Jul 192013
Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker, Black
- Tracks steps, distance, calories burned and stairs climbed
- Monitor how long and how well you sleep
- Wakes you (and not your partner) with a silent alarm
- Syncs automatically to your computer or select smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth 4.0
- Set goals, view progress and earn badges
Fitness means being active, sleeping well, and eating smarter and the Fitbit one helps you do all three. During the day, it tracks your steps, distance, calories burned and stairs climbed. Come nightfall, it measures your sleep cycle to help you see how to sleep better and it can even wake you in the morning without waking your partner. Your stats upload wirelessly via computer, or select Bluetooth 4.0 devices (like the iPhone 4S). Powered by your stats, you can set goals, and track progress. St
List Price: $ 99.95
Price: $ 76.67
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Life-Changing Gadget 2.0 Video Review!,
Customer Video Review Length:: 0:36 Mins
I upgraded from the Ultra. You can read my comprehensive review of the Fitbit Ultra at Fitbit Wireless Activity/Sleep Tracker, Black/Blue.
First, I am sold on Fitbit because I’ve lost over 30 pounds since starting with the Ultra approximately a year ago. I don’t work for the company and have received nothing from them for my enthusiasm — I just find this is something that really works for me.
IMPORTANT Before you read further or miss this: You have to have a phone that has Bluetooth capability for this new Fitbit to sync with your phone. If you’re upgrading from the Ultra to this Fitbit One for the sync capability, you’ll be disappointed if your phone can’t sync. If you’ve got an iPhone, Bluetooth capability is currently only on the iPhone 5 and 4S. You can still upload your data to the computer with a different phone, but the Fitbit One will not sync with your phone.
How the Fitbit Works: You have a few choices on where to wear the Fitbit (typically waist, pocket, chest pocket or bra), and you keep that Fitbit on you for 24 hours. Whereas the Ultra had a built-in clip, this one has to use the included silicone clip. The upside of this is that the silicone is unlikely to crack, which is something several owners of the Ultra complained about. The downside is that the Fitbit could possibly come out of the silicone case if the case were to get pulled on clothing or some other object. Whereas you used to be able to buy a lanyard to secure your Ultra, in the case of the One, you would only be securing the silicone case and your Fitbit would be lost. Time will only tell whether the silicone case idea is an actual improvement over the Ultra’s design.
On receiving your Fitbit, there’s a booklet says to charge your Fitbit for 5 minutes. The charge is supposed to last for about a week. When the Fitbit battery is completely depleted, charging is to take approximately two hours. If you’re like me, you’ll find yourself just popping the Fitbit into its charger whenever you know you’ll be sitting at the computer a while. Unlike the Ultra, which used one USB port on your computer, this Fitbit will use two: One is a small piece that communicates wirelessly with your Fitbit. The other is what I believe people are referring to as a “dongle” — it’s a USB with a short cord: You snap your Fitbit into the end, and that’s how the Fitbit charges.
I should also mention installing and pairing the device was virtually hassle-free. Since I was upgrading the Ultra, I just synced my Ultra by putting it in the cradle and then unplugging that USB. The instructions for the Fitbit One are clear. You download the software from their web site. Pairing the device with the software on my computer was easy. I was asked what kind of device I was pairing as well as whether I’d still be using the Ultra.
What will the Fitbit One do? The Fitbit One is a very accurate step counter. It also shows calories burned and distance walked. There’s a cute (not too girly, guys) flower that you make “grow” the more activity you do. And it tracks your sleep. The included wrist band attaches with a very fine Velcro-type material, making it a perfect size for men and women. This Fitbit One wrist band also has holes in it apparently to help ensure that the band doesn’t feel hot on your wrist. Included in the band is a little pocket. At night, you slip the Fitbit into the pocket and press and hold the button, which puts the Fitbit in sleep mode. You have a choice between normal and sensitive setting, adjustable from the web site. When you awake, you just press and hold the button again to tell Fitbit that your sleep time is over.
