• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Fitness Wearable |OT| A place for your Fitbit, Garmin, Jawbone, and many many more

rykomatsu

rykomatsu

Member
Thinking of a Garmin Fenix 3 or Forerunner 920XT for triathlon training - not sure which, though, as the feature set seems to be really comparable. Anyone tried both? I think the only conclusion I really see online is that the Fenix 3 is more "wearable" on a day-to-day basis due to its aesthetic design..

A separate question, can ANT+ sensors be paired to and be used by 2 receivers at the same time? I have a Lezyne Super GPS for my bike that I've been using. However, I also wouldn't mind consolidating data to just the Garmin. With the Fenix 3, there's no quick-mount for bikes, so if I could use the Fenix 3 and Lezyne at the same time, I could still continue to use the Lezyne as real-time display of sensor and odometer data...at least, that's the hope.
 
R

Retsudo

Member
Anyone knows if its possible to replace the Surge band? I cant seem to find anything online.
Other than that, i got mine ik November, and it has helped me lose weight, exercise and contributed to me effectively stop smoking.
 
R

Red

Member
Exis said:
So question- as someone who sits/stands at desk all day and works from home I have always wondered if a calorie estimates are accurate- will a Charge HR actually give me a close to accurate daily calorie count?

I wear a strap when doing yoga and even lifting but have always wondered.
Click to expand...
Could be. I'm interested in knowing this too, if anyone has data to back it up. My Charge HR estimates I burn 3,000+ calories a day, and consume around 1,800. That seems way off.
 
G

garrickk

Member
Got the Shakes said:
I've pre-ordered one, but have no release date. I saw someone from Garmin reply to someone's question on Facebook that they should be out end of March, I've heard April, and I've seen a few retailers with an expected date of May.
Click to expand...
I hope so! I pre-ordered one as well. Looking forward to it.
 
A

AudioNoir

Banned
Just got my Fitbit Blaze today and may have to return it :( It's huge on my tiny wrist! I ordered the small, but it's not the band that's the problem-- the tracker and frame itself are huge on me. Can definitely see myself hooking it on stuff and clunking it around. This sucks.

I'll stick with Fitbit, but I'm not sure which model to downgrade to.
 
U

UnObtainium17

Member
AudioNoir said:
Just got my Fitbit Blaze today and may have to return it :( It's huge on my tiny wrist! I ordered the small, but it's not the band that's the problem-- the tracker and frame itself are huge on me. Can definitely see myself hooking it on stuff and clunking it around. This sucks.

I'll stick with Fitbit, but I'm not sure which model to downgrade to.
Click to expand...

I preordred Fitbit Alta for 100$ on amazon. It doesnt have HR sensor or gps but just like me in Dark Souls... style rules over anything lol.
 
O

oti

Banned
I used to love Fitness wearables but now that Google Fit can record activities with map and the other data I don't really need them anymore. I wish Google would add some gamification stuff like leaderboards or quests or something but other than that I'm pretty happy with it.
 
A

AudioNoir

Banned
UnObtainium17 said:
I preordred Fitbit Alta for 100$ on amazon. It doesnt have HR sensor or gps but just like me in Dark Souls... style rules over anything lol.
Click to expand...

I think that might be the one I'll go to, even though I'm not a huge fan of that kind of clasp. The HR sensor on the Blaze is awesome, but I can live without it :)
 
G

Got the Shakes

Member
For anyone looking for a Vivoactive HR, Amazon says shipping May 2nd, Best Buy says delivered on May 2nd for pre-orders, and REI where I decided to pre-order told me it should get here April 20th.
 
A

Auron_Kale

Member
I'm thinking of upgrading my Vivofit 2 to something else down the line and wanted to know if there are any other devices besides the Apple Watch that tracks standing for periods of time?

Haven't delved too deeply into all the devices but wanted to see if there was anything else out there that also tracks how long you stand versus sitting in a given day.

Thanks!
 
