nokia.com/en/news/press-releases/2016/05/31/nokia-completes-the-acquisition-of-withings
  5. ↑ "About". Withings. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Withings". CrunchBase. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Roxanne Varza (2 September 2010). "Withings scores 3 million euros for the tweeting wifi scale and more". TechCrunch. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Darren Murph (4 January 2011). "Withings fittingly debuts iPhone-connected blood pressure monitor at CES". Engadget. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Mark Baard (10 January 2011). "Baby monitor for iPhone provides pictures, too". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Romain Dillet (17 July 2013). "Withings Raises $30 Million From Bpifrance And Others To Fuel International Growth". TechCrunch. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Paul Lamkin (16 October 2014). "Withings gets on board with Apple HealthKit". Wareable. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  12. 1 2 James Stables (16 November 2015). "Withings Activité Steel is official: Big on style and low on price". Wareable. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Macala Wright (24 February 2016). "Withings Takes on the Silent Killer With a Wearable". PSFK. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Jon Fingas (11 October 2015). "Withings tracks your nutrition thanks to MyFitnessPal". Endgadget. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  15. ↑ https://www.androidheadlines.com/2016/05/withings-now-officially-nokia-subsidiary.html
  16. 1 2 James Stables (11 November 2015). "Withings boss: The secret of new health tracking devices is in the data". Wareable. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  17. ↑ Rosa Golijan (28 January 2010). "Withings Wi-Fi Scale Gets Creepier With Google Health Integration". Gizmodo. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  18. ↑ Chad Sapieha (8 August 2010). "Keep track of personal stats with WiFi bathroom scale". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  19. ↑ Mark Suster (16 January 2010). "Digital Health Becoming a Reality". Both Sides. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  20. ↑ Flatley, Joseph L. (11 November 2009). "Withings WiFi Body Scale integrates Twitter, launches in the US". Engadget.
  21. ↑ Sorrel, Charlie (11 November 2009). "Wi-Fi Scale Tweets Your Weight". Wired.
  22. ↑ Finley-Price, Wes (11 November 2009). "Wi-Fi scale tweets your weight loss (or gain)". CNN.
  23. ↑ Biggs, John (9 February 2010). "CrunchGear Reviews the Withings Tweeting WiFi Scale". TechCrunch.
  24. ↑ Tom Fowler (8 May 2014). "Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor: Product Review". MedGadget. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  25. ↑ Fatima Cody Stanford (7 May 2014). "Harvard-affiliated Obesity Physician gives in-depth review of Withings new FDA-approved Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor". Medtech Boston. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  26. ↑ Rob Pegoraro (28 May 2014). "Withings Smart Baby Monitor". PC Magazine. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  27. 1 2 David Eitelbach (10 January 2012). "Withings Announces Internet-Connected Baby Scale". Laptop Magazine. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  28. ↑ "CES 2012: High-tech health gadgets revealed". CBS News. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  29. ↑ Dana Wollman (8 January 2012). "Withings intros WiFi-connected baby scale so you can tell your friends oh, how they've grown (hands-on)". Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  30. ↑ Rachael Rettner (31 July 2014). "Withings Smart Body Analyzer Review". Live Science. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  31. ↑ Dan Tynan (9 December 2015). "How Penn Jillette Used Technology to Lose 120 Pounds — No Magic Required". Yahoo! Tech. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  32. ↑ "Penn Jillette's Incredible Weight Loss Was Not a Magic Trick". The Dr. Oz Show. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  33. ↑ John Nassivera (23 April 2014). "Withings Pulse o2 Update: Electronic Whiz Corp Releases New Blood Oxygen Activity Tracker". HNGN. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  34. ↑ Kieran Alger (17 October 2014). "Withings Pulse Ox tips: Get more from your lifestyle tracker". Wareable. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  35. ↑ Samuel Gibbs (25 April 2016). "How to use technology to sleep better". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  36. ↑ "Withings Aura". IFA. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  37. ↑ David Murphy (4 September 2015). "Withings to Link Aura Smart Alarm Clock to Spotify". PC Magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  38. ↑ Paul Lamkin (20 January 2015). "Withings Activité Pop review". Wareable. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  39. ↑ Caitlin McGarry (24 November 2015). "Withings Activité Steel review: This stylish $170 watch is an undercover fitness tracker". Macworld. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  40. ↑ Guillaume Grallet (26 April 2016). "La pépite française des objets connectés Withings bientôt sous pavillon finlandais" (in French). Le Point. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  41. ↑ Eric Slivka (2 December 2015). "Withings Home Review: New Apple TV App and Baby Monitor Features Make a Solid Camera Even Better". MacRumors. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  42. ↑ Brent Dirks (10 March 2016). "The Withings Home camera adds a new layer of smart technology with IFTTT support". App Advice. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  43. ↑ Scott Stein (5 January 2016). "Withings Go is an adorable little clip-on e-ink fitness button". CNET. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  44. ↑ Andrew Liszewski (5 January 2016). "A Giant E Ink Countdown on Withings' New Fitness Tracker Makes It Hard To Be Lazy". Gizmodo. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  45. 1 2 3 Simon Crisp (4 January 2016). "Withings Thermo thermometer boasts a 16-sensor array and Wi-Fi". Gizmag. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  46. ↑ Liz Stinson (15 January 2016). "Withings' New Thermometer Might Be Worth Its $100 Price Tag". Wired. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  47. ↑ "Withings Thermo Is A Thermometer That Doesn't Enter Your Body". Popular Science. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  48. ↑ Aldrin Calimlim (9 May 2015). "Withings' Health Mate activity-tracking app is now fit and right for the Apple Watch". App Advice. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  49. ↑ Mariella Moon (9 February 2016). "Withings Hy-result analyzes your blood pressure". Endgadget. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  50. ↑ "Withings". iF World Design Guide. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  51. ↑ "2015 CES Innovation Awards" (PDF). CE.org. February 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  52. ↑ "Withings Home, caméra HD". APCI. 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  53. ↑ "Digital Trends Best of CES 2014 award winners". Digital Trends. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  54. ↑ "Brands To Know: Withings". D'Marge. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  55. ↑ Elizabeth Armstrong Moore (5 January 2011). "Withings baby monitor smart enough for your phone". CNET. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  56. ↑ Jeremy Horwitz (7 January 2011). "iLounge's 2011 CES iPod, iPhone, iPad + Mac Best of Show Awards". iLounge. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  57. ↑ "Smartbabyphone, objet communicant grand public". APCI. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  58. ↑ "Withings, l'heureux gagnant de la catégorie Santé & Seniors". It'Night.
  59. ↑ "Withings". Health Withings.
  60. ↑ "Withings Health Institute". Withings.
  61. ↑ "Resources". Withings.
  62. ↑ Kirk McElhearn (16 June 2015). "Wi-Fi scales compared: Fitbit Aria and Withings Smart Body Analyzer". Macworld. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  63. 1 2 Jill Duffy (2 May 2016). "How to Get the Most From Your Activity Tracker and Other Fitness Gadgets". PC Magazine. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  64. ↑ Deanna Pogorelc (12 December 2013). "Qardio plans 2014 launch of a mobile blood pressure monitor, à la Withings, iHealth". Med City News. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  65. ↑ Joe White (29 September 2014). "You can now link 9 iHealth healthcare accessories with the iOS 8 Health app". App Advice. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  66. ↑ Julie Strietelmeier (16 December 2012). "Blip Wi-Fi Blood Pressure Monitor review". Gadgeteer. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  67. ↑ John Brownlee (16 April 2010). "The GSM BodyTrace is the world's first subsidized, carrier-locked bathroom scale". Geek. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
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