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Nike FuelBand SE review: more social features, much longer battery life
Nike's new FuelBand is now out, and following a few weeks of running in parks, walking around exhibition halls and the occasional all-out exercise session, well, I'm pretty tired. Fortunately, I only needed to charge Nike's new wearable once in my first eight days of use. Indeed, that's the main benefit to Nike's Second Edition (SE) FuelBand: thanks to an energy-efficient Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) radio, it promises much-improved battery life over its predecessor. When it comes to the physical hardware, however, its appearance has barely changed since 2012, save for three new color options (and a highfalutin' Rose Gold one). Its fitness-tracking capabilities haven't changed either, although Nike has promised improvements in accuracy and a better ability to sense when you're attempting to game the FuelBand. Beneath the matte black surface, however, there's been more progress: Nike+, the FuelBand's companion app, is friendlier than ever, with the ability to group your buddies into separate categories. There are also new hourly reminders to stay active throughout the day and a Sessions feature to monitor activity in a set timeframe. More than ever, though, Nike's finding itself in a crowded wearables market. Though it was one of the early victors, has it done enough to maintain its lead? Grab your water bottle and we'll walk you through it.
Nike's LunarENDOR QS Snowboard boots will make you the flashiest rider on the slopes
Nike is betting that maybe one or two snowboarders like to showboat. So if you're more corkscrew, than chicken salad, the firm's LunarENDOR QS boots -- complete with 30 LED swoosh -- might catch your eye. If not, they'll certainly catch everyone else's as you tear down those nighttime black runs. Back in daylight, you can save power by switching off via the power button on the cuff. That said, we know any self-respecting, gear-loving riders out there will have enough juice to keep their whole techno-shredding set-up going all day. You'll have to wait until mid-December though before you can pull on your regular sneaks and head to a store to get a set.
Nike+ FuelBand SE now available in Rose Gold, gives you bling-bling status for $169
The Nike+ FuelBand SE is still a pretty young product, having only been officially released earlier this month. Now, as part of its new Metaluxe Collection, Nike is introducing a special edition model in a Rose Gold hue. This shiny but subtle FuelBand SE will be up for grabs beginning on November 21st for $169, making it $20 pricier than the Sports Pack, which includes the Total Crimson, Pink Foil and Volt colors. Those of you interested should be grabbing one stat -- Nike says the Rose Gold FuelBand is set to be available "in limited quantities" when it goes on sale next week. And hey, we know at least one person who will want one.
This week on gdgt: iPad Air, Sculpt Comfort Mouse and Everpix alternatives
Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks and discussions. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.
Nike's Move app brings Fuelband skills to your iPhone 5s
During the iPhone 5s launch, Apple decided to show off its fancy new M7 co-processor with Nike+ Move. The free fitness app brings FuelBand-esque features to your smartphone, without the need to buy a $150 wearable. Of course, Nike was keen to stress that the app is only an "introductory experience," so if you still want to brag about how much of an athlete you are, you're still gonna wanna splash out on an SE. For everyone else? We'll probably stick with Nike+ Running.
Nike bringing new features to original Fuelband on November 6th
Worried that your first generation Nike Fuelband would be left in the cold in favor of the revamped model? The sportswear company has announced that early adopters will get a firmware upgrade that'll provide better tracking algorithms, double-tap for the time and sessions support. Of course, since the SE now comes with Bluetooth LE, you won't have total feature parity, but at least it'll save you $150 while you wait for the next one.
Nike SB app is for skateboarding on a global scale
Nike has released a new app aimed at allowing skaters to compete against each other, no matter where they are in the world. Nike SB is a video-heavy app that teaches skaters new tricks by encouraging them to challenge each other through self-recorded videos, as well as check out video lessons and directions posted by Nike's SB team. The competition portion of the app lies in its S.K.A.T.E. game. To start, one skater will perform a move on his board and film it for 15 seconds. He'll then upload the clip where his competitor will be able to view it. The competitor must then perform and record the same trick. If one of the players fails to perform a trick, the player is given a letter. Once one player has accumulated all the letters spelling "skate" they have lost the game. Here's the full details from the app's description: Learn tricks, play games of S.K.A.T.E., take part in challenges with skaters around the planet, and chart your personal skate progress with the Nike SB App. Game of S.K.A.T.E.: Connect with skaters anywhere around the globe to play a game of S.K.A.T.E. through the app. Challenges: Step up to new challenges issued by Nike SB and our pro team to help you keep progressing. Share your footage and have the chance to get noticed by a worldwide audience. Trick Tree: Lose yourself in skateboarding's endless creative process with our extensive Trick Tree, further inspiring you to learn and expand your skills. Learn straight from the pros with never-been-done filming and playback techniques before helping expand the Trick Tree with your own footage. Badges: Earn special and limited badges for skating hard, meeting challenges, progressing and taking part in special events. My Progress: Use the Nike SB App to track your own evolution as you build your personal profile. Need help? Get support at nikesbapp.com/support Nike SB is a free download.
