Wired is reporting the debut of a tracking bracelet called the Larklife. It’s a simple wristband with an accelerometer that can tell when you’re sleeping, exercising or neither. It comes with a connected iPhone app that allows you to add information about your meals, then crunches all the data for you and reports back. This is useful because the first step to living healthier – whether you’ve decided to walk more, eat less, or sleep better – is knowing just how much you’re walking, eating or sleeping in the first place.
Apparently, there’s a big market for this kind of thing because there are at least two other companies, including Nike, with similar products, and I expect it’s only going to expand from here.
I find this especially interesting because tracking data has usually been portrayed as a marketing tool for snoopy advertisers. But in this case, you’re the one in control, and all the information collected just feeds back into your own goals and desires. That’s pretty cool!
For more, check out the Larklife’s official website.
Cosmic Revolutions 
These personal health devices and Apps are definitely on the rise, and many will be very useful. However, your data is not exclusively your own. Lark’s privacy policy states that your data may be anonymized and provided to their partners. Plenty of people will be ok with this sharing of data, but it’s good to be aware. 🙂
A timely reminder that we need to be proactive about defending our privacy, even if the product’s marketing makes it sound innocuous. Great catch, and thanks for drawing attention to it!