After a successful Indiegogo campaign that saw the company raise $846,675 rather than the $100,000 it wanted, the fitness pebble called Shine will be coming to the UK in July and cost £79.

The Misfit Shine device, made by Misfit Wearables, is a small pebble designed to clip magnetically on to your clothes, be worn around your wrist or even as a pendant, and features an accelerometer to track your movement in a similar way to the Fitbit range of devices and the Nike+ Fuel band.

The difference here is that not only does the device look and feel a lot more stylish - made from a solid block of aircraft-grade aluminium - but that it also connects to your iPhone or iPod touch simply by placing the device on your phone or MP3 player's screen.

In an air of mystery that even has Apple flummoxed, the exchange of data seems to take place via NFC or Bluetooth, but the Misfit Shine requires neither - we think it's done by sound or light.

The tiny pebble itself features a circle of lights that light up as you do more and more exercise during the day and, like Fitbit and the Fuel band, encourages you to set daily goals to keep you forever active. 

Where it differs is that the Shine can be worn in the pool (it's waterproof) and promises to track you on your bicycle too -  something at which the competition fails, to our knowledge.

On the battery front, the device is powered by a coin battery that should last four months so doesn't require constant recharging.

We are hoping to put the new gadget through its paces when it comes out over the summer. The device will be exclusive to iPhone and iPad.