Medication, patches, and lozenges – those used to be the primary ways people quit smoking. While effective, they’re expensive, and some health conscious users prefer natural alternatives. Recently two new devices have come up which aim to make it easier for smokers to change their behavior.
Lowiee
The Lowiee is a sleek cigarette pack which connects to your smartphone so you can set caps on the times you smoke daily, view cost savings, and also share your progress with friends.
Similar to how the Fitbit helps users lose weight by setting exercise goals, the Lowiee enables users to set tobacco consumption goals to help them quit smoking. The companion mobile app enables users to set time windows to smoke (e.g. once every few hours) or define limits based on their budget.
Unlike traditional cigarette packs, the Lowiee dispenses cigarettes one at a time, and has a built in fingerprint reader to prevent children from accidentally bumming a smoke. There’s also a built in GPS chip so it can be retrieved should the device get lost.
At the moment the Lowiee has yet to launch; however, you can sign up to receive an email when they start taking orders.
Quitbit
The Quitbit takes a similar approach, but the intelligence is in a lighter, allowing smokers, through a paired app, to set custom goals and quantify progress. The Android and iOS app allows users to visualize their smoking patterns and like Lowiee, aside from just focusing on health benefits, the app also helps users see how much money they’ve saved each month by smoking less.
In order to ensure accuracy, the app doesn’t log multiple lights within a few minutes of each other, and users can manually edit the log data in case they let someone else borrow their lighter or if general discrepancies in the data occurs.
The Quitbit’s battery lasts approximately one week, or 100 lights, and requires two hours to recharge. It’s TSA-approved and can be brought onto a plane. You can buy one via their official website for $129.
A substitute for your doctor?
While it’s great for technology companies to help make quitting smoking easier, there’s still the question of whether or not these devices actually produce results – after all nicotine withdrawal can be a dangerous matter. The US Department of Health and Human services has a section on their website dedicated to apps like these, so there is at least some broader acknowledgement of credibility. As with anything involving health, before starting any medical regimen (app-based or otherwise), you should speak with a doctor to ensure you’re on the right track.
Charles Costa is a marketing specialist helping technology companies grow, one word at a time. You can learn more at CharlesCosta.net
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There is absolutely no doubt that these products will help someone quit. When you see the goals, reach them and see the money savings, how can you not beat that crappy habit?