Way late in the fitness tracker game, Sony knew it had to come up with something unique in order to stand out from the growing market. If the Wellograph is designed for suits, the Sony SmartBand is designed for narcissists. Yeah, the device can track if you’ve been walking, how many calories you’ve burned etc. but it can also take note of other things you do, which you can then review on an app. It’s like taking a holistic selfie.
Sony has yet to reveal the specific capabilities of the SmartBand, but its official website indicates that the device “can see if you’ve been walking, running, cycling or travelling by train – and how you’ve slept. It also lets you see photos you’ve taken, music you’ve listened to, games you’ve played and how much you’ve socialized with a friend.”
You can then look back on how you spent your day (or days) through the Lifelog app, which seems to be an Android exclusive. The app presents your day as an interactive timeline. The timeline has icons indicating specific actions, such as when you took a picture or listened to music. Of course, you’ll also be able to view your exercise stats for the day but who cares about that when you can check out the exact hour that you Instagrammed that dramatic picture of fallen leaves last Thursday?
Sony also indicates that the SmartBand will have some sort of audio or even video recording capability: “Special moments need special attention. A great restaurant. An amazing song. A beautiful sunset. Press the Life Bookmark key on your SmartBand and everything going on at that moment will be caught and remembered forever.” Shhh. Did you hear that? That’s the sound of the NSA getting aroused.
Knowing that the SmartBand is designed to track your daily life, Sony wisely made the device waterproof and gave it a discreet look. You can even take the electronics (dubbed the “Core”) itself and insert it into another wristband. The SmartBand will come with two wristbands and I’m sure Sony will only be too happy to sell you more wristbands in all sorts of colors and themes.
Ready to spy on yourself? Tom’s Guide says the SmartBand will be available this spring for €99. That’s about $135 (USD), but I wouldn’t be surprised if it launches at $99 in the United States.
[via Tom's Guide & Sony]