Nike FuelBand
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Nike has a vending machine that lets you trade Fuel for gear
When we heard that Nike had put up a secret vending machine in New York City, we definitely wanted to go find it and see what all the fuss was about. But, unfortunately, we were a little bit late to the party -- the machine is now long gone, perhaps on its way to a new place (maybe Japan?). Nike's FuelBox, as the company has adequately dubbed it, is a vending machine which dispenses goods in exchange for your daily, not total, FuelBand points. As TechCrunch pointed out, Nike packed the FuelBox with a number of different stuff, including hats, shirts and socks (sorry, no kicks). It's certainly a fun incentive to drive people to rack up Fuel on their bands, and it shows that, despite the rumors of the FuelBand going away, Nike is still very heavily invested in doing things for that community. Stay on the lookout, because Nike says you never know where it could show up next.
Nike launches FuelBand SE Silver Edition, available January 19th for $169 (hands-on)
It hasn't been that long since Nike released a Rose Gold model of the FuelBand SE, and today the company's announcing another limited edition version of its activity tracker. The newly minted Silver Edition, which is part of the Metaluxe Collection, joins the Black, Pink Foil, Total Crimson, Volt and Rose Gold as a member of the current Nike+ FuelBand SE lineup. Nike's clearly done its research and knows there's a market for these shinier, special edition wearables; a quick browse through the outfit's website would tell you it is currently all sold out of the Rose Gold FuelBand SE. Other than the obvious addition of a silver plate on the clip, don't expect any other changes out of this new FuelBand SE. Which is to say, the Silver Edition's functionality is exactly the same as is found on the cheaper, more colorful Sports Pack -- namely, features like tracking daily activities, measuring intensity of workouts and being able to share this information with friends. That being said, the Silver Edition is geared toward folks who prefer a subtler and sleeker version of Nike's FuelBand SE -- and, of course, it is a needed and very solid option if gold just isn't your thing.
Apple hires Nike FuelBand designer Ben Shaffer; Cupertino's wearable can't be far behind
A month after after poaching fitness expert and Nike FuelBand consultant Jay Blahnik, Apple has added another former Nike employee to its ranks. Cupertino has reportedly hired Ben Shaffer, who served the sneaker brand as Studio Director of the Innovation Kitchen. In this role, Shaffer helped develop the FuelBand and the Flyknit shoe, and it serves to reason that his position at Apple will involve wearables as well. It's also not a stretch to assume that the company's upcoming wearable will incorporate some of Nike's fitness-tracking tech -- here's hoping we won't be waiting too long to see the fruits of this partnership.
Daily Update for June 29, 2012
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Nike+ FuelBand adds support for Path app
Nike launched its FuelBand exercise assistant earlier this year and the device took off. Nike is releasing a significant update today that'll add support for the Path social network. This new Path feature will let users tie their FuelBand earnings with their status updates on Path. Users can view their daily timeline and see what they were doing when they earned their NikeFuel. It also lets users share their NikeFuel achievements with friends who are important to them. Another new feature is the ability to sync FuelBand data in the background by merely holding down the button on the Nike+ FuelBand for three seconds. The wristlet will then connect to the FuelBand app on the iPhone and send the workout data without any user intervention. The FuelBand costs $149 from Nike's website and the companion iOS app is available for free from the iOS App Store. [Via Engadget]
Nike+ FuelBand iOS app updated to run along your Path, sync in the background
If you decided to snag the latest Nike+ wristband earlier this year, you're about to get some added functionality thanks to an iOS application update. First, the outfit has added Path integration to the mobile software. Users can now keep track of the sights they've visited while out for a jog or bike ride and share said moments / achievements with their mates. When the day comes to a close, those points-of-interest along the trail will appear on the app's progress graph. You'll also encounter background syncing by holding down the FuelBand's button alongside the ability to check battery status, offline data access and setting the time with your iPhone or iPod touch. For a quick look at what you can expect to see with the refresh, sprint to the gallery below.
Nike+ FuelBand's internals get splayed at the FCC
All of these wrist-mounted fitness gizmos are pretty nifty, but we always wonder how they get those rigid circuit boards into such an unsuitable form-factor. Well, thanks to those scalpel-happy boffins at the FCC's underground bunker, wonder no more. Nike's FuelBand was wheeled in on a trolley and torn (quite literally) to pieces, and we felt we just had to share the pictures with you. A long peruse of the user manual revealed that the two metal extender links (for bigger-wristed enthusiasts) have to be swapped out using a sizing tool -- but the manual notes that if one isn't to hand, a bent paperclip will suffice. The documents also revealed that it's using a TI CC2564 Bluetooth radio and a stack provided by Stonestreet One. The monopole antenna is etched directly into the substrate of the flexible circuit board -- ensuring it'll bend around your bones and still operate. We also learned that once connected to your cellphone, it'll sit in a low-power "sniff mode," for two minutes and if there's no further activity it'll shut down. Of course, what's interesting to you (and us, honestly) is all the pictures in the second gallery, so get looking!
The Nike+ FuelBand measures activity in NikeFuel, ready for your NikeLife
While Nike might have beat competitors like the MotoACTV and Jawbone Up to the active bracelet market over two years ago, its original endeavor, the Nike+ SportBand, was getting long in the tooth. That changes today with the introduction of the far sleeker Nike+ FuelBand. It's much in the vein of the original, 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." We'll have to see about that, but we're definitively smitten with its design and that row of colorful LEDs that progressively fills as one gets closer to reaching their intended goal. The $149 pre-orders go live on the company's online store at 5PM ET, but those interested ought to peep the PR and video after the break.
