Jawbone or Fitbit or Whatever?

Hi:

My wife is starting a new body awareness program and her birthday is coming up, so I figured one of those new personal fitness bracelet thingies might be a nice gift.

I am certain folks in as hip and healthy a joint as MOL have lots of experience and opinions with this.  So please have at it.

Thanks in advance

Mark

I'm told that the new Apple watch will displace Fitbit. Although, I think the lowest model is $349. That's a hit to the wallet. 

Yes, I am not interested in the Apple watch.  That is far more than we need, at far too high a cost.  Once it comes down to around $199 I may be interested.

I have the Fitbit One and I love it, I've been using it for over a  year.  It's a nice option if she doesn't want the bracelet--it can clip on to a waistline or bra, or you can put it in a pocket.  I like that you can also sync it with programs like My Fitness Pal, and also, you can find friends who use it and that can be motivating (it ranks your steps with those of your friends, allows you to cheer each other on, etc). 

I have the fitbit flex and like it a lot.  I would also give a shout out/thumbs up to the company for customer service.  My first fitbit stopped working about 11 months in.  I did all the recommended fixes and they didn't work so I called the company, they could see on my account when it stopped synching and they sent me a new one right away and let me throw the old one in the garbage.  I was pleased!

I have the new jawbone Up "move" device.  It is really cheap and it's great.  i had their earlier device, which was a bracelet, and while I loved the app, I didn't always like wearing a rubber bracelet to work.  The new device is really affordable (like $50 for the clip on device, and then $20 or so for a bracelet you can snap it into) and works with the same app that I really like.  Also syncs wirelessly now (you had to plug the old bracelet into your phone).

I wear it in the bracelet when I am running or taking a class at the gym, and I wear it  clipped to my clothes when I am at work.  I have it synced with my Runkeeper data, and it also syncs with other apps, like myfitness pal, etc.

I have been a Fitbit User for the past three years, it is an incredible motivator. I have been know to walk around my dining room table to get in some steps at the end of the day.

I will also give Fitbit props on their customer service. I received a new fitbit this past december and the battery life was horrible (it would last about a day even though they said it should last 5-7). They sent me a new one rather quickly and told me to discard the old one (the new one's battery life lasts me about a week per charge).

marylago said:

I have a Fitbit Charge HR. I've had it since mid-February. It keeps me motivated and I have had very few days where I have missed my goal--I have my goal set at 12,000. It's $149 though. I like it because it gives all kinds of stats, has an alarm and caller ID (for your paired cell phone).

 I have this one,too ^^^ and I started with the Flex. I like the Charge HR as all of the information is on the device itself. The Flex, although cheaper, ties you more to the app on your phone. I also like the HR monitor as it's more accurate than an estimation based on height/weight (which is what the Flex uses). I really like that it tracks my sleep and it's really motivated me to move, especially since I have many friends that I follow and see where I am in my day compared to them!

I have an inexpensive pedometer.  It was inconvenient to set so i just left it on counting steps.  I wanted to see how many steps to a mile so I went to Underhill field.  I walked the football gridiron-100 yds- several times.   1760 yds =1 mile.I found some variation in # of steps.  Further, I thought about it and came to the conclusion that accuracy is difficult to get.  

Is it really that important?  I have no temptation to upgrade for any supposed increase in accuracy.   It really is just NOT important.  I,d rather spend the money on some improved gear like wildly expensive, super comfy shoes.

marylago said:

That was helpful... I had a pedometer. I wore it but it was wildly inaccurate, so I threw it away. The Fitbit is not 100% accurate, but it's a really good measuring stick. And if it motivates people, what do you care?

 Your criticism was helpful.

If my opinion/experience is different  Why do you care.

Oh Queen W(?)itch of  Useful Comments?

Excuse me? The question was not if you had a low end pedometer, but whether you had experience with one of the higher end ones. 

Your response borders (crosses it, I believe) on name calling. Nice going.

Apollo_T said:

marylago said:

That was helpful... I had a pedometer. I wore it but it was wildly inaccurate, so I threw it away. The Fitbit is not 100% accurate, but it's a really good measuring stick. And if it motivates people, what do you care?

 Your criticism was helpful.

If my opinion/experience is different  Why do you care.

Oh Queen W(?)itch of  Useful Comments?

Use whichever measuring method or device which makes you come out a winner.

I have a Fitbit Charge (the standard one, without the heart-rate monitor), and I love it. I had a Fitbit One, but I prefer having something on my wrist--I lost two Fitbit Ones because they were so small that they fell out of my pocket without my noticing. 

I chose the Charge because I wanted the watch functionality as well as the tracking, and because it was (at the time) the only tracker-watch that was sized for a very small wrist and wasn't hideously ugly. I find it motivating and love meeting my goals--a little silent alarm goes off when I reach my daily step goal, which just tickles me. It also has amazing battery life, especially compared to the older Fitbits. I charge it once a week, and the rest of the time it just sits there and does its thing.