American multinational technology company, Amazon Inc has unveiled “Halo,” a new health and wellness service coupled with a new wearable for health and fitness tracking.
With Halo, the eCommerce giant is entering into a highly competitive market crowded by wearable devices from the likes of Apple, Samsung, Fitbit along with several other players who provide the hardware at almost all price points.
The Halo wristband comes with an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, a heart rate monitor, two microphones, an LED indicator light, and a button to turn the microphone on or off.
The device offers a week-long battery life and a “swim-proof” water resistance up to 5ATM. The device is compatible with both iOS and Android, but it will not be compatible with other health apps such as Apple Health.
Unlike most of its competitors, the band does not have a screen and relies heavily on an accompanying “Halo” app, with no ability to check the time, steps, or any other information directly from your wrist. It also has no GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular connectivity, or Amazon Alexa voice control.
For now, only customers in the U.S. can request early access to Amazon Halo, with the Amazon Halo Band and 6 months of Halo membership available at an introductory price of $64.99. The band is expected to retail at $99.99 once the offer is withdrawn, with an optional subscription for $3.99 per month for access to advanced features.
Halo App
The halo app provides several advanced features with some interesting additions such as Body fat calculator, Tone identifier and Labs.
Body fat calculator
Using machine learning, the Halo App uses lets customers measure their body fat percentage with full-body 3D scans created by using user’s phone cameras.
Amazon claims that body fat measurement is as accurate as methods a doctor would use and are nearly twice as accurate as leading at-home smart scales.
Tone identifier
The Tone feature uses AI to analyze energy and positivity in a customer’s voice so they can better understand how they may sound to others, helping improve their communication and relationships.
For example, Tone results may reveal that a difficult work call leads to less positivity in communication with a customer’s family, an indication of the impact of stress on emotional well-being.
Labs feature
Amazon Halo Labs are challenges, experiments, and workouts that allow customers to discover what works best for them specifically.
