Android Wear Apps, Fitbit Alternative?

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dbkyser
dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a fitbit Blaze but ordered a Huawei watch and looking for some apps that will track sleep steps exercise etc. for a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

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  • jennywilleatyounom
    jennywilleatyounom Posts: 1 Member
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    Pacer Is good for tracking steps and pairs with my fitnes pal
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    If you find anything, let me know please!

    My girlfriend has the Huawei Watch. I don't know if they all have an HRM built in or not, hers does. It can't be used to record HR continuously during exercise. It can give you your pulse at a point in time, but it can't be used in useful ways. That's the main reason we bought it and we've been disappointed.

    So we bought a Polar H7 chest strap HRM, since it's Bluetooth, it talks to either her watch or phone, and the data is available on both. But she hasn't been able to find an app to use her watch with HRM during exercise. She says the ones she's tried all stop recording on their own after a few minutes. I haven't tried it myself so I don't know what's going on. But if you find something that works, I'd really like to hear about it.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
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    Endomondo works and the screen is customizable. The problem (as you are already finding out) is keeping the damned thing working (and the watch battery from dying). I finally gave up and got a Forerunner. Now I only carry my phone for music.
  • dbkyser
    dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
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    Thanks guys, luckily I have 30 days to return if I am not happy. I looked at the garmin fenix 3 saphire in Titanium but does not look like the display is as good.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Funny those are the two you were looking at, I can compare them pretty well for you. I've had a Fenix 3 Sapphire for a little more than a year now. Beth has had her Huawei Watch for three months.

    The F3 display is not as brilliant and bright as the Huawei, like you noticed. Mind you the Fenix display is good, it's just not as beautiful as the Huawei. The Fenix display looks better in the sun and other really bright light, though.

    I charge my Fenix 3 battery about once a week. I use the GPS a lot. Battery life is very impressive.

    Fenix 3 is drastically better for exercise purposes. It's got the best calorie estimator available outside a laboratory (Garmin licenses the calorie feature from Firstbeat, so do other high end GPS watches like Suunto Ambit). The "how long should I rest after this exercise" feature has been pretty on the mark for me. It's part of how I schedule when to work out, to get enough exercise but not overdo it. It works reliably with a lot of sensors, obviously an HRM, if you ride a bike it understands power, etc. Doesn't record the best maps for swimming for me but it's nice to have one at all and the stroke rate works well. I like being able to record my HR while I swim.

    Finally the smart notifications aren't up to the Huawei level but they work well and don't get in the way. And it's nice to be able to read a text in the shower sometimes.

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  • dbkyser
    dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
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    @NorthCascades
    Thanks for the info, I use a watch mostly for a watch and step counter. I do bike a lot but have a garmin Edge 1000
    I guess style is up there at the top of requirement.
    I do like having the watch log my sleep and heart rate during cardio. I am going to have to weight out what is most important to me. I may send you some more questions once I get my watch tomorrow.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    I have an 800 (Edge). I've had it for years. Still works well for everything I need, like maps when I don't have cell coverage. But it's kind of an antique compared to your 1000 and the Fenix might not seem quite as amazing to you as it does to me. I have to plug my Edge into a computer to see my ride data, and it doesn't take the same USB cable as a phone, so it can be hard to find the right one. The Fenix just uploads everything automatically, the ride data is there as soon as I'm ready to look at it. But you already have that in your 1000. I also hike and a run a little bit, I don't use my Edge for that, so the Fenix 3 had a lot of value for me. Your mileage may vary. ;)

    I'll keep an eye on this thread, but if I miss a question, feel free to send me a PM too.

    And if you do figure something out that works well on the Huawei, my girlfriend would love to know!
  • dbkyser
    dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I have an 800 (Edge). I've had it for years. Still works well for everything I need, like maps when I don't have cell coverage. But it's kind of an antique compared to your 1000 and the Fenix might not seem quite as amazing to you as it does to me. I have to plug my Edge into a computer to see my ride data, and it doesn't take the same USB cable as a phone, so it can be hard to find the right one. The Fenix just uploads everything automatically, the ride data is there as soon as I'm ready to look at it. But you already have that in your 1000. I also hike and a run a little bit, I don't use my Edge for that, so the Fenix 3 had a lot of value for me. Your mileage may vary. ;)

    I'll keep an eye on this thread, but if I miss a question, feel free to send me a PM too.

    And if you do figure something out that works well on the Huawei, my girlfriend would love to know!

