Smartwatches can be hugely convenient tools when it comes to tracking runs and workouts. But the vast majority require that you also bring your smartphone along for the run or ride which, for some, limits the appeal of a wrist-mounted tracker.

Now running shoe company New Balance has announced that it will be among the first to release an Android-powered smartwatch that solves this problem. On Tuesday at CES, the company revealed that it will release an Android Wear device later this year that will function untethered.

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The device is expected to go on sale before the 2016 holidays, but an exact release date hasn't been announced. New Balance is partnering with both Google and Intel on the development of the watch.

New Balance hasn't released specifics on what the watch will look like or exactly how it will work, though the company says that the device will allow runners to track runs via GPS and listen to their music without their smartphones. Google announced in November that it would be supporting LTE-enabled Android Wear smartwatches.

However, when asked about possible LTE functionality, Chris Ladd, New Balance's executive vice president of direct to consumer, declined to elaborate on the specifics of how the watch will work. But Ladd did emphasize that allowing an untethered experience was an important goal for the company.

"When we say untethered, you don't have to sync it with your phone, you don't have to run with your phone," Ladd told Mashable. "We know that consumers don't really want to run with their phone. They do because it provided them with a lot of functionality... they enjoyed the GPS tracking, they enjoyed the music, they enjoyed being able to sync their heart rate up. But we think the next evolution of that is for people to actually go on runs without their phones."

The watch is part of a bigger push from the sneaker company to establish a major presence in the rapidly growing sports tech category. The forthcoming Android Wear smartwatch will be the first product from a new tech-focused division within the company called New Balance Digital Sport.

Through Digital Sport, New Balance will work with partners like running app Strava and wearable sports tech company Zepp to develop new tech-focused products. These will include gadgets like smartwatches, athletic apparel that uses embedded sensor technology (like Under Armour's Gemini 2 sensor-enabled running shoes) and connected fitness equipment.

It's still early days for the plan, though, and New Balance says it expects additional products won't be available until at least 2017.