Axio returns as Melon, an EEG headband that'll help you learn to focus

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Insert Coin meet Melon, a headband that'll help you learn to focus" data-src-height="347" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/05/melon.png" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The quantified self movement's gaining steam, with companies creating all sorts of gadgets to track our activity levels, sleeping habits and even what's going on inside our heads. Melon's an EEG headband that taps into your brain's inner workings to show you how well you maintain mental focus. We actually saw Melon's prototype predecessor last year when it was called Axio, and while this new band packs largely the same components, the design's been refined to a much thinner profile. As before, its got a trio of electrodes for sensing brainwaves, a NeuroSky chip for filtering out extraneous electrical noise and Bluetooth 4.0 for offloading data wirelessly. It sends data to iPhones (Android's in development) running the Melon app, which translates that info into a focus graph -- generally speaking, the higher the neural activity in your pre-frontal cortex, the higher your level of focus. Users then input contextual data tags like time of day, type of activity and the surrounding environmental conditions to allow them to track variables that may affect their focus. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> In addition to helping users learn what affects their focus levels, the app also provides tips for improving focus and a game to help you increase your mental powers. The game is simple: you start with a plain image of a piece of paper, and as you focus on that image, it folds itself into an origami shape. While the official app is all the Melon software currently available, the company has plans to launch a free SDK to allow devs to build their own apps for the platform. Additionally, the goal is to have Melon be compatible with other biometric platforms like Nike+ and Fitbit. For now, the app is iOS only, but an Android version is scheduled to launch in a couple months.</div></div>

Axio returns as Melon, an EEG headband that'll help you learn to focus

The quantified self movement's gaining steam, with companies creating all sorts of gadgets to track our activity levels, sleeping habit...

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Fitbit Flex activity tracking wristband now shipping for $100

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="p1 image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Fitbit Flex activity tracking wristband now shipping for $100" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/05/5-5-2013flexreviewhardware-1367847905.jpg" /></div><div class="p1" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Fitbit's freshest fitness fob, the Flex wristband, may not be the most comprehensive activity tracker on the market, but it does deliver quite a bit of bang for your buck, as we discovered during our review. The company's latest gadget is set to compete with the Nike FuelBand and Jawbone Up, but at $100, it's more affordable than either of them. A single Benjamin buys you step, distance, calorie and moderate-intensity cardio time tracking, with wireless Bluetooth 4.0 syncing to Android and iOS apps. It can also keep tabs on your snoozing habits, including how long and how well you sleep, offering up tips should you need to make some tweaks. There's also a vibration alarm that'll shake you awake without disturbing others. Fitbit Flex is available through major retailers and at the source link below -- for an up-close work at how it works, be sure to check out our full review.</div></div>

Fitbit Flex activity tracking wristband now shipping for $100

Fitbit's freshest fitness fob, the Flex wristband, may not be the most comprehensive activity tracker on the market, but it does deliv...

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NZN Labs launches Lit, a social-enhanced fitness tracker for adventurous types

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="NZN Labs launches Lit, a socialenhanced fitness tracker for adventurous types" data-src-height="366" data-src-width="619" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/lit-1364494659.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">No, your existing fitness tracker probably isn't good enough -- not if you frequently participate in "extreme sports" and wish to log every possible measurement as you cycle, snowboard, surf or just go about your day. At least, that's what the folks at NZN Labs hope you believe -- their new Lit wrist-mounted tracking device being the answer to all your prayers. You can slap Lit on your wrist, or mount it in other ways, and the battery is said to keep the logs churning for up to a week. Metrics vary depending on the activity -- surfers, for example, will track the number of paddles, waves attempted and ridden, max g-force and the longest wave.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Fortunately, it's waterproof to 30 feet, and all the gathered info gets booted to the cloud through your smartphone and Bluetooth 4.0. You earn "points" for certain athletic achievements, letting you pit yourself against friends and other folks, in the off chance that you feel the need to up the ante when it comes to competition. Lit hits Indiegogo for $99 pre-orders beginning today, or you can wait for the device to ship to retailers, at which point you'll be able to pick one up for $149.</div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/62354520?color=ed1651" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></div>

NZN Labs launches Lit, a social-enhanced fitness tracker for adventurous types

No, your existing fitness tracker probably isn't good enough -- not if you frequently participate in "extreme sports" and wi...

