Health Tech + Food Nerd Blog

Several months ago I wrote a piece titled "3 Themes Carrying Over Into 2014," in which I highlighted some of the trends I expected to come to fruition this year in the health tracking market. Just to review, one of the core questions I raised was whether or not a typical consumer really wants to lug around two devices, their phone and a separate tracking gizmo, or wearable.

It's no secret, nutrition tracking systems are generally tedious and frustrating. With each calorie consumed users are forced to manually search through glorified databases and guess at whether the item on the page is really THAT similar to what was eaten. For example, simply typing "banana" into a calorie tracker yields dozens of results ranging from bananas of various sizes all the way to "banana pudding." Now envision having to perform this task after every meal … daunting, right? Well, what if that was no longer the case?

It's no secret, wearables are exploding onto the scene in full force and we at Nudge couldn't be more excited about the prospect of adding some of these new devices to our integration portfolio. Over the past month the world has been introduced to over a dozen new devices promising state-of-the-art tracking experiences going beyond the traditional step and active-minute count generally found in the current market. Whether you are a quantified junky, or just some someone interested in a new health tracker we thought it would be appropriate to highlight some of the devices we are the most excited about.

You can't read a product label anymore without seeing "Superfood" written somewhere on the wrapper. Whether it's a bar, a drink, or even some type of supplement chances are that the manufacturer wants to ensure that you know that this delicious item is actually good for you… even if it tastes like sand. But what qualifies a food as being "super"? With the introduction of this hot, new classification, we dive in to see what foods have been trending, and which ones to keep our eyes on.

Several notable outlets released stories this week announcing that high-end wearable maker, Basis, has put itself on the market, reportedly holding conversations with practically every major consumer tech company out there. Just think of a brand and they have probably spoken to them. For those unfamiliar, Basis has been touted as one of the highest quality trackers on the market with unmatched tracking capabilities, not only possessing the ability to track a person's steps, but to even measure items such as skin temperature and heart rate patterns. Looking at the products specs alone, it's easy to see why these watches come fully equipped with a $200 price tag.

With such an advanced sensor, whoever acquires the Basis technology will have the ability to position themselves as one of the most innovative products on the market, and rumor has it that there may be a new player in the wearables space.