Amazon is rolling out its next phase of being a health wearable player with Halo View, a fitness tracker with a display, as well as a series of services for workouts and nutrition.
A year ago, Amazon launched Halo with a$3.99 monthly subscription with programs, workouts, meditation tools and tracking. The first Halo band was built to be distraction free, but it has added a screen.
Halo View has a display to metrics, live tracking, 7-day battery life and sports band colors and options. Halo View will run for$79.99 with a year subscription.
Amazon is also launching Halo Fitness for workouts. Halo Fitness along with Halo View will be available later this year. Amazon is also launching a Halo Nutrition service that will be included in the Halo membership.
I was a customer of the first Halo and found it interesting. I noted it was sometimes delightfully creepy and even a work tool.
The catch is that it wasn't interesting enough to warrant wearing two devices or replace my Garmin Fenix. With workouts and a nutrition service, the Halo subscription will offer more value. Amazon's challenge is that there's only so much room on the wrist for fitness trackers. Amazon's workaround is offering a compelling$3.99 a month set of services to get you into the Halo fold.
Key points about Halo View include: