Razer Nabu Smartband Brings New Social Component to Fitness

Nabu is a new wrist-worn fitness tracker that monitors the wearer's activity and also offers messaging and social notifications.

Developed by California-based gaming peripherals developer Razer, the smartband uses Pulse, the company's advanced communication technology, to find other Nabu wearers in the user's social circles. The fitness band lets wearers add new contacts to their phone with a simple high-five.

Nabu lets users see all their activity data visualised on their smartphones. The wearable tracker can be easily customised through the Nabu app. It provides wearers with insight into their activity trends and makes it easy for them to set goals and achieve them. Nabu contains an accelerometer and an altimeter, and it uses a vibration motor to alert users when they have a new notification. It even lets them dismiss incoming notifications by simply shaking their wrist.

Razer has teamed up with the Chinese company Tencent to offer an even richer experience to Nabu users. Tencent has developed a game called Timi Run Everyday, which requires players to exercise to unlock special in-game prizes. Players must help their character avoid obstacles and keep running. When they connect their Nabu to their phone, the game automatically converts any physical activity into virtual rewards. Players also score points if they get the recommended eight hours of sleep.

A release date for Nabu has yet to be announced. Watch the video for a preview.