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Wearable Tech Reviews

Withing Activite’ Water Resistant Sapphire Review

by Jodie L. Masteller  - June 21, 2016
Review

Do you want to track your health and sleep habits, yet do not want the bulky smartwatch technology weighing you down? The newest technology that will track your habits is a watch, but it is so much more than that. The Activite’ is a beautiful piece of jewelry, a synced watch, and one that looks better than most on the market. The fine leather band is hand-stitched, and the high end Swiss made dials are designed  movements that fit right in line with its understated elegance. The Activite’ is simplistic but integrated thanks to the Health Mate app which tracks your everyday activity and heart rate using sensors in your watch and phone.


It can do so much more than keep time; it becomes an advanced way to keep track of your health habits. The Activite Sapphire looks good, but it is not a typical smartwatch since all tracking is done through Health Mate, not the watch itself.  The silent alarm is set through the app and can be checked by tapping three times on the domed Sapphire glass that covers the face. The Health Mate app can track your sleep patterns and provide comprehensive monitoring when the watch is worn to bed. The Activite’ is water resistant up to 50 meters and is scratch resistant, thanks to the almost impenetrable domed sapphire glass.


This beautiful timepiece lasts eight months on one CR2025 button battery so when the watch loses its charge, simply buy a new button battery. With the smartphone connectivity, your watch will always display the correct time zone, even in other countries. This timepiece will also help you in your personal health goals by helping develop your own personal activity and wellness plan that has personal reminders, health badges and friendly competition levels. The Withing Activite’ Water Resistant Sapphire Watch and the Health Mate app can track your sleep, your swimming, your complete day, and you can look good while it is doing it. Just do not forget your smartphone. Your watch depends on it.

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Highlights

  • Swiss Made analog watch designed in Paris

  • Up to 8 months of battery life

  • High-end Swiss dials come in two colors: black pattern with an orange accent and a white face with a blue accent.

  • Impenetrable case that is protected by a scratch-proof domed sapphire glass. 

  • The 5 ATM (50 meters) water-resistant case resilient to corrosion.

  • Activity Tracking: Records steps, distance and calories burned

  • Easily recognizes your swimming session and logs duration of session and calories burned.

  • Fine calf leather strap meticulously stitched and made of soft grain high quality Barenia leather from Haas Tanneries, the supplier of the finest French Haute Couture houses.

Pros

  1. No need for a charger

  2. Automatic time zone change

  3. Elegant and fine quality materials

  4. Works with App for health monitor

Cons

9.1

Score

  1. Requires app for all interaction and adjustments

  2. Sleep recordings are inaccurate

  3. Will count claps as steps

  4. Not a true smart watch

  5. Companion app lacks features

Withing Activite’ Sapphire
Garmin Fenix 3 HR

Earin Wireless Earbuds Review

by Malcolm Black - February 1, 2016
Review

You love music; whether you are working on a project or exercising, you are always listening to the sweet sounds of your favorite artists. Earin now offers the first truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds. Simply insert your Earin earbuds and go—no wires or cables necessary. Music may be a huge part of your life, but wires and cables don’t have to be.

 

Lasting around three hours on a single charge, these wireless earbuds offer a solid amount of listening time. Whenever you are running low on power, slip your earbuds into the sleek, aluminum-bodied charging capsule. The capsule can charge your earbuds three times before needing a charge itself and automatically starts charging the earbuds the moment you insert them into the capsule.

 

Connecting your earbuds via Bluetooth is simple:go to your phone’s Bluetooth settings, connect to the wireless earbuds, turn on your phone’s music player and head out the door. For added utility, download the Earin smartphone app which allows you to control volume, bass boost and track the battery life of each of your wireless earbuds.

 

The Comply™ foam earbud tips expand and adapt to your ears, creating a secure and comfortable seal that immerses you in quality sound while expelling ambient noise. The earbuds are sweat and splash resistant, and with the included stabilizers, you can exercise without worrying about your earbuds falling out. 

