1
`
`APPLE 1057
`Apple v. Masimo
`IPR2022-01291
`
`GABA for Managing Stress
`ExpressVPN Review
`New Tech for Hearing Loss
`Best Solar Companies
`Beats Studio Buds
`Why You Cn Trust CNET
`Our expert, award-winning sta selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy
`through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement
`Tech Mobile
`Withings Pulse O2 review: Fitness band plus
`heart rate monitor checks blood oxygen, too
`A new wristband and blood oxygen monitoring make the newest Pulse a better band than before,
`but how much better?
`6 min read
`What makes a good fitness tracker on your wrist? A comfortable fit, obviously,
`but also the appropriate type of easy-to-use functions, no-nonsense wireless
`syncing with a good app, and a very readable display. The
`Withings Pulse ,
`previously one of CNET's top fitness trackers, is small, can read your heart rate,
`and has a great Withings app and ecosystem that connects to other health
`gadgets. All it needed was a stylish wristband to pop into.
`  > 
`Scott Stein
`April 25, 2014 2:55 p.m. PT
`8 0
`

`

`2
`
`Withings Pulse O2
`T H E G O O D
`Excellent pedometer, excellent app, aordably priced.
`T H E B A D
`Can’t read your heart rate with the band on; screen is not always on, and terrible in bright daylight; not
`water-resistant.
`T H E B O T T O M L I N E
`A new wristband and new firmware improve the Pulse and make it a true fitness band, but it's not a big
`leap forward over last year.
`Now it has one, along with a new firmware update enabling blood oxygen
`reading and a redesigned app, and the whole package has been renamed
`Withings Pulse O. So why was I less excited about it? Maybe because the
`landscape's changing so fast. But for its price, this Pulse still has a lot to oer.
`And now that the
`Fitbit Force is no longer on the market and the future of the
`Nike FuelBand is unclear, the Withings Pulse O is one of the best tracker-
`bands with a screen on the market...if you can live with some of its design
`flaws.
`8.0
`

`

`3
`
`Sarah Tew/CNET
`What's new: O2 reading, and a watchband
`If you own one of last year's Withings Pulse pedometers, here's the great news:
`a simple firmware update and one of the new wristbands, which will only cost
`you $10 via Withings, gets you everything the Pulse O oers.
`What you get in software is a new vertical watch-face mode that works with the
`band, and an additional way for the heart rate monitor to also show your blood
`O levels. It's now essentially a pulse oximeter, like what you'd use in a hospital.
`It's a useful addition if you need to check your oxygen, but both the heart rate
`monitoring and O reading have to be done when standing still and using your
`finger: it's not a continuous tracker like you get on some bands like the
`Samsung Gear Fit .
`Withings Pulse O2: Wristband, heart rate, oxygen (pictures)
`See all photos
`+13 more
`

`

`4
`
`Sarah Tew/CNET
`The band: Easy fit, awkward as a watch
`The new band has soft rubber straps and a black aluminum clasp that the
`Pulse slides into. It holds the Pulse securely and attaches cleanly, fastening like
`a regular watch band so it won't fall o your wrist. The band can be replaced
`with other regular watchbands, too: Withings oers other color options, or you
`can be creative. With the Pulse in the band, it looks reasonably attractive, and
`has a horizontal style like the Nike FuelBand and Samsung Gear Fit.
`A new vertical watch face lets you easily check time with a press of a button,
`but pedometer readings are ridiculously small at the bottom, impossible to
`glance at without a magnifying glass. But, the previous Pulse didn't have
`pedometer readings in its clock display at all. The design of the Pulse's display
`is odd, too: a soft matte surface has a glowing blue LED screen beneath it, like
`the FuelBand. But the FuelBand writes its numbers in huge dots: this display
`has smaller fonts, and text looks fuzzy through the matte surface. In bright
`daylight, it's basically unreadable. And you need to press that side button to
`light the display.
`

