CNet's Nick Statt reports that Nike has laid off as many as 55 people in its Digital Sport hardware team, essentially ending development of the Fuelband and Nike+ sportswatch. Sales of the Fuelband will continue, as will development of software, CNet saod. With the increasing sophistication of motion sensors built into phones themselves -- particularly the iPhone 5S -- Nike … [Read more...]
Is Nike Edging Away from the FuelBand?
CNet is carrying a lightly sourced article suggesting that Nike may be getting ready to be out of the FuelBand business. The site cites "a person familiar with the matter" as saying that the sportswear company has had internal talks about suspending development on the popular device. The NPD Group, the article says, puts Nike's share of the $330 million wearable fitness … [Read more...]
Credible Details Emerge on Healthbook, Apple’s Coming Fitness Tracking Software
We tend to be skeptics about pre-release speculation and leaks, but 9to5 Mac appears to have gotten the goods on Healthbook, Apple's entry into the fitness tracking (and, by extension, wearables) business. The article includes extensive clear screenshots which show the direction of the iOS software and, presumably, its companion hardware. Healthbook, which looks a great deal … [Read more...]
USPTO Issues Wearable Tech Patent to Phillipe Kahn-led Fullpower
The Jawbone Up is based on technology called MotionX from a company called Fullpower. The US Patent Office has issued patent 8,568,310 to Fullpower. There are 22 claims to the patent; this is the first and most foundational: A method of monitoring human activity using multiple sensors comprising: monitoring accelerations using an inertial sensor; identifying a user activity … [Read more...]
Comparative Review of Fuelband vs Flex: Can You Trust The Data?
I've been wearing a Nike Fuelband for the last year or so, since it first became commercially available. I added a Fitbit Flex three months ago, when it too first hit the market. They differ considerably -- not just in design and intent, but in measuring what is supposedly the same thing. The short version: over the course of the last three months, the Flex counted an … [Read more...]
Nike & Fitbit Refresh Wristwear
Nike on Tuesday revealed the Fuelband SE, a refresh to the original Fuelband. They're taking orders now for release on November 6. From the looks of it, most of the changes are in software -- a slightly updated look, closer tracking of training and intense exercise intervals, and tweaks to the social aspects. The SE hardware now uses Bluetooth 4.0, to update the iOS app … [Read more...]