Nonetheless, these earbuds are not without issue. Being the first truly wireless earbuds is not an easy feat and perfection is hard to achieve the first time around. The Bluetooth connection can be spotty at times which may affect sound quality and may result in songs “skipping.” However, this issue is to be expected from a startup company like Earin, especially in regards to a new and first generation model.

 

With that said, you still get a quality pair of compact and lightweight earphones. Earin Wireless Earbuds offer minimal distortion, full and detailed sound, paired with the convenience of a small and lightweight design. If minimalism and premium sound quality is your goal, these wireless earbuds will exceed your expectations. 
 

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Highlights

  • First truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds

  • Minimalistic design 

  • Smaller, lighter and more wireless than anything else so far

  • Earin App

  • Store, charge and go

  • 3-hour battery life

  • Stabilizers—keep earbuds in place even during exercising 

  • Sound isolation

  • Stylish and sleek Earin capsule

  • Sweat and splash proof earbuds

  • Comply™ foam tips

  • Balanced armature technology

  • Wireless: Bluetooth 3.0 and 4.0 compatible 

  • 1-year warranty

Pros

  1. Completely wireless Bluetooth earbuds

  2. A minimalistic design with great sound quality

  3. Earin app is simple to use and helpful

  4. Sound isolation

Score

9.0

Cons

  1. Bluetooth connection can be spotty

  2. Costly: starting at $200

  3. No microphone so you can’t answer phone calls

  4. 1st generation in its class

Earin Wireless Earbuds
Review

Being an outdoor athlete is more than persistent training. It’s a lifestyle that you choose. What you wear, how you spend your time, whom you make friends with are all facets to show your lifestyle. With a Garmin Fenix 3 HR Watch, you can get assistance to improve your training and also show your lifestyle.

 

The Fenix 3 HR Watch tracks plenty of sports, such as climbing, running, cycling, swimming, skiing, and triathlon. It has different monitoring features based on the type of different sports you do to provide analysis that can improve your training quality. For runners, it measures not only steps, but also your stride length, ground contact symmetry and heart rate. With all the data collected, the watch analyzes the point where your muscles start to rapidly fatigue, provide a real-time fitness-level and give a stress score that scales from 1 to 100. For swimmers, the Garmin Fenix 3 HR Watch monitors the distance, pace and even stroke count after you tell the watch the size of the swimming pool.

 

Whether you’re climbing a mountain or discovering a forest like Bear Grylls in Man vs Wild, the Garmin Fenix 3 HR Watch will navigate your way and assist you in the roughest conditions. The TracBack feature leads you back to the starting point of the same way you came. When you’re walking, the watch creates a “bread crumb trail” that allows you to mark locations, such as a start-finish line, course checkpoint or a campsite. It’s also equipped with ABC sensors (altimeter, barometer, and compass) to provide real-time information without Wi-Fi. It has a long battery life with about 16 hours in GPS mode and up to 2 weeks in smartwatch mode. The sunlight-visible display with LED backlight makes the screen clear in any light condition. Additionally, you can customize your watch face and connect to other users using the Connect IQ platform.

 

The Garmin Fenix 3 HR Watch falls short of basic smartwatch function since it is basically a GPS tracker, so don’t expect such functionality  ̶̶  and if you are a girl, it does not come in pink!. Nevertheless, if you are serious about your sports training, the Garmin Fenix 3 HR Watch can be the right one for you. 
 

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Highlights

  • Serious style that stands up to the roughest conditions

  • GPS/GLONASS satellite reception

  • Elevate™ wrist heart rate technology with 24/7 HR (heart rate) monitoring

  • Advance activity tracking including running, swimming, and skiing modes

  • 1.2-inch sunlight-readable Garmin Chroma Display™ 

  • Outdoor navigation features like 3-axis compass, altimeter, barometer and TracBack® feature

  • Up to 2 weeks battery life in smartwatch mode

  • Waterproof up to 100 meters

  • 23 MB available built-in memory

  • One year warranty

Pros

  1. Great battery life

  2. Easy to read, always-on screen

  3. Huge array of sports that can be measured

  4. Great outdoor navigation features

  5. It looks great

Score

9.6

Cons

  1. Optical HR sensor cannot be used in all activities

  2. Only with basic smartwatch features

  3. Masculine watch with no female version but you can get a pink band by third parties.

Garmin Fenix 3 HR Watch Review

by Audrey Liang - April 11, 2016

Tag Heuer Connected Review

by David Priede - November 15, 2015
Review

In 1860 at 20 years of age, Edouard Heuer opened a watch making workshop in the Swiss village of St. Imier. His ingenuity sparked the legacy of mastering time and pushing boundaries. Keeping up with the times, the new Connected model looks like a classic Tag Heuer yet it packs the latest technology behind its luxury titanium casing making it very light yet strong.

