Nike has launched a new version of its Fuelband device, as the sportswear brand looks to further expand into digital fitness. Watch this promo video from Nike below: Like the previous version, the new Nike+ FuelBand SE monitors a users activity throughout the day. However, it now lets users define the start and end of […]
Nike has launched a new version of its Fuelband device, as the sportswear brand looks to further expand into digital fitness.
Watch this promo video from Nike below:
Like the previous version, the new Nike+ FuelBand SE monitors a users activity throughout the day.
However, it now lets users define the start and end of a session and then tag it – for example as yoga or basketball. The firm’s software then adjusts its “fuel” score accordingly.
Like its predecessor, the company suggests the Fuelband SE can be worn in the shower but should not be submerged for extended periods, for example while swimming.
Nike has also updated its accompanying FuelBand iOS app for iPhones and iPads, with new ‘Fuel Curve’ graphs showing hourly movements, with five minutes per hour being the minimum to achieve an hourly goal.
Users can also view dynamic info for their daily and weekly activity.
Flipping the app into landscape mode gives a new view for tracking weekly goals, hours “won” and the intensity of movements.
There continues to be no official Fuelband app for Android devices, although users can connect the gadget to a computer to upload their data to a website.
To coinicide with the launch, Nike is adding France, Germany and Japan to its existing Fuelband markets – the US, Canada and the UK.
Rise of fitness apps
According to a new report from Juniper Research the sector will grow from $1.4bn (£878m) of annual sales this year to $19bn (£11.9bn) by 2018.
Analysts at the bank Credit Suisse are more optimistic suggesting a $50bn figure by the same date.
Competition from sports brands and tech firms
The New York launch came a fortnight after the Fitbit Force was unveiled – a rival activity tracker that includes a height-measuring altimeter that can record how many stairs its owner has climbed.
Jawbone, iHealth, Garmin, Withings and Adidas are among other firms to offer dedicated fitness-measuring gadgets. Meanwhile Samsung and Sony are promoting their newly released smartwatches’ ability to download and run Android-based activity-tracking apps.
The firm also suggested a redesigned internal circuit board and other changes meant the device offered “greater flexibility” and “improved water resistance”. Issues with the original model meant several users suffered error messages after several months’ use, requiring the bracelet to be replaced.
