Fitness bands continue to blur feature sets, and the Nabu from Razer is no exception. The company describes it as a “social smartband.” Yes, it counts your steps and estimates your calorie burn, and it sends your data to an Android or iOS smartphone via a Bluetooth LE wireless connection. It also tracks your sleep; put it in sleep mode and it will record your times of deep or light sleep.
But it also notifies you of incoming text messages, emails, phone calls, and alerts from other apps. It does so by vibrating discretely, so only you know that you’re being signaled. And all you have to do is shake your wrist to dismiss a notification. The energy-efficient OLED display only lights up when it has something to tell you, which is part of the reason that the Nabu is rated to run up to 7 days between recharges. And the social features can tell you when another Nabu user with certain profile features is nearby. You can also easily exchange contact information with another Nabu wearer.
The company accepted pre-registrations from interested users, and when the device shipped this week, the 5,000 available units were snapped up in just 15 seconds, according to the company’s website. The company promises to have a second wave of new units available soon for those who pre-ordered, but clearly there is a lot of interest in this product. Is this the magic combination of features that consumers want in a smartwatch/fitness band/wearable Health Tech device? It’s too early to say, but it will be worth watching to see if the early success of the Nabu continues for the long run.
