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Withings debuted its Smart Body Analyzer scale at CES 2013, and as of today, the scale is available for purchase.

Like its previous Wi-Fi Body Scale, Withings' Smart Body Analyzer tracks weight and body fat, but this updated version also monitors heart rate and environmental air quality.

smartbodyanalyzer.jpg
Air quality detection might seem like a strange addition to a scale, but Withings says that the feature, which measures ambient temperature and carbon dioxide levels, is designed as a sleep and health aid.
High levels of CO2 can produce a range of adverse health effects: deterioration of sleep quality, headaches, dizziness, restlessness, difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, sweating, etc. By monitoring and managing indoor air quality, people can live and sleep in a healthier environment.
The scale, which requires four AAA batteries to function, sends the information that it collects to Withings' cloud service, which works in conjunction with the company's Health Mate app. The data can also be accessed by third party apps like RunKeeper and Fitbit.

Withings' Smart Body Analyzer is currently available from the Withings website for $149.95.

Article Link: Withings' Smart Body Analyzer Launches, Measures Weight, Heart Rate and Air Quality
 

needfx

Suspended
Aug 10, 2010
3,931
4,247
macrumors apparently
unless it synchs & updates in hourly intervals seamlessly with my ever ongoing calorie intake diagrams, exercise program pie charts & slap me back to schedule whenever I feel like a snickers bar, I can't say I'm sold.
 

OldSchoolMacGuy

Suspended
Jul 10, 2008
4,197
9,050
Almost pulled the trigger on one of these a couple times but it's a lot of money for mostly novelty. Measuring body fat in this way isn't all that accurate. Having it on your phone is nice but only takes a second or two to type it into your phone from a traditional scale and track it with one of the million apps out there. Additionally there are few apps that support it anyways so unless you're using one of them it's not all that useful.

Air quality measurement? OK. They do realize that there can be large differences between different rooms and floors within a house right? So you may know what your bathroom air quality is like but that doesn't say anything about the rooms you spend most of your time like the bedroom and living room or kitchen. Seems like a random add-on they threw in there because heart-rate alone wasn't enough of an upgrade after several years of no upgrades or updates.

These things have been around for more than 3 years and we haven't seen any increase in developers making use of them or integrating them into their own products. I wouldn't count on the simple addition of air quality and heart rate bringing developers running either. At this point, I'd stick with a simple digital scale for 1/2 the price.
 

Tafkas

macrumors regular
Mar 23, 2007
122
15
Princeton, NJ
This is pretty cool, but that's still a lot of money for a scale.
This is true when comparing it to a regular scale/bf monitor. But keep in mind you also get access to the whole withings platform. Right now I think it is the most supported bodyweight API out there.
 

Trik

macrumors 6502
Jan 18, 2011
370
1,176
Washington, DC
I have the original Withings scale, and there is something to be said about being able to watch your weight / body fat in an app over time. The body fat analysis isn't super accurate, but it is precise. (or is that accurate but not precise), whatever it is, it measures the change fairly well. So while it may not be getting the right %, as I do lose body fat, it does measure that change is happening. Which is very helpful.

Also, I now just jump on the scale, wait 5 seconds, then jump in the shower. Don't have to write anything down, don't have to remember anything. I can show my doctor my weight for every day (that I am home) since Dec. 2011, which you must decide if it is worth it. It also works with others in the household, so a family of 4 can all do the same. This is well worth the cost IMO.
 

CGagnon

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2007
200
0
WiFi enabled scale? This make me want to hack it and always print weight+15 to mess with people.
 

2457282

Suspended
Dec 6, 2012
3,327
3,015
I have no plans to place my weight and other Personal information on the cloud for others to hack and post. But it looks very sleek and cool. Now can we talk about when iOS 7 will be coming out and how it will totally wow us?
 

NomadicTy

macrumors regular
Feb 11, 2007
244
184
Not sure why this needs to be sending info to the cloud. The app should be fine without this cloud crap. I guess as long as they can mind more personal data from people, the more they can "monetize" in the future.

Next thing you know, your health insurance company is raising your pemium because you gained 5 lbs...
 

Trik

macrumors 6502
Jan 18, 2011
370
1,176
Washington, DC
Not sure why this needs to be sending info to the cloud. The app should be fine without this cloud crap. I guess as long as they can mind more personal data from people, the more they can "monetize" in the future.

Next thing you know, your health insurance company is raising your pemium because you gained 5 lbs...

Where would the data be stored if it wasn't in the "cloud"? If it was stored locally, you'd have to be at the scale to see it, if it was stored on your smartphone/device, they would have to be paired and you would have to have your device with you to weigh yourself. It takes your weight, attaches it to your account, and the app on your phone pulls it down from their servers.
 

jasondeno

macrumors newbie
Feb 8, 2013
7
0
Chicago
Just note- these devices measure BMI, not body fat. I found out this distinction out after i purchased one of their scales.