S

suberzat

Member
Is the Fitbit Alta a good choice or is there something else I should be looking into. I run a lot 4 times a week at about 4-8 miles each time.
 
F

Fox318

Member
suberzat said:
Is the Fitbit Alta a good choice or is there something else I should be looking into. I run a lot 4 times a week at about 4-8 miles each time.
Click to expand...
If you run alot then maybe you might want a watch with a GPS and Heart rate monitor.

But if you want something
Escape Goat said:
I think I might get the Jawbone Up3. Anyone care to share their thoughts?
Click to expand...

I've heard great things about Jawbone's sleep tracking and all of their trackers are stylish enough that you can wear a watch and it isn't a big deal.
 
D

dietertong

Member
I use a Basis Peak. It just received a firmware update that allows you to make custom workouts (before it would automatically detect your workouts), allow control of your music, and better graphing. With this update I really like it even more - it's pretty accurate for HRM, does sleep tracking, water proof and lasts about 4 days on a charge.

I was really hoping for the custom workouts from the beginning, because it's automatic detection would sometime breakup activities into little groups. Now I can edit them as one.

Highly recommended!

Had an Up24 - was comfortable but those things would die in about 4 months. Had 2 replacements until my year was up and then when my 3rd one died I decided to stay away from Jawbone, their customer service really soured me on getting another one, as well as the HRM seemed pretty flakey from reviews.
 
A

Applesauce

Boom! Bitch-slapped!
Any idea when the Vivofit 3 drops? I'm returning my Vivosmart HR this weekend because the heart rate monitor is total shit and I can't pair a chest strap with it.
 
O

oti

Banned
Escape Goat said:
I think I might get the Jawbone Up3. Anyone care to share their thoughts?
Click to expand...

From my experience it has the nicest app, which is a huge plus. I sent it back though, since I don't want to wear something on my wrist that doesn't tell the time at least.
 
G

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
Hello fitness GAFfers

Does anyone know if there is an Android app that will not only count steps from your phone, but also from a Fitbit? I'm planning on getting a Fitbit but I don't want to wear it all the time, only when I'm doing something physically active like running. I know there is an app for the iPhone that will sync your Fitbit steps to the Health app, and it even knows to discount steps that were taken together, so that it doesn't double count, surprisingly I can't find anything like that for Android :/

I wish S Health would just support Fitbit :(
 
P

Paganmoon

Member
GSG Flash said:
Hello fitness GAFfers

Does anyone know if there is an Android app that will not only count steps from your phone, but also from a Fitbit? I'm planning on getting a Fitbit but I don't want to wear it all the time, only when I'm doing something physically active like running. I know there is an app for the iPhone that will sync your Fitbit steps to the Health app, and it even knows to discount steps that were taken together, so that it doesn't double count, surprisingly I can't find anything like that for Android :/

I wish S Health would just support Fitbit :(
Click to expand...

IIRC, at least with the Fitbit app on Windows Phone 8.1, it logged both, and if it had logs from both the phone and Fitbit tracker for the same time, it defaulted to using the tracker for that time. I could be misremebering though.
 
F

Fox318

Member
GSG Flash said:
Hello fitness GAFfers

Does anyone know if there is an Android app that will not only count steps from your phone, but also from a Fitbit? I'm planning on getting a Fitbit but I don't want to wear it all the time, only when I'm doing something physically active like running. I know there is an app for the iPhone that will sync your Fitbit steps to the Health app, and it even knows to discount steps that were taken together, so that it doesn't double count, surprisingly I can't find anything like that for Android :/

I wish S Health would just support Fitbit :(
Click to expand...

if you are using myfitnesspal it should combine 2 step counters.

Also you could get a fitbit zip and just stick it in your pocket
 
G

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
Paganmoon said:
IIRC, at least with the Fitbit app on Windows Phone 8.1, it logged both, and if it had logs from both the phone and Fitbit tracker for the same time, it defaulted to using the tracker for that time. I could be misremebering though.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the Android app doesn't do that :(

Fox318 said:
if you are using myfitnesspal it should combine 2 step counters.

