Razer Nabu Smartband Release Delayed to End of May
Razer wants to make this device trouble-free.
Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan recently acknowledged that the company's Nabu wearable tech will not arrive at the end of Q1 2014 as previously reported. Instead, the device will make an appearance towards the end of May. Nabu, if you remember, is the smartband with two OLED screens, one that displays a message and one that displays an icon.
"We heard about the difficulties with other wearables out there causing skin irritations and while we're 100-percent confident that there won't be any problems with the Nabu, we've engaged medical professionals and are running medical tests to make doubly sure that by the time the Nabu gets on your wrists, it is fully certified hypoallergenic," he said.
"We want you guys to wear our device worry-free of skin irritations and the like," he added. "We have always followed our belief of making sure the product is ready for mass use rather than ship a less-than-perfect device, so it is no different with the Nabu."
MORE: Razer Nabu Smartband Video Preview
Users wear the band with the smaller screen facing up and the larger screen facing the floor. As an example, if the wearer receives a call, the top display will show a phone icon, and the bottom screen will display the caller's name. If the caller decides to send a text message, the top icon will revert to the message icon and the bottom screen will scroll through the contents of the message at a user-defined speed.
The public-facing OLED screen notifies users of incoming calls, texts, emails and app updates via icons, and the private screen shows a bit more detail. The band is also capable of collecting data such as location information, bio data feedback (steps walked, distance traveled, stairs climbed, etc.), sleep data, band-to-band communication and much more.
Razer says the Nabu is an open platform, meaning software and hardware developers can use the SDK to update their existing applications to work with Razer's smart band, or develop third party apps from the ground up. Min-Liang Tan points out that the delayed unit is the developer version, not the consumer one.
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"The Nabu will launch when it's perfect," he said. "Stay tuned for more updates."
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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brazuka331 ReplySkip this, get the Moto 360 this summer.
Except for the fact that the Moto 360 will cost anywhere from $250-450 while the Nabu will only cost $50. -
RedJaron Am I the only one who doesn't get the point of this "wearable" tech? It's a Bluetooth notification screen, nothing more. Most the time my phone is on my desk. If I get a call or message, I can see the screen just fine. The only use I can see for these devices is if you can't be bothered to pull your phone out of your pocket while walking around. I mean really?Reply
I'd rather have a quality BT headset, since I can use that to talk on the phone and most phones now can announce incoming calls, messages, etc.