It is true that technology has made our life easy and much better but it has also increases the sedentary nature in humankind which has resulted into many lifestyle diseases. On the other hand, there are also many technologies available in market which works in favour of your health care.
Among all the favourite fitness devices, ‘smart-watches’ and ‘fitness bands’ are the popular ones. These gadgets are programmed to store all the health related information of its owner and also keep track of them. These devices help the person to remain updated about his/her health status so that the person can take precautionary measures or medical help when needed.
When these devices were introduced in the global market, millions of product has been sold within a month due to its usability. According to the market Researcher Canalys, around seven million fitness bands were shipped in the first months of this year which is 150 percent of the previous year’s demand. It has been estimated that 126.1 million fitness band will be shipped globally by 2019.
Seems like the people are really concerned about their fitness!! However, now it’s quite difficult to choose the best device since a huge number of excellent branded smart-watches and fitness bands are available. Some of the most popular brands are Apple Watch, Pebble Time, Fitbit, Withings, Misfits and many more.
Almost every year, a new model of smartwatch or a fitness band is being introduced in the market. So if you spend a good amount of money on a smart watch or a fitness band then it may only take a year for it, to get out-dated. So you cannot buy new ones every year unless you are filthy rich!!
Therefore, here are some few tips you need to consider before making your purchase:
Firstly, don’t buy something only because your friend or colleague has recommended it.
Ask these questions to yourself before buying:
- Do you regularly check all your messages or information updated on your device? This is because your gadget will inform you regularly about all your fitness data and if you don’t check them regularly then it’s of no use.
- Are you too concerned about your health?
- Do you run every day?
- Are you ready for getting fit and healthy with the use of a gadget?
- Are you good at learning all the technological stuff or how to use any new device easily?
If the answer to all these questions is a yes, then the smart watches or fitness bands can be a good friend to you.
So what should you look for in a smart watch or fitness band?
- Design:This is the first thing which catches the eye of customer. Choose the design which looks good but it should be comfortable to wear.
- Phone support: The latest smart watches and fitness bands are designed to operate through smartphones. You should check out their tech support requirements and also that if it is compatible with your smartphone or not.
- Waterproof features: If you have the habit of showering with your watch on, or you just want to record your swimming activities then you should probably go for the devices which are waterproof.
- Battery life: Battery life is one of the most important features you should check before purchasing. The baseline for the battery life of a smart watch is an average of three days and an average of seven days for fitness band. So try buying the ones which are near to these baselines.
- Whatsapp supporting feature or any other messenger supporting feature: since it’s the age of social networking and you definitely don’t want to miss any important message from your friend or family, so you should also look for these features while purchasing. Pebble, Android Wear and Samsung gear all have different apps installed with them.
- The display screen: it might not seem like a necessary thing, but it is. You need to also check what is the colour of the screen or whether the screen is always on or not and select the one according to your wish.
- Voice recording or speaker phone feature: this is optional one, but if you want your device to recognize your voice or may be act as a speaker phone when you use the messenger apps, then you should know whether it has the feature or not.
- Heart-rate monitor: this is another feature which is demanded by many people. If you want to record your heart-rate then you should definitely look for the ones which record accurately because not all devices are installed with it.
- App supporting feature: if you love using apps and want to even use them when you are on your fitness routine then, there are smart watches and fitness bands which come with several app supports. So select the one which supports your favorite apps.
- Eco-system support feature: this feature is necessary for frequent travelers or adventure loving customers. There are few smart-watches and fitness bands which have been designed to work in every eco-system or may be one or two eco-systems.
Here is a list of most popular smart-watches you can select from:
Apple Watch:
Features:
- It is iPhone device so you will find it equipped with the best features.
- It is the most popular among all smart-watches and fitness bands.
- It requires a recent iPhone device (iPhone 5 or later) to work with.
- It is compatible with the apps of App Store.
- It has easy-to-access notification facility.
- It tracks fitness records accurately.
- It has a premium design and its extra bells and whistles set it apart.
Drawbacks:
- It is quite expensive and the battery life isn’t that great.
- Third-party apps don’t load or work fast.
- It is an unfinished product and therefore its new version will be introduced soon.
Pebble Time:
Features:
- It is old but reliable. You can think it as the Blackberry of smart watches.
- It might not seem that good in the beginning but once you become a serious user then you will get hooked to it.
- Offers a good battery life which lasts at least a week.
- It is waterproof
- It is designed to display timeline view for upcoming events.
- It also has a rear port that could be used for hardware extension watchband.
- There are several models of pebble watches. The old ones are decently priced at $99. However they are scratch-prone and the design may seem ugly.
- The new models though come with new design and gorilla glass. It also supports lots of new feature and apps.
Drawbacks:
- It doesn’t come with touch-screen or heart-rate tracker.
- The apps supported by this device are older as compared to the other smart-watches.
- Its design resembles to that of regular digital watch but it has smart features.
LG Watch Urbane:
Features:
- Has a classic design and works on android.
- Supports android apps.
- Gives accurate fitness information.
- Can be used for map navigation
- Comes with in-built Wi-Fi which enables long distance connection with your phone and Wi-Fi hot spots.
Drawbacks:
- Is quite expensive
- Has mediocre battery life
- Lacks speaker phone.
Samsung Gear watches:
Features:
- Offers several hardware features
- Gives accurate fitness data.
- Has an on-board speaker phone. (The Sumsung Gear S model even comes with its own sim card)
- Have apps for different eco-system.
- Has variety of models to choose from
- Simple and speedy to use OS
- Good battery life
- Reasonable price
Drawbacks:
- You have to pay extra to make the most of the GPS features
- It has smaller screen compared to some smart-watch and it doesn’t look as modern as the Moto 360 2.
- Images from Whatsapp cannot be seen on screen.
- Doesn’t support all apps.
Now let’s take a look at some of the best Fitness bands in the market:
Fitbit Charge HR:
Features:
- Available in different colour options like black, teal, plum, blue, and tangerine.
- The screen is a monochrome OLED display and easy to read
- Records all the usual statistics, each enriched by heart rate data.
- When someone calls your smartphone, the name of the caller appears on the screen
- Water-resistant (but not swimming-friendly)
- Has Comfortable design
- Can Tracks nearly all exercises
- Automatic exercise detection
Negative trait:
- No built –in GPS
- Lacks Run tracker
- Heart rate accuracy issues
- Simplistic sleep tracking
2.WithingsActivité Steel
Features:
- Looks stylish
- Has awesome 8 months battery life
- Third party app support is really great
- The Sleep tracking is good
- Can track swimming
Drawbacks:
- Not ideal for run tracking or sports
- Limited views in the app
- No new sensors
Misfit Ray
Features:
- Has a stylish design.
- It is easy to use
- Has Good battery life without any charging.
- Does accurate tracking (especially sleep)
Drawbacks:
- It needs more alert and notification features
- App supports are not so user-friendly.
- Link doesn’t work well with this device.
Polar A360
Features:
- Has an awesome design
- Has an easy to read display screen
- Can Track a number of activities
- Has Good battery life
- It supports a plenty of 3rd party apps
Drawbacks:
- Heart rate data may be inaccurate.
- Band doesn’t remain secure during sleeping
- There is no feature for tracking distance while running
As we have seen that both fitness bands and Smart-watches are good options for health tracking. Consider the features mentioned above and decide the best smartphone or fitness band for yourself. Stay healthy, stay happy!!