`

`5
`
`Horizontal view. The LED display flicker eect doesn't appear except in photographs.
`Sarah Tew/CNET
`The rest of the Pulse's display modes are all still horizontal, though, which
`means you have to twist your wrist to use it properly. And flipping the main
`clock to horizontal isn't possible on the Pulse itself; you have to change the
`setting on the Withings app and re-sync.
`Sliding the Pulse in and out gets tricky, and feels like it'll scrape the Pulse's soft
`finish. And you'll need to take it out to read your heart rate: it requires your
`finger to use, and there's no hole in the back of the band to take readings,
`which gets seriously annoying.
`But, if you just consider the new Pulse band as an added convenience, it's
`better than anything the little fitness tracker had before.
`The Pulse as fitness tracker
`The Withings Pulse is still one of the best pure pedometers out there, if you
`care about accurate readings, easy syncing, and a detailed, data-rich app. The
`Pulse has its own LED display that shows steps taken, distance traveled,
`elevation climbed, estimated calories burned. It also tells the time, and can
`track sleep and read heart rate.
`Each function pops up with a click of the top button. The display is also touch-
`sensitive, and with a finger-swipe you can dig back to previous days' readings.
`The Pulse stores the last 10 days of data.
`Syncing with Android or iOS is as simple as pressing and holding the top
`button for three seconds, or waiting for the Pulse to sync automatically via the
`Withings Health Mate app. The Pulse O also works with a wide variety of
`phones: iOS 5 on an iPhone, iPad, or third-gen iPod Touch or later; or Android
`

`

`6
`
`2.3.3 on a phone or tablet, is all you need -- which includes some iPhones and
`Android phones that don't always work with other recent Bluetooth fitness
`trackers.
`Sarah Tew/CNET
`The Pulse can also be worn as a simple clip-on device: for $119, you get the
`Pulse plus a wristband and a rubber clip accessory. In clip mode, it's actually
`easier to use.
`Heart rate readings seemed accurate compared to gym equipment I tested
`against. The data is collected and graphed in the Withings app, but no extra
`coaching is oered on the device itself. There is, however, in-app coaching,
`similar to what Jawbone oers, but more along the lines of health suggestions
`based on your data.
`Sleep tracking needs to be started before going to sleep, but turns o
`automatically: waking up and taking ten steps will shut it o. I like checking
`how much I'm sleeping, but the Pulse makes you click through three menus
`and then touch a display to either a heart or moon-shaped icon to start heart
`rate measurement or sleep tracking. It's too many clicks and swipes and
`touches, and isn't intuitive.
`One more important note: the Pulse isn't water-resistant. A Micro-USB charge
`port pops out the side, which at least avoids the need for a dongle, but also
`means you can't get the tracker wet. Other bands can be worn in heavy rain or
`in a shower.
`Withings claims two weeks of Pulse use on a single charge. A full charge of the
`Pulse got me about 10 days of use with the older model. I've only been using
`the current one for a few days so far.
`Join/Login
`Tech Money
`Home Wellness
`Energy
`Home Internet
`Deals & Reviews
`Price Finder
`New!
`•
`More
`

`

`7
`
`Sarah Tew/CNET
`Health Mate app: Lots of health options
`Withings has a nice ecosystem in its Health Mate app, and a new redesign
`oers a cleaner timeline for collected data, more like what the Jawbone Up
`oers. There's an attempt at social competition, too, with new fitness goal
`challenges, but the app doesn't connect to Facebook and makes you email an
`invitation or scan for local devices via Bluetooth. The newest version of Health
`Mate also allows iPhone 5s users to tap into the M chip and use their phone
`as a pedometer if they don't have their Pulse (or, if you don't own a Pulse at all
`and want to use the Withings app). I tested the Pulse O on an iPhone 5s.
`The Health Mate app also has new reminders for various health-encouraging
`habits: sleep more, or drink more water, or take your blood pressure. The app
`can ping you with these reminders, and they're generated based on what the
`data you're sending to the app. In the few days I used the Pulse O, I couldn't
`get a strong sense of the coaching, but I'll update this in a week or so.
`Sarah Tew/CNET
`Withings has a wireless scale and blood pressure monitor that sync with the
`app, and combine to form a more detailed health-profiling ecosystem. You can
`also link a BodyMedia armband, if you have one. The app links with RunKeeper,
`

`

`8
`
`Runtastic and MyFitnessPal, too.
`Conclusion: A new band on an old tracker
`Credit goes to Withings for allowing current Pulse owners to get some new
`ways to use their tracker, but the Pulse O as a wearable fitness band lacks the
`type of display I'd like to make this easy to use when working out.
`Still, the added features and the aordability of the whole package make the
`Pulse one of the more attractive fitness bands-as-watches out there, especially
`now that the Fitbit Force isn't on the market and the FuelBand's future is in
`question. It works in tandem with a variety of useful Withings health hardware
`accessories, too. The Pulse O isn't a fitness band of the future. It is, however, a
`very welcome upgrade for the present.
`Withings Pulse O2
`S C O R E B R E A K D O W N
`Style
`8
`Features
`9
`Ease of use
`7
`See full specs
`8.0
`

