I waited 12 months for this device and have been wearing it every day now it for 8 weeks. Remarkably, I still love it and wear it every day. I even managed to lose 1kg while travelling for a month. It's quite remarkable how measuring something affects behaviour.

What does it do?

It tracks your physical activity and provides a constant motivation to help you reach your goals.

Nike has invented its own unit - the Fuel point. This allows people to compare activity across sports. It's not at all accurate for measuring any particular exercise but it is a good way to see and compare your own activity over time.

It also tracks calories and pedometer steps.

Finally, it tells the time which makes it quite an attractive watch.

Sync to your phone

The Fuel Band connects to your iPhone or Android phone via Bluetooth.

1. Launch the Nike FuelBand App
2. Hold the button (on the band) down for a few seconds and you'll see it SYNC

The initial screen will show your progress to your goal today. In the background it will continue to transfer all your activity since your last sync.

iPhone app daily and monthly views

Stay motivated

This is far beyond a glorified pedometer. The app will track and celebrate goals, best days, streaks and milestones and reward you with fun animations. It's easy to dismiss these as silly but behind them is real exercise that you may not have embarked upon otherwise.

Encouragement notifications

Sync to the Web The app will automatically sync all your data to the Nikeplus.com web site and community. This is where it gets interesting - you can not only review a staggering amount of data but also connect with friends and join challenges.

Hourly activity online

 

A month's worth of daily activity

Living with it

• This is the first device I've been happy to wear 24/7. There's no reason to take it off - it's water resistant so you can take a shower.
• It looks cool and isn't obviously a piece of technology.
• People have been genuinely curious and seem to like the look of the band.
• It really has changed my behaviour - if I only have a few hundred points to reach my goal, I'll go for an extra walk.

To recharge, simply unclip the band and plug it into any USB port - on any computer or charger. A charge takes an hour and lasts for approx 1 week.

It's currently available in the US and UK. Hopefully soon the rest of the world will be able to buy it.

Find out more from Nike