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Ah, Fitbit. The company that couldn't even get face rotation for the appropriate wrist done correctly.

Couldn't? Sounds more like a deliberate decision not to. As Apple might say, they're just wearing it wrong.

Joking aside, I am having a hard time understanding why someone cannot just rotate the physical watch. Why do they have to wear it with the button on the wrist side?

Ah, Fitbit. The company that couldn't even get face rotation for the appropriate wrist done correctly.

No thank you. I'd rather not deal with outright incompetents.

I got the new Fitbit Ionic about two months ago - it's my first fitness tracker/smartwatch thing. Quick summary from my brief & first time experience:

Positives:

- battery life is great. I get probably 4-5 days, doing a tracked run every 2 days or so. The rest of the time it's doing pretty regular heartrate tracking.
- heartrate tracker is great! never thought I'd care about it but it's really interesting looking at the data collected all day. Seems pretty accurate (comparing it at a high level to my dedicated Garmin chest-strap heart tracker).
- regular reminders to get up and do a bit of walking I'm finding really helpful - easy to get stuck staring at screen for too many hours in a row.
- has ~2GB of storage on the watch for music so you can stream directly to your Bluetooth headphones (see disadvantage below).
- new release (last week) opens up a new "app store" so you can do things like manage your wireless lights (Philips Hue), get NYTimes headlines, etc (see disadvantage below).
- smartwatch features are secondary to fitness but still pretty decent. Notifications seem to work OK with Android but not as well as they could.
- Built in GPS is neat (see disadvantage below).
- Screen is really nice quality!
- Apparently it has a decent developer environment but I haven't checked yet; I want to tinker with it a bit.
- Two physical buttons on the right you can customise the action for easily.
- Supports something called Fitbit Pay which supposedly allows you to use it to pay for things - just not in my country (UK) yet.
- Waterproof.

Disadvantages:
- not a major OS (i.e., not Android or iOS) so no super native integration eith
- notifications are not reliable enough. I'd estimate I lose 5-10% of notifications (i.e., my phone will go bing and I won't get the notification on the watch). Super annoying and frustrating.
- putting music on the watch is a /complete/ shitshow. See this thread but the process is ludicrous and barely works (I could only get it working by pinging my watch constantly from my PC so it wouldn't drop the wifi connection). It's plugged into my computer with an actual wire; does it not have a data channel via the connection? Who knows.
- Apps seem a bit awkward unreliable - Philips Hue for example gives me a "hmm, can't connect to your phone" type error a lot rendering it unusable. Weather app takes a little too long to start - although the new patch last week seems to have improved it.
- GPS accuracy isn't super great. It's good enough for running but it shows me running across water and stuff. I suspect it has a low sample rate deliberately to save battery time. GPS also takes a while to lock on and never works until I'm outside, so I have to wait a few minutes before I can start exercise.
- I find the band it comes with kinda uncomfortable - although honestly it might just be because I've been wearing this thing for two solid months because I like it so much :D
- I find the automatic screen activation when I lift my watch up a bit flaky. Having to press a button when it doesn't automatically come on is really really annoying. It doesn't work well at all in non-normal situations (e.g., lying down). I would like the option to tweak this a lot. It also hilariously comes in when I'm in the shower - and the water triggers the touch screen, so things will happen randomly, like it will just open the weather app because water slid down the screen, sliding it to the left and then another drop landed right on the app. Kinda funny.

https://www.fitbit.com/chargeh...

Scroll all the way down that page, and read the Heart Rate paragraph. If you expect it to be extremely accurate, it is you that is expecting something false, Fitbit does not sell them as medical devices, and make no claims of accuracy.

https://www.fitbit.com/chargeh...

(all the way at the bottom of the page)

Heart Rate
Like all heart rate monitoring technologies, accuracy is affected by physiology, location of device, and different movements. Learn more about wear during workouts.

The directions state clearly that you should wear it two inches above your wrist during workouts, and the "Learn more" line links to information about this:
https://www.fitbit.com/purepul...

