Tag: Health & Fitness

The Google app for Android has a server-side update rolling out today that brings detailed Pollen forecasts at a glance thanks to the Weather Channel.  The update, much like the weather forecast feature of the app, will give you detailed information about how much pollen is in the air for your location as well as the different types of pollen.  The good news is, you don’t have to do anything to get the update.  Since it is a server-side update, so long as you have the latest Google app on your phone, it will come to your phone automagically.

To get to the new forecast, use the Google app to search for pollen forecast.  Using the location services on your phone, you will see the level of pollen in your area as well as the main type of allergen.  For those of us who suffer from seasonal allergies (Clinton raises his hand), it will mighty helpful in deciding how much time you spend outdoors or if you open up the windows at home.  Or maybe make double sure you take your allergy medication for the day.

Nokia’s acquisition of Withings is now complete and we are starting to see the first changes.  This morning, the Nokia Health Mate app started rolling out to users, updating it from the Withings app under the same name.  The app changes are not just in name or the icon on your Home page.  Nokia has done a major revamp of the UI for the app but all of the features of the Withings app are still there for you to access.

Nokia moved all of the navigation in the app to the bottom, giving you a Home, Dashboard, a Leaderboard for activities you are competing against each other, your devices and your profile.  All of this is wrapped in a beautiful white, Material Design inspired UI that looks much more modern than the last update from Withings.

Fitbit has rolled out a pretty nice albeit minor update to their Android app this week.  The update, version 2.37 for those keeping score at home, has some improved charts and graphs for body mass and weight history.  While most people tend to think of Fitbit as an activity tracker – which they do well – their app is actually fairly comprehensive when it comes to tracking things like your diet, weight, water consumption and, of course, exercise.  This update mainly focuses on providing you a bit more information around your weight and body composition.

First, there is an updated body lean mass versus fat mass graph.  With this you can better visualize your body composition based on the inputs that your provide to the app for your weight and fat mass measurements.  This information, if you have the Aria scale, can be automatically synced to the app so you can see your lean mass versus fat mass in the app.

Runtastic and Google Play Music have teamed up to provide you curated playlists to listen to within the app.  Now when you are within the Runstatic app and chose the music tab, you can chose different playlists to help keep you motivated during that exercise routine.

Keep pace with Today’s Running Hits featuring songs that are all over 130 beats per minute, embark on a Sweaty EDM Workout, or kick it up a notch with someHigh-Energy Hard Rock; the choice is yours. This new app feature is available in more than 60 countries around the world where Google Play Music is available.

This new feature means that you won’t have to leave Runtastic to start playing your music which saves time but also prevents accidental stops or pauses of your exercise tracking.