Weekly Roundup: HTC One Max review, PS Vita review, Apple confirms iPad event and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Daily Roundup: HTC One Max review, Nike+ FuelBand SE, Apple's October 22nd event and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nike announces new iPhone-ready Fuelband SE
Fitness fans, this one's for you. Nike revealed the new Fuelband SE at a Nike+ event in New York City. Coming in a variety of highlight colors, the device is meant to get users up and moving. The water-resistant device features Bluetooth 4.0 for low-power connectivity, improved LEDs and a re-designed circuit board for greater flexibility. But it's not about design; it's about moving. The Fuelband SE can now monitor yoga activity, if stretching on a mat is your thing, and other motivational features like "3.2.1 Go! Sessions," which let you pick a specific physical activity and monitor your progress towards that goal. Those interested in the wearable fitness trainer can expect to drop US$149 for the privilege. The Nike+ Fuelband SE will ship to select countries on November 6.
Nike+ FuelBand SE unveiled with new colors, Bluetooth 4.0, priced at $149 (update: eyes-on)
The sportswear giant from Beaverton, Oregon has just unveiled its latest fitness-oriented wearable -- say hello to the Nike+ FuelBand SE. This refreshed edition looks nearly identical to its predecessor, but comes in black with total crimson (a mix of orange and red), pink foil or volt (a yellow and greenish neon) accents. Nike's hoping to get FuelBand users to move even more throughout the day with this edition, thanks to some "fine-tuning" to how your Fuel is tracked. Namely, the new unit can identify actual movement better, rather than counting things like ambiguous wrist flicks. You'll also get better flexibility and weather sealing, hourly reminders to move, Bluetooth 4.0 and a double-tap function for the home button that'll bring up the time. Nike's tweaked the FuelBand iOS app a bit as well, to help users get the most movement out of their day. Fuel Curve graphs your hourly movements, with five minutes per hour being the minimum to achieve an hourly goal (only two-percent of users reach this currently). You'll also find dynamic info for your daily and weekly activity. Flipping the app into landscape mode gives a new view for tracking your weekly goal, hours you've "won" and the intensity of your movements. Better yet, Sessions gives you the ability to tag specific workout activities and monitor your Fuel Rate in real time. All of this is easily shareable with your friends across social networks using a centralized Group feature. Nike's running app has also been updated to automatically pause when you rest, while also enabling a photo option. If you want in on the new band, you can snag one starting November 6th, for $159 $149. Also worth a mention, Nike's reinstated its Accelerator program as the Nike+ Fuel lab in San Francisco, with an aim to help 10 more companies build Fuel-related products over the course of 12 weeks.
Apple hires top designer from Nike
9to5Mac is reporting that Apple recently hired former Nike design director Ben Shaffer. At Nike, Shaffer was the Studio Director of the Innovation Kitchen. This is Nike's research and development lab where new product designs are created. Under Shaffer's lead, Nike was named the most innovative company in 2013 by Fast Company. Nike's Innovation Kitchen has been connected to wearable products like the popular Nike Fuel Band, and most recently, the Flyknit shoe. The hiring of Shaffer comes just weeks after word surfaced that Apple had hired famed fitness guru and Nike FuelBand consultant Jay Blahnik. As for the reasons behind Apple's recent hires, the rumor mill suggests that Apple is shoring up its iWatch team with fitness experts to shore up functionality for the long-rumored device. While no Apple product is ever official until publicly announced, there have been no shortage of reports indicating that Apple is working on some sort of wearable device. Indeed, Tim Cook even noted during a recent interview at the All Things D conference that the "wrist is interesting" with respect to wearable technology. On top of that, remember that Apple has filed for iWatch trademarks in a number of countries across the globe. Returning back to Shaffer, Fast Company was able to source more details about his move from Nike to Apple. In doing so, Fast Company found that Shaffer was not, as initially reported, part of the team that helped develop the Nike FuelBand. We have confirmed that Shaffer no longer works at Nike and that he is indeed going to Apple. There's just one hiccup: Shaffer wasn't really involved in the FuelBand project. He was not a "FuelBand designer"; rather, his contributions at Nike were related to footwear innovation. In fact, one Nike source just told me that it's his understanding that Shaffer didn't even do work on the FuelBand. It's yet another example of the interminable Apple rumor mill--and serves as a sign of the intense anticipation for Apple to get involved in the wearable computer space, and of our tendency to grasp onto rumors and their expected connotations, regardless if they're even true. Still, Fast Company describes Shaffer as a brilliant engineer who played a key role in the development of Nike's Flyknit technology, which enables shoes to be extremely light weight. You can read more about that over here. So per usual, Apple seems to be up to something, but only the folks at Apple know specifically what that might be.
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.
