Smartwatch maker Garmin has released the Instinct Esports Edition watch designed for esports players and streamers.

Esports players have to stay fit, too. Garmin’s new smartwatch would help them track their fitness levels, like physical athletes. If you get this watch, you can monitor your heart rate and stress while playing an intense video game. 

Garmin’s Esports Smartwatch

Gizmodo reports that Garmin’s new watch is the Instinct Esports Edition. The company says it designed the watch for esports athletes. With the watch, gamers can track their heart rates and stress levels. Moreover, you also get a PC streaming tool called STR3AMUP! The tool helps you build overlays that inform your viewers about your heart rate, stress, and energy levels in real-time. 

Garmin made an esports fitness smartwatch for streamers because we live in hell https://t.co/UX5E62LbIs pic.twitter.com/OeeUgeNBAu

— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) October 23, 2020

Instinct Esports Specs

According to Gizmodo, the watch has a transflective screen. It’s also water-resistant up to 330 feet. Notably, this rating doubles the safe rating for swimmers. For sensors, the watch has a compass, a barometric altimeter, and a thermometer. Moreover, the watch has an accelerometer and a GPS. 

Garmin adds that the watch tracks stress using the gap between heartbeats. The watch also gives you a stress score. However, Gizmodo says this score might not reflect how mental stress impacts a person’s physical condition. The watch could also track how much energy you have left based on your heart rate data. 

More from Garmin

Garmin’s VP Dan Bartel says that elite athletes depend on Garmin’s tech to study and boost their performance. If you’re an esports player, you might use this new smartwatch to improve your game. You just need to shell out $300.

The post Garmin Releases Smartwatch for Esports and Streamers first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Sam Arnold

Garmin users wondering why their apps stopped working for five days can rest easy. The company reported that hackers had attacked their systems on July 23. In the cyberattack, the hackers had managed to stop Garmin’s systems from working. On the bright side, the hackers did not steal user data.

The Cyberattack on Garmin

Tech Crunch reported on the Garmin cyberattack. In the company’s statement, the company said the attack “encrypted some of our systems.” The attack resulted in Garmin apps not working. Millions of users became unable to use Garmin Connect, the company’s fitness tracking cloud service. Likewise, travelers weren’t able to use flyGarmin to plan their routes or their flights.

Garmin confirms ransomware attack took down services https://t.co/c3xq3j708A

— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) July 28, 2020

Garmin Attacked by Ransomware “WastedLocker”

In the same report, Tech Crunch also said that the hackers used ransomware called WastedLocker in the attack. Like other ransomware, WastedLocker locks out users from their computers in exchange for a money ransom. Hackers usually ask for cryptocurrency.

Malwarebytes has said that WastedLocker is not yet capable of stealing files before encrypting them. A Russian hacking group, called “Evil Corp.,” uses WastedLocker in their attacks. The US Treasury had sanctioned the group in 2019. The sanctions mean that the company would have broken the law if they paid a ransom.

What’s Next for Garmin after the Cyberattack

The attack caused Garmin’s stock price to fall to $94 per share, from $102. However, after the attack, the company’s value went back up to $100 per share. The sports and fitness tech company has said it is restoring services. 

The post Garmin Admits Outage Caused by Ransomware Attack first appeared on Tekrati and is written by Irene Hawkins