Also you could get a fitbit zip and just stick it in your pocket
Click to expand...

Hmmmm myfitnesspal seems to do the trick, so I'll go with that :)

Thanks for the advice!
 
Irobot82

Irobot82

Member
Finess Wearable GAF: I've been trying to find the perfect fit for me and I could use some advice. What I am looking for is the following.

A band that monitors heart rate 24/7 and sleep states. I also want a chest strap that syncs to the band that I can use while weight lifting and HIIT training so I can get a better reading for heart rate/caloric burn. I'd also like these two work in conjunction with Google Fit so I can have one general area for my data.

Does anything like this exist?
 
S

SMattera

Member
Irobot82 said:
Finess Wearable GAF: I've been trying to find the perfect fit for me and I could use some advice. What I am looking for is the following.

A band that monitors heart rate 24/7 and sleep states. I also want a chest strap that syncs to the band that I can use while weight lifting and HIIT training so I can get a better reading for heart rate/caloric burn. I'd also like these two work in conjunction with Google Fit so I can have one general area for my data.

Does anything like this exist?
Click to expand...

I think the under armor health box is what you want, but I believe you'll need to use their app. Not 100% sure on that though.
 
C

Cheech

Member
Irobot82 said:
Finess Wearable GAF: I've been trying to find the perfect fit for me and I could use some advice. What I am looking for is the following.

A band that monitors heart rate 24/7 and sleep states. I also want a chest strap that syncs to the band that I can use while weight lifting and HIIT training so I can get a better reading for heart rate/caloric burn. I'd also like these two work in conjunction with Google Fit so I can have one general area for my data.

Does anything like this exist?
Click to expand...

Yep, you want to look at Garmin devices. I am not positive it directly syncs with Google Fit, but it can feed MyFitnessPal and several others, which in turn will sync with Google Fit. That's how I get my weight to automatically go from the Fitbit app (I have the Aria scale), through MFP, and into Garmin Connect.

The Vivo line of Garmin's will probably be what you want. I have a Forerunner 235 and love it, but unless you're a runner, it's overkill.
 
Irobot82

Irobot82

Member
Cheech said:
Yep, you want to look at Garmin devices. I am not positive it directly syncs with Google Fit, but it can feed MyFitnessPal and several others, which in turn will sync with Google Fit. That's how I get my weight to automatically go from the Fitbit app (I have the Aria scale), through MFP, and into Garmin Connect.

The Vivo line of Garmin's will probably be what you want. I have a Forerunner 235 and love it, but unless you're a runner, it's overkill.
Click to expand...

So Garmin's fitness band product can also sync with it's chest strap or do the both of them just sync with Garmins app?

Edit: I'd like the chest strap to report my heart rate onto the band while I am doing HIIT training.
 
C

Cheech

Member
Irobot82 said:
So Garmin's fitness band product can also sync with it's chest strap or do the both of them just sync with Garmins app?

Edit: I'd like the chest strap to report my heart rate onto the band while I am doing HIIT training.
Click to expand...

Yes - it uses ANT+ to live sync Garmin's band/watch with the heart rate strap.

There are other products that do it, such as Polar watches, but Garmin's stuff is a lot nicer as far as an all-day wearable. You can even get something like a Vivosmart HR, which has an optical heart rate monitor for all day tracking of your heart rate.. which will then shut off when it detects that you're using a strap for exercise. As far as I know, Garmin's stuff is pretty much alone in that market.

I highly recommend DC Rainmaker's site for reviews on all this stuff. He is very thorough.
 
A

akileese

Member
SMattera said:
I think the under armor health box is what you want, but I believe you'll need to use their app. Not 100% sure on that though.
Click to expand...

