Fitbit – keeping (f)it simple
Interesting little device I saw today (that am not affiliated with), which sits on the cusp of mobile, healthcare / wellness and data-as-a-consumer-service trend, and does it as a combined device+service, rather than just an app: Fitbit. It has an inbuilt accelerometer to measure your steps, or your sleep patterns, and spits it out to a dedicated web service to track your progress.
The CPU, tech features and storage are no doubt fairly trivial - most smart phones wouldn't get out of bed for that (and a bunch already do similar things), but Fitbit are betting on simplicity. This removes many of the intimidating tech obstacles that put most people off ever trying to push their mobile limits - downloading apps, navigating a UI and syncing with a computer / web service.
Single use devices win on simplicity, but have a big downside: they make up for the lack of redundancy at the software level with wasted packaging. I hope they minimize this, making the charger compatible with other home electronics for example. More electronics enviro-waste is a big turn off for these gadgets.
Waste aside, these focused devices are here to stay. I don't see Nokia's decision to go for free navigation as necessarily being the end for TomTom and Garmin, or that the iPad will necessarily blitz Kindle. Single use devices (can) do one thing very well, rather than lots of things passably. If enough people care about that difference, both the focused device and the swiss army knives will continue to co-exist.
- key to change is finding passion. but i wonder how david sobel actually got his fisherman to use his passion to deliver change? #mh2012
- "A good predictor of longevity is not just whether you're getting social support, but whether you're GIVING support" #mh2012
- Congrats Amos! @memotext @ourlark
- RT @jslorentzen: #MH2012 rajiv kumar: map your population via email traffic (or other method) to find key influencers > target for in ...
- likewise @grapealope. thanks for the link. let's keep talking about sensors and big ideas.
Tags
Recent comments
- Accu Chek Mobile on TedMed 2010 Report
- Kathrin Campbell on The danger of making excuses
- samantha on Review: W Retreat and Spa, Bali
- Cellnovo raises $48m to bring Apple-like experience to diabetes management « ThreeDimensionalPeople on TedMed 2010 Report
- Conrad on NYC startup watch: AdStruc, Vyou & Dotgo
Some stuff I read
- Aging in Place Thoughtful commentary about growing impact of longevity disruption
- Conrad Egusa Practical advice for getting startups off the ground
- Mobihealth News Brian Dolan’s excellent comprehensive guide to mobile healthcare news
- Quantified Self Extracing and making sense of data about ourselves
- Tim Ferris Life hacking guru, provider of the most value out of any book I’ve read, and a genuinely good guy.
- Venture Hacks Useful how tos for startups
Some stuff about me
- 2007/03 – Corporate Wikis Go Viral (Business Week) Two European companies show how the collaborative practice spreads from early adopters of wikis at work to become mainstream business tools
- 2007/03 – Recommended Reading (Wall Street Journal) Mr. Johnston is one of the brightest minds in the business of connecting people. His insights spring from working on Nokia strategy from London. The site focuses largely on the direction of the new economy and lets readers profit from the insights of some
- 2008/04 – Mobility and location (The Economist) – reg reqd MICHAEL HALBHERR was driving from Berlin to Budapest the other day when he passed what looked like an empty field. The fact that his mobile phone stayed quiet annoyed him. Here he was, speeding by the site of Napoleon’s great victory at Austerlitz, and no
- 2008/11 – Innovation in America: A Gathering Storm (The Economist) Confronted by Asia’s technological rise and the financial crisis, corporate America is losing its self-confidence. It should not
- 2009/06 – MBA Tales: Searching for Work in a Recession (Business Week) For the Class of 2009, landing a job may seem next to impossible, but for the Class of 2002, flexibility and persistence paid big dividends
Archives
- December 2011
- November 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- June 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- April 2009
- February 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- October 2005
- September 2005
5 | Unique Visitors |
