Whoop

Whoop, the makers of a screen-free fitness tracker of the same name, could soon have some competition. Fitbit teased its take on a Whoop-style band with the help of Steph Curry at the end of March, and based on a trademark filing spotted by Gadgets & Wearables, Garmin appears to be working on its own band that tracks similar health metrics.

This new Garmin wearable, called "CIRQA" in the trademark filing submitted in February, is designed to measure "the body's physical parameters and other physiological data, bio-signals, and bodily behavior." That could broadly describe the smartwatches and fitness trackers Garmin already sells. But the CIRQA apparently goes further, by also measuring "recovery from physical and emotional stress, human alertness level, and performance," a set of more granular, wellness-focused features that could bring the unreleased wearable into the same ballpark as a Whoop.

Garmin accidentally leaked that it was working on a new wearable via a hastily removed store page in January, Android Authority reports. While some phantom web pages and a trademark do not guarantee Garmin is working on a new device, or that the band will be screen-free in the same way the Whoop is. If the company is preparing a competitor, though, the timing makes sense. Where other devices try to split the difference between tracking biometrics and offering real-time information or other smartwatch features, Whoop is decidedly data-first. Its wearables monitor as much information as possible through a nondescript band, and then analyze and display what it learned via a smartphone app. The approach is attractive to anyone tired of dealing with screens, and the growing number of people obsessed with optimizing their health. In fact, Whoop just raised $575 million on the back of its current success. It would make sense that Garmin and Google (via its Fitbit brand) would want a piece of the company's audience, too.

Whoop-style bands are also a perfect fit for future uses of AI in health and fitness tracking. Google is interested in having users turn to Fitbit's AI-powered health coach for everything from workout tracking to nutrition advice. If health data processing is going to happen in the cloud, and you're going to have to pull out your smartphone to view that data anyway, it makes sense to sell a tracker without a screen.