Nike FuelBand designers bought by a consulting giant

Synapse, a key creator of the Nike+ FuelBand (among other gadgets), is moving on to greener pastures. Product development giant Cambridge Consultants has bought Synapse for an unspecified amount. As Cambridge's parent company Altran says, this is all about giving Cambridge a product development foothold in the American West -- it can design gear for partners ranging from the UK to Silicon Valley. It's part of a plan to double the size of Cambridge by 2020.

This doesn't mean that Synapse's design chops (which has also shaped products from Microsoft and Samsung) will fade away. The team is staying put, after all. However, you might see it take on device designs from new clients, or getting more business from previous partners. If anything, its influence is more likely to grow -- the Synapse crew could make a broad impact on the tech industry.