So I broke down and purchased the all new Nike+ Fuelband. What can I saw I'm addicted to tech data products when they relate to working out. I've mentioned before how I feel almost tied to the
Nike+ world. I've been using Nike+ for my runs since January of 2007. The original sensor and iPod kit were revealed on May 20, 2006 so it took me a while before I jumped on the bandwagon. I used my iPod Nano and the toggle thingy for a few years. Then in April of 2008 I purchase the first generation Sportband Kit (read an old post of mine here.) The damn thing failed when it got wet. So after two months I returned it. Then in June of 2009 I broke down and purchased the Nike+ Sportband 2.0 (read story here) So with going on 5 years of runs on Nike+ I hate to give it up. I feel invested in the product and have posted all those years of running in a special section for Nike+ Running tracking LINK.
Now my Sportband is still working if a little discolored but hey it's 3 years old. Now when the Nike+ Tom Tom GPS Sportswatch came out last year I really really wanted it. But at the time $199 was a bit too much for me. I didn't care that much about GPS as I wasn't really running that far. But I still wanted it. Who wouldn't want more Nike+ gear? A year later and I never did get the device. But now something new is out. The all new Nike+ Fuelband priced at $149 and I did pre-order it! February 22nd can't get here fast enough.
So till February 22nd comes let's look at what the various tech blogs have said about the Fuelband this week…
Coolhunting - "Nike FuelBand. The latest player in fitness tracking might just change the game…Using their new universal measurement system called Nike Fuel, you can compete against anyone with any body type at any skill level. As you accomplish each goal, the FuelBand's LED lights turns from red to yellow to green. By providing this simple meter, the wearer can check their activity status with a mere glimpse. For more detailed queries the band's display can toggle between time, distance, calories burned and Fuel. By creating a normalized metric, Nike hopes to make collaboration and competition among users of different athletic levels more fun…An accelerometer and tracking algorithm two years in the making, the FuelBand's user interface is undoubtedly the most attractive part. Equipped with a built-in USB, the band also wirelessly syncs with your iPhone over Bluetooth, simply by pressing the mechanism's only button for a few seconds when it's within range of the phone. From there you can share your monitored information with friends on Facebook, FourSquare and Path. You can also make daily notes within the iPhone app. It allows you to choose from several emoticons to reflect on what kind of day it was for you, and jot down personal details about what went on. The band automatically resets at midnight, leaving you ready for the next day's challenges, whether that's merely walking to work or working out at the gym."
Geeksugar - "Nike+ FuelBand Price and Details. Nike Gamifies Fitness With the Nike+ FuelBand. FuelPoints are a metric to measure your overall fitness, based on your oxygen intake. The more you move, the more FuelPoints you'll earn. Seeing how many FuelPoints you're earning is easy, too — a series of 20 LED lights goes from red to green as you earn points. You can even set your FuelPoints goals ahead of time to challenge yourself day to day."
Engadget - "The Nike+ FuelBand measures activity in NikeFuel, ready for your NikeLife. It's much in the vein of the original, except boasts a more attractive 20 LED dot-matrix display and can measure activity in a new unit the company calls NikeFuel. That latter bit is a normalized score that unlike calories "awards equal points for the same activity regardless of physical makeup." We'll have to see about that, but we're definitively smitten with its design and that row of colorful LEDs that progressively fills as one gets closer to reaching their intended goal."
Techcrunch - "Nike Officially Announces The Nike+ FuelBand. t’s incredibly similar to the Jawbone UP, as its a fitness tracking wrist band. The most poignant difference is that Nike’s FuelBand measures something called NikeFuel — a measurement of your wrist movement. Nike claims that “the more you move, the more NikeFuel you earn,” according to Business Insider. The FuelBand can either sync to your PC through a USB connection or via Bluetooth to an iPhone app. From there you can keep all your stats in one place and set goals for yourself."
Technabob - "Nike+ FuelBand: A Jawbone UP That Actually Works? The Nike FuelBand reminds me of the UP, but unlike the UP it might actually work. Plus, it looks much cooler. ou can also establish goals for your fitness, and as you accomplish then, the FuelBand LED lights turn from red, yellow to green. It’s made frome durable rubber, plastic, magnesium and stainless steel, and is water-resistant, so it’s fine in the shower or rain (but not safe for the swimming pool, ocean or tub)."
Gizmodo - "Nike’s Fuelband Is an Awesome Fitness Wristband for Your Entire Life. The Fuelband doesn't just count steps. It doesn't tick off miles. What's unique about Nike+ Fuelband is that it uses "oxygen kinetics" to figure out the amount of oxygen you're using and then translates that input/output into a "universal currency" named Nikefuel. Everyone, whether you're a basketball player or a football player or a life player or a PC game player, is measured with Nikefuel. The more active things you do in a day means the more Nikefuel you earn in a day. Nike says that they've correlated oxygen intake with specific fitness activities and then created a way to translate it to Nikefuel. Basically, it's a smart and Nike-branded algorithm that brings everyone onto the same unit of measurement. The Fuelband looks like a bulked up Livestrong band that has a three-axis accelerometer to track movement, LED lights to display your progress against your goal (red is bad, green is good), show the time and even has a snazzy hidden USB port. It's all controlled by one button so the Fuelband is dead simple to use. It connects to your iPhone wirelessly via Bluetooth and to the Nike+ webapp when you plug in the band."
So I got to wait to try it out. As a swimmer the product is still almost a fail for me. But to track my spinning and other gym routines this would be cool. Guess now I gotta save up more money to buy a swim watch. Grrr...
