NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) announced today the NIKE+ FuelBand, an innovative wristband that tracks and measures everyday movement to motivate and inspire people to be more active. Activities can now be measured through a new metric called NikeFuel: the more active you are, the more NikeFuel you earn.
NIKE, Inc. today launches the NIKE+ FuelBand, an innovative wristband that tracks and measures everyday movement to motivate and inspire people to be more active through NikeFuel. (Photo: Business Wire)
NIKE, Inc. President & CEO Mark Parker unveiled NIKE+ FuelBand at an event in New York attended by seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, Oklahoma City scoring champion and all-star Kevin Durant and 2011 IAAF women´s 100-meter World Champion Carmelita Jeter.
"The NIKE+ FuelBand is a way for Nike to further evolve the exciting possibilities of merging the physical and digital worlds," said Parker. "Nike has always been about inspiring athletes, and the NIKE+ FuelBand will help motivate them in a simple, fun and intuitive way."
Designed to be worn throughout the day, the ergonomic, user-friendly NIKE+ FuelBand uses accelerometry to provide information about different activities through movement of the wrist via a LED dot matrix display. Four metrics are available: Time, Calories, Steps and NikeFuel. Unlike calorie counts, which vary based on someone´s gender and body type, NikeFuel is a normalized score that awards equal points for the same activity regardless of physical makeup.
Users set a daily goal of how active they want to be, and how much NikeFuel they want to achieve. The NIKE+ FuelBand displays a series of 20 LED lights that go from red-to-green as the user gets closer to their goal. The FuelBand syncs with the Nike+ website through a built-in USB, or wirelessly through Bluetooth to a free iPhone app, to record activity and track progress every day. The app interface also provides encouragement and motivation as goals are achieved.
Armstrong said, "What´s great about the idea of NikeFuel and the FuelBand is the way it provides real information and numbers to show how much people are doing all day, every day. That´s what will get people challenging themselves to do more and better their own scores. It´s a tool to get people more active."
"NikeFuel means everyone can get recognition for activities they do," said Durant. "It provides a scoreboard for your day and gets everyone moving."
Jeter said, "You don´t have to be an elite athlete to appreciate how NikeFuel can motivate you. It´s an easy way to get credit for activities and compare how you do with others, even if you take part in different sports.
The Nike+ Fuelband will be available for preorder starting January 19th in the US at Nikestore.com for a suggested retail price of $149 (US).
To use Nike+ FuelBand, the following is needed:
- A Macintosh or PC with built-in USB. Mac OS v 10.4 or later, Windows 7 or Windows Vista (SP2) or Windows XP (SP2)
- Internet access. Broadband is recommended.
- Optional mobile app available in the iTunes App store; for updates on compatible mobile devices, visit Nikeplus.com
About NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world´s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikeinc.com and follow @Nike.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50138665〈=en
