The Intel Basis Peak launched in 2014 as a high-end fitness and sleep tracker. I’ve used it as my favorite wearable ever since. Now the Intel division is launching an update that allows you to control the music playing through your smartphone from the smartwatch. And it lets you enter details of your workouts manually.
With the new feature, you can use the Peak to control songs playing on your headphones with a media controller. And the manual workout entry lets Peak wearers add workouts such as Zumba classes or weight training. The whole idea is to make sure that the technology keeps up with your lifestyle, stride for stride, the team says.
Music makes sense to add because it can motivate you to get in the zone and exercise more. If you swipe up on the watch face, you can control what the music player does. And as for workouts, you now get credit if you make a manual entry about a weight training session. Basis has motion sensors that tell it if you’re biking, running, walking, or simply moving. But it can’t really tell if you’re lifting weights. So you have to tell it that you’re doing some valuable exercise. You’ll see stats on calories burned related to those activities.
In a previous update, Basis Peak added integrations with Apple Health and Google Fit. It added a stopwatch, silent alarm, and social activity sharing. That shows the Basis team has a good track record of continuing to invest in its smartwatch as a dynamic platform that can keep up with the times.