Chipmaker Intel says it has bought Basis, the startup behind the popular fitness tracker by the same name, for an undisclosed sum.
The deal, announced Tuesday by Santa Clara, California-based Intel Corp., comes as the still-nascent market for wearable gadgets is heating up. So far, a lot of these gadgets are fitness and wellness trackers. This includes the Basis band, which tracks users' activity level, heart rate, sleep patterns and other data.
Just last week, Google released a version of its Android software tailored for high-tech watches and other wearable devices.
Intel says Basis Science Inc. CEO Jef Holove will now be general manager at Intel's new devices group. The Basis band will continue to be sold and the company's employees will work on ``future wearable initiatives.''