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How Many Calories Did You Burn Today? Nike's New FuelBand Shows You

Jan 19, 2012 1:00 PM
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Are you a fitness-crazy gym rat obsessed with feeling the burn? Or perhaps a Krispy Kreme-loving sloth perennially parked on the sofa? Either person may benefit from the new Nike+ FuelBand, a $149 wristband that diligently tracks your body's activity, including running, dancing, skating, spelunking, and so on.

The Nike + FuelBand has a three-axis accelerometer that measures your movements and displays four metrics: calories, steps, time, and "NikeFuel," a composite measure of your physical activity based on oxygen kinetics, the company says.

Here's how FuelBand works:

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The Nike + FuelBand syncs with the Nike+ website via a built-in USB connector, or wirelessly through Bluetooth. Apple iPhone users can download a free Nike app that tracks their daily athletic activity.

Nike's new wristband isn't the first athlete-monitoring gadget on the market. The company's own Nike+ iPod, a $19 training sensor that works with an iPod nano, measures time, distance, pace, and calories.

Adidas' miCoach training devices also track movement and cardio data, as does Garmin's $200 Forerunner 305.

The water-resistant Nike+ FuelBand has a battery life of approximately four days, the company says. It's now available for preorder.