Stick this thing in your ear to lose weight

Say hello to the BitBite, a wearable health coach that you stick in your ear to help you improve your eating habits. Oh, and it's a fully functional Bluetooth headset too.

Today's entrant in the world of weird wearables is BitBite, a new device that monitors how much you eat, as well as the type of food you consume. Did we mention that you stick it in your ear?

BitBite has a small, contoured design that its creators claim is built to perfectly fit your ear for maximum comfort. To use BitBite, just put the patent-pending earpiece in your ear at mealtime, and the gadget will, using a built-in microphone and sensors, automatically track how quickly or slowly you chew your food and how much food you're taking in. It then sends that information via Bluetooth to an app that analyzes the data.

You can even talk to BitBite, via the mic, to tell it what you're eating (no lying now!), which further lets the product assess your habits and coach you in real time to do better.

For example, BitBite can tell you to PUT THE DOUGHUT DOWN, DUDE and opt for a piece of fruit instead, and it can remind you to slow your chewing down so you become more mindful of your body's cues and stop eating when you're feeling full.

All this information is managed with a connected app for iOS and Android devices. From what we've seen of the app so far, it seems well designed and presents users with a ton of information -- from the amount of bites taken to the amount of protein, carbs and fat ingested.

In addition to being able to track your eating habits, BitBite also functions as a Bluetooth headset, though its battery life -- three hours on a single charge -- will probably have you reaching for the charger often if you plan to use BitBite as a Bluetooth earpiece. The company says the battery life is good enough for three days of monitoring your food intake, however.



BitBite has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to help bring its product to market, and has raised $27,813 of its $60,000 goal as of this writing. The current price for one BitBite unit for early backers is $109 (about £69.39, AU$125.02), and that will jump to $119 (about £75.75, AU$136.51) once the 200 earlybird units have been reserved. Each unit comes with a USB charger and a wristband or clip so you don't lose the BitBite while it's not in use, and shipments are expected to begin in June 2015.

BitBite looks to be a compelling product that could help users adopt healthier habits, but you will have to deal with the fact that you're going to be that person walking around with a weird thing in your ear to help you get there.

http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/bitbite-stick-this-thing-in-your-ear-to-lose-weight/