Just FYI, I have a UA Band and have had some...weird issues with it. Sleep tracking while I'm not actually asleep. The biggest issue though is the scarring on the band itself. I have no idea what this is from but my hypothesis is it's down to charging. I've had it two weeks and I've had to charge it three times. I have three scarring lines on it. The one on the right was the first time it happened, the second was in the bottom left (which is hard to see), the third is just to the left of the first instance and actually got into the screen. I really think it's an overheating issue while charging.

Another major downside is the charge cable is quite literally a foot long. If I plug it into the front USB of my PC, it doesn't even touch the bottom or the top of the case. Seriously, what the hell Under Armour? You couldn't spring for a normal size cable or at least an extender?

FKpCidP
 
S

SMattera

Member
Good to know.

Unfortunately, I've yet to hear of any of these devices that's without durability issue. If a company could release a decent wrist tracker that lasts for 12 months without issue, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
 
S

seanoff

Member
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/

Anyone looking should have a read of this site. Test basically everything out there.


I had a Vivosmart 1. It's OLED screen was trash and eventually just died. Took it back. The new one looks much more robust screen wise. I don't want a big device but I do like the notifications etc.
 
C

Cheech

Member
SMattera said:
Good to know.

Unfortunately, I've yet to hear of any of these devices that's without durability issue. If a company could release a decent wrist tracker that lasts for 12 months without issue, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...

Most of them now have interchangeable bands.. which is really where most of the failures happen.

One thing I meant to mention earlier is that really only Fitbit does sleep tracking well. The others I've used are off, mostly to hilarious degrees. I honestly believe that Garmin currently makes the best fitness devices on the market right now.. but their sleep tracking is flat out awful.
 
S

SMattera

Member
Cheech said:
Most of them now have interchangeable bands.. which is really where most of the failures happen.

One thing I meant to mention earlier is that really only Fitbit does sleep tracking well. The others I've used are off, mostly to hilarious degrees. I honestly believe that Garmin currently makes the best fitness devices on the market right now.. but their sleep tracking is flat out awful.
Click to expand...

My UP3 is flawless when it comes to tracking my sleep in terms of when I fall asleep, and when I wake up. Unfortunately I've had to replace it about 3 times since I bought it last summer.
 
R

Rahvar

Member
I handle defective products for an electronics store. Jawbones break all the time, on one month we had 10 times as many defect Jawbones as Garmin and Fitbit combined...

That said. I really enjoy my Fitbit Charge HR. It is very close to my CPAP when it comes to measuring my sleep, which is amazing in my oppinion. The step counter seems fairly accurate comparing both with phone apps and my own tests.
 
Irobot82

Irobot82

Member
Cheech said:
Yes - it uses ANT+ to live sync Garmin's band/watch with the heart rate strap.

There are other products that do it, such as Polar watches, but Garmin's stuff is a lot nicer as far as an all-day wearable. You can even get something like a Vivosmart HR, which has an optical heart rate monitor for all day tracking of your heart rate.. which will then shut off when it detects that you're using a strap for exercise. As far as I know, Garmin's stuff is pretty much alone in that market.

I highly recommend DC Rainmaker's site for reviews on all this stuff. He is very thorough.
Click to expand...

I just read his review of the Vivosmart HR and apparently it's the only device in their lineup that WONT sync with a chest band.....so yay for that.
 
S

Salaadin

Member
I've been reading up on the vivoactive hr. Sounds like a great device. If I didn't have my Blaze already, I'd probably own that instead.

Any gaffers get one yet?
 
L

Lombax

Banned
Morning all,

I'm looking for a fitness tracker that meets the following criteria:

- works with Strava
- allows me to track a run without my phone on me (Android)
- allows me to listen to music

is there anything available now that hits all these marks?
 
G

GSG Flash

Nobody ruins my family vacation but me...and maybe the boy!
Lombax said:
Morning all,

I'm looking for a fitness tracker that meets the following criteria:

- works with Strava
- allows me to track a run without my phone on me (Android)
- allows me to listen to music

is there anything available now that hits all these marks?
Click to expand...