 

The new Connected has a "transflective" display, which makes it readable in direct sunlight, and it has an always-on mode. The Connected is equipped with directional wind and weather monitoring, RaceChrono Pro capability, and Google Fit, and it is designed not only with style but with the synthesis of precision thanks to its innovative interactive counters. You can change its face with custom themes and several display options and connect with thousands of apps that you can tailor to your taste. If that is not enough, the TAG Heuer Connected provides a custom suite of micro applications, including alarm and stopwatch features to optimize performance, precision, and Swiss perfection.

 

Bonding craftsmanship together with radical innovation, the TAG Heuer Connected is technical ingenuity built with titanium, sapphire, and the best in class touchscreen technology. The wearable watch runs on the latest release of Android Wear with about 4,000 available apps at the Google Play store. It is also iOS compatible. So, if you like 150 years of craftsmanship together with unlimited power and the potential of wearable technology, take a good look at this wearable luxury Swiss made watch, you will not be disappointed.
 

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Highlights

  • Titanium Grade 2 casing with black, sandblasted, carbide-coated titanium bezel with anti-fingerprint coating 

  • IP67 splash-proof water resistance

  • Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal screen supporting multiple finger recognition with resolution of 360x360 with 240ppi

  • 1.6GHz dual-core processor and 1GB main memory with 4GB storage memory

  • Gyroscope, tilt detection sensor, microphone, haptic engine

  • Compatible with Android 4.3+ and iOS 8.2+

  • Bluetooth BLE 4.1 - WLAN 2.4 GHz 802.11 B/G/N

  • Two-year warranty

Pros

  1. Swiss made

  2. Luxury watch looks, smart watch functionality

  3. Comfortable to wear

  4. Stylish with high-end specs

  5. Lightweight titanium

  6. Trade-in if you don't like it

Score

9.5

Cons

  1. Battery life runs for about 24 hours

  2. Low-resolution screen

  3. 1st generation

Tag Heuer Connected
Samsung Gear S2

Samsung Gear S2 Smart Watch Review

By Priya Modi - October 30, 2015
Review

Living in a fast-paced world means that everything (for the most part) needs to be accessible—preferably, at the tips of our fingers. The Samsung Gear S2 is a light-weight, comfortable wrist watch that can keep track of your needs.

 

The circular interface and unique rotating bezel lets you navigate through notifications, apps and widgets quickly without covering the display. Previous versions of Samsung watches were known for their chunky, nerdy design. However, the new Gear S2 nailed the design to be modern and fresh. It can also be personalized with custom watch faces to create a smartwatch that is uniquely your own. The watch is compatible with Android 4.4 via Bluetooth. Since the watch runs on Tizen operating system, it is a challenge to get developers to create apps for it at least for now.

 

The Gear S2 allows you to receive calendar notifications, texts and even news updates. Preset responses enable users to reply to text messages. For instance, you can type in "Wow, that's great! Congrats!" easily. However, saying this message may not be detected to convert it to text. If you’re a health fanatic, the S2 monitors heart rate and steps walked during the day. 

 

The watch features Yelp, Bloomberg, CNN, and Here Maps. Although these apps are useful, the loading process takes a while. Apps are limited, and even though Facebook or Twitter are absent, you can still receive notifications. 

 

Depending on your view, the Gear S2 can be either helpful or just not enough. If you have a need to get bits of information from notifications, messages, or tracking some physical activity, this watch is for you. But, if you are looking for an experience that is “out-of-this-world” or in another dimension, then this may not quench your thirst. The Samsung Gear S2 has potential, but like most other smart watches still needs improvement.
 

