CES 2015: Razer edges into smartbands

At the International CES 2015 last week, Razer announced the launch of Razer Nabu X, a low-cost wearable that delivers notifications from smartphones, tracks fitness data, and has social band-to-band capabilities.

The Razer Nabu X uses three colored LED indicators and vibrations to alert users of any notifications received on a paired smartphone, while the Razer Nabu features an OLED private message screen that displays short text previews of incoming notifications. Both the Razer Nabu X and Razer Nabu will work with the full suite of third-party developed applications available on the Nabu Marketplace.

The greatest barriers to entry for new technology are price and complexity, and we’ve eliminated both of those with the Razer Nabu X,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “We’ve taken what makes the Nabu such a compelling wearable – discreet notifications, activity tracking and band-to-band communication – and incorporated them into the Nabu X. It’s the basic alternative to the Nabu that’s extremely affordable and simple to use.

The Nabu X’s sensor module houses a highly precise accelerometer, paired with finely tuned algorithms to ensure the most accurate activity data is captured for its users. A vibration motor ensures users are discreetly notified of incoming notifications, and the three LEDs can be color-customized to indicate what type of notification is being received. The sensor module is also detachable to allow users to mix and match between three planned strap colors: black, white, and green.

The Nabu X is designed for absolute comfort during daily wear with a soft-rubber finish, extensive water resistance, and one-size-fits-all watch-like strap. It’s also easy to use, with wrist-turn detection and light taps on the sensor module to activate the LED indicators.

Like the Razer Nabu, the Nabu X can be paired to connected apps on a user’s iOS or Android smartphone where collected data can be displayed and device settings can be finely tuned. Connected apps can be discovered via an in-app marketplace, with more to be added over time.

Early adopters and Razer fans can get the Nabu X via Insider, Razer’s premier community-driven platform. To sign-up for Razer Insider and to get more information, click here.

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