The Promise
The Basis band was created to be the super data collector that I could wear on my wrist. It included an LCD screen which showed the time and to the uninformed it looked like a retro watch. The magic was the back which had sensors to collect data from my skin; heart rate, perspiration and skin temp. Of course it also had a 3 axis gyroscope to tell when I was sleeping and how many steps I walked. The promise was that all this data would give me a super accurate picture of my daily health and calories burned.
The Wait
Being a small company means you dont launch the product during the introduction event like Apple. I knew I wasnt going to get it for a few months but that turned into almost a year. Things got even scarier when the launch email came out early on a weekday morning. Living in Seattle I was behind the curve and submitted my order right away. Within an hour an email went out saying they were sold out and sorry to those who missed out. I figured I made it but then my band never showed up. An email with a quick and honest reply told me that I was in wave 2 and it was coming in late January.
The Arrival
FedEx brought me the package on a Saturday (love that new service). I put on the watch plugged in the usb and was tracking away. The box came with no instructions but I was still able to figure out how to put on a watch. The USB cord also connects to the Band using Pogo plug type dimples. It's a strange square plastic case which fits over the watch, but it does work. Whenever you connect to your PC it charges and syncs; something Basis recommends at least every 4 days.
Wearing It
It's a watch so it feels normal to have it on my wrist. Thats also a drawback because it means that I cant wear any other watches. I am intrigued by the new Amiigo as a solution to this problem but I assume it will be another year before that product arrives. As a watch it does work fine. There are 4 touch sensor buttons on the face which look like screws; 1 for backlight, date, and menu up and down. The menu shows you the steps for the days, calories burned, and current heart rate. There is also a big button on the side which is flimsy and doesnt do anything. I guess it might be for the bluetooth which say will be activated once the mobile app is ready.
It's also important to underline that the Band is intended to be worn at all times which is a little more than my typical watch gets worn. You leave it on to sleep, and the most weird for me is deciding to take it off before getting naked with my wife (although I do want the calories counted). I have also decided to take it off when showering or swimming although I checked if that was intended.
The Data
The reason I am enduring this of course for the data. Currently this data is held on a nice web app. The app is pleasant to use with a nice UI, tabs, summaries and details. It works just fine but I am certainly hopeful that it start sharing data with other sources (besides posting to facebook) and Im sure the mobile app will help as well.
What have I learned? Honestly, not much. I get to see how long I sit for while working all day. I see the intensity of my few-times-a-week workouts and I know how much I slept. It gives me daily calorie counts and then all the sensor data. Is it fun and interesting to know? Absolutely. Has it made me want to be more active? No.
Wrap Up
The Basis Band is a gadget. Do you like gadgets? Do you care at all about your health? Do you have $200 burning a whole in your pocket? If you can say yes to all these then I highly recommend the device. My employer even gives me cash for logging my steps so I can help offset the cost. It provides lots of fun data and it doesnt get in the way while doing it. Honestly the biggest drawback for me is that I have to chose between collecting the data or looking damn cool with a different new watch like the Movado Bold that I keep seeing advertised during SportsCenter.
I took a bunch of pictures but they just look like bad version of the ones shown at this link.
http://www.mybasis.com/basis-healthy-habits-technology/
