For those discerning gents keen to avoid the results of a festive excess this Christmas it’s good timing as this week saw the release of the new Nike+ FuelBand SE. With demand for wearable fitness technology soaring and with evermore detailed analytics available to be scrutinised, it now seems possible to account for every drop of sweat worked up. The question is, do you need it? Let’s find out.

 

The latest model of FuelBand SE has a range of new features. Firstly it’ll allow users to define the start and end of training sessions, tagging it to a specific workout – for example running, cycling or yoga. This useful feature essentially allows the fitness fan to map out a typical day’s activity and log all the captured information.

 

 

FuelBand SE works in tandem with an iOS app that’s installed on your iPhone or iPad. By synchronising all your activities it can then start to adjust the ‘fuel’ ratings of different types of exercises accordingly. Secondly FuelBand SE includes an upgrade to the lower powered Bluetooth 4.0 technology to connect to iPhones. Lastly, it’s designed to work in unison with the new motion processor in the iPhone 5S, helping to conserve power when the app isn’t in use.

 

If there’s one criticism of FuelBand SE it would be around the lack of a heart rate monitor. It’s probably the most important factor when determining fitness but it looks like Nike have missed a trick here – even though speculation prior to launch was high. GPS would have been another very useful feature too, but now we’re just getting picky. Overall it’s still a good piece of kit to have providing valuable tracking and analytical features.

 

RRP £129 – www.nike.com