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Highlights

  • AMOLED display

  • Tizen OS

  • Dual core 1.0 GHz

  • 1.2” display

  • Bluetooth v4.1

  • 4GB internal memory

  • 512 MB of RAM

  • Display resolution: 360 x 360, 302 ppi

  • 250mAh Li-ion battery

  • Wireless charging

  • IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant

  • Schedule, News, Maps & Navigation, Weather

  • Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, Barometer

Pros

  1. Sleek design 

  2. Good battery life (up to 3 days)

  3. Wireless charging

  4. Intuitive user interface

  5. Comfortable on wrist (light weight)

  6. Somewhat water-resistant (splashes from sink)

Score

9.0

Cons

  1. Weak voice recognition

  2. Screen turns off fast

  3. Not completely water-resistant (not meant for the beach or underwater)

  4. Cannot create to-do list or set reminders

  5. Limited third-party apps

  6. No phone calls – can only be used for dialling

Jewelbot: Programmable Bracelets for Girls Review

By Sarah Gruenewald - August, 2015
Review

The amount of women going into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) today, especially into the Computer Sciences, are currently lower than the levels in the 1980s.

 

To combat this, Sara Chipps, Brooke Moreland, and Maria Paula Saba joined forces and created a piece of technology to appeal to a young girl: a bracelet called Jewelbot. Jewelbots are not just to accessorize, but are a powerful communication tool that are completely customizable to the girl.

 

Jewelbots use Bluetooth to communicate with one another. They can be used with or without a smartphone. Girls can sync their Jewelbots to their friends’, and program the bracelet with the Jewelbots app. Right out of the box, girls can easily program their bracelet to light up  to send messages across the classroom or when friends are near. To be more creative, girls can use basic if/then statements in the app to take their Jewelbot above and beyond the factory settings. This helps girls to begin to learn the fundamentals of computer science while communicating with their friends, as well as expressing themselves.

 

Girls that want to continue to build their programming skills  can use the Arduino IDE program to make the bracelets do whatever they can imagine. Jewelbots are open source that offer the perfect platform to explore every possibility with wearable technology communication. They can program their bracelet to light up a certain color when they get an Instagram follower and another when they get a message on Facebook. The Jewelbot can vibrate a certain number of times  when they get a text from mom and another number to know when their favorite show is about to start.

 

The Jewelbot is the perfect beginning to the spark of love of creating through the power of technology in any young girl.

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Highlights

  • Powerful communication tool

  • Open source

  • Meshwork connectivity

  • Encourages young girls to experiment with coding 

  • Helps young girls think of themselves as “tech savvy”

  • Programmable Jewelbot app for iOS and Android

  • Prompts creativity

  • Out-of-the-box ready

  • Customizable

  • Morse Code secret language

  • Communication with light and vibration 

  • Arduino IDE program 

  • Social media updates

  • Weather updates

Pros

  1. Sample code offered for beginners

  2. Color and charm variety

  3. Elastic band to fit all sizes

  4. Can use with or without a smartphone

Cons

Score

9.3

  1. Releases spring 2016

  2. Small charms

  3. Few LED lights

  4. Needs to be recharged

Jewelbot
Apple Watch
Highlights

  • Apples’ most personal device yet

  • An incredibly precise timepiece.

  • Entirely new ways to stay in touch.

  • A smarter way to look at fitness.

  • Find your style in three distinctive collections and hundreds of combinations

Pros

  1. Functional and attractive design

  2. Ample functionality and features

  3. Range of models and prices

  4. Interchangeable bands

Score

9.5

Cons

  1. Only works with an iPhone

  2. Battery life is only good for 1 day

  3. Limited health data gathering

  4. First generation

Apple Watch

Review

by Felix Bariom - August 12, 2015

Apple’s goal has always been to create impressive technology more accessible, relevant, and now, more personal. Apple Watch represents a new relationship people have with technology. It’s probably the most personal product Apple has created.

 

High-quality watches have always been defined by their ability to keep accurate time, and Apple Watch is no different. In combination with your iPhone, it keeps time within the global time standard. It even lets you customize your watch face to present time in a more meaningful, personal context representing to your life and schedule.

