Sony SmartBand and Lifelog app explained in new videos
Yesterday during its CES keynote, Sony announced its new SmartBand and Lifelog app for Android. Today, we're getting a much better explanation of Sony's vision for the new accessory and app in new videos for the upcoming products. Unfortunately, the videos still don't explain anything about how the Core will be able to be swapped into other wearable devices.
The idea behind the Lifelog app is fairly straightforward - Sony wants it to record literally everything you do. And, we really do mean everything in your "physical, social, and entertainment activities", including health info, when and where you take pictures, get calls, travel, how well you sleep, etc. Lifelog won't just be a tracker, but something of a planner too, showing you upcoming events, weather, and letting you set fitness goals and more. The app will also be gamified, meaning it will give you points based on various activities, so you can really see if you are winning at life.
The SmartBand is planned to be your controller for the app and your Android phone in general. The band will vibrate when you get a call or message; you can use it as a media controller for your device; it will act as the pedometer and heart rate monitor; and the most interesting feature is what Sony calls life "bookmarking". Just tap the button on your SmartBand and the Lifelog app will record "everything going on then and there", although it is unclear what that means exactly. For sure, that means it will log your location and gather any pictures or video you've taken, and we would assume that it might be able to also tag the people you're with if they also have the app, but that isn't confirmed.
The SmartBand is planned as a "24/7 wearable", and Sony promises both waterproof performance and up to 5 days of battery life. Other than that, all we know is that it is on the way this quarter and will retail for about 99 euros (~$135), though U.S. availability is unclear.
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