Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Solar Energy News .




INTERN DAILY
Jawbone buys gadget maker for 'Biggest Loser'
by Staff Writers
San Francisco (AFP) April 30, 2013


Fitness wristband maker Jawbone added muscle to its lineup of fitness lifestyle devices Tuesday with a deal to buy the company behind armbands that measure how many calories people are burning.

Jawbone did not disclose financial terms of its deal to purchase BodyMedia, which makes armbands used to track performance of fat-shedding competitors on US reality television show "The Biggest Loser."

The two companies have a combined "three decades worth of deep technology and intellectual property" around sophisticated body sensors and hundreds of patents focused on wearable technology, according to Jawbone.

"There's an enormous appetite for personal data and self-discovery among consumers that will only continue to grow," said Jawbone chief executive and founder Hosain Rahman.

"We look forward to pushing new boundaries, creating new markets, and showing people what's truly possible with wearable computing."

The San Francisco-based company behind "smart" wireless earpieces and Jambox speakers late last year released redesigned its UP wristbands that combine fashion with smartphone lifestyles to help people along paths to improved fitness.

UP wristbands are priced at $129 in the United States. UP applications tailored for Apple or Android mobile devices collect data from the bands to let people more easily get pictures of activity, sleep, eating, and even their moods on any given day or over time.

The wristbands track users' level of activity, whether they are exercising, pacing in an office, or snoozing in bed.

BodyMedia, founded in the Pennsylvania city of Pittsburgh about 14 years ago, is considered a pioneering in combining sensors in wearable devices with machine learning.

BodyMedia armbands track activities of wearers, including how intensely they work out, and calculate how many calories are burned. Sleep and eating information is also gathered.

The BodyMedia platform boasts being registered with the US Food and Drug Administration as a proven device for enhancing weight loss.

By combining forces, "we can make an even bigger impact on people's health and help them achieve their goals," said BodyMedia chief executive Christine Robins.

BodyMedia operations will remain in Pittsburgh but the employees will become part of the Jawbone team, according to Jawbone vice president of strategy Travis Bogard.

"We always talked about wireless headsets as wearable computers," Bogard said.

"This is exactly the long term vision we have had. We are expanding what is possible with sensors and computing going on the body."

Jawbone announced an UP platform that software developers can build on to make applications that work with the wristbands on iPhones, iPads, or iPod touch devices.

Applications ready at launch included RunKeeper and MapMyFitness for logging runs or bicycle rides, including routes, and synching information with UP software on Apple gadgets.

.


Related Links
Hospital and Medical News at InternDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








INTERN DAILY
Physicists, biologists unite to expose how cancer spreads
Princeton NJ (SPX) Apr 30, 2013
Cancer cells that can break out of a tumor and invade other organs are more aggressive and nimble than nonmalignant cells, according to a new multi-institutional nationwide study. These cells exert greater force on their environment and can more easily maneuver small spaces. The researchers report in the journal Scientific Reports that a systematic comparison of metastatic breast-cancer ce ... read more


INTERN DAILY
Recipe for Low-Cost, Biomass-Derived Catalyst for Hydrogen Production

China conducts its first successful bio-fueled airline flight

Bugs produce diesel on demand

New input system for biogas systems

INTERN DAILY
Research suggests people willing to interact with more 'smart' objects

Robot-building helps Canadian kids develop skills for high-tech world

Drone 'space ship' app to help robots on future missions

Rights group launches campaign to ban 'killer robots'

INTERN DAILY
Scotland approves 640-foot prototype offshore wind turbine

Wind Power: TUV Rheinland Certifies HybridDrive from Winergy

Wales wind power line to go underground near historic village

UK Ministry of Defense Deems Wind Towers a National Security Threat

INTERN DAILY
Rear seat design - a priority for children's safety in cars

GM pulls 'offensive' China ad: report

GM joins call for US action on climate change

Honda's annual net profit soars to $3.7 bn

INTERN DAILY
East Africa's 'embarrassment of riches' in energy

Outside View: No modest proposal from Anthony Swift

Saint-Gobain Announces Strategic Initiatives in Renewable Energy

Oil prices drop on weak Chinese data

INTERN DAILY
Japan signs nuclear cooperation deal with UAE

Japanese-French led group to build Turkish nuclear plant

Texas A and M Physicist Sees Energy Solutions in Green Nuclear Power Technology

Turkey to finalise nuclear plant deal: minister

INTERN DAILY
Environmental Labels May Discourage Conservatives from Buying Energy-Efficient Products

Ethiopia and China sign $1 billion power deal

New York approves power line from Canada

$674 billion annual spend on 'unburnable' fossil fuel assets signals failure to recognise huge financial risks

INTERN DAILY
Deforestation threatens Mekong region

Smoke signals: How burning plants tell seeds to rise from the ashes

In the Northeast, forests with entirely native flora are not the norm

Study Led by NUS Scientists Reveals Escalating Cost of Forest Conservation




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement