Google reportedly readying health service called Google Fit
Google plans to launch a new health platform later this month called Google Fit that will allow consumers to track health-related data through fitness devices and app, according to Forbes.
The Web giant will launch the new service during the Google I/O developers conference being held in San Francisco on June 25 and 26, Forbes reported, citing multiple unidentified sources described as having knowledge of the company's plans. At the same time, Google reportedly plans to announce partnerships with third-party device makers to produce wearable gadgets that will collect data such as the user's heart rate and share that information with Google's cloud-based services.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the new service would be built into the next version of Google's Android mobile operating system or offered as a standalone app.
CNET has contacted Google for more comment and will update this report when we learn more.
Health has become a big focus area for companies across the tech sector. Several companies have introduced health-centric gadgets, such as the Samsung Gear Fit and Jawbone Up24, and countless others are working on smart glucose meters and similar products. Other companies see an opportunity to mine patient data or collect readings on individuals to predict when they'll get sick and tailor treatment.
Earlier this month, Google rival Apple unveiled its entry into the sector, software called HealthKit that is meant to be a hub for tracking health-related data. Available this fall as part of Apple's newly unveiled iOS 8, the platform includes a corresponding app named Health, which can be used with third-party fitness devices.
Samsung has also made a big push in health with its mobile devices, incorporating heart-rate monitors and health-focused apps in its Galaxy S5 smartphone and Gear Fit. The electronics giant made a new push into the sector in May when it introduced new open software and reference design hardware for collecting health data. The effort includes a cloud-based software platform called Samsung Architecture for Multimodal Interactions, or SAMI, that collects sensor data from the devices for analysis.
This wouldn't be Google's first foray into the health sector. In 2007, it launched Google Health, a platform dedicated to the digitization of health records. Although the Web giant had high hopes for the service, touting health information as "the most important" type of search at a health trade show in early 2008, it pulled the plug on the service in 2012.
This article originally appeared on CNET.