BasisBand
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Basis Peak to get its smartwatch-like features in December
In our recent review of the Basis Peak, we pointed out its potential to be a pretty good smartwatch, just as it is a fitness tracker. And, thanks to a firmware update set to arrive next month, Basis, which is now owned by Intel, will be making its wearable better than it already is. Around mid-December, the Basis Peak is going to begin supporting notifications from Android and iOS devices, including those that come from your calendar, text messages and phone calls. While you'll have to wait for those smartwatch-like features to come to the Peak, something new that's available now is the ability to share your heart rate data with third-party fitness apps via Bluetooth. What's more, the Basis Peak is expanding availability outside of the US, to Canada and the UK in the middle of December as well -- Basis says international pricing will vary depending on the region.
Basis intros 'Carbon Steel Edition' fitness band with improved design; old model drops to $179
By all accounts, the Basis B1 is one of the smartest fitness trackers on the market: It monitors sweat output, heat dissipation, blood flow and heart rate. And, as of a recent update, it can automatically detect when you've started walking or running. Still, smart doesn't mean much when the watch isn't comfortable to wear or -- worse -- when it resembles a Casio watch from the '80s. Accordingly, then, Basis just announced a new model, the Carbon Steel Edition, which comes in direct response to early user feedback, according to company reps. For starters, the new band has a sleeker look, complete with chrome accents. It also features a stretchable silicone strap that's more flexible and breathable. That's available today for $199, while the original B1 band is getting a price cut to $179. Meanwhile, even if you've already splurged on the B1, you'll be happy to know that Basis is rolling out some new sleep-tracking features for both the B1 and the new Carbon Steel Edition. In short, the two bands will be able to differentiate between REM, deep and light sleep. And, just like with the activity tracking, this will all happen automatically, so that you won't have to press a button to put the device into sleep-tracking mode. Also, you'll be able to see a "personal sleep score" inside the app itself, though you'll have to wait for an update first -- that should hit the Android, iOS and web applications later this month, on January 21st.
Basis fitness tracker can now detect when you're moving, tally up the calorie burn (video)
Is there anything more delightful than a product getting new features months after you bought it? Thanks to a firmware update rolling out today, the $199 Basis fitness band can now automatically detect when you're moving -- and calculate the calorie burn accordingly. In particular, the watch knows when you're walking, running or biking without you having to press a button or enable some sort of activity mode. And that makes sense, when you think about it: one of the Basis band's original defining features was its ability to tell when you'd gone to sleep. As you'd expect, you'll be able to pore over all this data using either the web console or one of the company's mobile apps (the Basis band already tracks vitals like sweat output, heat dissipation, blood flow and heart rate). Additionally, Basis also added running and bicycling "clubs (for lack of a better word), to help you get into the habit of doing these things more often. If you've already got a Basis tracker in hand, you'll need to take the device off your wrist just long enough to download the software update over USB. Check it out and let us know how it goes.
This week on gdgt: Samsung's F8500, the Basis Band and stock Android
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Basis fitness tracker gets an Android app, to be available in Q1; iOS version still in the works
We'll say this about Basis: no one can accuse it of rushing products to market. It was a whole year ago back at CES 2012 that the company first announced its fitness band, which only just went on sale six weeks ago. It's a pretty promising device, actually, with sensors that track sweat output, heat dissipation, blood flow and heart rate. Unlike other fitness trackers, too, it can automatically detect when you're asleep or working out, so that you don't have to log that information manually. The problem is, there aren't yet any mobile apps, meaning you have to view all your data through a web console. Well, we have some good news: the company just released screenshots of its Android app, which fortunately has the same clean UI as the website. The bad news: it won't actually be available to download until later in Q1, and the iOS version is still in development. For now, here's a little preview of what you can expect. The "Insights" feature gives you a daily summary, with everything from sleep quality to resting heart rate to calories burned. If you like, you can scroll through the days or view your progress in one-week increments, though a Basis rep hinted monthly and yearly views might be added later. Additionally, you can page through so-called habit cards, which keep tabs on how well you're sticking to a healthy routine, doing things like getting up from your desk and moving around. As we said, the app will be available on Android by the end of Q1, following a period of beta testing. If we can catch a demo here at CES, we'll update this post with a short hands-on video but for now, help yourself to some screenshots below. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Basis fitness tracker finally goes on sale for $199, mobile apps still MIA
Remember the Basis Band, that fitness-tracking wristband that was supposed to come out earlier this year? Well, the company obviously missed its target for an "early 2012" launch, but it's been busy refining the product and publishing intermittent blog posts to let people know how the device has been shaping up. Well, at last, it's ready for prime time: the band is on sale today, priced at $199, as originally planned. In case you're just hearing about Basis for the first time, here's a quick recap: unlike Nike Fuelband and other devices aimed at athletes, Basis is attempting to lure in more mainstream users with the ability to set goals and get rewarded for staying on track. (Other devices, including the new Jawbone Up, do this too.) What's interesting, though, is that for a device that claims to target the everyman over the nerd it actually collects an impressive amount of data. For instance, the "Patterns" view in the web console will show not just how many steps you take throughout the day, but which hours of the day you were most active. The band, meanwhile, tracks sweat output, heat dissipation, blood flow and heart rate -- something we can't say about all those other fitness trackers. As for the UI, the site itself is visually pleasing, though some mobile apps would also be nice. (A Basis rep says they're working on it.) If anything, the product's simplicity comes from the hardware: it uses Bluetooth 4.0 2.1 to transmit all your data to the cloud so that you don't have to sync over USB. Basically, between that and those various sensors, the band should theoretically detect when you're sleeping or exercising so that you don't have to switch modes or enter any information manually. It's worth noting, though, that other fitness trackers mainly stumble when it comes to logging food intake -- something sensors can't detect -- and that's not even something the Basis band covers right now. In other words, it's easy to praise a device for working automatically when it completely bypasses the whole diet piece of the wellness equation. According to Basis, research suggests people don't really use these food-logging tools anyway. We can believe that, actually, though for $199 it would be nice to at least have the option, no? That's another thing: at two hundred bucks this is considerably pricier than competing devices, including the Up band ($129) and the new Fitbit One ($100). Even so, the user experience is everything, isn't it? If you've ever been food-judged by Up, or if the Basis band really is as low-maintenance as it seems, it could still be worth a gander.
Basis unveils web dashboard for Basis Band health tracker, makes it easy to see how unhealthy you are
The Basis Band is a health tracking watch with optical sensors that track your heart rate, an accelerometer to see how active you are, galvanic skin response to measure your perspiration, plus ambient and skin temperature sensors. All that data gets run through a few Basis algorithms to create a picture of your health that's displayed in the handy-dandy web portal you see above. The dashboard is meant to make your data digestible so you can create (and meet) your health goals, and there's both game mechanics and social media integration to keep you motivated. Of course, you can access the raw data if you're into tracking pulse rates and perspiration levels. We got a chance to speak with company CEO Jeff Holove about Basis, and he said it's meant to enable the every man to track his health during regular daily activities -- as opposed to similar products from Garmin and Polar that are aimed at athletes. If that sounds good to you, the Basis Band comes out in "early 2012" for $199, and the cloud service will be free for those who buy in. PR and a video are after the break.