    I wish I could run, would be in much better shape. :)
    I guess I am wanting everything in 1 device. The edge 1000 syncs and uploads but requires a phone or wifi.
    I will keep you informed on what I find out. This could be one of those things that 1 smart watch may not do it all. As I become more into lifting and exercise my needs for a stylish watch may not be as important.
    I wonder if there is an app that could merge data on different devices? I do like Garmin Connect quite a bit.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    edited April 2016
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    So speaking of one device ... the Fenix 3 requires a phone to sync through like the Edge. They're both useful if you leave your phone at home, but I don't want to steer you wrong. No cell chip in the F3.

    On that note, Garmin is buying Delorme, who make satellite messenger devices. Maybe the next generation of watches will let you send text messages from anywhere on the planet without a phone, seems like the reason they'd want to buy Delorme. When I hike, I carry a personal locator beacon, a single-purpose device with an SOS button ... sure would be nice to have that in my watch and sell the PLB. :) But that's probably a couple years out?
  • dbkyser
    dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
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    Really considering the Fenix 3 but not sure if the saphire model monitors sleep.
  • trswallow
    trswallow Posts: 116 Member
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    The only difference between the Fenix 3 and F3 Sapphire is the lenses. Also if you are concerned about the brightness of the display then go with the plain F3. Some of the reviews I read explained that the Sapphire could be dimmer in some situations due to lower light transmission through the lenses.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Basically all the models (sapphire, rose gold, etc) all have all the same software features. Only exception is there's a Fenix 3 and a Fenix 3HR; only the one with the sensor built into the wrist has the HR software.

    But all of them monitor sleep.

    It lets you choose between manual (press a button when you go to sleep and another when you wake up), or automatic (watch monitors movement patterns, the server decides when you were asleep or awake). Seems to work pretty well generally, it's not perfect. I don't look at the data very often so I can't say a whole lot about its quality and I can't compare this feature for you. I could post screenshots of how GC displays it if that would be helpful.

    PS - If you want the sapphire, consider the Fenix 3HR instead. It also has a sapphire lens, also domed. The price is the same, making the in-built HRM free. A chest strap is better, but it would be nice to have a backup when you forget the strap.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    edited April 2016
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    trswallow wrote: »
    The only difference between the Fenix 3 and F3 Sapphire is the lenses. Also if you are concerned about the brightness of the display then go with the plain F3. Some of the reviews I read explained that the Sapphire could be dimmer in some situations due to lower light transmission through the lenses.

    If you have an REI nearby, they'll open boxes for you and let you examine the watches. I looked at both (because I'd seen the same comments online) before I bought mine, and couldn't see a difference in the screen. So I got the sapphire for its scratch resistance. Scratching the lens would bother me a lot. So far it's been impervious to everything it's come into contact with.

    The non-sapphire watch is of course $100 less...
  • trswallow
    trswallow Posts: 116 Member
    edited April 2016
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    trswallow wrote: »
    The only difference between the Fenix 3 and F3 Sapphire is the lenses. Also if you are concerned about the brightness of the display then go with the plain F3. Some of the reviews I read explained that the Sapphire could be dimmer in some situations due to lower light transmission through the lenses.

    If you have an REI nearby, they'll open boxes for you and let you examine the watches. I looked at both (because I'd seen the same comments online) before I bought mine, and couldn't see a difference in the screen. So I got the sapphire for its scratch resistance. Scratching the lens would bother me a lot. So far it's been impervious to everything it's come into contact with.

    The non-sapphire watch is of course $100 less...

    I had a Citizen Eco-Drive watch for over 18 years and wore it all the time, and only put one very small nick on the lenses that is only visible at an angle. When I say all the time I mean all the time; running(with Garmin 305 on other wrist), swimming, hiking, camping, gardening, working on the car, everything.I figured if I didn't do any real damage in 18 years, then I wasn't too worried about damaging a new one. Plus I don't see the F3 lasting anywhere near as long as my Eco-Drive. Eventually certain functionality will start flaking out (hopefully many years in the future), or I will get feature-envy (again many years in the future) and "need" to get a newer one.

    Everyone needs to weigh how likely they are to damage the lense when deciding which to buy.
  • dbkyser
    dbkyser Posts: 612 Member
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    I ordered the Fenix 3 Saphire before I read this, I do have 2 chest straps so will see how it goes. I had not seen the reviews but can always exchange it if I need to.

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