Help me choose an activity tracker/fitbit/nike band type thing

cambsno

cambsno

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Want to get one for my wife but know nothing about these things. So, any ideas would be welcome.

She runs 3 times a week and would want to track runs, times, etc... and i think is keen to explore the activity side like sleep and general activity. She has friends that have GPS type things but these will often take a while to find a satellite so is not so keen. What else do they do and what do i need to try to find out from her to help make a decision (want it to be a suprise).
 
Does she have an Android or Apple IOS device that she could sync to it?
 
I use a fitbit. Works for me and strangely motivational. Measure HR, Distance Traveled, Steps and floors climbed. I think you need to get the next most expensive for GPS too
 
I have a Fitbit Charge HR. I use it to track three main things, my sleep, the amount of steps I take each day and the amount of water I drink. The first two are tracked automatically via the device and the water is tracked by updating the app on my smartphone. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but I do know that it's accurate enough for my purposes. I actually really like the info that I can get from it.

I used to run quite regularly, 5 times a week and have done a couple of marathons. When doing that level of training I used a Garmin 410 GPS running watch to track and log my runs. It was great at what it did but I only used it for training, it wasn't my day-to-day watch.
 
Fitbit style devices are excellent for "passive" exercise like walking around and stuff. If you want to track running then IMO you want to use a phone app like Strava or (far better) a GPS watch. My wife has the entry level Garmin FR10 which we got second hand for £40 - I think they are about £70 new. It usually finds GPS within a minute which just gives time for a pre run stretch.

I believe the FR15 is a cross between an FR10 and an activity tracker.
 
I've got a Nike fuel band, a Fitbit, a Microsoft band, a pebble. They all gather dust. I've got my phone on me all the time and does it all.
 
dejongj said:
I've got a Nike fuel band, a Fitbit, a Microsoft band, a pebble. They all gather dust. I've got my phone on me all the time and does it all.
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Does the Microsoft band talk to Windows phones like the Pebble does to Android? If so, I might be interested at the right price in the classifieds. (Mrs Nod's just bought herself a Pebble and loves it!)
 
neil_g said:
Garmin Vivosmart for day to day activity. Combined with my Edge 800 for cycling.
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Similar to myself.

That said if I was running 3 times a week (and not cycling) I'd have a more specific/advanced device than a fitness band - either a Garmin Forerunner or Polar watch (M400 or at the top end a V800) which will give a richer set of data and insights to improve your wife's running. GPS is usually not an issue unless you are indoors when kicking it off, or running through narrow streets surrounded by skyscrapers.
 
I have a mi fit, very cheap, yet very reliable. Not sure if it can identify between running and walking but counts steeps etc, needs charging around every 40 days, mine is set to vibrate when I get a call or text which is very useful in quiet work environments.

I've also used google fit which uses your android phone sensors to determine walking, running and cycling. Really surprisingly accurate, but I don't carry my phone everywhere.
 
Nod said:
Does the Microsoft band talk to Windows phones like the Pebble does to Android? If so, I might be interested at the right price in the classifieds. (Mrs Nod's just bought herself a Pebble and loves it!)
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Oh yes. It's integration with Windows phone is very good. They come in three sizes, there is a pdf to measure on their website.
 
Ah! I see it's more a health accessory than a mini phone screen (like the Pebble). Might have to get my Huawei unlocked so I can use my SIM in it and nick Mrs Nod's Pebble!
 
Thanks. Don't think she wants or needs gps, currently uses a very basic pedometer type thing that measures miles and times. I like the Apple Watch but she would prefer her current watch and also rarely takes phone with her running.
 
cambsno said:
Thanks. Don't think she wants or needs gps, currently uses a very basic pedometer type thing that measures miles and times. I like the Apple Watch but she would prefer her current watch and also rarely takes phone with her running.
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Good points. However a pedometer is a fairly poor way of measuring distance and speed. For one thing it doesn't understand how stride length varies between walking and running.
 
cambsno said:
Thanks. Don't think she wants or needs gps, currently uses a very basic pedometer type thing that measures miles and times. I like the Apple Watch but she would prefer her current watch and also rarely takes phone with her running.
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In which case a small discreet band is probably more than sufficient. Either the Garmin Vivoactive (or the new HR version) or a Polar Loop.
 
cambsno said:
Thanks. Don't think she wants or needs gps, currently uses a very basic pedometer type thing that measures miles and times. I like the Apple Watch but she would prefer her current watch and also rarely takes phone with her running.
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I'd definitely look at a mi fit then.
 
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