The holidays wreak havoc on our bodies, with their mandatory
over-indulgence in food as well as family and reminiscences. As we
reflect on the year past — its victories and losses — we also begin
looking ahead to the next, and in big ways or small, making plans to
keep our momentum going.
For many, this involves taking health more seriously, whether it’s losing a few pounds, training for that first marathon, or just being more active. In turn, there’s been a lot of activity in the health space over the last year, as we’ve seen a number of apps and startups launch — or continue iterating — in the quest to help us make healthier choices, get in shape and conquer the world.
The health space is always in a state of transformation, but its evolution has accelerated of late, and technology is playing an increasingly vital role in this development. Improvements in sensor technology (and a reduction in the cost of production) have led to a boom in the popularity of health monitoring and tracking devices, which itself is becoming a crowded market.
Increased government involvement in health insurance and delivery (via ObamaCare), mobile technology, next-gen networks, Big Data and analytics are all having a disruptive effect on the industry. Business models have begun to change, becoming more patient-centric and outcome-focused, as risk shifts to providers.
Meanwhile, healthcare IT has been slowly moving to the cloud and upgrading its architecture to allow for more flexibility, as social tools, mobility, broadband access and wireless tech have given rise to the “health care everywhere” imperative and opened the door for greater transparency and visibility into healthcare costs. In spite of some doom and gloom from investors and the intimidating prospect of changing old, inculcated consumer (ahem, patient) behaviors, startups are still moving to take advantage.
In fact, for Quantified Self devotees, data-vores and the fitness conscious it’s a great time to be alive. Wearable health-tracking devices and health information and networking platforms are maturing, as is the technology that makes them tick, and it won’t be long before doctors are prescribing mobile health apps and devices. The FDA’s recent approval of AliveCor’s iPhone-based heart monitor is just one great example of how much there is to be excited about at the intersection of technology and health.
And for startups, there’s a lot to be excited about when deciding to build a business in this space, thanks in part to the continuing development of health-focused accelerators over the last year. Rock Health, for example, added clout and support from Kleiner and Kaiser, among others. A number of new accelerators hit the scene or turned into legitimate resources in 2012, including Startup Health, Healthbox, DreamIt Health, NY Digital Health Accelerator and Blueprint Health — to name a few. Hey, even Nike has decided to invest in the New Game.
Nonetheless, with all the excitement in the space, it can be tough to cut through the noise, keep tabs on all the options and figure out which apps and startups should matter for you. Everyone has their own individual agenda, but collectively we’re all bound to be making a few health-related resolutions in preparation for 2013 and beyond.
Without further ado, the Health Stars:
Jawbone UP
Up is one of the members of the exciting new generation of movement and health-tracking devices. The $129 bracelet suffered from some major problems when it first debuted, but it re-emerged in November with a much-improved look and experience. You can use it to track your activity during the day, your sleep at night, as well as log food intake and mood to give you a better overall picture of your health, happiness and calorie input and output.
The device comes with about a week’s worth of battery life in a
single charge, is sleek and relatively unobtrusive, insulated in rubber
and is waterproof. It includes a silent alarm that will wake you in the
morning at the right time and a buzzer to remind you when it’s time to
get up and get moving during the day.
Most of the re-design centers around the internal hardware and keeping it immune to wear and tear. The device doesn’t come with much connection to the desktop, or an external display, so, as John wrote recently, the appeal is mostly in its simplicity and the fact that it doesn’t scream “nerd device” to all who see you wearing it. More in John’s write up here.
Fitbit
Fitbit is another popular wearable activity tracker that, compared to Up, is slightly more favorable in the pricing department at $99. The small, lightweight device clips onto your clothing (and is meant to be worn somewhere on the torso) or fits into an elastic armband when sleeping. It works like a charm, tracking the number of steps one takes each day, the amount of sleep one gets each night (though this is still a bit buggy), is sensitive to movement and offers a look into the number of calories burned each day.
It displays users’ activity in a personal analytics module linked to their Fitbit account, which is made easy to set up through a wireless USB dongle that can be paired with its software in a few minutes. Users can keep the dongle in a USB port of sync it with Fitbit’s new Bluetooth radio functionality. As to the data, users can view their levels of activity in graphs, food and calorie intake, and add in other data, like blood pressure mood, etc. Like Up, it’s also got a silent alarm, and at $99, it’s becoming one of the most popular of these devices. [More in Chris' review here.]
