Wrists are so yesterday: You wear this activity tracker round your neck

By Andy Boxall December 8, 2014

fineck kickstarter fitness tracker campaign neckband

At the moment, we expect to strap fitness and activity bands to our wrists, but the team behind the Fineck says our necks are a far better place for a tracker. However, the Fineck isn’t about counting steps, it’s designed to monitor and improve your posture, plus get rid of ailments and pain which all stem from the neck.

Made from silicone and titanium, the Fineck tracks neck movements, your balance, posture and movement, then provides advice on how to improve these aspects. Fineck says a high percentage of people suffer from neck pain and associated problems, caused by extended periods of sitting in front of a computer, or using a mobile device. A fitness band like the UP24 may encourage activity, but the Fineck is about “micro-fitness,” where looking after specific parts of our body can bring significant benefits.

Recommended Videos

Interestingly, the Fineck app comes with several games specifically designed to train the neck. It’s like a targeted version of the Tao WellShell we saw at CES 2014. The Fineck is waterproof, and connects to your iOS device using Bluetooth 4.0, although an Android app is in development. The titanium body contains a battery which is apparently good for seven days use, and takes an hour to charge up, plus an accelerometer and a gyroscope. We think the Fineck looks great, and it makes a pleasant change from the many, almost identical wristbands flooding the market.

The Fineck is available through Kickstarter at the moment, but the campaign isn’t very clear on the device’s additional features. For example, it doesn’t mention simple step counting or sleep tracking, or if it will deliver vibrating notification alerts from your smartphone. However, even if it doesn’t come with any of those features, the Fineck is extremely well priced. If you’re quick, it’s still available for $70 as an early bird special. Pay another $10, and you’ll get a special gold Kickstarter edition. Should the campaign reach its modest $20,000 goal, the Fineck will ship in April next year.

Topics

Senior Mobile Writer

Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…

Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 vs. Fitbit Sense

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 smartwatch, worn on a person's wrist.

The Galaxy Watch 4 is Samsung's take on a modern, hi-tech wearable that doesn't imitate an old-school analog wristwatch. It eschews the classic design of its predecessors for a sleeker, more streamlined look, while also providing some excellent hardware and features. These include a Super AMOLED touchscreen, 16GB of internal storage, generous battery life, and some great health-tracking software.

It's certainly one of the best smartwatches out there, but in a market saturated by Apple Watches and various Android equivalents, it certainly isn't without competitors. One of these is the Fitbit Sense, which in 2020 emerged to offer a premium version of the core Fitbit experience, replete with an ECG sensor, a choice of virtual assistants, and a wealth of fitness features.

Mobile

This $4,000 titanium beauty is the ultimate square G-Shock

The G-Shock MRG-B5000B.

Do you want the very best Casio offers in manufacturing, design, and technology from your new G-Shock, all wrapped up in that highly recognizable square case? In other words, the ultimate version of a truly classic G-Shock watch? If so, the new MRG-B5000B is exactly the model you will want, provided cost is no object. We’ve been wearing it.
What makes MR-G so special?
Although Casio is best known for tough watches that won’t break the bank, Casio also has decades of watchmaking experience, and it showcases its talents most effectively in its highly exclusive MR-G family of watches. These models, its most luxurious, are assembled by hand on Casio’s Premium Production Line located in the Yamagata factory in Japan, where only the company’s most experienced, specially certified technicians work on the top MT-G and MR-G models.

The square G-Shock is one of the most popular models, having been around since the G-Shock brand first started in the early 1980s, and bringing it to the luxury MR-G range is going to see a lot of people reaching for their wallets. What makes it so special? It’s the first time the classic, beloved square G-Shock has been given the MR-G treatment, with most other MR-G models over the past few years featuring an analog dial. There's a huge section of an already large fan base waiting for this.

Mobile

Fitbit recalls Ionic smartwatch after several burn reports

best walmart deals on apple watch garmin and fitbit ionic smartwatch adidas edition ice gray silver

Fitbit Ionic smartwatch users need to stop using their devices right now. The company has recalled its Ionic wearable after over 150 reports of the watch’s lithium-ion battery overheating, and 78 reports of burn injuries to the users. It will offer a refund of $299 to the Fitbit Ionic smartwatch users who return the device.

Fitbit has received at least 115 reports in the United States and over 50 reports internationally about the Ionic smartwatch's battery overheating. It is recalling the device as there are two reports of third-degree burns and four reports of second-degree burns out of the 78 total burn injuries report.