Samsung strikes first in the smart ring patent battle against Oura

Photo: Samsung

Samsung isn't waiting for a potential legal fight—it's going on the offensive. The tech giant has filed a preemptive lawsuit against Oura, a leader in the smart ring market, seeking a court declaration that its upcoming Galaxy Ring doesn't infringe on five of Oura's patents.

Samsung accuses Oura of a concerning pattern: suing competitors over features typical to most smart rings, like sensors, batteries, and metric-based scores. The lawsuit cites instances where Oura targeted rivals like Ultrahuman, Circular, and RingConn—sometimes before their products even launched in the US.

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Oura gets experimental with Symptom Radar

Image: Oura

Oura Ring users can now explore the future of health tracking with Oura Labs, a new platform for testing experimental features. The first feature, Symptom Radar, focuses on early detection of physiological stress, not full-blown illness.

Unlike the illness detection features many wearables aimed for during the pandemic, Symptom Radar tracks biometric trends like temperature, respiration, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability. When it detects significant changes, it prompts users to prioritize rest through Rest Mode or a lowered activity goal.

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Apple executive joins Oura Ring to lead healthcare strategy

Oura

Oura, the maker of a smart ring that tracks sleep quality and other vital signs, has hired Jason Oberfest, a former Apple health executive, to boost its credibility in the healthcare sector. Oberfest joined Apple in 2018 from Mango Health, a startup that helps people manage their medications. He was a key member of Apple’s health team.

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Oura partners with Gucci for an 18-carat gold smart ring

Gucci, Oura

Oura's smart ring gets a high-fashion boost with the brand's latest collaboration. The company partnered with fashion house Gucci for the Gucci x Oura Ring. It features black synthetic corundum bearing the famous interlocking "G" logo and a braided torchon pattern. These patterns are both in 18-carat yellow gold. This smart ring comes with Oura's latest Generation 3 tech, allowing you to monitor your heart rate, sleep, activity, and more.

The ring weighs around four grams or 0.14 ounces, but it can do big things like read your heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature. It supposedly measures your heart rate more accurately than wrist-based smartwatches. As a premium wearable, you're expected to pay US$1,100 (approx. CA$1,412), which thankfully includes Oura's "Lifetime Membership" subscription, so you don't have to worry about another subscription service. But if you can afford it, you probably don't worry about your subscriptions too much.

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