I never expected the Fitbit to be equivalent to a medical heart rate monitor, but I wouldn't expect to pay $130 for a medical scanner either. It seems to me that this is a frivolous case, as Fitbit never claimed their sensors were accurate compared to an EKG. I hope they lose this case, and wouldn't sign up for the class if it was offered.

https://www.fitbit.com/chargeh...

(all the way at the bottom of the page)

Heart Rate
Like all heart rate monitoring technologies, accuracy is affected by physiology, location of device, and different movements. Learn more about wear during workouts.

The directions state clearly that you should wear it two inches above your wrist during workouts, and the "Learn more" line links to information about this:
https://www.fitbit.com/purepul...

I never expected the Fitbit to be equivalent to a medical heart rate monitor, but I wouldn't expect to pay $130 for a medical scanner either. It seems to me that this is a frivolous case, as Fitbit never claimed their sensors were accurate compared to an EKG. I hope they lose this case, and wouldn't sign up for the class if it was offered.

To be most accurate, it should be on your wrist, above or on the protuberant bone around the ulna.

FitBit's documentation says to place it higher than the protuberance.

Experiment with wearing the tracker higher on your wrist during exercise. Because blood flow in your arm increases the farther up you go, moving the tracker up a couple inches can improve the heart rate signal. Also, many exercises such as spinning cause you to bend your wrist frequently, which is more likely to interfere with the heart rate signal if the tracker is lower on your wrist.

The higher up your arm, the higher the accuracy. The diagram in the same documentation shows the Charge HR being worn higher than the ulnar protuberance. Wearing it on the protuberance is more likely to worsen accuracy.

Don’t Wear It Too Tight

Make sure your band isn’t too tight. Wear the band loosely enough that it can move back and forth on your wrist.

If you use Fitbit Charge HR, Fitbit Blaze or Fitbit Surge, for better heart rate readings during exercise, we suggest wearing the band so it’s secure, but not too tight, and wearing the band higher on your wrist (about 2-3 finger widths above your wrist bone). Lower the band on your wrist and loosen it after exercise

https://www.fitbit.com/product...

Right... Companies shouldn't be held accountable just because they made a crap product that advertises functionality that it doesn't have. It's all those idiot users' fault for believing that consumer protection laws should require a product to do what is advertised.

The company's website has a lot to say about how the type of exercise, range of motion, and the way the device is worn can affect the accuracy of heartbeat measurement, and they make no claims at all regarding measurement accuracy. It doesn't appear to me that they are advertising great accuracy at all. Aside from that, this is not a case of the company running afoul of consumer protection laws; it's a case of lawyers seeking a profit from a dodgy class-action suit. The consumers who were putatively damaged won't see much in the way of an award, which is the norm in cases like this.

What's the damage though? Like you say it's a device that gives you and indication of what your heartrate is. I've never heard them (or apple etc) guarantee any kind of accuracy and they don't claim it's medical grade in the slightest. With all that though. What its the damage this class action seeks to compensate? It seems if you need to know your exact heart rate for whatever reason, a fitbit might not be the right tool for the job.

Right... Companies shouldn't be held accountable just because they made a crap product that advertises functionality that it doesn't have. It's all those idiot users' fault for believing that consumer protection laws should require a product to do what is advertised.

The company's website has a lot to say about how the type of exercise, range of motion, and the way the device is worn can affect the accuracy of heartbeat measurement, and they make no claims at all regarding measurement accuracy. It doesn't appear to me that they are advertising great accuracy at all. Aside from that, this is not a case of the company running afoul of consumer protection laws; it's a case of lawyers seeking a profit from a dodgy class-action suit. The consumers who were putatively damaged won't see much in the way of an award, which is the norm in cases like this.

http://www.fitbit.com/forcesup...

While only 1.7% of Force users have reported any type of skin irritation, we care about every one of our customers. On behalf of the entire Fitbit team, I want to apologize to anyone affected. ...
Independent test results have not found any issues with the battery or electrical systems.
Test results show that users are likely experiencing allergic contact dermatitis.
All Force materials are commonly used in consumer products. However, some users may be reacting to the nickel present in the surgical grade stainless steel used in the device. Other users are likely experiencing an allergic reaction to the materials used in the strap or the adhesives used to assemble the product.

