25 Nov 2013
By Belle
Quantified Self weekly links: UP24 reviews, data accuracy and choosing the best tracker for you
Exciting news for Exist this week: Josh was interviewed for a LiveScience article about Exist!
1. Waterproofed Jawbone UP
We haven’t tested this, so don’t take our word for it, but apparently a company called Waterfi has waterproofed the Jawbone UP band and is reselling them, claiming they’re “completely waterproof down to 210 feet.”
If you’re a swimmer or just like getting caught in the rain, perhaps this is the UP for you. Apart from the Misfit Shine, it’s the only completely waterproof tracker I’m aware of at this stage.
2. Why I Love the Jawbone UP (and some ideas on making it better)
An incredibly glowing review of the Jawbone UP which might just convince you if you’re on the fence about getting one.
Not only is the UP a great fitness tracker, it is hands down, the best sleep tracker on the market.
I’ve found the Misfit Shine to be even better in my own experience, so it could be worth comparing a few trackers if sleep tracking is a priority for you.
3. Review all the trackers!!!
We recently published this roundup of fitness tracker reviews on the Hello Code blog, to give you a hand in choosing one. It currently includes the Jawbone UP, Fitbit One, Zip, Flex and Force, Nike+ Fuelband, Withings Pulse, Misfit Shine, Basis, BodyMedia FIT LINK and FIT CORE and the Moves app.
Plus, just this week we updated it with Jawbone UP24 reviews.
4. How important is data accuracy?
An experiment in comparing the Basis B1 Band, the Fitbit One and the Withings Pulse showed that the Basis can more accurately track steps, but struggles more than the others with heart rate and sleep data. The question of how important accuracy is (a major draw for the B1) when tracking data is an interesting one to explore:
The whole point of this new generation of fitness trackers is to make people more aware of how much they do or don’t move during the day and to spur them on to better habits. But the 10,000 steps number isn’t special or magical, it’s partially arbitrary. If my tracker claims I walked 10,000 steps and I only walked 9,000, or 9,500, so what? I still did more walking or exercising than I would have normally and at least I have some measurement of how well I did that day.
5. How to Find the Best Fitness Tracker for You
The Daily Beast also wants to help you make this decision. Brent Rose has done a run-down of the important features in a tracker including an altimeter, a screen on the device and wireless sync.
If you’re not sure what you want in a tracker, maybe Brent’s suggestions will help you decide.
He also explores wrist-worn versus pocketable trackers, and notes the pros and cons of both. His comment about wrist-bound trackers surprised me, though:
The drawback? You’ve always got this thing on your wrist. The thicker, clunkier ones can make typing rather uncomfortable. And, none of the options are particularly fashionable.
I wonder if Brent hasn’t tried the Shine (though he has “personally tested just about every tracker that’s come out in the last year and a half”), or if I’m the only one that thinks it looks pretty cool?
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