Now, it appears Garmin is joining the screen-free party.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Thursday, news and reviews site Gadgets and Wearables reported that\u00a0Garmin filed a trademark<\/a> for a device called Cirqa with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 25.<\/p>\n The trademark filing describes Cirqa as nonmedical, nontherapeutic wearable devices and instruments that use electronic sensors and monitors to measure and analyze the body’s bio-signals and behavior. Specifically, Cirqa would collect data on recovery from physical and emotional stress, human alertness level and performance.<\/p>\n With a focus on recovery and performance, Cirqa sounds a lot like the Whoop health tracker.\u00a0<\/p>\n In its filing, Garmin also describes Cirqa as an instrument for storing and sending data, which could mean it doesn’t display that data itself and instead relies on an app, as with other screenless wearables.\u00a0<\/p>\n A Garmin representative declined to comment, saying it’s against company policy to comment on any rumored or unannounced products.<\/p>\n The wrist-based Whoop 5.0 health tracker<\/p>\n Nasha Addarich Mart\u00ednez\/CNETWhoops: An accidental leak\u00a0<\/p>\n This isn’t the first time the Cirqa device has made news. In January, Garmin accidentally launched a Cirqa smart band product page and accompanying support pages, which have since been taken down. However, screenshots are still available on Reddit<\/a>.<\/p>\n The leaked product was seen in Garmin’s online stores in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Chile. The band was shown in two colors, black and French gray, and two sizes, small-medium and large-extra large. One of the aforementioned Reddit screenshots shows the latter as wrist sizes.<\/p>\n The page included an “add to cart” option with the caveat that shipping would start in four to five months, meaning it would launch in May or June.<\/p>\n The lawsuit look of Garmin’s Cirqa\u00a0<\/p>\n While there haven’t been any leaks showing what Cirqa will look like, based on current lawsuits, it’s unlikely to resemble the Whoop band.<\/p>\n On Oct. 14, Whoop filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Polar Electro Oy, the maker of the screenless\u00a0Polar Loop<\/a>, a health- and fitness-tracking band. Polar told MobiHealthNews that it denied the claim<\/a>\u00a0that its Loop copied the look of the Whoop band. On Friday, Polar filed an official response<\/a> to Whoop’s complaint.<\/p>\n But that wasn’t the last time Whoop went after alleged copycats. On Jan. 22, Whoop filed another\u00a0trademark infringement lawsuit<\/a>\u00a0against Nexxbase Technologies, maker of the Luna Band. Nexxbase Technologies has until May 19 to respond to the complaint.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n