I admit the title of this post is a bit premature as I have yet to trek around town with the Shine, the first product launched by the new wearable tech startup Misfit Wearables. Upon seeing a demo last night of the latest wearable fitness tracker, my enthusiasm for getting my hands on this polished and hyper-modern beauty is spurred on by the fact that it solves all the problems that irked me about the Nike Fuelband.
Let’s begin with its form. Unlike its predecessors (Fuelband, Up, Fitbit, Larklife), Misfit’s Shine looks less like a “plasticy” Livestrong bracelet or techie gadget and more like a piece of sculpted jewelry. Carved out of a solid block of aircraft-grade aluminum, the Shine is only slightly larger than a quarter and no thicker than a few quarters stacked.
Depending on your activity and personal preference, the Shine has the flexibility to be worn a number of different ways thanks to its clever magnetic clasp design. You can clip it to your shirt’s placket or pocket akin to a brooch, wear it as a cufflink, attach it to the tongue of your running shoes and even hide it under your clothes (ie clip it to your bra).
If you do want to wear it on your wrist, the Shine comes with a Sports wristband. And for those of you who, like me, despise wearing plastic, they even have a leather version available (I’m sure vegan leather is coming too) .
For me, the flexibility of wearing this tracking accessory in multiple ways is key and it ensures that, unlike the Fuelband, it will remain on my body rather than gathering dust in a drawer.
The Shine isn’t just a high-tech pedometer: it also has the capability of tracking cycling (for all you cyclists and spinners) and swimming. Unlike the Fuelband, the Shine is waterproof not just water-resistant. If you’re into surfing, swimming or a triathlete, the Shine has the ability to track all of these activities, not just your steps. For me being able to wear it in the shower simply ensures that I will not forget to wear it that day.
With a single tap, your progress is indicated on the perimeter of the accessory with tiny lights. A full circle indicates that you’ve reached your goal.
The delightful, and even magical, experience of using the Shine is in the seamless way that it syncs with your Iphone. No wires, no bluetooth pairing. Simply place the Shine on your iPhone screen to sync and transfer data.
And lastly, you don’t need to charge it every day or every other day. Shine’s replaceable battery will last you an entire 6 months.
With the debut of the Shine, Sonny Vu, CEO of Misfit Wearables, has not only kept to his vision of making wearables wearable (see earlier interview here), but also has created a product that is desirable and, perhaps more importantly, the experience of using it daily delightful.
The first 500 folks to order the Shine today on Indiegogo, can get it for $49 and for $59 with the sportsband!
