I/O: Google Fit unveiled, a health and fitness tracking platform

Google unveiled a "Google Fit" platform on Wednesday to help users of its Android mobile software collate and keep track of health and fitness data on smartwatches and other mobile devices. Fit functions similarly to recently introduced services from Apple and Samsung. The tracking and analysis of health information is expected to be a big driver for smartwatches and other sensor-laden devices this year. While Samsung unveiled the Sami platform last month and Apple recently announced the HealthKit at WWDC, Google ha snow played its cards to stay at par with its competitors. Rumours around the Fit had started emerging earlier this month. Earlier report had revealed it ‘would allow a wearable device that measures data like steps or heart rate to interface with Google’s cloud-based services, and become part of the Google Fit ecosystem.’ It seems to be a direct aim at Apple’s HealthKit that is designed to pool and analyse health data. The HealthKit app can pull in data from other third-party apps and this can be accessed by healthcare professionals, depending of course on how much access users give to this app. Apple partnered with the world-renowned Mayo Clinic to make HealthKit happen, and the Clinic was all praise for Apple’s new innovation in the health sphere. With HealthKit, your iPhone will keep a tab on your important health metrics on a daily basis, and over a longer period. With input from Reuters