 

Apple Watch makes all the ways you’re used to communicating more convenient. And because it rests right on your wrist, it can add a physical dimension to alerts and notifications. For example, you’ll feel a light tap with every incoming message. Apple Watch also enables you to connect with your favorite people in a fun, natural way such as sending a tap, a sketch, or even your heartbeat.

 

Apple Watch also gives you an entire picture of your all-day activity. The Activity app displays your daily progress and help encourage you to sit less, move more, and get some exercise. It’s also a sports watch, giving you real-time statistics for a range of the most popular workouts. Over time, Apple Watch understands your activity and fitness levels. It uses that knowledge to improve the accuracy of your measurements and suggest personalized activity goals. It even offers custom reminders to encourage you to accomplish them.

 

A device you wear is significantly different from one you keep on a desk or carry in your pocket. It’s more than a tool. It’s a genuine expression of your personal taste. So Apple designed its watch to reflect a wide range of styles and preferences. Apple wants you to love wearing it as much as you love using it.

 

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Fitbit Surge
Highlights

  • GPS Tracking- See distance, pace and elevation climbed & review routes and split times

  • Get continuous, automatic, wrist-based heart rate and simplified heart rate zones

  • Track workouts & view workout summaries; plus all day activities including steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed and active minutes

  • Monitor your sleep automatically and wake with a silent alarm

  • See call and text notifications on the touchscreen display

  • Sync stats wirelessly and automatically to your computer and over 120 leading smartphone

  1. Continuous heart rate monitoring

  2. Built-in GPS

  3. Comfortable fit

  4. Tracks all activities

  5. Excellent app and easy syncing

  6. Supports text/call notifications and music control

Pros

Score

9.5

Cons

  1. Large size due to GPS

  2. Waterproof dut not submersible

  3. Below average battery life - about 6 hours with GPS on

Fitbit Surge

Review

by Felix Bariom - June 12, 2015

Train smarter and go farther with Surge - a sleek, fitness super watch designed to help you reach your peak performance. With built-in GPS, multisport functionality, and automatic, continuous heart rate, Surge delivers the stats you need to measure your effort and maximize your training time.

 

Add activity tracking, automatic sleep detection, music control, and text and call notifications, and you have everything you need to stay connected, motivated and in the zone—no matter what goal you’re working toward.

 

  1. Built-In GPS

  2. PurePulse Heart Rate

  3. Multi-Sport

  4. Activity Tracking

  5. Smart Notifications

  6. Auto Sleep + Silent Alarm

 

Built-In GPS: Tracking: See distance, pace, and elevation climbed, then review routes and split times.

 

PurePulse Heart Rate: Get continuous, automatic and all-day heart rate monitoring and see simplified heart zones—with no uncomfortable chest strap.

 

Multi-Sport: Record running, cross training and cardio workouts, then see comprehensive workout summaries with tailored metrics, workout intensity and calories burned.

 

Activity Tracking: Track steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, floors climbed and active minutes.

 

Smart Notifications: Play, pause and skip songs from your smartphone playlist and see call and text notifications right from your wrist.

 

Auto Sleep + Silent Alarm: Automatically monitor how long and how well you sleep and set a silent, vibrating alarm.

 

Sync stats wirelessly and automatically to your computer and 120+ leading smartphones—including Android, iOS and Windows.Set goals, log food, see progress, analyze trends and earn achievement badges through your mobile and online dashboard.

 

Share and compete with friends and family on the leaderboard and in NEW Fitbit challenges.

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Intels's MICA
Microsoft Band
Highlights

  • Beauty Meets Intelligence

  • Designed by Opening Ceremony, Engineered by Intel

  • Messaging

  • Priority Notifications

  • Calendar

  • Intelligent reminders

  • Access to 'Yelp search' to find and recommend restaurants, shopping, and establishments nearby.