Nike+ FuelBand
Nike has been looking to leverage its brand recognition and massive footprint in the sports world to make waves in the fitness-tracking space with its wearable health tracker. The QS bracelet debuted in January 2012, and is now selling for $150 on Nike’s website — and, giving it a leg up over others beyond what it already had from the Nike brand — is now selling in the Apple Store across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
Reviews of the FuelBand run the gamut, and with the trend seeming to be that, up to this point, it hasn’t been accurate enough to be used in real training and workouts, putting it more in the casual use category as a motivator for workouts and just getting off your butt. It looks great (although not unlike UP), comes with a great mobile app, and tracks whether or not you’re burning calories each day and meeting your basic fitness goals. It’s also started to gain some experimental integrations, like with Path, for example.
Nike also offers similar apps like Nike+ Running and Training Club in its growing arsenal of smartphone fitness motivators.
Basis
I say this haltingly, not having spent significant time with it yet,
but Basis’ new health-tracking wrist watch is probably the one I’m most
excited about. The company quickly ran through its first batch after bringing the product to market in November and has since stopped accepting new orders to concentrate on meeting early demand.
The Basis band is a bit more expensive than the aforementioned gear at $200, and the question, of course, is whether there’s enough going on to justify that higher price. But from the looks of it, there is, especially for the Quantified Self and wristwatch nerds among us. The device comes with an LCD display (sort of like Pebble’s e-ink version) that shows date and time, touch capacitive buttons, a 4-day battery life and Bluetooth support, which will be activated when the company releases its accompanying mobile apps (expected in the near future).
The device is loaded with sensors, which beyond using the accelerometer to measure sleep patterns, include an optical scanner to track blood flow (i.e. heart rate), a perspiration monitor, as well as skin and ambient temperature monitors to measure workout intensity, heat dissipation and so on. On top of that, the company offers a dashboard complete with a host of metrics, which include stuff like calories burned, steps taken, resting heart rate and hours slept and allows users to track their progress and create small, achievable goals to begin establishing healthy habits.
One of the more noteworthy aspects of Basis is that it adjusts to
your daily activity (and sleep patterns) automatically, so you don’t
have to mess around with different modes and settings. The idea is that
it just works in the background, suggesting personalized goals and
habits that you can actually meet — when you want it to. There are still
more pieces to add, like integrations with other devices, an API,
mobile apps (and of course wider availability), but Basis looks to have a
lot going for it — at least at this early stage. [More in our review here.]
Lark
Lark was originally a sleep-monitoring device, app and coaching service that recently expanded beyond sleep to go after the broader, general wellness market. The TechCrunch Disrupt grad now combines, a nighttime and daytime wristband and iOS app to track basic fitness statistics, food eaten, sleep logged, calories burned, distance traveled, and so on. Lark CEO Julia Hu recently told TechCrunch that Lark has sold “tens of thousands” of devices, and that 73 percent of insomniacs saw an improvement after using Lark Pro for a month. The wristbands are designed by Ammunition — which also designed the Beats by Dre headphones — and through its new platform the startup is trying to move beyond its initial, core user base: Athletes.
The app and wristband combo now offer one-tap diet tracking, which allows users to tap a button to indicate they’re eating, tracking dietary info, stress and productivity data to help users make more informed decisions about their health. The platform offers personalized advice, developed in consultation with its scientific advisors, which include Stanford “neuroeconomists,” psychologists and sleep experts and so on. The “Larklife” product, which includes the two wristbands and mobile apps, will sell for $150. Lark looks great and has a lot to offer, but it does have to contend with the fact that others are offering a lot of this functionality in one device — at competitive prices.
Misfit Wearables’ Shine is another elegant-looking activity tracker that isn’t yet available but looks promising.
Amiigo, which, described in our recent coverage, is a “fitness app and lightweight plastic bracelet (with detachable shoe-clip) that can identify the type of exercise you’re doing and tell you how well you’re doing it as you’re doing it, thanks to a variety of sensors analysing how your body is responding as you run, bike, swim (yes it’s waterproof), or whatever your preferred exercise poison.”
