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A Garmin Trademark Filing Hints at a New Whoop-Like Wearable

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Why This Matters

Garmin's potential new device, Cirqa, signals a shift towards screenless wearables focused on health and recovery, aligning with consumer demand for more discreet, non-intrusive health tracking options. This development could influence the industry to prioritize privacy, simplicity, and user-centric health insights, appealing to users seeking less screen time and more holistic wellness data. Such innovations may also challenge existing fitness trackers by emphasizing data analysis over display features, broadening the wearable market's scope.

Key Takeaways

As more people embrace an analog lifestyle, favoring offline experiences that get them off their devices, it would seem technology is following suit.

On March 31, Google implied that it will release a new screenless wearable reminiscent of fitness trackers like the Whoop 5.0, known for its recovery insights, and the Luna Band, which uses your voice to track your health. By forgoing screens, you can view your data only in the wearables' accompanying apps, which can be a game changer for those with health anxiety or anyone tired of staring at screens.

Now, it appears Garmin is joining the screen-free party.

On Thursday, news and reviews site Gadgets and Wearables reported that Garmin filed a trademark for a device called Cirqa with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 25.

The trademark filing describes Cirqa as nonmedical, nontherapeutic wearable devices and instruments that use electronic sensors and monitors to measure and analyze the body's bio-signals and behavior. Specifically, Cirqa would collect data on recovery from physical and emotional stress, human alertness level and performance.

With a focus on recovery and performance, Cirqa sounds a lot like the Whoop health tracker.

In its filing, Garmin also describes Cirqa as an instrument for storing and sending data, which could mean it doesn't display that data itself and instead relies on an app, as with other screenless wearables.

A Garmin representative declined to comment, saying it's against company policy to comment on any rumored or unannounced products.

The wrist-based Whoop 5.0 health tracker Nasha Addarich Martínez/CNET

Whoops: An accidental leak

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