Wearable tech..what ya got 'an what ya think

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  • Shagios
    Shagios Posts: 8 Member
    Picked up a Fitbit Force last week and I'm loving it. I have it linked to MFP and since I'm completely Apple based it syncs up with all my gadgets. It is keeping me honest with myself. I do laborious work (I make construction and highway signs) so I thought I was getting in enough exercise in a day without doing anything additional. Wrong!
    If I had my way there would be some additional monitors on it like a HRM and an electrical zap if I even think about a Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate :-) But honestly it's a great little gadget.
    This one has the vibrating alarm clock and sleep monitor and that is an awesome addition!
  • PinkNinjaLaura
    PinkNinjaLaura Posts: 3,202 Member
    Laura.....I am impressed with the accuracy. .
    I have tried many times to link endomundo to mfp and it just don't wanna work for me...any tips would be cool.

    Have you checked your sharing settings in the Endomondo app? Originally my workouts weren't showing up on MFP and it's because I didn't have it set up the right way in the app itself. I have the iPhone 4 though & it sounds like you have Android.
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    Mary I got a feeling Polar will step up to the plate soon... I mean they have to. Companies will go under if they don't move...

    After all you don't want your quarterback bein' sacked.
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    Laura.....I am impressed with the accuracy. .
    I have tried many times to link endomundo to mfp and it just don't wanna work for me...any tips would be cool.

    Have you checked your sharing settings in the Endomondo app? Originally my workouts weren't showing up on MFP and it's because I didn't have it set up the right way in the app itself. I have the iPhone 4 though & it sounds like you have Android.
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    Laura.....I am impressed with the accuracy. .
    I have tried many times to link endomundo to mfp and it just don't wanna work for me...any tips would be cool.

    Have you checked your sharing settings in the Endomondo app? Originally my workouts weren't showing up on MFP and it's because I didn't have it set up the right way in the app itself. I have the iPhone 4 though & it sounds like you have Android.

    Yes I currently have a samsung s3 running android 4.1 I will root around again and report back tomorrow.
    I got one eye on the Texan game....it's gone midnight... I gotta go to bed...
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    Picked up a Fitbit Force last week and I'm loving it. I have it linked to MFP and since I'm completely Apple based it syncs up with all my gadgets. It is keeping me honest with myself. I do laborious work (I make construction and highway signs) so I thought I was getting in enough exercise in a day without doing anything additional. Wrong!
    If I had my way there would be some additional monitors on it like a HRM and an electrical zap if I even think about a Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate :-) But honestly it's a great little gadget.
    This one has the vibrating alarm clock and sleep monitor and that is an awesome addition!
    Yeah I don't think the force is out in the UK yet. I love the idea of the vibrate alarm.
    I'm with you on the zap. LOL.
  • aleggett321
    aleggett321 Posts: 186 Member
    I have a fitbit flex that I've used for months and love. I started with the fitbit One but found I would forget to move it to my workout clothes which completely defeated the purpose. I gave it to my daughter who promptly washed it. i decided on the Flex because you can wear it nonstop even in the shower. I take it off once a week to charge it. I find it really motivating even if i dont always reach my goals. It has the vibrating alarm also.

    If you decide to take a look at the new Force, keep in mind it isn't waterproof!
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    Mary I got a feeling Polar will step up to the plate soon... I mean they have to. Companies will go under if they don't move...

    After all you don't want your quarterback bein' sacked.

    Polar tried with the newly released Polar Loop (activity tracker) and IMO they released it too early. It is having tons of problems in Beta and they should have postponed the release. I think it has potential, but with the way it is now I don't think it is worth it. My Polar FT7 (HRM only) works just fine.

    I just ordered the LINK Bodymedia Fit. I am super excited to get it! :D It has been out for awhile and seems to be pretty accurate. It does not use only motion to track activity like most of the other trackers out there. The thing holding me back from the BMF was the subscription fee and waiting to see what the Polar Loop would be like. I'm over both of those factors lol.

