The biggest upgrades in Gen 3 is an evolution from glorified sleep tracker to holistic monitor. It also closely timestamps when I go to bed and when I fall asleep, occasionally reprimanding me for falling asleep too quickly -apparently too little latency suggests over-tiredness, but I think I already knew that. I found Oura to be particularly sensitive to automatically registering workouts, especially unexpected activity such as backyard games with my kids. I’m more used to wearing watches than rings, other than my wedding band, but Oura’s weight and size are relatively unobtrusive. The company notes technological benefits such as measuring heart signals from finger arteries, just like doctors do, as well as the use of infrared light, which is said to measure deeper and more accurately at night. What’s most notable about Oura is simply that it’s a ring, whereas most 24/7 wellness wearables-Whoop, Fitbit, Apple Watch-are all wrist-worn. While my daily Whoop recovery score was often like a yo-yo, dipping as low as 14% and soaring as high as 98%-written in severe red or cheery green-Oura’s readiness metric never sank lower than 68 while ranging as high as 95, always denoted in white over a background photo of a tranquil nature scene. The aforementioned quantitative impact of napping was also a nice bonus, especially because it enabled me to nap during business hours and ascribe the time as “work.” (Note to my CEO: It’s all in the name of science, Taylor. Much of the underlying data is very similar-more on that later-but I’m referring to the messaging, app interface and proprietary scores. Oura has a different vibe, presenting more of a calmer tone in its feedback and a steady state. ![]() For much of that time, I concurrently wore a Whoop strap and found a few clear distinctions. I received a tracker from Ōura Health last summer, wearing its Gen 2 ring for about seven weeks and then Gen 3 for almost eight weeks, beginning in November. Upon rousing, there it was: “Readiness +4, Sleep +7.” I felt like Super Mario with a star, Bo in excellent condition or a Madden franchise player after weekly training. ![]() Why, just last weekend, I was dragging all morning, but managed to take an hourlong nap when my daughter did the same. And few moments are as satisfying as waking up from a nap, checking the Oura app and seeing boosts to my readiness and sleep scores. From Madden and FIFA to Tecmo Super Bowl’s Bo Jackson, ratings are at the heart of on-screen achievement. The closest I’ve ever come to feeling like a video game character is while wearing the Oura ring. Have something you want us to get our hands on? Pitch us at * * * * SportTechie’s Sandbox is where we share our experiences testing products, gear, solutions and more in the sports tech space. ![]() Joe Lemire/Oura (hand and apps) Whoop (recovery scores) Oura (sleep score) Oura (Gen 3 Ring close-up) SportTechie senior writer Joe Lemire wearing both his Oura ring and Whoop strap (oh, plus his wedding band) as he trials the rival wearables in our latest Sandbox.
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