Dunno what Strava is, but the Gear Fit 2 satisfies the last two of your requirements.
 
O

otapnam

Member
Lombax said:
Morning all,

I'm looking for a fitness tracker that meets the following criteria:

- works with Strava
- allows me to track a run without my phone on me (Android)
- allows me to listen to music

is there anything available now that hits all these marks?
Click to expand...

Tom Tom spark does that I believe.

Pretty much all of them work with strava. All major brands.
 
D

DarkLegion

Member
Looking to pick up one of these. Simply want to track my heart rate and calories. All I really do is jog on a treadmill and lift a bit. Was looking at the FitBit Charge 2 because I've heard people say good things about it. Good buy or is it Overkill?
 
F

Fox318

Member
Now is one of the best times to buy a tracker. I saw a few sales in person for fitbits.

Also there seems to be a push for wearables targeted towards children that I didn't see coming.
 
A

Auron_Kale

Member
Salaadin said:
I've been reading up on the vivoactive hr. Sounds like a great device. If I didn't have my Blaze already, I'd probably own that instead.

Any gaffers get one yet?
Click to expand...

Though it's been a few months since this was asked, I have the vivioactive HR and have been extremely pleased with it.

Only thing I'm not too crazy about is the lack of presets for certain exercises, such as using the elliptical or a circuit sessions. Still, it could be something implemented in a software update so not a deal breaker in the slightest.

GPS eats battery but not too horribly and if you consider swapping your standard black band for one of the more colorful options that Garmin offers, just know that lighter colored bands are not made from the same material as the black one.

It's a great device overall despite some minor annoyances I have with it and I don't regret getting it at all.
 
A

Asgaro

Member
Cheech said:
Yep, you want to look at Garmin devices. I am not positive it directly syncs with Google Fit, but it can feed MyFitnessPal and several others, which in turn will sync with Google Fit. That's how I get my weight to automatically go from the Fitbit app (I have the Aria scale), through MFP, and into Garmin Connect.

The Vivo line of Garmin's will probably be what you want. I have a Forerunner 235 and love it, but unless you're a runner, it's overkill.
Click to expand...

Sadly still no direct syncing with Google Fit. And that's weird considering there has been seemingly syncing with Apple Health since the year 2014!

However, steps recording DURING a recorded run can get synced to Google Fit. Therefore you have to use Strava as intermediary platform. So Garmin Connect -> Strava -> Google Fit.

Steps occuring OUTSIDE recorded runs however, are only available within Garmin Connect and there is no way to get those in Google Fit it seems currently... Not even with intermediary apps.


Personally, I use a Pebble Time and wear it on my ankle lol, to overcome the above issue. I don't use it really (got it for free) and that way it is really accurate AND out of the way.
Pebble's can sync with Google Fit so that way my steps still tracked there.
When I go on runs I leave my Pebble at home and let the Garmin do all the recording.




I wear my (recently bought in Cyber Monday deal!) Garmin Forerunner 235 at all times now. Got the red/black version and I love the design. And damn, the functionality blows my mind! Coming from the small Pebble Time screen it's a huge improvement to see the stats more clearly while running.
Also nice to have advanced stats like Recovery Advisor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Apple secretly demoed it's VR headset to the top 100 Executives. $3000 reconfirmed, expecting 1 million sold first year. Little to no profit initially
2 3 4 5
229
18K
Shadowstar39 replied
Ring Fit Adventure is pure Nintendo magic (Pilates Wings)
Review Hype 2 3 4
152
15K
Starlight Lotice replied
  • Locked
Best full featured smartwatch for running and general exercise?
13
2K
Zoe replied
  • Locked
  • Poll
Fitness Wearable |OT| A place for your Fitbit, Garmin, Jawbone, and many many more
0
21K
Fox318 replied
  • Locked
7 out of 8 fitness devices insecure
30
5K
davepoobond replied
Top Bottom