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Thursday 23 July 2015

July 23, 2015
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(Image: Fitbit)

10 Cool Fitness Trackers That Aren't Apple Watch


Recording health data is a key selling point of Apple Watch, but there are many fitness trackers that measure steps, calories, and sleep at a fraction of the cost.


(Image: Fitbit)
Few -- if any -- wearables have ever garnered the level of attention that Apple Watch has received since it was first announced in March at the company's Spring Forward event.
Over the ensuing weeks, Apple fans eagerly awaited news pertaining to the pricing and release date for Apple Watch. Non-fans watched as well, curious about the wearable that was reportedly poised to change the smartwatch market.
Even as a first-edition smartwatch, there are a few cool things that Apple Watch can do. Wearers can receive gentle taptic notifications to alert them to incoming messages, receive phone calls, and access a broad range of apps for productivity and travel.
[More health news: How Technology Is Killing Us All.]



From the get-go it was clear that health and fitness would be core priorities in developing new features for Apple Watch. During its release event, we learned about the many ways that Apple Watch is intended to keep users more conscious of their health habits.
Apple Watch measures its wearer's activity levels throughout the day and keeps track of calories burned and how much time has been spent on brisk exercise. If you've been sitting too long, it'll tell you to get up and stretch. Each week, it uses fitness history to set activity goals.
These are all useful features, and no doubt Apple Watch owners will (well, should) take advantage of them. But what about those of us who don't have, or want, an Apple Watch? Who want to track health data but don't want to pay $350 for a smartwatch to do it?
Apple Watch aside, there are plenty of fitness trackers on the market that will monitor your health and activity data for a much lower price. Take a look at some of the most popular and effective models, and see which might be a good fit for your lifestyle.
Did we miss your fitness tracker or one you've had your eye on? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Fitbit Charge HR The Charge HR does more than most wearables when it comes to tracking health stats. Its continuous heart rate monitor is active whether you're moving or resting, and it enables the fitness band to give more accurate data on steps taken, distance traveled, caloric burn, and quality of sleep. Its OLED screen displays health information and caller ID from a connected smartphone. The Charge, which has been widely commended for its accuracy, comes in three sizes to accommodate different wrists. It's priced at $150. (Image: Fitbit)

Fitbit Charge HR

The Charge HR does more than most wearables when it comes to tracking health stats. Its continuous heart rate monitor is active whether you're moving or resting, and it enables the fitness band to give more accurate data on steps taken, distance traveled, caloric burn, and quality of sleep. Its OLED screen displays health information and caller ID from a connected smartphone. The Charge, which has been widely commended for its accuracy, comes in three sizes to accommodate different wrists. It's priced at $150.


Misfit Flash If you're looking for a bare-bones fitness tracker at a dirt-cheap price, the Misfit Flash is your pick. The tiny waterproof device tracks steps taken, calories burned, and distance traveled; it also includes an automatic sleep tracker. It can be fastened around your wrist or clipped at the waist. The Misfit Flash runs for $50. The catch? When I say it's simple, I mean simple. The tracker doesn't have a screen and instead uses 12 LED lights to display time and notifications. It does have a compatible mobile app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, and it also integrates with other fitness apps like RunKeeper and MyFitnessPal. (Image: Misfit)

Misfit Flash

If you're looking for a bare-bones fitness tracker at a dirt-cheap price, the Misfit Flash is your pick. The tiny waterproof device tracks steps taken, calories burned, and distance traveled; it also includes an automatic sleep tracker. It can be fastened around your wrist or clipped at the waist. The Misfit Flash runs for $50.
The catch? When I say it's simple, I mean simple. The tracker doesn’t have a screen and instead uses 12 LED lights to display time and notifications. It does have a compatible mobile app for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, and it also integrates with other fitness apps like RunKeeper and MyFitnessPal.

Sony SmartBand Talk The e-ink display on the SmartBand Talk (similar to the screen on a Kindle) is easy to read and keeps you posted on health data like quality of sleep, steps taken, calories burned and minutes of activity completed. While the SmartBand can't make calls, it can receive calls while you're wearing it. Sony promises three days of use and up to one hour of talk time on a single charge. The SmartBand is waterproof up to 1.5m and doesn't have a GPS. The compatible Sony Lifelog app records your activity so you can see where you went, pictures you took, and who you talked to. It retails for $170. (Image: Sony)

Sony SmartBand Talk

The e-ink display on the SmartBand Talk (similar to the screen on a Kindle) is easy to read and keeps you posted on health data like quality of sleep, steps taken, calories burned and minutes of activity completed. While the SmartBand can't make calls, it can receive calls while you're wearing it. Sony promises three days of use and up to one hour of talk time on a single charge. The SmartBand is waterproof up to 1.5m and doesn't have a GPS.
The compatible Sony Lifelog app records your activity so you can see where you went, pictures you took, and who you talked to. It retails for $170.

Moov Moov is a fitness coach that looks like a watch. You clip the small, round face to a band that winds around your leg or wrist, and proceed with your workout choice of the day. As you run, swim, box, or cycle, the tracker records your activity and provides coaching to help you move more efficiently. For example, it'll tell you how to improve your swim stroke or change your impact landing as you run. Moov integrates with your smartphone to display personalized workouts and health data. It's priced at $99. (Image: Moov)

Moov

Moov is a fitness coach that looks like a watch. You clip the small, round face to a band that winds around your leg or wrist, and proceed with your workout choice of the day. As you run, swim, box, or cycle, the tracker records your activity and provides coaching to help you move more efficiently. For example, it'll tell you how to improve your swim stroke or change your impact landing as you run. Moov integrates with your smartphone to display personalized workouts and health data. It’s priced at $99.