  • 18k gold coating and a curved sapphire glass touchscreen display

Pros

  1. Small touchscreen

  2. Most use AT&T’s mobile broadband network with 2 year contract

  1. Luxury at its best

  2. Remote access, locking, and device locator

  3. Standard Micro-USB charging

  4. Up to two days of battery life

  5. Looks, looks and more looks

Cons

Score

9.3

Intel's MICA, My Intelligent Communications Accessory

Review

by Glenn W. Loden - May 28, 2015

The first luxury smart accessory designed by Opening Ceremony with Intel's technology. My Intelligent Communications Accessory (MICA), a collaboration between Opening Ceremony and Intel, celebrates what can happen when beauty meets intelligence. Meticulously designed for the stylish, connected woman and crafted from premium finishes, 18K gold coating and a curved sapphire glass touchscreen display. Engineered with Intel® technology, allowing you to easily view messages, your calendar, and alerts from your curated VIP contacts.

 

Discrete on wrist messaging, calendar, and event vibration-based notifications allows you to respond quickly with customizable messages. You can asssign the “important contacts” you want to receive notifications from and avoid the rest. The MICA allows you to see your upcoming Google* and Facebook* appointments and respond to requests as well.

 

Intelligent reminders powered by TomTom* let you know when it’s time to leave for your next appointment. This feature works with the incorporated GPS which allows it to smartly work with your calendar's and contact addresses.

 

While on the move, access Yelp* search to find restaurants, shopping, and establishments nearby. Reviews also are displayed to help you decide.

 

Crafted from premium finishes, 18k gold coating and a curved sapphire glass touchscreen display. One style features black water snake skin, pearls from China, and lapis stones from Madagascar, while the other style features white water snake skin, tiger's eye from South Africa, and obsidian from Russia.

 

Other features include: Remote Access, security locking, and device locator. Charging is easy with a standard Micro-USB connector. Battery Life is up to two days. Personalization allows you to make your own bespoke MICA bracelet with a custom digital wallpaper designed by Opening Ceremony.

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Highlights

  • Live healthier and be more productive

  • Guided Workouts

  • 24-hour heart rate tracking

  • Sleep tracking

  • Email

  • Calendar

  • Cortana

  • Cross-platform compatibility

  • Text messaging

  • Notification of incoming calls

  • Built-in GPS

  • UV monitor

  1. Works with MS OS, Android and iPhone

  2. Sleek design

  3. Tracks multiple areas of your daily life

  4. Comfortable to wear

Pros

Cons

Score

9.3

  1. Special connector needed to charge it

  2. Some functions only work with the devices running MS OS 8.1

Microsoft Band

Review

by Glenn W. Loden - April 5, 2015

Live healthier. With Microsoft Band, it's easier to reach your fitness goals. You can track your daily physical activity and review your workout stats with a single glance. Open the phone app to view your progress over time. Access expert-targeted workout routines that suit your fitness goals best. Microsoft Band tracks your reps and gives you a detailed summary of your effort, number of calories burned, and more. Understand your true metabolic burn rate with a heart rate monitor that provides continuous readings of your heart rate. You’ll gain a better understanding of your calorie burn, sleep patterns, and more.

 

Use your voice to take notes and set reminders with Cortana. the personal assistant for Windows Phone Or ask her to give driving directions and keep you onthe, on top of news, stocks, weather, and more. She’s ready to help whenever you need it.

 

Be more productive. Whether it’s urgent emails from your boss or upcoming appointments, Microsoft Band has you covered. 

Preview incoming calls, texts, social updates, weather, and more are just a wrist away. With Microsoft Band, now you can keep your head up, your eyes forward, and your hands free.

 

Whatever OS you might be using, rest assured the Microsoft Band is designed to be great on multiple platforms. Sick of pulling out your phone every time you get a text? Microsoft Band displays your texts and who’s sending them right on your wrist. You can respond with a standard message, or dismiss with a tap. for incoming calls, see who’s calling and review voicemail notifications without pulling out your phone. Send a quick “I’ll call ya later,” or any other standard response you have saved.

 

A built-in GPS records the routes you’ve walked, run, biked, and hiked. The Microsoft Band then maps them in the app for you to review later. You can save your favorites for future outings.

 

The Microsoft Band is equipped with a smart UV monitor that gives you real-time measurement of the UX Index. That way you can apply sunscreen or grab your sun visor before you hit the road.