Nike+ Move for iPhone 5s is a gateway to activity apps, won't replace a FuelBand
While Apple was explaining the iPhone 5s' new M7 motion coprocessor, it mentioned a Nike+ Move tracking app that left us wondering about the FuelBand's fate -- is it redundant? In a word, no. Nike tells us that Move is simply an "introductory experience" that generates a Nike Fuel score based on day-to-day movements. Those serious about activity tracking will want to continue using a FuelBand or the Nike+ Running app, the company says. While that news may prove disappointing for some fitness gurus, we wouldn't be too worried at this stage -- there are likely to be at least a few apps that combine M7 support with advanced features.
iPhone 5s packs M7 motion-sensing chip, CoreMotion API for more accurate tracking
Apple's new flagship iPhone 5s is about to have much more detailed information about how much its users are moving, thanks to a new M7 "Motion co-processor." Unveiled during today's live event, it works along with the new 64-bit A7 CPU to measure motion data continuously from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass without draining the battery as heavily. It looks like the iPhone 5s will be ready to take over for hardware extras like the FitBit or Nike Fuel wristband, but with a new CoreMotion API, devs for those companies and others can pull the information into their apps. The CoreMotion API specifically works to identify user movement, and offers "optimizations based on contextual awareness." Overall, it's very similar to what we'd heard would be in the Moto X, although we haven't seen all of these extra sensors used for activity tracking quite in this way. Nike was on hand with a new Nike+ Move app that used the M7 and GPS to track users' activities, and we wouldn't be surprised if others follow closely behind. Nike called the Move app an "introductory experience" to Nike Fuel in a tweet, so maybe it's planning to upsell customers on (potentially?) more detailed tracking with its hardware add-ons afterward. Check out all the coverage at our iPhone 'Special Event' 2013 event hub!
Apple hires Nike FuelBand advisor Jay Blahnik
Apple clearly loves Nike when there's Nike+ support across many iPhones and iPods, but that affection appears to be growing even deeper. Both 9to5 Mac and AllThingsD report that fitness expert Jay Blahnik, who consulted with Nike during the FuelBand's development, joined Apple earlier this month. While the new hire hasn't outlined his role, it's easy to see him working on wrist-worn devices given Tim Cook's professed interest in the category. We've reached out to the company for more details, and we'll let you know if we learn more. Whatever Blahnik's exact duties, his career move suggests that fitness plays an important role in Apple's device roadmap -- fans may want to lace up their running shoes. [Image credit: Nggcali12, Wikimedia Commons]
Apple hires former Nike FuelBand consultant Jay Blahnik
Apple has hired fitness expert and former Nike FuelBand consultant Jay Blahnik, reports 9to5Mac. Blahnik is well-known in the fitness industry and has worked for Apple in the past on unspecified products. The fact that Apple is now bringing him on in a full-time role now suggests that he will have a high level of input over a specific product, which many people assume to be the rumored "iWatch." Though his personal website has been taken offline, a cached version of it still exists where his bio reads: Jay has been a Nike Elite Athlete and Nike consultant for almost 20 years. He worked closely with Nike on the launch of Nike+Running, which has become the largest digital running community in the world. He was also the original creator and program developer of the Nike Training Club App, and the Nike Training Club in-gym program, which boasts over 6 million digital users. He is also a key expert and consultant for many of Nike's new Digital Sport initiatives that launched in 2012, including Nike+ Kinect Training and Nike+ FuelBand. Blahnik himself confirmed the news of his hire by Apple on Twitter, before removing the tweet.
MapMyFitness improves Jawbone UP integration, adds Nike FuelBand support
There are almost as many ways to monitor your fitness these days, as there are ways to get fit. While most hardware trackers come with their own solution to present your (hard-earned) data, some users prefer to keep it elsewhere. If that happens to be MapMyFitness, then good news -- there's full two-way sync for Jawbone UP, as well as Nike FuelBand support. Jawbone's UP has had API hooks with MapMyFitness for a while, but now workouts etc. can be pushed in either direction, so all those steps can be viewed online (though not your sleep, or manually logged workouts). It's a similar story with FuelBand, while the Nike+ app and watch have played nice with the services, the wearable was notably absent -- until now. Set up is easy, just head to the import section of your account and link them up. Sadly, so easy, you won't earn any fuel points.
Path opens up its API to a baker's dozen of partners
The Path (free, with many in-app purchases for stickers and whatnot) social network has opened the doors to 13 new API partners that will now sport a "Share on Path" button in their apps. Path's integration initially started with Nike, giving users a way to share their runs and fitness levels through Path. VP of Business Development for Path Matt Van Horn told our sister site, TechCrunch, that the company curated the list of partners to fit its goal of being a more personal and almost private social network. The company found that users felt more comfortable sharing the Nike fitness information with their smaller friend group on Path than they did sharing the same data on Facebook or Twitter. The range of new partners is quite broad, including social video network Viddy, collage app Pic Stitch and personal fitness app Strava. The Bible app was added after Path found that a number of users were copying and sharing verses with their Path friends; now it takes just a simple tap on the app's share sheet. Other photography apps that now feature Path API integration include Over, PicMix, Papelook, Otaku, Mill Colour, Manga Camera and PicFrame. WordPress bloggers will also find that it's now easy to share their most recent posts on Path, thanks to API integration in the popular blogging app.
The Daily Roundup for 07.26.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
