Amazon has made its entry into the wearable market with its Amazon Halo, however, it is taking a different approach. First, its new wearable doesn’t have a screen which is not unusual. It also has a paid subscription that allows you access to some key features.
The Amazon Halo is described as a health and wellness band with a price tag of $99.99. Unlike other bands that focus on what sports they can track, Halo’s focus is on your lifestyle and how it affects your body and overall health.
The sensor which attaches to the underside of the band has two microphones whose function we will discuss below and a pill-shaped button on the side.
Since there is no screen, the Halo app is your best pal. The app offers two main features called Body and Tone. Body requires you to take a 3D scan of your body as seen in the video and then proceeds to calculate your body fat using machine learning which is a better parameter at calculating how healthy you are rather than focusing on weight and BMI.
Amazon says the images used to calculate your body fat are deleted from its servers once it is done creating the scan. It also claims that its body composition is 2x as accurate as smart scales and that it offers more value when compared to a clinical body fat analysis that has an average cost of $80.
The body scan created has a slider that you can use to see what your body would look like with more or less body fat. This should help motivate you to be healthier. The Verge reports that Amazon has put in some safeguards such as a notification for low levels of body fat and how it can affect your health. The feature is also not available to users less than 18 and will also not work for those that weigh over 500 pounds or have 50% body fat, pregnant women, and those who use wheelchairs. The app will also recommend you to scan your body every two weeks.
The second feature is Tone which uses the microphones on the sensor to analyze your voice. No, it is not for Alexa as the assistant is not even built-in. The voice analysis is to determine your emotional state throughout the day by noting the pitch, intensity, and tempo.
Amazon says the voice recordings are analyzed locally on your device and it presents the results in the following categories with time stamps – Hopeful, Elated, Hesitant, Bored, Apologetic, Happy, Worried, Confused, and Affectionate. The Verge says Tone is currently only modeled on American English but it should improve and add more languages and accents as time goes on. Tone will also provide suggestions on how you can improve your relationships with people.
Halo has sleep tracking and will provide suggestions on things to do such as reducing liquid intake so your sleep is less interrupted. There is also a step counter but it focuses on the intensity and duration of your movement such as if you took the stairs or climbed a hill.
The subscription service which costs $3.99 per month (free for the first 6 months) will also allow you to access other features called Labs that are developed by Amazon partners. Labs are challenges designed to help you carry out small changes that improve your health. Some of the partners Amazon mentioned include Mayo Clinic, SWEAT, and Headspace.
Amazon Halo has a waterproof rating of 5 ATM, connects via Bluetooth 5.0, works with Android and iOS devices and is available in three sizes – small, medium, and large – and three colors – Black+Onyx, Blush+Rose Gold, and Winter+Silver. The band that comes with it is made of woven fabric but you will be able to purchase other straps in various designs and colors that are made from woven fabric and high-performance silicone.
Amazon doesn’t state the battery life but says it will last up to 7 days with Tone disabled and up to 2 days with Tone enabled. A charging clip that charges the device from empty to full in less than 90 minutes is included in the box.
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