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Misfit Flash
Highlights
  • Up to 12 hours of battery life

  • Thin and light

  • 802.11 ac Wi-Fi support

  • Fast-All flash storage

  • Powerfull apps
  • OX X Maveric operating system

  1. Small

  2. Sleek

  3. Minimalist design

  4. Tracks sleep

  5. Comfortable to wear

Pros

Cons

Score

8.7

  1. Doesn't sync with other fitness apps

  2. Doesn't track as much data as other fitness devices

  3. Does not track heart rate

Misfit Flash

Review

by Jessica T. Carter - March 8, 2015

Get fit with Misfit Flash, a sleek, sporty tracker that measures your activity and sleep, syncs with your smartphone, and comes in a variety of colors. Press Flash to see a halo of lights that shows your progress toward your daily activity goal and tells time. Flash never requires charging and is made of rugged, yet ultra-comfortable soft touch materials.

 

According to Misfit, Flash is a complete reimagining of its original Shine activity monitor, which launched in 2013 as the company's first product. The new fitness monitor offers the same fitness and tracking capabilities as Shine, but at half the price.

 

The most apparent design departure is the switch from an aluminum chassis to a structure made from polycarbonate and wrapped in "soft touch" thermoplastic polyurethane. While the circular shape remains unchanged, Flash is thicker to accommodate a new push button physical user interface. The device can be placed anywhere on the body using clasps and wrist straps, while the new chassis material brings new bright neon color options.

 

Unlike Shine, which uses an accelerometer to detect and translate taps into controls, the entire front face of Flash is a large input button. Accumulated motion and time is displayed by 12 red LEDs that shine through the polyurethane covering.

 

Internally, components are largely the same, with motion tracking sensors, a button cell battery and waterproof seals good down to 30 meters. Like the Shine, Flash also tracks sleep quality and connects to the Misfit iOS app via Bluetooth 4.0.

 

Includes: Flash, Sport Band, Battery and Clasp.

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Highlights

Pros

  1. Easy-to-use

  2. Water-resistant

  3. Light

  4. Syncs with iPhones and Android

8.5

Score

Cons

  1. Lacks a screen to check your progress

  2. Doesn't have a web app

  3. No measurement of stair climbed

  • Track your steps, workouts, calories burned, and more
  • Monitor what you eat with food & drink tracking
  • Learn how your day and night affect one another with The Insight Engine
  • Commit to personalized, achievable goals with Today I Will
  • 1 yr warranty - contact Jawbone with any tech support or band replacement needs at no extra cost

Jawbone Up24

Review

by Jessica T. Carter - February 19, 2015

Everything you need to live better is right here. Studies show that simply tracking what you eat can help you lose weight. Whether you want to shed a few pounds or just eat healthier, tracking food is now even easier. New features include frequent meals, an enhanced calorie counter, and an expanded library of restaurant menus. There's even a Food Score, so you can quickly see how healthy your food choices are. It's all designed to help you make great choices about what to eat and when.

 

More than any other activity tracker, the UP® system gives you an in-depth picture of your sleep. Sleep graphs let you see the good, the bad and the rapidly improving. Use bedtime reminders, Power Nap and Smart Alarm® to get to sleep and wake up at optimal times. UP intelligently analyzes your sleep, diet and exercise, then suggests simple adjustments that lead to more rest and happier days.

 

The UP® system is like a coach that gets to know you, then guides you to make simple decisions that lead to a more active life. With precise step tracking, workout logging and Insight Reports, UP is way more than a pedometer. Use Idle Alert to remind you to move throughout the day and add friends to your team to cheer and be cheered. When it comes to your activity goals, it doesn't matter where you start—what's important is where you're headed.

 

The UP® system has expanded to work with not only fitness, sleep and nutrition apps, but also a broad category of hardware. Whether you're adjusting your Nest Learning Thermostat™, biking with Strava™, walking your dog with Whistle or jogging with RunKeeper, UP connects them all. The updated weight management tools include integrations with HealthyOut, PlateJoy™, The Orange Chef and Munchery.

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