Fitness wrist band

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Zeon

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#138181 23-Dec-2013 17:06

Hey guys,
I'm thinking of getting my uncle one of those fitness wrist bands for a xmas present:
http://www.fitbit.com/nz

The review look good but only problem is his Android phone may be a bit old (HTC sensation)

Anyone tried one?

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chevrolux

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#956669 23-Dec-2013 18:47

Girlfirend has the Fitbit Flex which seems to be the baby version of this.
The Fitbit app is pretty good and gives lots of little bits of information.

The downside is the syncing part is Bluetooth. She has a Galaxy S3 and it is pretty sporadic. Takes a couple of goes to sync it. Bluetooth kills the battery life too but the app turns it on and off as required or just leave it on.

markl

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#956680 23-Dec-2013 19:34

chevrolux: Girlfirend has the Fitbit Flex which seems to be the baby version of this.
The Fitbit app is pretty good and gives lots of little bits of information.

The downside is the syncing part is Bluetooth. She has a Galaxy S3 and it is pretty sporadic. Takes a couple of goes to sync it. Bluetooth kills the battery life too but the app turns it on and off as required or just leave it on.

Interesting that your gf is struggling as my partner has that exact combination of phone and wristband and has no issues at all...

I have the Fit bit Force, which is the one in the picture (and isn't actually available in NZ currently)...It's an awesome bit of kit. The wristbands do come with a usb Bluetooth dongle for syncing with a PC, so you can actually use them if you can't sync with your phone.

To be fair however, you probably won't get the most out of it I'd you aren't syncing directly with your phone...

alasta

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#956683 23-Dec-2013 19:43

I am a keen runner and I currently use the Map My Run app. What would I gain from having one of these devices? Looking at the web site linked above the only benefits I can see are counting steps and monitoring sleep, which doesn't interest me that much.

It would be great if the wrist device could show times and distances but the ones pictured on the web site don't appear to have a proper display on them.

sidefx

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#956686 23-Dec-2013 19:51

I guess for some people not needing to take their phone with them is an advantage? It actually looks like quite a cool device.

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alasta

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#956687 23-Dec-2013 19:55

sidefx: I guess for some people not needing to take their phone with them is an advantage? It actually looks like quite a cool device.

Actually not having to take my iPhone with me would be really good, but I am assuming that the GPS in the iPhone would be needed to measure distances. I think he specifications of the Fitbit state that it can measure distances but I wonder how accurate it would be?

sidefx

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#956688 23-Dec-2013 20:01

I suppose it depends how much distance means to "fitness" vs calories burned. Can't say I'm really up with the play on how it's all calculated, but I would have thought the improved step tracking would offset the lack of gps?

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alasta

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#956691 23-Dec-2013 20:09

sidefx: I suppose it depends how much distance means to "fitness" vs calories burned. Can't say I'm really up with the play on how it's all calculated, but I would have thought the improved step tracking would offset the lack of gps?

It would depend on the intended purpose. I run half marathons so I'm really only interested in times and distances - calories and steps don't mean a lot to me.

chevrolux

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#956694 23-Dec-2013 20:19

Yea to me the Fitbit is a pretty pedometer with Bluetooth. It gives you distances but they are only estimated as there is no built in GPS.
Depends what you are in to I suppose. If you want accurate distances and times then the Fitbit is not the thing. If you want to do the health and fitness thing it is great. It syncs with this other app that you can put the food you eat through out the day. So it syncs all your calorie information and looks all pretty on the screen.

Talkiet

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#956697 23-Dec-2013 20:27

Mine turns up tomorrow (attempted delivery today darn it) and one of the first things I plan to do is compare it's calorie consumption to what I get using a good HRM at least for simple walking... I would like to use this as a daily motivator and also to get an estimate (however iffy) of energy expenditure playing sports. And no, wearing a HRM doesn't work well - I have tried...

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nakedmolerat

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#956700 23-Dec-2013 20:34

How long the battery lasts for?

markl

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#956721 23-Dec-2013 22:13

alasta:
sidefx: I suppose it depends how much distance means to "fitness" vs calories burned. Can't say I'm really up with the play on how it's all calculated, but I would have thought the improved step tracking would offset the lack of gps?

It would depend on the intended purpose. I run half marathons so I'm really only interested in times and distances - calories and steps don't mean a lot to me.

Yeah, so they're really not intended for people like you - "a pretty pedometer with Bluetooth" does um it up nicely. They are fantastic for someone like me who needs to get more active, but is starting from a low base fitness level.

I can track my steps, distance is measured based on number of steps multiplied by the configured stride length (for which they seem to use averages based on your height), calorie intake vs calories used, etc, etc. Its all very useful for someone who is interested in losing weight and getting to some level of fitness, and therefore isn't a hard core exercise nut, and doesn't intend to become one...

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markl

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#956727 23-Dec-2013 22:15

nakedmolerat: How long the battery lasts for?

My partner and I both charged up last Monday night - her Fitbit flex ran out today so that's about 1 week. My Fitbit Force is still on about half charge...

redmouse

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#956922 24-Dec-2013 12:32

alasta:
sidefx: I guess for some people not needing to take their phone with them is an advantage? It actually looks like quite a cool device.

Actually not having to take my iPhone with me would be really good, but I am assuming that the GPS in the iPhone would be needed to measure distances. I think he specifications of the Fitbit state that it can measure distances but I wonder how accurate it would be?

I'm quite a keen runner as well and I also wear a Fitbit Flex all the time. It does an OK job at measuring distance but as it continuously records data it's not that useful for tracking your workouts, a GPS watch or smartphone is much better for that. I did sync my Fitbit into my mapmyrun account but it kind of screwed things up by double counting my run distances. Now I just use the app on my phone. I don't find the sleep recording to be that useful apart from reminding me how late I'm going to bed.

I also bought one for my daughter. She is super lazy and it's an easy way for her it improve her activity levels. she thinks it's fun and we don't have to nag her to get moving.

I'd quite like a Fitbit force, wish it was waterproof.