Introducing NIKE+ FuelBand

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You cannot play basketball like Kevin Durant. But now, thanks to the Nike FuelBand, you can track your movements against his in a way that more accurately judges your workouts against his, taking into account that he is a world-class athlete and you are, well, you. The FuelBand keeps track of four metrics—time, calories, steps and NikeFuel, which Nike describes as “the ultimate measure of your athletic activity.” NikeFuel is original Nike technology that captures movement on your wrist on a daily basis, and tracks your “score,” which you can measure against athletes at all levels of fitness.

“The more you move, the more NikeFuel you earn, whether you’re playing basketball, throwing a Frisbee or going for a run,” says Nike. This isn’t just counting calories, or keeping track of how many steps you take in a day—the FuelBand can give you a normalized score that awards points for activity based on how much you move. Wear the wristband for a day, and you’ll see your activity level inch closer to your daily goal, as the band’s LED lights move from red to green.

And the interaction doesn’t stop there. The FuelBand comes equipped with a slick built-in USB drive that you can plug in to your computer, connecting to Facebook and the the Nike+ website to track your improvement (or not) and your scores versus friends. Or Kevin Durant. You can also sync the FuelBand to your iPhone or iPod touch, tracking your progress through mobile apps.

The FuelBand went on sale for pre-orders on January 19—expect to see the futuristic wristbands on select retail shelves on February 22.