Razer starts shipping the Nabu X, a stylish fitness band for cheap
Razer is ready to ship its Nabu X, a $US50 fitness band that counts steps, tracks sleep, and provides basic notification alerts. It's available now through Razer's online store.
The functionality is similar to other $US50 trackers from Jawbone and Misfit, but without the round, watch-like sensor in the middle. Razer's sensor is slimmer and fits entirely within the Nabu X's narrow band.
The Nabu X can also light up for notifications from phone calls, alarms and apps. However, I found this feature to be too limited while trying the Nabu X at CES, as there's no way to filter notifications from only your favorite contacts or apps.
Razer has also talked about band-to-band communication, letting any two Nabu X users trade information such as Steam gaming achievements or Facebook profiles. I haven't seen these features in action, however, and the odds of running into another Nabu X user will be slim for the foreseeable future.
The Nabu X isn't Razer's only attempt at a wearable. A year ago, Razer announced the $US100 Nabu, which has similar fitness features but adds a monochrome OLED display for text notifications. But so far, Razer has only been selling the Nabu to a small group of early access participants. There's no exact word on when the Nabu will be more broadly available, though I was told at CES that it should start to ship around the same time as the Nabu X.
Why this matters: Although it's not the only cheap fitness band on the market, the Nabu X's simple design helps set it apart from the competition. If Razer could just make notifications a bit more flexible, it could have the $US50 wearable to beat.