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Reebok Fitness shakes up stale exercise routines on Android and iOS (video)

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"> <img alt="Reebok Fitness shakes up stale exercise routines on Android and iOS" data-src-height="340" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/03/reebok-fitness.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Despite Reebok being a cornerstone of the athletic scene, it hasn't been as quick off the mark as Adidas and Nike in embracing mobile apps as coaching tools. It's making up for lost time with a low-key launch of Reebok Fitness for Android and iOS. The app skips active movement tracking in favor of creating a truly varied exercise program: athletes can customize the ratios of multiple activities over a given period and manually shift the schedule if they find themselves bored. The app also provides video guides for novices, and a mixture of achievements and reminders should hopefully keep us from retreating to the couch. We'd prefer a best-of-all-worlds app that can both plan our workouts and gauge our progress, but the diversity in Reebok Fitness will at least put yoga on an equal plane with a neighborhood run.</div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5mInxJuP3-I?feature=player_embedded" width="640"></iframe></div>

Reebok Fitness shakes up stale exercise routines on Android and iOS (video)

  Despite Reebok being a cornerstone of the athletic scene, it hasn't been as quick off the mark as Adidas and Nike in embracing mobile...

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Under Armour launches Armour39 performance tracking system, we go hands-on

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><hr style="text-align: left;" /><div class="image-container" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Armour39 hands-on" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/02/underlead.jpg" /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Under Armour has always touted the scientific underpinnings of its sports apparel. From moisture wicking to heat trapping and everything in between, the company is quick to assert that it isn't just another athletic clothing company. But, performance enhancing shirts and pants have their limitations and, arguably, performance <i>monitoring</i> is a far more interesting and burgeoning field. In 2011 it dabbled with E39, a compression shirt with a space to insert a "bug" that included and accelerometer and heart rate monitor. Today, at an event in beautiful, chilly New York City, it officially unveiled the next evolution of that toe-dipping, Armour39. While there may be a shirt in the future, for now the system consists of a traditional chest strap, an iPhone app and an optional watch for those that don't like to carry their expensive smartphone with them on runs.</div></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">The only essential piece of equipment is the module itself and the strap. The new bug is quite a bit smaller than the original, which means you won't be able to pop it into an E39 shirt if you happen to have one. Inside the tiny, light monitor is a dedicated CPU, an accelerometer, storage and a Bluetooth 4.0 radio. Along one edge are a pair of metal probes that connect to receptacles in the strap that feed it data from the heart rate sensors. It clips in with a satisfying click and requires a decent amount of force to remove. Not so much that it's annoying, but enough that you feel confident it won't fall out while you're sprinting around the track. The strap itself feels stunningly soft and comfortable. Having worn a few different fitness monitoring solutions in my day, this seemingly small detail lent the whole package a seriously premium feel. Plus, who wants to deal with chaffing or lost chest hair while trying work their guns? The bug operates on a standard watch-style battery, which the company claims should last for up to a year. <iframe frameborder="0" height="349" id="viddler-dbac6ac4" mozallowfullscreen="true" src="//www.viddler.com/embed/dbac6ac4/?f=1&offset=0&autoplay=0&secret=37427093&disablebranding=0&view_secret=37427093" webkitallowfullscreen="true" width="545"></iframe>The Armour39 app, which is iOS only for the moment, gives you a quick way to monitor information like heart rate, calories burned and intensity. The latter, which sounds pretty abstract, is determined by things like your maximum heart rate and other metrics that you can enter into the app, making it a performance measurement specific to you. Lastly, there's WILLpower, an holistic score of how hard you're pushing yourself on a scale of 1-10. The app uses a proprietary algorithm that takes into account not only your heart rate and position, but also past performances to determine your level of effort. The last piece of the puzzle is the watch, which we were a little disappointed to find out didn't include GPS for proper run tracking. Instead it just gives athletes a way to keep tabs on all the data generated by the bug without having to take their delicate iPhone with them to the gym. While runners would probably enjoy the addition of location monitoring, its absence does mean you can expect up to a year of use on a standard watch battery. The Armour39 system will hit shelves on March 20th, with the module and strap bundle costing $150 and the watch $199.</div></div>

Under Armour launches Armour39 performance tracking system, we go hands-on

Under Armour has always touted the scientific underpinnings of its sports apparel. From moisture wicking to heat trapping and everything i...

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