Having a little thing clipped onto your belt or bra through the day is something of a good reminder that you’re being watched – even if the only thing it’s watching is how much you bob up and down as you walk around. Is that worth $100? That depends on how much motivation you need to shed those pounds.
So there have been decades of yapping in the healthcare device industry about big brotherish things that people will wear that will monitor your health and actually provide you with valuable information in order to optimize your health and lifestyle. There are even huge conferences devoted to this very industry. But the reality is this: it’s 2009 and this is what we have.
Nobody wants to be told how badly they behave. These are novelties designed to be used by even the avid health nuts for about a week. I had some hope in fitbit because they seemed to grasp at least the design component, but in reality it’s a pretty device that you have to actively wear, that “watches” your every move, and tells you very little valuable information.
It blows my mind how many companies can produce something just because it can be done…but, in reality, they’re just producing something that very few people will use after the first month. However, it’s a step forward considering they got the design component relatively right. Especially since healthcare is just so, so ugly.