Facebook buys 'Moves' fitness tracking app for Apple's iPhone
Yet another Silicon Valley power entered the "quantified self" race on Thursday when Facebook acquired the developers behind Moves, an iPhone app that allows users to create an "activity diary" by automatically recording walking, cycling, and running.
The social networking giant called Moves an "incredible tool for the millions of people who want to better understand their daily fitness activity" in a release announcing the acquisition, though Facebook's broader motivation for the purchase was not readily apparent. A notice posted on Moves's website said that the app would continue to operate independently and that there are "no plans to change that or commingle data with Facebook."
In addition to the automated activity tracking, users can also manually enter data, and Moves says it supports more than 60 predefined activity types. The app also acts as a pedometer and can plot a user's daily movements on a map for later analysis.
Neither party revealed the transaction's cost, though it is thought to be relatively modest compared to Facebook's recent multi-billion dollar purchases of WhatsApp and Oculus. A Facebook spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the package given to ProtoGeo Oy, Moves's developers, was nowhere near that received by the others.
Fitness and activity tracking is shaping up to be the next battleground in consumer technology, with early-stage startups and behemoths like Nike competing for users with both software and hardware solutions. Apple, too, is widely expected to enter the arena with the release of a so-called "iWatch" that many believe will sport advanced biomedical sensors that integrate with a new "Healthbook" iOS application.
The social networking giant called Moves an "incredible tool for the millions of people who want to better understand their daily fitness activity" in a release announcing the acquisition, though Facebook's broader motivation for the purchase was not readily apparent. A notice posted on Moves's website said that the app would continue to operate independently and that there are "no plans to change that or commingle data with Facebook."
In addition to the automated activity tracking, users can also manually enter data, and Moves says it supports more than 60 predefined activity types. The app also acts as a pedometer and can plot a user's daily movements on a map for later analysis.
Neither party revealed the transaction's cost, though it is thought to be relatively modest compared to Facebook's recent multi-billion dollar purchases of WhatsApp and Oculus. A Facebook spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the package given to ProtoGeo Oy, Moves's developers, was nowhere near that received by the others.
Fitness and activity tracking is shaping up to be the next battleground in consumer technology, with early-stage startups and behemoths like Nike competing for users with both software and hardware solutions. Apple, too, is widely expected to enter the arena with the release of a so-called "iWatch" that many believe will sport advanced biomedical sensors that integrate with a new "Healthbook" iOS application.
Comments
... A notice posted on Moves's website said that the app would continue to operate independently and that there are "no plans to change that or commingle data with Facebook."
Facebook will decide what happens to the data and users will decide what they are prepared to believe.
... and bore all their contacts to death by posting their daily fitness 'achievements'.
[groan]
****. I actually liked this app. Has an amazing interface, so intuitive, and so intelligent in figuring out where you went. Was amazing to use on trips to keep track of your itinerary, kinda like an automatic diary.
Will be uninstalling this for sure. Disgusting.
I never heard of this app before, but how much did Facebook pay for it? 167 billion?
I like this kid and what he's been doing to kick google's skinny ass but wtf he's up to with this one. LMAO
I hope this works out for the developers, but there's no way this is going back on my phone with Facebook owning it. I mean really. I wouldn't trust Facebook any further than I can throw them.
I know that there is a big fitness craze in the US, but does this translate worldwide. Since the US is loaded with couch potatoes, do lots of people really want to know what they do all day long especially if all they are doing is growing fat. I put this app in the category of a novelty, people down load it try it out for a while and get tire of it and stop using it, Not sure people would activitly use it all the time.
But it would be a great way for Facebook to know where you are on a daily basis, and how you spend your day so they can market to you.
When I read about this purchase I had an immediate thought of integration with Oculus Rift. After a ride, run or walk, using Oculus, folks would be able to view it.
This epic battle between Facebook and Google as to who can become the most all-powerfully intrusive would be funny if it weren't so utterly terrifying.
I couldn't care if Facebook bought them, or what they do with my activity data, to be honest.
Facebook and Google love this attitude.
"A Fool and his money are soon to part."
I was considering install this App, but now that it's joined the personal Spyware camp NO WAY!
Soon there will be no useful PRIVATE Apps available.
... And if I'm not using it, I don't want it to be sucking battery juice by tracking me, or allowing anyone to monitor my whereabouts necessarily...
This App doesn't use battery in the background... it leverages the M7 chip to determine position and speed.
As for monitoring your whereabouts, you can simply not allow this app to access Facebook in the iPhone's "Settings".
(Facebook may still own the app, and have access to it's data, but it won't be able to crap on Facebook feeds all day.)
I used this briefly. Although I liked the interface, I found it very inaccurate. For instance, when taking a cab, it would think I was running. Maybe it's better with the M7, but I’ll never know, now it's owned by FaceBook.