Several companies try to improve from FitBit’s basic design and offer more features and one company, Wor(l)d Wear (a division of Wor(l)d GN) has released a product that offers much more than the cheaper wearable technology and it’s known as HELO, a wearable technology that is called “the first Health and Lifestyle Oracle”.
HELO was designed by Antonio De Rosa, SVP Marketing and Communication and engineered by Alfonso Cioffi, SVP Product Development.
I am not a member of the company but a friend is and she wanted me to try it and give my thoughts on the product.
Let’s go ahead and take a look at Wor(l)d Wear’s HELO Classic.
The first step is downloading the HELO app on Android and iOS and once synced to HELO, an update will need to be done. (Please note: HELO is pre-charged).
The HELO comes with a charging plate that slides on back of the watch and a USB cord (same type used for your Android smartphone). I did have two thoughts about this. For one, I wished there was a dedicated charging slot on the HELO because the sliding plate can easily be lost. I also preferred to use a Samsung Android phone charger (plugged into a socket) versus plugging into a USB slot on my laptop or even my USB hub. But charging is simple, but losing that charging plate was a concern.
As for the HELO…
On the surface of the HELO is the a black surface. The watch has no clock or LED display, but the top metal is where there is a light to tell you if the tracker is being charged, if it needs to be recharged, etc. On the bottom is a plate that is utilized for heart check (read below).
HELO comes with three Germanium personal metal stones with Himalayan Salt that one attaches to their hypoallergenic wristband. While Germanium is used in semiconductors, there are people who believe in the health benefits of it. Such as improving blood circulation up to 300% and stimulates water molecules in your body.
On the rear is the optical sensor which tracks:
- Heart Rate – Measures the heartbeat in beats per minute. Measurement lasts 40 seconds without moving your wrists.
- Breath Rate – Measures the respiration in breaths per minute. Lasts 40 seconds without moving your wrists.
- Mood and Energy – The sensor and dedicated algorithm describes level of mood and fatigue. Measurements last 40 seconds without moving your wrists.
- Heart Check – 120 seconds and you must place your index finger on the metal plate in the top of the watch with a heart symbol.
The HELO is entirely through its mobile app, the information is not uploaded to Strava or MyFitnessPal but information can be shared on social media.
The following screenshot was taken right after I woke up. But you can compare three days of data on the app.
I did do comparisons with the HELO Classic on my right hand, while using a Garmin Forerunner and a TomTom Spark Cardio on my left to see if the steps are similar. I did notice that both my fitness watches registered more steps than the HELO Classic and that leads me to believe that certain movements are not registered in the HELO Classic which can be seen as a plus. A friend told me that her Apple iPhone registers steps while she’s driving and the HELO Classic didn’t.
There is two types of services the app offers, the free app which records 30 days of information and the Pro Plan ($12 monthly) which records an unlimited amount of data, permanent storage, WECARE which monitors the health up to 20 people, SOS (contact your loved ones if you are in trouble), GUARDIAN (setting up alerts and notifications if your measurements are not within your usual range), DNA Analysis (obtain a complete DNA analysis for your bio-profike), PLUGIN (enable the HELO App to hose third party plugins to extend app features).
JUDGMENT CALL:
For the most part, the HELO Classic is a wonderful health tracker that will appeal to those who want to track their blood pressure, heart rate, breath rate, sleep quality, ECG and more. It counts your steps and distance and that is a plus.
While I prefer utilizing my TomTom Spark to track my running, cycling, workout with blood pressure during my workout without a phone app. I can see people who don’t need the full on workout data using the HELO Classic as their primary. While others may use it as their secondary, if they prefer their Garmin, TomTom, FitBit, etc. fitness tracker (especially for the GPS) as their primary because the HELO Classic, specifically the pro plan keeps other important data.
It’s important to note that Wor(l)d GN will be releasing the HELO LX which features a new 125 Hz sensor instead of the 35Hz sensor on the HELO Classic. So, there is much more accuracy in measurements with the newer model. Also, one can choose a 5-pack bands kit for different band colors with the new LX device. So, in essence, the HELO LX improves over the HELO Classic. As of January 2017, the HELO LX is only for reservations and will be available in March 2017.