This Android and iOS app is one of the strongest in the category of
those that look to turn your smartphone into a personal trainer.
RunKeeper is part motivator, part tracker and (long-term) part health
graph. The app allows you to track your walks, runs, exercise bike
rides, hikes, etc. by using the GPS in your phone, keeping stats on
each activity, comparing those stats, setting short-term and long-term
goals, offers customizable training plans, and voice coaching. The
startup also aims to be a health and fitness data aggregator (or graph)
and appeal to Quantified Self enthusiasts by connecting to Bluetooth and
leveraging its API to integrates with Fitbit, WeightTraining.com, Fitocracy, Lose It!, Gympact and GAIN Fitness, among others.
The company just passed its 100th integration, leading in this regard. However, RunKeeper co-founder and CEO Jason Jacobs tells us there’s still a long way to go, as the category heats up and more apps and devices become available on the market.
The startup now has over 14 million users and many, he says, are looking to tie in data from other health apps to their RunKeeper accounts, especially as the company now allows them to earn credits for their workouts and apply them to corporate wellness programs, fitness games, rewards systems and so on. Usage of these integrations, Jacobs tells us, grew 825 percent year-over-year in 2012. Part of the reason Mark Zuckerberg included RunKeeper in a short list of apps that had caught his attention this year.
As to what’s next, Jacobs said that the startup will be looking to more tightly integrate the data from its partners into the core RunKeeper experience in the coming months — and to better integrate RunKeeper data into theirs — and will be announcing a number of partnerships in the next quarter as well.
Find it here.
Runtastic
This one may be better known to European readers, as Runtastic got
its start across the pond, but it’s beginning to establish a footprint
in the U.S. as well. And overall, it was a good year for the startup,
which has looked to carve a name for itself in the space by becoming a
full-service health and fitness platform. Traditionally, it’s been
focused on tracking and coaching fitness enthusiast through outdoor
recreation, allowing users to take advantage of fitness plans with voice
coaching, as well as track and analyze their exercise data, monitoring
speed, elevation and distance and storing that info in the cloud to
measure progress against yourself and others (along with some cool “PRO” features for Android users.)
More recently, it’s expanded into “indoor” fitness as well, with motion-activated apps for activities like push ups and pull ups, and now offers a heart-monitoring app to boot. All in all, a productive 2012 for Runtastic has meant the launch of seven new apps for a total of 14 (including free and PRO/paid apps), over 12 million downloads this year alone (for over 16 million total), along with the addition of 5 million registered users on Runtastic.com, the launch of hardware in Europe (a heart rate monitor with GPS watch, armband and chest strap), integration with MyFitnessPal as a launch partner for the debut of its API, Google Earth integration and the launch of a fitness channel on YouTube. Going forward, users can expect more apps, more integrations, and the launch of its hardware in the U.S. during Q1
For many, this involves taking health more seriously, whether it’s losing a few pounds, training for that first marathon, or just being more active. In turn, there’s been a lot of activity in the health space over the last year, as we’ve seen a number of apps and startups launch — or continue iterating — in the quest to help us make healthier choices, get in shape and conquer the world.
The health space is always in a state of transformation, but its evolution has accelerated of late, and technology is playing an increasingly vital role in this development. Improvements in sensor technology (and a reduction in the cost of production) have led to a boom in the popularity of health monitoring and tracking devices, which itself is becoming a crowded market.
Increased government involvement in health insurance and delivery (via ObamaCare), mobile technology, next-gen networks, Big Data and analytics are all having a disruptive effect on the industry. Business models have begun to change, becoming more patient-centric and outcome-focused, as risk shifts to providers.
Meanwhile, healthcare IT has been slowly moving to the cloud and upgrading its architecture to allow for more flexibility, as social tools, mobility, broadband access and wireless tech have given rise to the “health care everywhere” imperative and opened the door for greater transparency and visibility into healthcare costs. In spite of some doom and gloom from investors and the intimidating prospect of changing old, inculcated consumer (ahem, patient) behaviors, startups are still moving to take advantage.
