The Shift Band solves a problem that I bet you never knew you had. As far as fitness gadgets go, this $24.99 band is about as simple as they come. The long and the short of it? It replaces your smartwatch strap with band wraps, changing the viewing angle to make it easier to see your sessions vital stats and to adjust your watches settings.
However, slight joking aside, it does seem like the Shift Band crew may have identified a missed trick by the smartwatch makers. Co-foundered by Andrew Green and James Gilmore and set to go on Kickstarter today, the device makes taking the watch on and off quicker, makes navigating through the various watch views faster and lets you see the stats easier. For the casual user its small upside, but for triathletes, runners and other racers – where every second counts – then there is upside.
Its aimed at the keener end of the market, and those who already own smart/fitness tech, such as Garmin watches.
“James and I are longtime friends, co-workers and avid runners and cyclists,” Green told Wareable. “The idea came to us during a run to work – our usual means of commuting. We agreed that fitness and smartwatches should be in what we call the ‘Sweet Spot’ – the place on the hand that provides optimal viewing and interaction. That vision kicked off a two-year design, 3D print, test, learn, iterate and repeat process that resulted in the launch of EdgeGear Shift.”
As this is a Kickstarter project, we don;t have an exact date. The EdgeGear website states a March 2016 shipping date for pre-orders and the final retail price will be $40.