Samsung unveils wristband that can measure health, fitness

By Christina Farr SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Samsung Electronics Co Ltd moved deeper into the wearable technology market on Wednesday as it unveiled a wristband that it claims can give a range of real-time health and fitness information. At a press event in San Francisco, the world’s biggest handset maker announced Simband, a new “investigational” device that can be used to measure body temperature, blood oxygen levels, motion and other metrics on a continuous basis. The prototype “smart” band is not intended to be sold as is but serve as a “foundation” for third party developers to build a device that incorporates “optical, acoustic and electronic sensors,” Samsung’s vice president of digital health Ram Fish said. “We want to bring in talent from the outside,” said Young Sohn, president and chief strategy officer for Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions.