CES: BodyMedia Sends Calorie And Sleep Data To Your PhoneCES: BodyMedia Sends Calorie And Sleep Data To Your Phone

The company's newest Armband uses Bluetooth to send over 5000 different health variables to your Android or Apple-based phone.

Fritz Nelson, Vice President, Editorial Director information Business Technology Network

January 5, 2011

2 Min Read

BodyMedia's Fit Armband, which helps users track calories, activity and sleep, now supports Bluetooth connectivity, the company announced at CES this week. Now all of the data it collects gets transmitted directly to an iPhone or Android phone.

Technology is becoming a key component in helping consumers get healthy--a timely topic in the new year. Calorie intake and burn is one key health metric, but so too is sleep. Most products keep track of one or the other; BodyMedia combines them.

The BodyMedia Fit Armband looks a bit like a watch, and straps around your left bicep (a company spokesperson said it works most accurately that way, but didn't really know why).

It has sensors that track about 5,000 variables. For example, using an accelerometer, it can tell not just how many steps you've taken (like a pedometer) but whether you were on an incline, or carrying a backpack. For sleep, the sensors measure heat, which is one way to determine your sleep and awake moments, according to a company spokesperson. The sleep data does not work over Bluetooth, however.

You can enter calorie intake information using a database of 30,000 food items. In addition to tracking your activity and data on smart phones, you can view all of the data online; the web-based view offers much richer data, including historical charts.

The armband costs $249, and is available at Bodymedia.com and on Amazon.com.

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Fritz Nelson is the editorial director for information and the Executive Producer of TechWebTV. Fritz writes about startups and established companies alike, but likes to exploit multiple forms of media into his writing.

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