
A progress bar, color coded red to green, runs below it, and just one button sits to the side. Force it open too wide, Nike warns, and the Fuelband can break.Īn LED display sits beneath the Fuelband’s translucent top skin, invisible when it’s not illuminated, with a slightly hazy look when it is.

Unclasp it and it barely opens wide enough to slip a wrist through. Technically, it’s not a “band” at all, but what the fashionistas call a “bangle.” Though it looks flexible, the rubberized plastic hoop is quite rigid once the clasp (which doubles as a USB connector) is closed. The sleek, futuristic Nike+ Fuelband SE looks more like a Jony Ive “design solution” for handcuffs than it does a fitness device built to record the free-ranging motion of a human body. Which makes us wonder: Is the Fuelband SE anything more than a digital fitness fashion statement? Come along to see what we found out. Many of them wear the band upside down so the Nike+ logo sits loud and proud up top, the display tucked away on the inside of their wrist. Fans have posted thousands of images of their Nike Fuelbands just as they would any kind of kind of jewelry. The company’s latest move in that direction is the new Nike+ Fuelband SE, an improved version of its fitness-tracking predecessor that features better sensors, Bluetooth 4.0, and new features like hourly movement reminders.Ī quick survey of #fuelband on Instagram suggests Nike’s fashion-first plan is working. In this climate, Nike has much to gain by keeping people in swoosh mode 24/7. As fashion, technology, and fitness continue to converge, users are asking more and more from both their clothing and their digital devices.
