When Sony announced their somewhat innovative smart wearable at CES at the beginning of the year, they didn’t mention just when we’d be able to buy one. Now, we know that the device is coming this March, and it’s launching in no less than 60 countries. Pricing wasn’t mentioned during their Mobile World Congress event – which saw the arrival of the Xperia Z2 and Xperia Tablet Z2 – so the price could be staying put at €99 or there could be a change ahead. No matter the price though, why would anyone want such a thing?
The SWR10, despite the cold model number, is designed to fit into your lifestyle, and it’s perhaps more focused on the everyday than it is hardcore exercise. For a lot of people, such as myself, that’s an appealing focus to have. Sony’s wearable is essentially a small bundle of trackers and such that’s designed to be wrapped up in a colourful, good-looking band and worn around your wrist. From there, apps will be able to track your activity, and no doubt relay info about how many – if any – calories you’ve burnt. Think of your regular Jawbone type thing, make it Android-only and you have the idea.
However, Sony is going further with this and have created the Lifelog app for Android. This tracks your activity throughout the day and relays information back to you about what you’ve been up to and how that might have affected you. Lifelog will link to your phone and tell you where you took your photos, what they were of and more. Sony isn’t even really positioning this as a fitness tracker. Instead, they’re calling it a “life tool” and I’m inclined to believe them.
The fact is, most people aren’t all that interested in heading out and purchasing an all-singing, all-dancing wearable to get fit. They’re more interested in a fun gadget that adds to their experiences, as oppose to something that tells them how incredibly lazy they are. The Lifelog app will do that, too of course, and for someone like me who works I’m from will be brandished a lazy pig. However, it’s all about how Sony will go about those things that will make their wearable stand out. I’m excited, and at €99, I’m ready and waiting for March to come around. If Sony’s wearable can push me to lose some weight by being more active, without throwing cold harsh figures that make me feel bad about myself, then Sony will have a great product on their hands. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, and take a closer look at the wearable in the gallery below.