New to this Fitbit One is a silent alarm function. Basically, you can set vibrating alarms from either the Fitbit web site or from your Bluetooth-enabled phone. When I tried it out while awake, it was a soft little vibrating that I commented was as likely to wake me as “an ant wearing socks, tiptoeing across the floor.” But I kept a (somewhat) open mind and still set an alarm for 7:30 a.m., which would give me enough time for an 8-hour sleep. Much to my happiness, I awoke to the soft little vibration on my wrist. My assessment on this is that I know that if I’m particularly tired, sick or know I’m going to get less than 8 hours of sleep, I cannot trust this as I’ve had to set an alarm across the room sometimes to wake up. If I have to be up early for something important, I will still need to set a traditional alarm. Depending on how deeply you sleep, your mileage may vary.
Once you press the button to indicate you’re trying to fall asleep, the Fitbit begins recording sleep data by noting how often your wrist moves. Wrist movement is interpreted as awake time. On the web site,…
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|Fitbit One and why I changed to the Holistic Wrist (Jawbone Up),
UPDATE: Several people asked me about the Fitbit Flex. I just got one today. I compared it to Jawbone UP here http://www.amazon.com/review/R1CVXEEYIAIR0W/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm (copy & paste link if not clickable)
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A couple weeks ago I received my Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker, Black after a few months pre-order wait. I had it two full weeks, got to know and learn it, and lost it swiftly. The fact that I lost it so easily made me decide to try Jawbone Up– thinking that if I lose my arm, I’ve got larger issues… My review will be a comparison of these two devices for those trying to decide between the two. Early spoiler: I recommend Jawbone Up over the Fitbit One for most people. UPDATE 3/20: Android app is now available as well as the iOS app. My review is based on the iOS app but I do have an android and will try it soon.
Hardware itself
The biggest frustration I had with the Fitbit One was that I wanted to use it for daytime activity monitoring and for sleep monitoring. Using it for both activities included moving the device from my belt clip, taking it out of the rubber clip, putting it in the wrist strap, and reversing this process each day. It felt like a chore after a few days, and some mornings I even forgot to put it back on my belt after showering & changing. These issues aren’t faced with the Jawbone Up because you can leave it on your wrist at all times– even in the shower. No annoying loss, no annoying moving it from clip to pouch to clip, no forgetting it at home in the morning. The Fitbit met it’s ultimate demise after only its second fall off of my belt. It’s so light and in rubber, it didn’t even make a sound when it left me and met the ground. It was never found. Long live my FitBit One on however many belts it ends up on before it’s lost again terminally…
Battery Life & Charging
Battery life on the Fitbit One can be as much as 14 days. The Jawbone Up is rated for 10. Both devices include a USB dongle for charging, and charge in about the same amount of time. Both charged fine when I used my iPhone charger to USB for their dongle.
Syncing
The Fitbit One bluetooth sync’s wirelessly to an iPhone if you want, or to a PC. The fitbit comes with a charging dongle, a bluetooth adapter– which must be used as it won’t work with most or all other bluetooth adapters already built in to a PC. Plan to use up one or two USB slots for the Fitbit One. It’s not a constant sync– you have to initiate the sync if you want it to sync “now”.
The Jawbone Up syncs by removing the cap and plugging in to the headphone jack of the iPhone. At first this felt like it may be a step back from the Fitbit One, but ultimately it’s simpler and I waste less battery having bluetooth activated on the phone all the time. It’s simple, works reliably, and you can sync to multiple devices if you want.
Wearing
The FitBit One is quite small and the rubber belt clip is smooth and small. Many users simply drop the device in the pocket, but I’m not one to let that happen and risk loss– ironic because I lost it via the belt clip. I also have some belts that it would’t clip on, so I found myself doing creative things like clipping it inside my change pocket.
The Jawbone Up is basically a bracelet– and a stylish looking one at that. I found that the fitment guide on the back of the box ran a little large, so I originally bought a medium. After wearing, it felt too tight. I returned it for a large. I have so far been very happy with the large size. I recommend using the print out PDF from the Jawbone site as it clearly marked me as large when the plastic guide on the box made me think medium. They recommend going “up” a size.