`

`9
`
`Advertisement
`Home Home Energy & Utilities
`Could This Be the Final Frontier for
`Renewable Energy?
`Marine energy is getting a boost in the fight against climate change.
`6 min read
`A buoy-based wave energy converter from wave energy technology company OceanEnergy.
`OceanEnergy/PNNL
`  > 
`Eric Mck
`May 14, 2023 4:44 p.m. PT
`This story is part of CNET Zero, a series that chronicles the impact of climate change and
`explores what's being done about the problem.
`

`

`10
`
`With 70% of the Earth's surface covered by oceans, wave power could be one
`of our largest 
`energy resources. If you've ever been knocked o your feet by a
`big wave, you've felt a smidgeon of that power. 
`For decades, scientists and engineers have looked to our vast oceans and
`dreamed of ways to extract a tiny fraction of that energy. In an era of climate
`awareness and anxiety, finding ways to do that is finally getting more attention. 
`The Biden administration's  Ocean Climate Action Plan  reveals how the ocean
`holds important potential for renewable energy, both from oshore wind power
`and less-explored sources such as waves, tides and currents. Even the chillier
`waters that lie deep below tropical seas could provide clean marine energy.
`The plan acknowledges an ambitious endeavor nearing completion o the
`coast of Oregon, where 7 miles of conduit were laid under the floor of the
`Pacific Ocean using pioneering horizontal drilling techniques. Soon, thick
`

`

`11
`
`cables will be run through that conduit to connect the mainland to PacWave,
`an oshore experimental testbed built to develop and demonstrate new
`technology that converts the power of waves into onshore electricity. 
`Once fully operational (as soon as 2025), PacWave could generate up to 20
`megawatts, enough to power a few thousand homes. "I get really excited about
`wave energy because the resource is so large," Levi Kilcher, a senior scientist
`with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, told me. 
`An illustration of PacWave's planned infrastructure.
`Oregon State University
`Kilcher was a lead author on the 
`2021 NREL report  that compiled available data
`on marine energy sources in the US, including waves, tides and ocean
`currents. The team found that the total energy potential is equal to more than
`half (57%) of the electricity generated in the US in a single year.  
`Though experimental sites like PacWave point to an ecient way to harvest
`wave power and could facilitate breakthroughs, wave energy still has a way to
`go before becoming a significant source of electricity. Though waves are
`steady, they aren't identical, posing a key challenge in designing a machine to
`capture their energy.
`"You're trying to tune [the technological approach] so you can take advantage
`of these shifting kinds of waves," said Andrea Copping, a senior researcher at
`the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
`Diering approaches to capturing wave energy include devices that ride the
`top of waves or ones that translate the pressure waves put on the seafloor into
`power. Another approach involves devices called oscillating water columns,
`which compress air as waves rush through them. That compressed air spins a
`turbine and generates energy.
`"I get really excited about wave energy because the resource is so large."
`Levi Kilcher, senior scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
`”
`

`

`12
`
`Power from the depths
`Waves are just one potential source of marine energy that scientists and
`ocials are investigating. 
`Copping says there's renewed interest in another form of marine energy: ocean
`thermal energy conversion, or OTEC, which involves bringing up colder water
`from deeper parts of the ocean. This chilly flow then goes through a heat
`exchange process with warmer surface water, similar to the way home heat
`pumps exchange hot and cold air. That process drives a turbine to generate
`electricity. 
`OTEC technology was pioneered in the 1970s when energy prices soared, but it
`never really caught on. According to Copping, climate change has led to more
`attention on OTEC, which could be a fit for islands like Puerto Rico, Guam and
`small nations in the South Pacific. 
`"There's a real interest, and we really think it's going to go this time," Copping
`said.
`A small OTEC plant has been functioning in Hawaii for years. Copping believes
`new commitments from the US government hold promise for the future of the
`technology, which has also seen significant interest in Japan and other
`surrounding nations. 
`It's possible that concern over climate change could unlock new sources of
`funding for OTEC. In the meantime, building smaller facilities (10 megawatts or
`less) and putting them on land instead of floating on the ocean is making the
`tech more aordable, Copping said.
`There's also the added bonus that the cold water pipes can double as a form
`of air conditioning in the tropical locales where OTEC works best. 
`Going with the flow
`Much of the US coastline, like Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and the rocky
`shores of Maine, has climates where there's little chance of finding surface
`water warm enough for OTEC. Fortunately, some of these spots are optimal for
`generating power from a source that relies on shallower water: tides. 
`Growing up in Alaska, Kilcher was always fascinated by the power of tides. But
`he had no idea that nearby Cook Inlet is considered one of the world's ideal
`spots for harnessing their energy. When Kilcher first started work at the
`National Renewable Energy Laboratory, he was surprised when his colleagues
`informed him that this hometown of Homer, Alaska, was among the best tidal
`energy spots in the world. 
`When it comes to converting the ocean's movements into electricity, tidal
`energy technology is the most developed -- it's about as simple as putting the
`right turbine in the right place in the water. A number of tidal-power projects
`have already been deployed in Europe and elsewhere, as well as in niche
`applications around the world. 
`

