Scale | Evolving Consumer

Holiday Gift Guide: Weighing the Options

Staying fit is more than just watching the weight, and the iHealth Wireless Body Analysis Scale can measure, track and share nine different characteristics of a user’s body composition. It is compatible with the iHealth mobile app, and the scale can be used online or off, while supporting up to 20 users.

It allows each user to track weight, body fat, lean mass, muscle mass, bone mass, body water, daily calorie intake, body mass index and even visceral fat rating. The scale allows those looking to get fit to set goals, view trends and even organize records.

iHealth Wireless Body Analysis Scale Official Website

2013 CES: Fit to be Wow’d

Fitbug is making a big splash at this year’s International CES. The company has introduced its new Wow scale, which features Bluetooth Smart ready technology to allow those stepping on to wirelessly sync data in real time to their mobile devices. The data can be further integrated with the Fitbug Air, the tracking device recently launched by Fitbug, or from the fitbug.com website. This will allow users to track and work towards achieving their personal health goals.

The Wow scale is compatible with Bluetooth Smart Ready iOS devices and will be ready to size up users in March.

Fitbug Official Website

Withings Goes from TMI to Weight Game

The scale that tweets your weight and BMI now has a game on Facebook. “GuessMyWeight” is a Facebook app created by Withings. When you do your weigh-in, your friends can guess your weight on Facebook. Really? What are the two things you don’t ask a woman? Age and weight. And now my friends can laugh when I gain a pound?

It’s helpful that Withings can send your latest stats to pages such as Google Health, RunKeeper and DailyBurn so you can chart progress. But tread lightly when a friend on Facebook challenges you to guess his weight. Withings co-founder Cedric Hutchings said the idea of GuessMyWeight “started as a joke amongst our team.” He says it’s a “playful and an entirely new way to take the drama out of your weight.” Though we think it has potential to add some drama.

Withings

Weigh In With Wi-Fi

For many of us progress isn’t the distance we went, the time we spent or even the fun we had. At the end of the day, or more likely first thing in the morning, we judge our results with a scale. The problem with this madness is that the method can be flawed because we only judge what the scale tells us at that point. To get a fuller picture we need to track gain and losses with the activity we did. After all, how can you judge fat lost vs. muscle gained?

The Withings Internet-connected Body Scale ($159) lets you track your results by sending the data to a web account via Wi-Fi. The thin black-metallic scale features a backlit display to provide your pounds clearly for you, while wirelessly sending the data to a Withings Web account. Here you and up to seven others can track progress over time – and you can (when you reached a goal or mark) post the results to Facebook and Twitter. Alternatively, if you need a push you can send them to DailyBurn and RunKeeper to monitor your progress over time. Time to weigh in.

Withings Internet-Connected Body Scale from Withings.com

Withings its Strange to Broadcast Your Weight

Withings scale sends your data to an online health profile.

Every appliance in your home will connect to the Internet some day. Today, the Withings scale connects to the Internet via WiFi. Step on the scale, and it sends your weight, lean and fat mass, and BMI readings to your computer. It will post your loss or gain on Twitter if you opt in to that feature. Now, it will integrate with Microsoft HealthVault.

Microsoft HealthValut is a personal health application platform. This is a good application for a WiFi scale. HealthVault is a place where you can create a profile for you and your family to track the basics, the history, and helps you keep up with the management of any illnesses or conditions. As the user, you get to decide who to share your profile with, and how much that person sees. At some point, maybe we won’t have to fill out forms at the doctor’s office before each appointment.

As for Tweeting about your weight and other stats, you can set up your profile if you want your vitals on Twitter. I think I’ll stick to my personal profile.

Withings scale, $159

Microsoft HealthVault