Misfit releases lower-priced version of its flagship Shine health wearable

Health wearables company Misfit has released a second fitness- and sleep-monitoring wrist wearable, the “Flash,” a lower-priced version of its flagship Shine health wearable.

The new device has the same shape and functionality of the Shine but is housed in a “durable soft touch plastic” instead of the Shine’s anodized aluminum. The lower price of the plastic allows the Flash to sell for $50 versus the Shine’s $100.

“We’ve had to completely reengineer it to make it available at this price point,” Misfit spokesperson Amy Puliafito told VentureBeat Monday. “What we’re trying to do is lower barriers to entry.”

Puliafito said the Flash might appeal to a wider, more general audience than the Shine. She points to a recent Rock Health report saying that health wearables have only a one- to two-percent market penetration in the U.S. to date, so there’s ample opportunity for sales as the devices begin going mainstream.

The Flash is tied to an app (iOS, Android, and Windows) that measures fitness activities and tracks sleep quality. The device is waterproof and comes with both a wristband and a clasp (for attaching it to clothing or shoes).

Flash is like one big button, Puliafito said, which you press to look at your progress and time, and to mark activities. Unlike the Shine, it has a bright LED display.

The device comes in a number of bright colors, including lemon-lime, fuschia, and teal.

Flash will be available for pre-order at the Misfit website starting Tuesday and will ship in mid-October. It’ll be available at retailers like Walmart, Amazon, Target, and Best Buy starting in October.

Misfit has sold about 500,000 Shine wearables around the world, Puliafito says. That device launched in late 2013 and is now available in tens of thousands of retail locations in more than 40 countries.

Misfit was founded in 2011 by Sonny Vu with (former CEO of Apple and Pepsi) John Sculley and Sridhar Iyengar.