Misift’s Shine fitness tracker focused on being good at one thing when it was introduced into the wearable wild in 2012, um, tracking fitness. But since then, wearables have evolved beyond counting steps and seeing how well you’re snoozing. Now, notifications are a must for many fitness trackers. That’s why the Shine 2 exists.
From a distance, the Shine 2 looks exactly like the tracker that’s come before it—a thin, touch-sensitive wafer with a ring of LEDs. But the comparison pretty much stops there. The Shine 2 now comes with color LEDs that lets the wearable do all sorts of new things, like tell time and differentiate between certain notifications (blue means “text” and green means “phone call” for example). Here’s the analog light show in action, displaying the wearer’s daily steps followed by the time:
That’s the real appeal of the new Shine 2 Fitness Tracker. With improved capacitive touch, added LEDs, and a vibration engine that activates with every text, alarm, or reminder, the Shine 2 moves beyond being just another boring fitness tracker into something that’s (hopefully) more healthful and helpful. We won’t know exactly how well Misfit pulls this off until we get one on our own wrist.
But the best part is all those new LEDs and vibration engines supposedly don’t sacrifice battery life. Misfit says the Shine 2 still has 6 months of battery before you to switch out for a new one. And it’s only $100, which less than the original Shine when it launched in 2012.
The Shine 2 will be available in carbon black and rose gold this November.
Does this innocuous little wearable have all the bells and whistles of smartwatch or even a Fitbit for that matter? No, not really. But if you want something subdued yet functional, the Shine was always a good choice. Now it’s an even better one.
