One of the prominent tech devices that have started up right after the advent of the smartwatch and created a different segment, is the smart fitness band. A device that tracks your body functions from heart-rate, sleep patterns, steps taken and GPS location. This brings us to the recent announcement by Sony of the SmartBand 2.
Following on from the SmartBand SWR10 which was appropriately sold in conjunction with the Sony Xperia Z2 and connected to devices running Android 4.4 KitKat or higher via Bluetooth, the SWR10 would track calories, steps taken, hours slept, distance run and timed your run. The SmartBand SWR10 is a stylish device that worked well. Not receiving the best rating from a number of online reviewers, one wouldn‘t be amiss thinking there would be a better developed sequel.
This leads us to the SmartBand 2. A follow up to the SWR10 and hopefully a better attempt at a project that at the time, was quite new in a now filled market. It has everything it had before as a fitness tracker but with the inclusion of a heart-rate sensor. For durability the SmartBAnd 2 has been given a rubber strap (different from the original silicone strap) and IP68 certification for environmental sealing. The exciting part that may differentiate this product from the rest of the folly, may be its ability to indicate stress levels and excitement levels; utilizing the accelerometer and heart-rate monitor to determine this. The SmartBand 2 will notify you with LED lights and vibrations as well as warning you when you‘ve strayed too far from your phone. Sony have already released the companion app for Android in preparation for this.
In an ever increasing fitness band market, would the new Sony SmartBand be able to differentiate itself? I for one, believe that if this band gets sold with their smartphones, it would have a better survival plan that if it were to go up against the likes of Fitbit, Jawbone and Polar. With Fitbit already being a multi-billion dollar business, one can only imagine that this would be a bit of an uphill battle.
