Apple Watch - pros/cons

[MaMa3Princess]

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Not that I don't doubt the steps-driving thing, but I think there may be a setting you may have to check.

I ONLY say this because when I drove from Texas to Florida (and it was me driving, all 19 hours over two days), I just checked my GarminConnect account for those days and on the first day, I had 12,000 steps (roughly 6 miles) - which makes sense, since we went to the Saints game in New Orleans and then walked the French Quarter, and then only 4,000 steps the next day (2 miles) - which, again, makes sense since I spent 10 hours in the car and only stopped to get gas, let the dogs out and go to the restroom.

Thank you! Just popped over to Garmin Connect and realized that I never did customize my step length preference.. Some said this helped with the driving/step count problem. Sorry to high jack the Apple Watch thread....

 

[MeridaAndAngus]

Small update from my OP:

After much research (thanks in part to the points raised on this thread), I decided to hold off on considering the Apple Watch until the second generation version is available. I assessed what I really needed out of a fitness watch/band at this time, and came to the conclusion that I would keep my current Jawbone UP2 as my primary fitness tracker. I also purchased a Mio Fuse for $79 on Amazon Warehouse (new it is normally $149). So far I've been really happy with the functionality of the wrist-based heart rate monitor of the Mio Fuse, both for tracking my heart rate during workouts and at random times during the day. The Mio Fuse bracelet also does a great job of tracking steps and calories burned throughout the day.

I don't wear the Mio Fuse all the time because it simply looks to much like athletic gear, but the Jawbone UP2 has been a great all day tracker for that purpose. The Jawbone also provides the sleep monitoring functions and silent alarm that are missing from the Mio Fuse. The Jawbone also is styled in a way that it isn't immediately obvious that it's a fitness bracelet, so I have a little more leeway in wearing it with professional clothes without looking like I just left the gym.

If anyone has any other tips about fitness trackers/watches with heart rate monitoring features I'd love to hear about them!

Side note: I briefly tested out the new Garmin Vivosmart HR fitness tracker with HR monitor. I was really excited about the idea of uniting the heart rate function with a fitness tracker that looks more like a watch. I'm not sure if this is a systemic issue or if I just got a bad device, but I had a lot of trouble getting my bracelet to sync with the Garmin app on my iPhone. I also had the problem that others have discussed here with other Garmin devices of the tracker adding an unusually large number of "steps" for rides in the car. Finally, I found the Garmin Connect app to be more difficult to use and customize to my needs as compared to the Jawbone app. Ultimately, I got frustrated with the apparent lack of functionality of the bracelet and returned it a few days after I got it. I'm hoping this was just an issue of (a) me getting a poorly calibrated/manufactured bracelet, and (b) me not being very familiar with the Garmin app. Has anyone else tried the Vivosmart HR and had similar issues? It was only available for sale through Garmin and Best Buy until after the holidays, but I think it's now more widely sold so maybe more reviews will be available.

 

[rteetz]

Fitbit has a new tracker

http://gizmodo.com/fitbit-gets-fanc..._source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[MeridaAndAngus]

Fitbit has a new tracker

http://gizmodo.com/fitbit-gets-fanc..._source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Wow, that looks like a really interesting option. I might have to look into that in the next few months after there are some long-term reviews available. CES seems to be bringing out some interesting development for fitness trackers; when I updated my iPhone this morning I got a notice that my Mio Fuse now does sleep tracking, including tracking your heart rate while sleeping. I'm excited to test this function and see how it holds up against the sleep tracking on my JawBone UP2.