    I have an iPhone 5.

    Note: I will continue to utilize my Polar HRM along with my BMF. I LOVE my Polar HRM and so far it has been the best money I have spent on my health. Highly recommended.
  • sherm98
    sherm98 Posts: 61 Member
    I have been using the upband for about three months. I wasn't very active (although I didn't realize it) and it motivates me to get 10,000 steps a day. My record is 17,000. I use the sleep monitoring and alarm. It holds a charge for 10 days and is non invasive so I wear it everyday. Never take it off except to charge. I have not had the problems I have seen others complain about. I have an iPhone 5.
  • missyjane824
    missyjane824 Posts: 1,199 Member
    I got a fitbit one about a year ago and love it. It keeps me motivated most days to hit 10000 steps. I've got a windows 8 phone that I have the fitbit app, mfp app and runtastic app installed on it. I use the mfp app on my phone way more than accessing from my computer. I find adding food way easier on my phone. I've created many recipes on it also and although it seems a bit buggy its still faster imo. There was a recent update to the fitbit app that displays notifications on my phone which is pretty helpful and I have my fitbit synced to mfp to calculate calories burned. I use the runtastic app purely for tracking time walked.
  • sloane70
    sloane70 Posts: 45 Member
    It's the one with the vibrate alarm. I also have what I call my "lazy alarm" set to buzz every 30 minutes from 8 AM to 8 PM, if I haven't moved. It helps me realize "Oh, wait, I need to actually get out of my darn chair!" and I go walk around my workplace for a few minutes and check in with coworkers & staff. Lots of little tweaks that I'm still learning :)
  • ingoiolo
    ingoiolo Posts: 104 Member
    I have a withings pulse, which is pretty cool even if the run option works fairly seldom. Not a huge daily motivator, but it adds to my self awareness. I never add the calories from it to MFP.

    I also have a Polar ft80. Loved it for the first 6 weeks, now it is starting to act funny and lose connection with the hearth band a little bit to often
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 894 Member
    I have a withings pulse, which is pretty cool even if the run option works fairly seldom. Not a huge daily motivator, but it adds to my self awareness. I never add the calories from it to MFP.

    I also have a Polar ft80. Loved it for the first 6 weeks, now it is starting to act funny and lose connection with the hearth band a little bit to often

    My Polar FT7 was doing that, but it worked again after using a tiny bit of dish soap and hot water! Did you rinse it after every workout and then clean it every few? There are care instructions in the manual/online. It might help! :) Mine hasn't acted up since I started rinsing it/cleaning it regularly.
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    If you decide to take a look at the new Force, keep in mind it isn't waterproof!

    Thanks for the heads up....I would have taken it for granted that the Force was at least water resistant as in I could show with it.
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    Morkie....interesting about the Polar loop...
  • RunBrew
    RunBrew Posts: 220 Member
    Runbrew....I guess what we need are integrated devices. I feel we are so close like the next two years will be interesting.
    I really want a heart strap that will connect to an android phone with bluetooth 4. Hurry up kitkat.


    In an ideal world...I would like something like a fuelband for 24/7 activity monitoring. Then a gps to measure walk/run/bike workouts...and map. Tie that in with a bike computer. Hrm...
    The important thing some intelligent software to know which gadgets are in use and how best to cimbine them.
    I mean it's all doable right now. If the manufacturers make it I and more like me will buy it.

    This would have been everything I could have asked for a year ago when I started doing this. It would have made losing 45 lbs so much easier, instead, I just just my calories down hard and sucked it up until my weight dropped enough that I wasn't undereating anymore. Having an accurate calorie count would have been so much more helpful.

    I don't really need that level of tracking anymore that I have, what I feel is, a good handle on my calorie balance, but I can certainly see its appeal.

