I know you asked about the Charge, but I'm going to chime in here anyway, even though I have a Surge HR. I think the units are similar enough that my comments will still be warranted.
I am really happy with my Surge HR and have no issues with it. It's no different than wearing a watch and I haven't noticed any issue with my typing, which makes up a good part of my day, too. The secretary at work is Italian and talks with her hands *(she says that it is genetic so I'm not going to argue with her, LOL and she piles up the steps the more she talks, LOL. ) She has the Charge without the heart rate. She wore it a few days in her bra but in general, didn't want it, doesn't want to exercise and doesn't plan to use it so I'm not sure how much value I would place in her input.

My other coworker who has faithfully been using her Surge HR is thrilled with it and discovering new features daily. She has had no problems with it and her step counts seem pretty accurate compared with mine, understanding that I am shorter and take more steps for every few that she takes.

Comparing what I've had so far (original bodybugg, Fitbit one and fitbit Surge HR) I have to say I actually like the fitbit surge hr the best- it has taken the bodybugg's technology forward to where it will sinc with my laptop, cell phone and tablet/ipad if I had one, plus I have a display on my wrist which tells me all I want to know. No matter where I am, I am able to look and see where I stand in relation to exercise, heart rate, calorie burn, calories in, calories remaining, steps and even where I stand in relation to friends who are trying to get more steps in than me, and yes, that can be really motivating as I don't want to be at the bottom of the list, LOL. I understand that I will not be at the top of the list but striving to stay off the bottom works too, LOL The challenges are optional but I find them to be a great feature with the fitbit. Even before I had the fitbit sinc'd up with my iPhone, (challenges are only accessible by my iPhone), I was keeping track of where I stood step wise with the others and trying to stay off the bottom I also like the built in gps which maps out my walk and lets me know how far I really walked rather than guessing how far based on an unmeasured stride. All in all, I think I am getting more information than I did with the bodybugg, which I really loved. The fitbit one is good but better for someone who is just trying to get more active and keep track of steps. It did not have the features I personally needed and had gotten used to with the bodybugg. I see that they are providing accessories that let you wear it on your wrist, which would have helped me a lot as I need to see the data to be able to make the most use of the device. Looking back on the last couple years, I think I wasn't working with it because it didn't have the info I wanted and it was hidden in my bra all day so by the time I got home and could download the information, it was too late for me to do anything with it.

The fitbit site is better than it was at the onset, imo. It's now good for logging and now that you can scan the barcode of foods in, the food section should be improving,too. It also has a community area where groups can be formed. I still log my foods here since I have so many of my recipes and meals programmed in (makes it so much quicker that way) but all the entries over here also transfer over to Fitbit. All my exercises and walks are transmitted over to myfitness pal, so everything talks to each other and I have a good record of what is going on. The new fitbit dashboard is great and it shows me how close each of my goals is to completion. I like that
I find I spend more time logging foods here and more time checking my progress/goals there.

I have not checked out any of the other devices out there in a few years so can't make any comparison with anything else that is out there. I went with the one because it was what I could afford at the time and the other devices didn't yet seem to have the support team behind them at that time. I went with the Fitbit now because I've been happy with the fitbit in general and my company pays for half the cost of the unit after a pretty good discount (I paid $100 for my surge hr!)

Forgot to mention . . it's bulky mostly on the top, so it doesn't bother me when I type. But, if you're not used to wearing anything on your wrist, it might take some getting used to. It's very flexible and comfortable. Sometimes I leave if off at night when I'm hot or bugged with it. Sometimes I leave it on if I want sleep feedback. Also, I think you really need an iPhone to get the most out of the data and challenges. (I haven't had any other type of smartphone, so not sure how that works.) You can check the device or the website for data, but syncing with the iPhone is so portable and great! And, as Lois mentioned, the challenges are only accessible on the smartphone.

Good luck!

Sarah,

When I first got my Charge HR, I too had read the forum and heard about wacky steps etc. However, I wore both the Charge HR on my wrist and the One tucked into my bra and the steps were only off by a couple of hundred AT THE MOST...and sometimes the One had more than the Charge, so I believe both of them to be fairly accurate. As far as the HR portion, I discovered that I need to loosen my wrist strap two spots and push it up a bit on my wrist and then it's VERY close to my Polar FT7 chest strap and far more comfy. The Surge that Light has is pretty freakin' awesome, however, I too think it's a bit on the bulky side. The Charge HR is not any more intrusive than a wrist watch (which I dislike watches, but somehow the band on this device does not seem to irritate me the way my old watches did. no interference with typing or any activity really. I find it very comfortable. The ONE is more of an entry level device and I believe our group has moved past the major benefits of that one - though I would love to switch to a One in the summer to put it in a ziplock and walk in the pool - will not even attempt with my Charge HR).

For my company's wellness program I had done quite a bit of research on the other devices out there (jawbone up, garmin vivo etc.). I think the interaction wth the fitbit and the community it supports is pretty awesome. Our little BB group has expanded in the Fitbit world and I beleive you'd like the encouragement and support we have there. The little challenges and the messaging to get going is very helpful to me. but also as Sheesh says, it's best if you have a smartphone for some of the support opportunities. Hubby has the android phone and I have the iphone, both have awesome apps thta flow seamlessly.

We've been waiting for you to make the leap and it's time!!! Oh and one more thing about the Charges. The Regular Charge has a funky strap that I did not like for my work group, whereas the Charge HR is a standard watch buckle strap. Something to think about.

let us know when you're up and running so we can friend you and get you going.