InBody's new health band is all about measuring your body composition
Forget tracking your steps and sleep -- the next generation of wearables will have to do a lot more to get your attention. And that's a lesson InBody, a company that's been in the professional health-tracking market for over 20 years, is taking to heart. Here at CES, it unveiled the $179 InBody Band, one of the first wearables to focus on measuring your body composition (your body fat compared to your lean tissue). That's something Jawbone's upcoming Up3 band will be able to do as well, but InBody reps tell me its experience in the health market among professional athletes and gyms will give it a leg up when it launches in the first quarter.
The InBody Band felt like just about every other wristband on my wrist. It was a tad too bulky, and a bit difficult to snap into place. But once everything was settled, it managed to get a quick body composition reading (I was using a band tied to one of the company's reps, so I couldn't tell if it accurately measured my porkiness). While it's nice to see wearable companies striving harder to be different -- you can be sure many others will join Jawbone and InBody later this year -- something complex like body composition feels like an even harder sell for general consumers, who've just gotten used to tracking their steps.
Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