Don't get me wrong, it still works great and is really convenient and integrated. But if you're using this device in hopes of seeing detailed changes in body fat, it won't do it. You'd need to supply that data from other sources yourself.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm#limitations

j
 

fruitpunch.ben

macrumors 6502a
Sep 16, 2008
599
174
Surrey, BC
Just note- these devices measure BMI, not body fat. I found out this distinction out after i purchased one of their scales.

Don't get me wrong, it still works great and is really convenient and integrated. But if you're using this device in hopes of seeing detailed changes in body fat, it won't do it. You'd need to supply that data from other sources yourself.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm#limitations

j

Is it even possible for a scale to measure body fat? How could it possibly do that?
 

Trik

macrumors 6502
Jan 18, 2011
370
1,176
Washington, DC
Just note- these devices measure BMI, not body fat. I found out this distinction out after i purchased one of their scales.

Don't get me wrong, it still works great and is really convenient and integrated. But if you're using this device in hopes of seeing detailed changes in body fat, it won't do it. You'd need to supply that data from other sources yourself.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm#limitations

j

That is simply not true, it works by measuring the impedance of electricity through your body. (in one foot and out the other) Body fat has a different impedance than muscle, and can be used to get a rough estimate.

http://withings.com/en/bodyanalyzer/specs
 

NomadicTy

macrumors regular
Feb 11, 2007
244
184
Where would the data be stored if it wasn't in the "cloud"? If it was stored locally, you'd have to be at the scale to see it, if it was stored on your smartphone/device, they would have to be paired and you would have to have your device with you to weigh yourself. It takes your weight, attaches it to your account, and the app on your phone pulls it down from their servers.


Maybe use Bluetooth? Kinda like those Nike thingamajigs for jogging. Not everything has to be sent to the cloud. Things worked just fine a few years ago.
 

JamesInLA

macrumors member
May 28, 2012
47
43
That is simply not true, it works by measuring the impedance of electricity through your body. (in one foot and out the other) Body fat has a different impedance than muscle, and can be used to get a rough estimate.

http://withings.com/en/bodyanalyzer/specs

Emphasis on "rough." BIA measurements are very sensitive to hydration, so you'll get a different answer in the morning than in the evening as your hydration levels change, etc.

It's more accurate than not measuring your body fat, I suppose, but shouldn't really be taken as "truth."
 

Trik

macrumors 6502
Jan 18, 2011
370
1,176
Washington, DC
Emphasis on "rough." BIA measurements are very sensitive to hydration, so you'll get a different answer in the morning than in the evening as your hydration levels change, etc.

It's more accurate than not measuring your body fat, I suppose, but shouldn't really be taken as "truth."

I don't disagree, it is very rough. But the changes over time are reflected well, and it's a good way to make sure you're losing Body fat and not just muscle when you lose weight.

The other methods of measuring body fat are just not very practical on a daily basis... (skin fold caliper, Hydrostatic Weighing, that crazy scanning machine, etc)
 

Analog Kid

macrumors G3
Mar 4, 2003
8,810
11,263
I agree with the anti-cloud sentiment. I thought this might be interesting before I realized it was going to be uploading to a remote site.

Where else would it store the information? If it can get to the cloud, it can get to my Mac and my phone. This isn't rocket science-- store and forward if the Mac isn't available. I've no problem with the cloud being an *option* but it shouldn't be required.

Not sure why this needs to be sending info to the cloud. The app should be fine without this cloud crap. I guess as long as they can mind more personal data from people, the more they can "monetize" in the future.

Next thing you know, your health insurance company is raising your pemium because you gained 5 lbs...

Where would the data be stored if it wasn't in the "cloud"? If it was stored locally, you'd have to be at the scale to see it, if it was stored on your smartphone/device, they would have to be paired and you would have to have your device with you to weigh yourself. It takes your weight, attaches it to your account, and the app on your phone pulls it down from their servers.
 

Tafkas

macrumors regular
Mar 23, 2007
122
15
Princeton, NJ
Emphasis on "rough." BIA measurements are very sensitive to hydration, so you'll get a different answer in the morning than in the evening as your hydration levels change, etc.
It's more accurate than not measuring your body fat, I suppose, but shouldn't really be taken as "truth."
That is true. I try to enforce same/similar conditions every time I step on the scale. In my case this means every morning after the bathroom and before breakfast. Also I do not look for a particular value but the trend of values. This should give at least a tendency of what the body composition is.
 

awair

macrumors regular
Sep 6, 2011
103
15
Just note- these devices measure BMI, not body fat. I found out this distinction out after i purchased one of their scales.

Don't get me wrong, it still works great and is really convenient and integrated. But if you're using this device in hopes of seeing detailed changes in body fat, it won't do it. You'd need to supply that data from other sources yourself.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/risk.htm#limitations

j

The existing scales *display* BMI, but do not measure it. It is a calculation based on your measured weight & declared height (on their web/app interface).

The body fat measurement is useful for trend monitoring, but depends on body water content, so can vary by a couple of Kg throughout the day.
 

Deedlez

macrumors regular
Nov 1, 2011
126
38
UK
OK, I can see weight and BMI are useful. But air quality? That's a random addition! How about a seismograph or a stock price monitor?
 
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