Fitbit or something else

[brothers]

Mine is a Charge HR. I see from this morning's news that some money hungry eggheads have sued Fitbit because the heart rate estimate they read on their devices are not perfectly accurate. What kind of airhead will cause himself or herself to have a heart attack trying to raise their heart rate based on a number flashed on a (adult fad toy) plastic bracelet. Fitbit says it's only an estimate and it is not a medical device. I think it's hilarious. I'm going to keep using mine as always, and I have no criticism of Fitbit, because it is just what it is, and I like it.

[Sam]

i agree. I did not expect that it would 100% accurately tell me about my sleep or even counting steps. I mean, after all it is a $150 tracking device. I wanted it for the motivation I think it will lend. That is, instead of writing down what I eat and what I do foe exersizze, I can input date into my phone or computer and then see number-crunched data, and track it visually for a week and a month to see improvement. I can input my dinner and see that I have consumed say 70% of my calories and/or sodium intake in just one meal. Might make me make better food choices. Seeing calories burned day-to-day.

My issue is reading that a firmware update has caused all sorts of problems with battery life. My daughter says her new Charge HR gives her 5 days. I won't know until I get mine tomorrow. I was wondering why there was a glut on Ebay and now I know. People are getting brand new replacement fitbits from Fitbit and selling, them, I guess, to recoup most of their money and keeping the old one to let it sorta either get straightened out at a future date, or for a smaller amount, feeling that a two day charge is worth the lower investment. I don't know if I would have gotten the Garmin Vivosmart HR instead, though it is brand new and probably not discounted as much from its $179 or so price tag. Ill have $95 in my Charge HR

[jww]

Sam -- what update can you share with us, related to your fitbit experience thus far??

[Sam]

1) Battery life is good, for me 5 days. I do not need to sync it all day
2) Not as accurate as people expect. I walk about 150 steps while I am sleeping. However as a day-to-day and over-time tracker, I like it. I can see days where I am not as active, that is, 9000 step days and 5000 step days. That helps me to motivate myself
3) I need to input calories and water. I probably need to download it into a computer so it is easier to type. It does allow me to input my weight, so I can see how I am doing day-to-day on my goal to lose 10 lbs more.
4) Sleep data is interesting

All in all a positive review. My phone does not work with the call and text notifications.

[jww]

Thanks Sam.

[Sam]

I have found the sleep data interesting. Seems I have about 8 hours a night of sleep, but it is interrupted. I know when I get up to use the bathroom, and I generally know that I have periods when my eyes are closed but I am not really into deep sleep. I guess if I turn over and move my arm it registers as an interrupting, and I average maybe 12 minutes a night of this 'interrupted' state.

I do find that I try to walk a bit more. I probably need to explore more the calorie input option so that I can track how I eat. Overall, I think this is a neat tool from a motivational standpoint.