And that's just one of them, that Fitbit ran into.
Apple may be running into that same one, AND MORE, once people start using their watch instead of the Fitbit or using it like the Fitbit.

For one, Fitbit's battery lasts a week. Tim Cook suggested charging Apple Watch over night.
With all those sensors, "Taptic" actuators, color screens... I have a feeling that's a rather optimistic estimate.
They didn't mention the battery for a reason.

Also, I have a feeling that the "Digital Crown" won't last. At least for people trying to use the watch for tracking their activity.
Either it will be replaced by a slide sensor, dropped, or Apple may come out with a iBrush to clean the iGrime.

Price, naturally is an issue for many as Fitbit is 3.5 times cheaper AND does not require a new iPhone too boot.

Apple Watch also features the same old issues which caused Woz to throw away his Samsung Galaxy Gear, dubbing it "worthless".
http://www.theguardian.com/tec...

You had to hold it up to your ear and stuff. ...
"I want my smartphone [on my wrist], but I really want the whole thing," said Wozniak. "I don't want just a little Bluetooth connection to the smartphone in my pocket because then it's just an intermediary, an extra thing I buy to get what I already have and have to carry anyway."

His comments reflect a trend seen in the adoption of wearable technology by consumers. Around 40% of UK consumers ended up abandoning them because they got bored with the idea or simply forgot to put them on, according to research by CCS Insight. Fewer than half a million smartwatches were in use in the UK by March this year, according to data from research company KWP ComTech.

The story is similar in the US. One-third of American consumers have also stopped using a smart wearable device within six months of purchase according to data from Endeavour Partners.

Though, the reality distortion field is a powerful force, and one that must be reckoned with.
From USA TODAY:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/...

As with other smartwatches, consumers will be able to change watch faces on the new Apple Watch and customize it in various ways.
I especially liked a watchface featuring Mickey Mouse.

Customizable wallpaper/skin. A highlighted feature for the Apple crowd.

Definitely something for the atypical slashdotter, but if Apple can bring something to the market which combines iOS, the Nike+t, the Fit Bit, and/or the Suunto Core they could potentially capture a good portion of the exercise watch / band market. Current options aren't truly versatile (e.g. hiking, running, backpacking, daily activity), but combine this with Apple's UI and they could produce a very interesting product that I'm likely to try.

Yes, I've looked at Motorola's GPS watches and was far from impressed.

Since you're worried about losing fitness, gaining weight, etc., -- which is great, most people don't start to think about it until after it becomes a problem -- and since you're an engineer, I suggest the first thing you should do is to begin measuring and tracking relevant stats. Anything worth doing is worth quantifying and plotting on graphs, of course :-)

Read (or skim) The Hacker's Diet. Whether or not you agree with its particular approach to weight management, it does a good job of instilling the idea that your body is just another piece of equipment that you can engineer. You can't redesign it, but you can set up negative feedback control loops that keep it in the configuration that you want it to be, and the first step is to measure and track so you have hard numbers that represent your state and trend.

This doesn't have to be difficult. In fact there are a lot of free on-line resources to make it very easy. Google will find you plenty more, but I'll give you the ones I use.

For overall weight and activity tracking I use http://fitbit.com/ It works best if you buy the $100 Fitbit pedometer/activity tracker and the $130 Aria Wifi-enabled scale (see how the website can be free, without ads?) but you can do it just by entering your numbers daily. Just weigh yourself every morning and take 15 seconds to record it (or if you have the Aria, just weigh yourself and the numbers show up on the web site). You can also track your exercise activities, your measurements (e.g. chest, belly, biceps, etc.) and whatever else you want, and the web site will give you nice graphs. If you get the Fitbit, or another pedometer whose measurements you'll have to enter manually, you'll have that measure of your activity level as well.