Mio Fuse The Mio Fuse is more of an activity tracker than overall health tracker. How so? Well, it's comfortable, waterproof, and ideal for measuring running pace, distance traveled, steps taken, calories burned, and your heart rate and heart rate zone during exercise. It's great for active people, such as avid runners and cyclists, and it integrates with fitness apps through Bluetooth Smart. That said, the Mio Fuse doesn't record sleep quality, and it's not quite as good at tracking your resting heart rate. It runs for $149. (Image: Mio)

Mio Fuse

The Mio Fuse is more of an activity tracker than overall health tracker. How so? Well, it's comfortable, waterproof, and ideal for measuring running pace, distance traveled, steps taken, calories burned, and your heart rate and heart rate zone during exercise. It's great for active people, such as avid runners and cyclists, and it integrates with fitness apps through Bluetooth Smart. That said, the Mio Fuse doesn't record sleep quality, and it's not quite as good at tracking your resting heart rate. It runs for $149.

Garmin Vivofit 2 If you're looking to drop a few pounds, consider investing in the Vivofit 2. This Garmin model's display can be worn in the shower or pool. It constantly shows health data pertaining to sleep, steps taken, calories burned, and distance traveled. A newly updated model includes a stopwatch mode, better wrist strap, backlight, and alerts to help you get up and moving. Vivofit 2 also connects with nutrition tracker MyFitnessPal to manage caloric intake. Garmin promises the battery lasts one year. It'll run you $100. (Image: Garmin)

Garmin Vivofit 2

If you're looking to drop a few pounds, consider investing in the Vivofit 2. This Garmin model's display can be worn in the shower or pool. It constantly shows health data pertaining to sleep, steps taken, calories burned, and distance traveled. A newly updated model includes a stopwatch mode, better wrist strap, backlight, and alerts to help you get up and moving. Vivofit 2 also connects with nutrition tracker MyFitnessPal to manage caloric intake. Garmin promises the battery lasts one year. It'll run you $100.

Microsoft Band Microsoft has dipped its toe in the wearables pool, but not with a smartwatch. Instead we have the Band, a fitness tracker that has a few smartwatch capabilities, but is primarily intended to help its wearer follow a healthier lifestyle. The Band, which works across mobile devices and PCs, tracks heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, and quality of sleep. Other services include GPS for run mapping and guided workouts. After collecting all your health data, the Microsoft Health service provides actionable insights to help you make sense of all the information. The Band also sends alerts for calendar events and email previews, which we might expect from productivity giant Microsoft. The company quotes a price of $180 on its site. (Image: Microsoft)

Microsoft Band

Microsoft has dipped its toe in the wearables pool, but not with a smartwatch. Instead we have the Band, a fitness tracker that has a few smartwatch capabilities, but is primarily intended to help its wearer follow a healthier lifestyle.
The Band, which works across mobile devices and PCs, tracks heart rate, steps taken, calories burned, and quality of sleep. Other services include GPS for run mapping and guided workouts. After collecting all your health data, the Microsoft Health service provides actionable insights to help you make sense of all the information. The Band also sends alerts for calendar events and email previews, which we might expect from productivity giant Microsoft. The company quotes a price of $180 on its site.

Jawbone UP2 While it lacks the complex features of more advanced trackers like the Charge HR, the Jawbone UP2 is a solid option for monitoring basic health data at a comparatively low cost. For $100, you'll get a comfortable and more-stylish-than-most band that tracks activity and sleep, and has a smart alarm. Reviewers at Wareable have noted it packs a better value for its weight than its bigger counterpart, the Jawbone UP3. (Image: Jawbone)

Jawbone UP2

While it lacks the complex features of more advanced trackers like the Charge HR, the Jawbone UP2 is a solid option for monitoring basic health data at a comparatively low cost. For $100, you'll get a comfortable and more-stylish-than-most band that tracks activity and sleep, and has a smart alarm. Reviewers at Wareable have noted it packs a better value for its weight than its bigger counterpart, the Jawbone UP3.

Basis Peak The Basis Peak is another fitness tracker with some smartwatch capabilities. It's an upgraded version of the Basis B1, a fitness tracker that debuted in 2013 with a heart-rate monitor and sensors for skin temperature and perspiration. The Peak has a more modern design, improved heart rate monitor, and displays metrics on your health while awake or asleep. If you want to dig into the minute details of your daily health habits, you'll be able to do it. On the smartwatch side, the Peak can display notifications for phone calls, meetings, and text messages. It costs $200. (Image: Basis)

Basis Peak

The Basis Peak is another fitness tracker with some smartwatch capabilities. It's an upgraded version of the Basis B1, a fitness tracker that debuted in 2013 with a heart-rate monitor and sensors for skin temperature and perspiration.
The Peak has a more modern design, improved heart rate monitor, and displays metrics on your health while awake or asleep. If you want to dig into the minute details of your daily health habits, you'll be able to do it. On the smartwatch side, the Peak can display notifications for phone calls, meetings, and text messages. It costs $200.

Jawbone UP Move At $50, the UP Move is another health tracker for the budget-conscious. Touch the button to keep track of workouts and later connect that time period with a specific form of exercise such as yoga or running in the Jawbone app. The app will give you a better idea of how many calories you burned during exercise. You can also use the tracker to measure quality of sleep, log food intake, and access a Smart Coach. (Image: Jawbone)

Jawbone UP Move

At $50, the UP Move is another health tracker for the budget-conscious. Touch the button to keep track of workouts and later connect that time period with a specific form of exercise such as yoga or running in the Jawbone app. The app will give you a better idea of how many calories you burned during exercise. You can also use the tracker to measure quality of sleep, log food intake, and access a Smart Coach.
- July 23, 2015