Exist

Quantified Self weekly links: CES bumper edition

With the CES conference taking place in Vegas last week, we've got a big, bumper edition of weekly links to take a peek at—with lots of new hardware to explore.

Withings Aura

With apparently more sensitivity and accuracy that a mobile phone or wrist-based sleep tracker, the Withings Aura uses a flat sensor pad on your bed to track your sleep, and connects to a "sunrise simulator"-style light to wake you up gently, at just the right time.

Bond bracelet for couples

If a couples app doesn't satisfy you, you can get this bracelet to send physical vibrations to each other. When one person taps their band, the other feels a vibration—apparently it will even help you to express different emotions: short, fast vibrations might indicate anger or frustration, for instance. I'm not sure I want a new way to know when someone's mad at me, but if that's your kind of thing...

The dangers of tracking our lives

Seems a stretch to me, but here's an example of why Quantified Self could be going too far that I hadn't heard before. With the myriad ways to track our lives available now, there could be a risk of making tracking-focused disorders, such as anorexia, more easy to maintain (and to hide, since tracking ourselves is becoming more common, so it won't stand out as an unusual behaviour as much).

It took me a long time to stop seeing food as a spreadsheet of numbers and start thinking about it as nutrition. It would have taken me even longer if the sort of self-tracking technology that is ubiquitous today was available when I was ill.

2014 in wearable tech

A look back at what we saw in wearable tech for 2013 and what may be coming this year:

In 2013 many wearables opened their API’s, as did nutritional and wellness apps. We’ll continue to see this in 2013 as we edge towards a completely open marketplace.

I'd love to believe that's true, but it seems fairly optimistic. I do hope that as a community we can pressure the makers of hardware like the Misfit Shine and Basis B1 into opening up the data they capture.

The wearability of wearable tech

A NY Times piece on the lack of wearable tech that feels truly wearable:

For one, most smartwatches and glasses look far less fashionable than the accessories they mimic. For another, they often have mediocre battery life, making them unsuitable for wearing all day. And in general, they can be costly, running into hundreds of dollars, even though their features are often limited or still a little buggy.

More:

• Babolat Play: racket to track your tennis game
• LG Lifeband Touch: wristband tracker with heart-rate earphones
• Sony Core: lifelogging and tracking device
• HAPIfork: track your meals to stop overeating
• Concept smartwatch from Wired
• Atlas: smart tracker for workouts
• Alpha: heart-rate watch tracker
• Kennedy: lifelogging app for iPhone
• Sense Mother: multi-purpose, reusable sensors to track almost anything
• Intel smart earbuds: track your runs and heart-rate
• Race Yourself: Google Glass fitness app (similar to Run, Zombies!)
• W/Me wellness tracker: track your mood via pulse and temperature
• Basis update: new Carbon Steel edition and price cut to the original B1