Best answer: No. Amazon Halo View doesn't include a microphone. Privacy concerns caused Amazon to scrap them from the newest model, but luckily there is still a way to communicate with the tracker.
Amazon Halo View has ditched the microphone in its newest version
Last year, Amazon first entered the fit tech space with its Halo Band, a $99.99 screenless fitness tracker. It measures heart rate, hours of sleep, BMI, and even monitors the tone of your voice. It comes with two microphones, an optical sensor, a woven fabric band, and a charging clip.
However, after receiving criticism over the tech being too invasive (primarily due to the two actively-listening microphones), Amazon has come back with an upgraded model: Halo View. The fit device was announced this past September. It has no microphones, but if you're a fan of voice analysis, don't worry. Users can still allow the device to monitor their voice through the Halo app via a feature called Tone. The purpose of the feature is to help users "communicate more thoughtfully," according to Amazon. It can detect changes in your voice's ... tone (duh) to alert you when you sound positive or negative, delighted or overwhelmed, and other emotions.
The tracker comes with a lot of other new features, such as a color touch display, a smooth band that comes in various colors, plus 12 free months of the Halo Fitness membership (the previous model only came with six months).
The membership includes Halo Fitness and Halo Nutrition. The former will include studio-quality workouts that span yoga, cardio, barre, and more, as well as fitness programs like Halle Berry's rē•spin and SWEAT. The latter will introduce nutrition programs like recipes from Whole Foods Market, a meal planner, weekly menus, daily meditations, and others. Unfortunately, once the free 12-month membership is up, users will have to pay $4 per month to continue accessing these perks. Halo View also measures all of the Halo Band's health stats.
Amazon Halo View is joining a long line of fitness trackers. Now we'll just have to see how the brand measures up to its predecessors.
Say "Halo" to Amazon's new fitness tracker
Updated without the microphones, you now have control over whether or not you want to use Tone. Other features include monitoring heart rate, sleep time, blood oxygen levels, and body fat percentage. With the Halo membership, you'll also gain access to on-demand workouts, daily meditations, and recipes from Whole Foods Market — plus much more!
