Sony SmartBand Tracks Your Physical, Social and Entertainment Activities: Automated Diary

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.

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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?

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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.

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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]

ERI Activity Tracking Wrist Band is on Indiegogo


There is certainly no shortage of activity tracking bracelets on the market today. That doesn't mean there aren't hordes of them rushing to come to market to compete though. A new wrist bracelet has...

Fitbit Force Fitness Tracker is Announced for $129.95


Fitbit wants to encourage an active lifestyle. Its Force fitness tracker can be worn comfortably on the wrist. It will tell all the vital stats along with number of calories burnt or steps taken....

Fitbit Launching Force Wristband in Coming Weeks

Fitbit WristbandFitbit, makers of the fitness tracking Flex wristband, announced Thursday that it will be releasing the Fitbit Force this fall. The Force is an updated version of the Flex with some additional features, most notably an OLED display right on the device.

The added display is a big advancement in the device. Not only will this allow the user to see their distance progress and calories burned as you might expect, but it can also see the names of incoming callers. The Fitbit Force will pair with your iPhone via Bluetooth and is the first of the wrist-worn devices to take advantage of the new Apple iOS 7 notification center. This way users on a run can track the calls that come in without having to pull out their phone and gives Fitbit a jump on the competition from Nike’s Fuelband and Jawbone’s Up. There is no integration for this with Android yet, but touching the Force to an Android phone (NFC equipped) will automatically launch the Fitbit application.

The Fitbit Force will track steps taken, distance, calories and sleeping habits as its predecessor did. It will also track stairs climbed through a built-in altimeter and total active minutes throughout a week. The Bluetooth 4.0 also supports pairing with your computer to avoid the need for the USB connection to sync up your data.

Fitbit already offers an small array of fitness tracking products including the Zip, and One that attach to your clothing, the integrated Aria smart scale and the Flex wristband. Fitbit is offering the Force for $129.95.

Nymi bracelet uses biometric heart data to unlock digital and physical doors (video)

Bionym's Nymi bracelet authenticates through a heartbeat

Unlike faces and fingerprints, a heart's electrical activity is difficult to fake -- it's a unique and potentially ideal security tool. Bionym is taking advantage of this trustworthiness in its upcoming Nymi bracelet. The wristwear authenticates users through a combination of electrocardiograms and Bluetooth proximity detection; if Nymi recognizes your heart rhythm, it automatically logs you into nearby devices. The bracelet also recognizes gesture commands, and a future developer kit should extend the gadget's usefulness beyond basic security for PCs and smartphones. It could unlock doors or make retail payments, for example. Nymi won't ship until early 2014, but it's already available for pre-order at a $79 early bird price.

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Via: The Verge

Source: Bionym

Rearviz: A Wrist-Mounted Mirror for Bike Riders

It can be pretty dangerous riding a bike these days what with all of the texting, drunk, or just plain bad drivers on the road. Many of the accidents happen when a cyclist is hit from behind when taking turns or slowing down. Here’s a little gadget that may be a big help in improving biker safety.

RearViz Mirrors
Rearviz has introduced a simple solution. A wrist-mounted convex mirror accessory. It allows the user to see what’s coming up from behind and when it is not in use it automatically collapses into a wristwatch like base.

Just being able to see behind them easily will certainly help bike riders to stay alert and keep safe without bulky mirrors sticking off of their handlebars. RearViz comes in a removable arm band kit with a rotatable, collapsible, convex mirror. The Rearviz will sell for about $23.50(USD) for the standard model, or $37.50 for the “Classic” – which offers a more durable mirror as well as a medical ID tag pouch inside the armband.

[via Damn Geeky]

Keepin’ it real fake: China’s Codoon SmartBand pays homage to Jawbone Up

Keepin' it real fake Codoon SmartBand

Viewing it from afar, you could easily mistake this gadget for Jawbone's Up fitness band. What we have here is actually the SmartBand from Chinese fitness accessories maker Codoon, and it's almost a carbon copy of the Up in terms appearance and functionality. Bend this strip around your wrist to track your movement and sleeping patterns (with the ability to wake you up with vibration at the optimal sleeping cycle; just like the Up), and afterwards, plug the hidden 3.5mm headphone jack into either an iPhone or an Android device for analysis and sharing through Codoon's website.

After we reached out to Baidu regarding the Baidu Cloud logo on the SmartBand, a spokesperson told us that it's the first wearable developed on top of Baidu's PCS (Personal Cloud Service) to sync and share data, and Codoon's upcoming Bluetooth fitness products will work on the same platform (likewise for the Baidu Eye project). Still, it's a real shame that the startup couldn't come up with its very own design for its first hero product. Expect this rip-off to hit the market in early June for an unknown price -- but you can already get an Up in China, anyway.

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Via: Engadget China, TechCrunch, Tencent Tech

Source: Codoon (Chinese)

Fitbit Flex Wristband for $99.95 on Sale Today


Your personnel fitness tracker FitBit Flex is now announced only for incredibly low price of $99.95. The tiny beautiful wrist is powerful enough to track steps, distance traveled and calories burned....
    


Wear Your Secret Stash

The PocketBand is THE solution for those times when you don’t feel like carrying a wallet or your keychain. Perfect for the beach, going for a jog, swimming, or other activities, each stretchy silicone band features a secret pouch for money, keys, or other small belongings. Just turn it inside-out, put the item in the waterproof pocket, flip it back, and wear it! Whether you’re OCD, a fashionista, or just forgetful, you gotta love this fun accessory!

Designer: PocketBands

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(Wear Your Secret Stash was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Xbox 720 Next-Gen “Console” to Be Worn on Wrist, Renamed XWatch

There’s been rampant speculation about what the new Xbox 720 (codenamed “Durango”) video game console might have in store for us later this year, and now we have some answers. As more and more companies jump on the smartwatch bandwagon, the it’s been revealed that the next-gen Xbox won’t be a console in the traditional sense at all. Instead, the entire gaming system will be worn on your wrist, now dubbed XWatch.

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By putting the console on the wrist of its player, you’ll be able to play games anywhere you go. For multiplayer gaming, each player will need to wear their own XWatch, but there will no longer be a need for a Kinect, as the watch itself acts as the gesture controller for games. Guess this is how they’ll solve the problem of detecting more than four players as has been previously rumored.

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In addition to acting as the game console and controller, you’ll be able to play games on the go, as the watch’s liquid-crystal display will be capable of playing a variety of old school games when not connected to your TV or a network.

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There’s not much more detail known yet on the XWatch, but I’d expect well find out more in the coming weeks and months as the next-gen console wars heat up.

UPDATE: Happy April Fool’s Day!