In fact, for Quantified Self devotees, data-vores and the fitness conscious it’s a great time to be alive. Wearable health-tracking devices and health information and networking platforms are maturing, as is the technology that makes them tick, and it won’t be long before doctors are prescribing mobile health apps and devices. The FDA’s recent approval of AliveCor’s iPhone-based heart monitor is just one great example of how much there is to be excited about at the intersection of technology and health.
And for startups, there’s a lot to be excited about when deciding to build a business in this space, thanks in part to the continuing development of health-focused accelerators over the last year. Rock Health, for example, added clout and support from Kleiner and Kaiser, among others. A number of new accelerators hit the scene or turned into legitimate resources in 2012, including Startup Health, Healthbox, DreamIt Health, NY Digital Health Accelerator and Blueprint Health — to name a few. Hey, even Nike has decided to invest in the New Game.
Nonetheless, with all the excitement in the space, it can be tough to cut through the noise, keep tabs on all the options and figure out which apps and startups should matter for you. Everyone has their own individual agenda, but collectively we’re all bound to be making a few health-related resolutions in preparation for 2013 and beyond.
Without further ado, the Health Stars:
The Wearable Tech
Jawbone UPUp is one of the members of the exciting new generation of movement and health-tracking devices. The $129 bracelet suffered from some major problems when it first debuted, but it re-emerged in November with a much-improved look and experience. You can use it to track your activity during the day, your sleep at night, as well as log food intake and mood to give you a better overall picture of your health, happiness and calorie input and output.
The device comes with about a week’s worth of battery life in a
single charge, is sleek and relatively unobtrusive, insulated in rubber
and is waterproof. It includes a silent alarm that will wake you in the
morning at the right time and a buzzer to remind you when it’s time to
get up and get moving during the day.Most of the re-design centers around the internal hardware and keeping it immune to wear and tear. The device doesn’t come with much connection to the desktop, or an external display, so, as John wrote recently, the appeal is mostly in its simplicity and the fact that it doesn’t scream “nerd device” to all who see you wearing it. More in John’s write up here.
Fitbit
Fitbit is another popular wearable activity tracker that, compared to Up, is slightly more favorable in the pricing department at $99. The small, lightweight device clips onto your clothing (and is meant to be worn somewhere on the torso) or fits into an elastic armband when sleeping. It works like a charm, tracking the number of steps one takes each day, the amount of sleep one gets each night (though this is still a bit buggy), is sensitive to movement and offers a look into the number of calories burned each day.
It displays users’ activity in a personal analytics module linked to their Fitbit account, which is made easy to set up through a wireless USB dongle that can be paired with its software in a few minutes. Users can keep the dongle in a USB port of sync it with Fitbit’s new Bluetooth radio functionality. As to the data, users can view their levels of activity in graphs, food and calorie intake, and add in other data, like blood pressure mood, etc. Like Up, it’s also got a silent alarm, and at $99, it’s becoming one of the most popular of these devices. [More in Chris' review here.]
Nike+ FuelBandNike has been looking to leverage its brand recognition and massive footprint in the sports world to make waves in the fitness-tracking space with its wearable health tracker. The QS bracelet debuted in January 2012, and is now selling for $150 on Nike’s website — and, giving it a leg up over others beyond what it already had from the Nike brand — is now selling in the Apple Store across the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
Reviews of the FuelBand run the gamut, and with the trend seeming to be that, up to this point, it hasn’t been accurate enough to be used in real training and workouts, putting it more in the casual use category as a motivator for workouts and just getting off your butt. It looks great (although not unlike UP), comes with a great mobile app, and tracks whether or not you’re burning calories each day and meeting your basic fitness goals. It’s also started to gain some experimental integrations, like with Path, for example.
Nike also offers similar apps like Nike+ Running and Training Club in its growing arsenal of smartphone fitness motivators.
Basis
The Basis band is a bit more expensive than the aforementioned gear at $200, and the question, of course, is whether there’s enough going on to justify that higher price. But from the looks of it, there is, especially for the Quantified Self and wristwatch nerds among us. The device comes with an LCD display (sort of like Pebble’s e-ink version) that shows date and time, touch capacitive buttons, a 4-day battery life and Bluetooth support, which will be activated when the company releases its accompanying mobile apps (expected in the near future).