`

`13
`
`Tidal energy is the yin to the yang of wave energy. Waves can be anywhere and
`everywhere, but they're hard to predict. Tides are a mostly known quantity and
`are global, but their power potential is restricted to a few very specific places.
`The fast flows required to generate power are typically only found in narrow
`channels or between islands and the mainland. Still, where tidal energy works,
`it's a very reliable form of renewable energy.
`"One thing that makes tidal energy especially attractive is it's 100% predictable,"
`Kilcher said. 
`Waves (the tallest in red and shortest in blue) arrive along the west coast of the United States in this
`accelerated animation. 
`Zhaoqing Yang/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
`Some smaller experiments are being run with other consistent characteristics
`of oceans besides tides, like their major, slow-moving currents. Kilcher noted
`that research is underway o the coast of the southeastern US to examine how
`much power can be pulled out of currents before impacting heat circulation
`patterns in the North Atlantic.  
`"You don't want to be extracting so much energy that the Gulf Stream starts to
`shut down," he said. "These are the kind of scientific research questions that we
`look at."
`Thar she blows
`So far, eectively pulling power from the ocean has less to do with water than
`with the air above it. Oshore wind energy is by far the most productive source
`of power that we transfer from ocean to land. 
`"Oshore wind is the most mature technology without a doubt," Bryson
`Robertson, director of the Pacific Marine Energy Center at Oregon State
`University, told me. "We've been working on wind energy systems really since
`the birth of civilization. We were running sails [on boats], and we were using
`windmills to grind wheat."
`

`

`14
`
`Large, power-generating wind turbines anchored to the seafloor have become
`a familiar sight o the coast of the northeastern states and other locales.
`Robertson says that floating oshore wind turbines are a newer, promising
`technology that could help scale up the amount of electricity we literally pull
`out of thin air.
`Wind is more consistent oshore, and floating infrastructure can be deployed
`in more parts of the world and on deeper seas. And taller turbines could
`access high-altitude winds in locations that are out of the view of the public.
`Robertson believes the opportunities to generate more wind power from
`floating infrastructure are significant enough to make a real dent in carbon
`emissions. 
`A tough environment
`Unlike developing a new mobile app or even a mobile phone, building the
`infrastructure to pull power from one of the most inhospitable and untamed
`environments on Earth can be a slow, dicult process. 
`"We know less about these tidal raises, these big wave areas because we stay
`out of them," Copping said. "That's one of the reasons this is taking time. But
`just look at the ocean -- it's hard not to see the energy potential."
`There are also a number of other considerations, including the impacts marine
`energy infrastructure could have on wildlife, the broader environment, local
`populations, fishing and other industries.
`"We've been working on wind energy systems really since the birth of
`civilization. We were running sails [on boats], and we were using windmills to
`grind wheat."
`Bryson Robertson, director, Pacific Marine Energy Center at Oregon State University
`”
`

`

`15
`
`First published on May 10, 2023 4:00 a.m. PT
`A research diver inspects a hydrophone lander deployed on the seafloor as part of ongoing research to
`improve the environmental monitoring of marine energy devices. 
`Richard Walsh/Scripps Institution of Oceanography
`"I think the biggest issue is uncertainty," Robertson added. "We haven't done
`this at scale before, so what are the environmental impacts going to be?"
`He says the policy process may be slow for good reasons, but the need for
`marine energy is still urgent.
`"We need to find a way to deploy technology faster while being cognizant of
`the environment," he said. "We just need to find a way to accelerate this
`process if we're going to have a measurable impact on climate change."
`More on renewable energy
`What It Takes to Go O the Grid With Solar Panels
`•
`Best Solar Companies of 2023
`•
`Solar Power Is Renewable Energy. Here's Why That Matters
`•
`How Hundreds of 24Ton Bricks Could Fix a Huge Renewable Energy Problem
`•
`The Green Revolution Is Being Held Back by Red Tape
`•
`

`

`16
`
`More From CNET
`Deals
`Reviews
`Best Products
`Gift Guide
`Shopping Extension
`Videos
`About
`About CNET
`Newsletters
`Sitemap
`Careers
`Policies
`Cookie Settings
`Help Center
`Licensing
`Privacy Policy
`Terms of Use
`Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
`© 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. All rights reserved.
`US    |    France    |    Germany    |    Japan    |    Korea
`