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FITBIT ONE WIRELESS ACTIVITY PLUS SLEEP TRACKER
Tracks distance, steps taken, calories burned and stairs climbed. This discreet, about an inch-long accelerometer can be worn round the clock. Attach it to the pocket during the day and wear it in a special wristband at night. The non-intrusive, basic tracker, with a silent, vibrating alarm, also monitors how long and how well you have slept. And its altimeter quantifies the number of stairs climbed. You can sync the Fitbit to your computer with the help of a wireless dongle plugged into the USB drive or to certain select smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth 4.0. For the money, this is a sensibly buy. But the one area where it falls short is food tracking.
Price: Rs 10,590 on online marketplaces like ebay
NIKE+ NIKE FUELBAND
The LED readouts on this sporty, water resistant rubber bracelet will blink and flash an encouraging 'Goal' in capital letters when you reach your optimum step count during the day. A Bluetooth wireless fitness activity tracker, the Nike FuelBand is a simple device with a single button on the band and LED readouts that will give you a lowdown on the number of calories burnt and the steps taken. It's as simple and as convenient as it gets. The tracker can be Bluetooth synced and comes with an inbuilt watch, but it is not the most feature-complete device. It does not offer sleep monitoring or the diet tracking software.
Price: Rs 15,999 on ebay
WITHINGS PULSE WIRELESS ACTIVITY TRACKER
Rated as among the best wireless pedometers that measures steps, elevation, calories burned and distance, the wireless Withings Pulse also comes with a heart rate monitor and sleep tracker. It can be easily synced with android devices, Apple, iPhones, 3Gs and iPhones. The Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity allows you to upload measurements to a Bluetooth-enabled device. It allows you to view your day-to-day progress through easy-to-read graphs and trends. The drawback: it's not water-resistant.
Price: Rs 12,100 (approx) on ebay
TIMEX SPORTS
Timex has a range of water resistant trainers and heart rate monitors for both men and women. The Timex Ironman Personal Trainer and Heart Rate Monitor, for example, offers fitness management data in a simple-to-operate watch. The heart rate sensor can communicate with the fitness equipment, allowing you to view your beat per minute on the treadmill, crosstrainer or gym bike. Then there is the Timex Road Trainer which sounds an alert if you move beyond your your healthy beat per minute. You can then take a break to bring the heart rate down. It also counts the calories burnt.
Price: Varies from watch to watch; available on online marketplaces
SUUNTO VECTOR T6D HEART RATE MONITOR
This comes with a customisable screen layout which allows you to display the information you would need - like the distance travelled, calories burnt, speed , cadence. It comes with an altimeter that monitors your hill and altitude performance. The device studies the effects of training in real time.
Price: Rs 23,400 after 35 per cent discount on Flipkart
JAWBONE UP FITNESS TRACKING WRISTBAND
Here's an easy-to-wear device that senses the minutest of your movements to track your sleep pattern, activity level and food habits 24x7. With the help of algorithms, it works out the number of hours you slept, whether you slept well, the time you took to fall asleep, how many times you woke up during the night, the period for which you slept soundly and for how long your sleep was light or disturbed. Monitoring isn't all that Jawbone UP does. It can also help you work your way to an ideal sleep pattern. For example, its 'smart alarm' will gently wake you up when you have completed an optimum sleep cycle - the point at which your sleep is the lightest and when you will wake up most refreshed.
Jawbone UP's mobile application also scores when it comes to monitoring, in detail, what you consume - calories, fibre, sugar, proteins, fat and more. Its ingredient database helps you analyse the benefits or health hazards of the food or drink you are consuming. You can take a picture of the food and then dip into the device's database to analyse it. Some, however, find this search process a bit tedious.
Then there is the 'idle alert' to remind you that you have been sitting way too long and that it would be a good idea to move.
It takes about an hour to charge this device, but once charged, the battery lasts about 10 days. Jawbone UP also offers you the option of sharing your fitness activity on Facebook and Twitter. The device comes in three sizes - small (5.79 inches), medium (6.77 inches) and large (7.67 inches).
Price: Rs 10,990 on Fabmart
