Amazon is making a big leap into the health space with the launch of Halo, a new app and wristband that the company says can detect emotion in your voice by analyzing speech and calculate body fat percentage using just your smartphone's camera.
The Halo band will be launching in early access starting on Thursday, meaning those interested in trying the service will have to obtain an invite.
The launch marks the online retail giant's biggest push into health yet, coming after the firm launched a virtual health clinic for employees last September and said it's building labs to test its workers for COVID-19.
Amazon is joining a crowded space, competing with the likes of Apple, Samsung, and Google — the latter of which agreed to acquire digital health firm Fitbit last year — among many others. Apple is currently the leader when it comes to wearable technology according to research firm Canalys, which says the company accounted for 36.3% of global smartwatch shipments. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, has even said he thinks Apple's greatest contribution to mankind will be about health, according to CNBC.
But Amazon is taking a different approach than these companies. Rather than focusing on the device itself, Amazon is positioning Halo as a comprehensive digital health service that leverages both your phone and its accompanying wristband. The company is also delving into metrics that go beyond basic fitness, activity, and sleep tracking, although its service does offer those measurements, too.
For example, Halo includes a feature that uses artificial intelligence and your smartphone's camera to take a 3-D body scan for calculating your body fat percentage. It also uses machine learning to make inferences about what the tone of your voice says about your mood and energy level during conversations through a new appropriately named capability called Tone.
Amazon is offering such services amid growing concerns about privacy and the size and influence of not just Amazon, but other similarly large technology companies. CEO Jeff Bezos recently testified alongside the CEOs from Apple, Google, and Facebook in a blockbuster antitrust hearing just last month. And last year, Amazon was embroiled in controversy over Alexa-related privacy concerns and how police departments are using Ring for surveillance.
Amazon says privacy was built into Halo from the ground up, and that data from the service will never be used for advertising or other purposes.
The wristband will cost $64.99 during the early access period, a markdown from its usual cost of $99.99. Membership to the Halo app costs $3.99 per month, but Amazon the first six months are free during the early access period.
Here's a closer look at Amazon Halo and how it works.