If you run, or cycle, etc., http://endomondo.com/ is a great tool for tracking those. Endomondo provides iOS and Android apps for your phone, and you can connect your Endomondo and Fitbit accounts, so when you go out for a run or a ride and track it with your phone, the activity automatically shows up on your Fitbit log. If you like you can also get a bluetooth heart rate monitor which the Endomondo app will use to log your heart rate.

Another key metric is food intake, but that's a lot more work. Fitbit provides food logging, but it sucks because it has a lousy food database. However http://myfitnesspal/ provides an excellent database which makes it easy to find whatever you eat, and the phone app includes a barcode scanner which makes it even easier for packaged foods. Oh and myfitnesspal integrates with Fitbit, too. Honestly, though, unless you're working towards a specific weight gain/loss goal, and you are pretty dedicated about it, logging your food is too much work.

Anyway, armed with measurements, plotted on charts, with trendlines you can see where you're at and where you're going, which enables you to see if there's something you need to be concerned about and to take charge if there is. If you want to make a change, just decide what you think would help and start doing it, then monitor your trends over a few weeks to see if it does. If not, or if not enough, tweak a bit more. Continue adjusting whatever knobs seem appropriate and observing the results until you are where you want to be -- or if maintaining is your goal, just keep doing what you're doing unless the trend lines show movement that you don't want.

The key to making the "measured lifestyle" work is making the measurements easy, automatic and habitual.

Oh, one other tool I've found helpful for goal achievement is http://beeminder.com./ It integrates with fitbit.com (and some other sites) and also provides SMS and/or e-mail reminders, as well as pretty graphs. Most importantly, though, Beeminder provides incentive. You can make a "pledge" to achieve a parti

It is a high end pedometer, that you can link to friends, total stairs climbed etc, quite good actually. Operates on low power wifi as well as a charging dock, runs for 7-10 days between charges.

Best you read about it here. http://www.fitbit.com/home

http://blog.fitbit.com/ Fitbit has put an end to this.

I own a Fitbit. It was Fitbit's fault. Apparently, though, nobody at Slashdot thought to actually look at Fitbit's site:

We take the privacy of all Fitbit users very seriously. To address some recent concerns about logged activities of Fitbit users showing up in search engine results, we have taken several immediate steps.

Some quick background:

• As you know, Fitbit users can decide voluntarily to log their physical activities. You must do this manually and this information is not collected automatically.
• When setting up their profiles, users have had the option to make their profile activity records private, though the default setting has been to make this information public.

As of Sunday [July 3], we have taken the following steps to protect our users’ privacy:

• All activity records on Fitbit.com were hidden from view from both other users and search engines, no matter what the user’s current privacy setting. We have also updated our default settings for new users for activity sharing to “private.”
• We submitted requests to Google and Yahoo/Bing to remove any indexed user profile pages from their search engines. As a result, user profile pages and their activity records have already disappeared from Google and should disappear within several days at other search engines. Once removed, previously indexed activity records should not be accessible to the public at all from that search engine.
• For now, we have removed other personally identifiable information from users’ Fitbit profile pages regardless of privacy settings.

We are dedicated to making this the best fitness platform possible with users in full control of their data. For many people, sharing information is an important motivator for them to achieve their fitness goals. We will be in touch with our users about new choices they will have when they want to share information.

James Park

CEO, Co-Founder, Fitbit

In other words, for $100 you get a fancy pedometer that magically uploads information to a website that may or may not exist 2 years from now. You'll also need either Windows or Mac OS X.

Here's what the fitbit.com FAQ says about the API

Yes, you must use the website. We do not provide any way to dump data to your PC, but the website will have an extensive XML and JSON API. You will be able to access most of your data through the API. (emphasis added)

That may sound like a good deal to you, but it isn't what I want. The idea of a wireless pedometer is actually somewhat cool, but I already have fitness tracking software. I don't want to use their lame website, and I don't want to have to rely on them staying in business.

I also don't want to pay $100 for a pedometer.

http://www.fitbit.com/ regular shipping starts in the next few weeks