Fuelband

Nike has announced the Nike+ FuelBand. The bracelet is similar to others you may have seen before which includes the Jawbone UP. Nike has a slightly different approach with this device and uses a calorie counter on a display. The device connects via Bluetooth to an iPhone or can be synced by USB and can be monitored online so that you can set goals and track those goals.

The +FuelBand is much in the vain of the original Nike+ SportBand, 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.

The system uses an interesting method of telling you how you are progressing through the day. If you are not moving enough then the band lets you know with a series of lights. If they burn green then all is well, likewise if they drop to red then you need to get more active. On the technical side, the band tracks activity by what it calls Oxygen Kinetics, which looks at a mixture of signals to give an accurate reading of activity.Read more