Amazon has a line of feature-packed tablets at various price points, but if you want just a bare-bones e-reader, the Kindle Paperwhite is your best bet. Withings is taking that same approach with its fitness trackers. At CES, the French fit tech company revealed Withings Go, a basic tracker with an e-ink display that does everything an entry-level workout companion should do, but not much more.
Go is Withings’ cheapest activity tracker by far, at $70 compared to the $150 Activité Pop, and is one of the most affordable trackers on the market. Like Misfit, Withings is aiming for versatility with its latest device—Go can be worn as a band or clipped to a belt or keychain. You can even keep the round device in your pocket if you don’t want anyone to see it.
But that would defeat the person of Go’s always-on e-ink screen, which offers up information you want to see at a glance, like how far you’ve progressed toward your daily activity goal and the time. You can wear it swimming and sleeping in addition to regular, everyday activities, and it automatically recognizes what you’re doing without having to activate a workout mode.
Go is compatible with iOS and Android via Withings’ cross-platform Health Mate app, like the company’s other fitness trackers. I haven’t tried Go in person—it makes its public debut at CES on Tuesday night—but Withings has a solid track record with the impressive Activité line, including the new Activité Steel. For fitness buffs, Withings Go might not be as compelling as more robust trackers, like the new Fitbit Blaze fitness watch. But for many, a cheap, basic tracker like Go does the job just fine.
Withings Go will ship sometime in the first quarter of the year.