Amazon introduces Halo fitness tracker and health subscription

Amazon.com Inc. is rolling out a new health service called Amazon Halo, combining artificial-intelligence tools with a wrist-worn fitness tracker, setting up competition with Fitbit Inc. and capitalizing on home workout trends amid the pandemic. The Halo app will provide "insights" into sleep patterns, activity, workouts and the like, Amazon said. Amazon will be working with the American Heart Association, the Mayo Clinic, Headspace, and other health organizations on some of the features, it said. The Halo Band has seven days' worth of battery life and fully charges in under 90 minutes, the company said. Amazon is selling an "early access" package to the Halo for $64.99, which includes six months of Halo membership. That membership then renews for $3.99 a month afterward. The package will normally cost $99.99, Amazon said. The announcement comes shortly after Fitbit introduced its newest products, which include a watch with stress-management capabilities and an upgraded version of its fitness tracker that comes with a one-year free trial of Fitbit's own premium subscription service for health matters. Amazon shares are off 0.2% in Thursday trading but they've gained 42% over the past three months as the S&P 500 has gained 15%.

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