    I 100% agree with you on the doablilty of it....it's all there, it just needs a smart guy to put into one package.
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    Sherm...thanks for the info...yet another iphone user.
    Must look up the upband.
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    Missy...I may get back on syncing...cos that is a hell of a problem for me. You obviously love your strnght training to great effect.
  • brandy1j
    brandy1j Posts: 2
    Bumping.. just so I can get an idea of what works and what doesn't. :)
  • troy0
    troy0 Posts: 37 Member
    loupgaroubayo I've had the problem with MFP and endomondo before too, what fixed it for me was disconnecting it from MFP, then going into Endo settings and "unlinking" MFP from there too, then go back to MFP and try to reconnect.

    Its like the conduit at one (or both) ends is not clearing properly when you unlink it, but if you remove the relationship from both ends it might re-set it more thoroughly.

    I use a fitbit one and Garmin 310xt, which I upload to endomondo, which is linked to MFP. I did the garmin connect to runtastic to MFP trick at one stage but like someone said earlier, it was inflating calories at the runtastic level so I removed it. Endo keeps the true calorie estimate count from the watch and pulls in the HR info.
    I also have a Polar rs800cx but I like the Garmin more.
    Then I link all that up to earnedit (http://earnd.it/T9zP9e - referral link) for some more social competitiveness.

    Like others have mentioned, its borderline data geek obsessive but having long term data there is actually very valuable to see trends, improvements and to help make choices.

    I can't wait until the next gen smart watches come out. I want something that can do the job of the Garmin and the fitbit (available now, kind of) without the need for tethering to a smartphone for full functionality (probably a little way off yet).

    A lot of the smartwatches are already doing what you've detailed above, they're in various states of development but you can get your hands on several models today, you just have to be prepared to always have your smartphone attached to you somewhere as well. http://www.smartwatchnews.org/smartwatch/
  • melani75
    melani75 Posts: 14 Member
    I have a misfit shine...I picked it because I wanted one I could use while swimming. I like it; it's small and you can wear it a lot of different ways. I wear it on a watch band for swimming and sleeping and use the magnetic loop to wear on a belt loop for walking. It lights up in a circle as you get closer and closer to goal. It only works with iphone right now so that's an issue for a lot of people.
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    Brandy...I would say the Nike fuelband really motivates. I think if you ain't got an iphone it is wasted. Otherwise if you want something to gauge how much you move each day it's good and looks pretty neat. I've had a few people say wow whats that. I would not use the calories counted on the fuelband to offset my calorie intake because I feel it's over generous in it's estimation. My Polar FA20 is a lot more low key....it's stingy with it's calories burned calculation.....so I am happy to use it's calorie calc as an offset.

    I also have a Holux which I use for walking biking running etc because it has a gps.
  • LoupGarou63
    LoupGarou63 Posts: 33 Member
    Melani.....one factor that keeps on coming hp here is that nearly all devices will only connect to iphone as apposed toAndroid devices. I don't have to expand on that...it speaks....darn it, it screams for itself.

    GOOD NEWS: MY ANDROID DEVICE UPGRADE TO VERSION 4.3 LAST NIGHT.

    I AM NOW BLUETOOTH 4 CAPABLE. ....
  • jmcreynolds91
    jmcreynolds91 Posts: 777 Member

    I just ordered the LINK Bodymedia Fit. I am super excited to get it! :D It has been out for awhile and seems to be pretty accurate. It does not use only motion to track activity like most of the other trackers out there. The thing holding me back from the BMF was the subscription fee and waiting to see what the Polar Loop would be like. I'm over both of those factors lol.

    I have an iPhone 5.

    Note: I will continue to utilize my Polar HRM along with my BMF. I LOVE my Polar HRM and so far it has been the best money I have spent on my health. Highly recommended.

    This.
    I have the BMF and absolutely love it. I have lost weight with it. It tracks sleep, activity, steps, calories. It does have a subscription which I think is totally worth it. I did my research before I bought it and found that it was supposedly more accurate. I an happy with my choice. I also use my Polar FT40 with it to compare calories burned during exercise. They are both within very close range to each other. Together, they are helping me loose weight consistently. I use an iphone 5 too. :)

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