The Jawbone UP 24 seems to be the accessory of choice at work, friends all seem partial to the FitBit Charge HR and my mother in Law had the Vivofit.
The FitBit and the JawBone both seemed very popular so that's where I stared my research. I love the look of the Jawbones, they are really pretty, and just look that bit different, not like a fitness tracker at all. Unfortunatly the UP 24 has now been discontinued and the reviews for the following UP devices weren't as good. But the FitBit Charge HR was winning all the top spots in any reviews I read.
One issue I had is that I have tiny wrists, I mean, I can still wear kids gloves, so I was really concerned that whatever I got would be comfy and not look bulky. So in November I had a trek around town to try on some fitness trackers. Unfortunately I couldn't find ANYWHERE that carried the Jawbone, it seems to be an online only thing, which meant I couldn't try it on. Boots had the Fitbit however, so I was able to try that on, but I just didn't find it that comfy. So I was a bit dejected at that point, and gave up and just went clothes shopping. However, in a running shop I spotted the Vivo range, and actually really liked the Vivosmart, it looked really nice, was comfy and was even waterproof! But I wasn't convinced by the catch on it, which I thought was a shame, nor did it have a Heart Rate monitor. But chatting to the guy in the shop and he said a new version of the VivoSmart would be coming out in December, with a lot of improvements and including a Hear Rate monitor.
So I went home and started my research. All the online reviews for the VivoSmart were ok, but lost out against the FitBit for various reasons, but in America where the VivoSmart HR was out, the reviews were much better, really good in fact. A watch catch. Heart Rate monitor. Better sleep tracking. An improved ap (which was one of the main complaints previously) etc. etc.
So on the day it was released here in the UK I ordered it. And I've not regretted it. Since getting the tracker I've been much better about eating healthier, about moving around more, not sitting at the desk (or on the sofa) for prolonged periods of time. I go to the gym a few times a week, and I've found it's good at keeping track of the calories I've lost doing workouts. I also swim once a week, and again it's good at tracking that, it's waterproof up to 50 meters. Ok yes, it would be better if it had specific setting for swimming etc, rather than having to record everything as a run and then change it in the ap, but it's not the end of the world.
It's super comfy to wear, I barley notice it, and I find it needs charging about every 5 days, which is ok. The barometer for tracking how many flights of stairs you climb isn't very accurate, But then my friends with FitBits say the same about theirs, so I think this is a general issue and I'm not too bothered. I thing my one issue is with Garmin, The backlight on my Vivo stopped working after about 3 weeks and I tweeted Garmin about it. The replied and asked me to send an email so they could help. I never got a reply, that was two weeks ago. Now thankfully I had read on a forum that charging the Vivo could fix most issues, so I plugged the Vivo in and lo and behold the back light starting working again. Fab. But it would have been nice to have a reply from Garmin!!
All in all I love my VivoSmart HR and would recommend it to anyone wanting a fitness tracker to help with their new years resolutions!