The device is loaded with sensors, which beyond using the accelerometer to measure sleep patterns, include an optical scanner to track blood flow (i.e. heart rate), a perspiration monitor, as well as skin and ambient temperature monitors to measure workout intensity, heat dissipation and so on. On top of that, the company offers a dashboard complete with a host of metrics, which include stuff like calories burned, steps taken, resting heart rate and hours slept and allows users to track their progress and create small, achievable goals to begin establishing healthy habits.
Lark
Lark was originally a sleep-monitoring device, app and coaching service that recently expanded beyond sleep to go after the broader, general wellness market. The TechCrunch Disrupt grad now combines, a nighttime and daytime wristband and iOS app to track basic fitness statistics, food eaten, sleep logged, calories burned, distance traveled, and so on. Lark CEO Julia Hu recently told TechCrunch that Lark has sold “tens of thousands” of devices, and that 73 percent of insomniacs saw an improvement after using Lark Pro for a month. The wristbands are designed by Ammunition — which also designed the Beats by Dre headphones — and through its new platform the startup is trying to move beyond its initial, core user base: Athletes.
The app and wristband combo now offer one-tap diet tracking, which allows users to tap a button to indicate they’re eating, tracking dietary info, stress and productivity data to help users make more informed decisions about their health. The platform offers personalized advice, developed in consultation with its scientific advisors, which include Stanford “neuroeconomists,” psychologists and sleep experts and so on. The “Larklife” product, which includes the two wristbands and mobile apps, will sell for $150. Lark looks great and has a lot to offer, but it does have to contend with the fact that others are offering a lot of this functionality in one device — at competitive prices.
Misfit Wearables’ Shine is another elegant-looking activity tracker that isn’t yet available but looks promising.
Amiigo, which, described in our recent coverage, is a “fitness app and lightweight plastic bracelet (with detachable shoe-clip) that can identify the type of exercise you’re doing and tell you how well you’re doing it as you’re doing it, thanks to a variety of sensors analysing how your body is responding as you run, bike, swim (yes it’s waterproof), or whatever your preferred exercise poison.”
No Gadgets Here, Just The Apps
RunKeeper
This Android and iOS app is one of the strongest in the category of
those that look to turn your smartphone into a personal trainer.
RunKeeper is part motivator, part tracker and (long-term) part health
graph. The app allows you to track your walks, runs, exercise bike
rides, hikes, etc. by using the GPS in your phone, keeping stats on
each activity, comparing those stats, setting short-term and long-term
goals, offers customizable training plans, and voice coaching. The
startup also aims to be a health and fitness data aggregator (or graph)
and appeal to Quantified Self enthusiasts by connecting to Bluetooth and
leveraging its API to integrates with Fitbit, WeightTraining.com, Fitocracy, Lose It!, Gympact and GAIN Fitness, among others.The company just passed its 100th integration, leading in this regard. However, RunKeeper co-founder and CEO Jason Jacobs tells us there’s still a long way to go, as the category heats up and more apps and devices become available on the market.
The startup now has over 14 million users and many, he says, are looking to tie in data from other health apps to their RunKeeper accounts, especially as the company now allows them to earn credits for their workouts and apply them to corporate wellness programs, fitness games, rewards systems and so on. Usage of these integrations, Jacobs tells us, grew 825 percent year-over-year in 2012. Part of the reason Mark Zuckerberg included RunKeeper in a short list of apps that had caught his attention this year.
As to what’s next, Jacobs said that the startup will be looking to more tightly integrate the data from its partners into the core RunKeeper experience in the coming months — and to better integrate RunKeeper data into theirs — and will be announcing a number of partnerships in the next quarter as well.
Find it here.
RuntasticMore recently, it’s expanded into “indoor” fitness as well, with motion-activated apps for activities like push ups and pull ups, and now offers a heart-monitoring app to boot. All in all, a productive 2012 for Runtastic has meant the launch of seven new apps for a total of 14 (including free and PRO/paid apps), over 12 million downloads this year alone (for over 16 million total), along with the addition of 5 million registered users on Runtastic.com, the launch of hardware in Europe (a heart rate monitor with GPS watch, armband and chest strap), integration with MyFitnessPal as a launch partner for the debut of its API, Google Earth integration and the launch of a fitness channel on YouTube. Going forward, users can expect more apps, more integrations, and the launch of its hardware in the U.S. during Q1
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