From a daytime perspective, the wrist band of the Up hasn’t bothered me at all, and actually I see it and it reminds me to move! I never saw the Fitbit One, and thus thought about it less often and had fewer reminders. More about reminders in functions/software!
I do wear the Jawbone Up in the shower, and have had no issues with that so far. It feels sturdy without feeling stiff. You can manipulate it by squeezing to fit tighter, looser, reverse which side meets which, etc. It isn’t a “bendy straw” style where it holds shape. It always holds the wrist shape. The rubber on rubber is what lets it grip more or less. It doesn’t feel heavy or annoying.
Software
Aside from the functionality of wrist vs belt clip, the software is really what differentiates the Jawbone Up from the Fitbit One for me. The Jawbone Up software is infinitely more useful, visually appealing and informative for me than the Fitbit One software. The Jawbone software tracks your performance over time and so does the Fitbit One– but the Jawbone analyzes your data and makes observations– “Hey you had 2x your normal amount of deep sleep last night– did…
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|Love/Hate relationship (updated review +1 Star),
I just picked up a fitbit one yesterday and I must say this little thing really impressed me.
It has motivated me to walk more, to climb stairs instead of taking the elevator, and it has also motivated me to watch my calorie intake.
The device is pretty accurate. I counted my steps, then i looked at my fitbit one and it was spot on.
… unless you drive a lot…
So why the three stars?
Because if you wear the fitbit while you are driving then your “steps” count will be way off. If the road is uneven or as they had it in their website, car has “stiff suspension” (they had transmission on their website but i think they meant suspension) it’ll start adding steps taken while you are driving. This is a huge flaw of the fitbit device. So my first day with the fitbit I noticed that my steps are over 2000. And when I left my house it was barely at 1000. So they gotta update this or put a feature that has “driving mode” so that it stops counting steps. Because keeping track of the time you start driving to the time you end and then logging it is to much work.
But all in all it is a good device. It really has motivated me to be more active.
1 month update:
I have gotten used to the tracker counting my steps while I am driving and it is really not a big deal anymore. After awhile you just get used to it.
Features I Like:
- The automatic syncing feature if you are 10-15 feet away. Just recently I lost my fitbit. But when i opened up ‘fitbit connect’ and clicked on ‘sync now’ it would search for my device and it would locate it. So I knew it was somewhere in my room. And with the help of the ‘silent alarm’ I was able to set it, and locate where it was when the alarm went off (it vibrates)
- How hidden it is from the world. I usually just put it in the small pocket in my jeans and then forget it about until I need to check it or need to clip on to something else.
- The messages it tells you when you pick up the fitbit when it is not sensing movement. The messages the fitbit display really does motivate you to be more active.
- Battery life- I usually go for a week and a half to 2 weeks without charging.
- The Fitbit holder/clip- I like the feel of it. When I clip the fitbit to the pocket of my shorts when I do Insanity or play basketball,it stays in place really well. Never had it fall out.
- That the Fitbit goes together with MyFitnessPal.
- The Badges- Also gives you an incentive to be more active. Gotta work hard to get those badges! lol.
- Customer Service: I emailed them on a Saturday and they got back to me on Monday (Only open from Monday to Friday). They even had a follow up email to ask how the customer service went.
Just a tip (if this ever happens to you): There are times that I was trying to sync my Fitbit but when it would search for the device a message would come up that would say “Device could not be located. Make sure it has enough battery and that the display turns on.” If you ever get that message and do not know how to fix it (I was searching everywhere and was getting very frustrated)then do what I did. Turn it off and then turn it back on. Then it should be fixed and automatically sync again.
Oh yeah. And it would also be nice if they can work on making the syncing feature with the android app.
I have upped my review to 4 stars. I cannot leave my house without grabbing my Fitbit device. I even had a friend tell me after seeing my device, that if the Fitbit One was out at the beginning of the year he would’ve passed on the Nike FuelBand.
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