The Sony SmartBand was announced 6 months ago at CES 2014, and Sony is finally shipping what it calls a “life tracker” in the US for $99. While the Sony SmartBand does what other devices like Fitbit can do, it has a few tricks up its sleeve, hence why Sony prefers the term “life tracker.” Beyond the basic ability to track your movement in a waterproof design and set alarms, the SmartBand also allows you to play, pause, and skip through your music. Connection is also easy thanks to the built in NFC, while non-NFC devices will rely on Bluetooth. But all of this is the tip of the iceberg since the SmartBand works with Lifelog, its companion app. So let’s talk details.

Beyond the basic distance tracking, thanks to Lifelog (pictured left) and your phone’s GPS data, you’re able to see how long you’ve slept, where you’ve been, and how the weather was during those times, along with other health-related info like how active you were during your day. Because the Lifelog app talks to your phone, it’s also able to tie into your social life and tell you the number of photos you’ve taken, how much video/music you’ve consumed, and other social metrics.

Sony is also touting a feature called Life Bookmarks. Essentially, by pressing a single button on the SmartBand, the Lifelog app records all the data around you and creates a moment in time for you. The data then contains information like your location, weather, the music you may have been consuming, and more. Later on, you can always go back and edit these bookmarks or view the stored event.

While none of this on its own creates a revolutionary device, if the health information alone is as accurate as devices from competitors, then the Sony SmartBand is able to up them by offering a neat social twist. The Sony SmartBand is now available for $99 and is compatible with devices running Android 4.4 KitKat and higher. Sony has promised iOS compatibility in the future though I wouldn’t hold my breath on it.

Discuss:

Would you purchase the Sony SmartBand over devices like the Fitbit?

[Via Sony]