 "Nike+ Fuelband")
Gingerly, I scanned my wrist for rashes. There were none. So far, so good.
I've always avoided wearing anything on my wrist which didn't have a metal or leather strap. Blame it on my experiences in my student days - rash attacks whenever I wore that chunky multi-functional watch to university. But when the Samsung Gear Fit landed in office, there was no escape.
I'd been pretty impressed by the Fit at launch and had ruefully mentioned to a younger colleague that I'd never be able to wear it as it sported a fibre band. Thus, I was coaxed into reviewing it, with the provision that I could turn it over to someone else if I faced any irritation. Because of the hypoallergenic strap, I was saved the rashes.
| SAMSUNG GEAR FIT |
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Price: Rs 15,900 Screen: 1.84-inch curved Super AMOLED touch Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 Features: Accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor |
The subdued look of the Fit (we reviewed the one with a black band) impressed me. While the curved AMOLED display became a conversation piece as soon as it turned on, till the time it was asleep, it didn't scream out loud: "Look at Me".
The Fit is light and sports only a single button. It fits snugly on the wrist and has a green LED to measure heartbeat at the back of the screen. To charge the Fit, it has to be docked to a supplied accessory which connects to a microUSB charge. Compatible only with select devices from Samsung's Galaxy range, one needs to download the Gear Fit Manager on the smartphone/tablet to pair it via Bluetooth with the Fit.
The brilliant screen of the Fit impressed most. Running a custom real-time operating system, the Fit's interface is simple and clean and swiping through screens is very smooth. While reading the screen in horizontal mode did prove a challenge, changing it to vertical mode made things a bit easier.
The screen lets off a lot of glare in direct sunlight so it makes sense to turn up the brightness if you're stepping out.
The fitness band
As a fitness band, the Fit has a built-in pedometer (which, sadly, needs to be switched on) to count steps, measure the distance covered and calories burnt. We had a lot of fun with this app (as we did with the one on the Galaxy S5's S Health) which egged us on to walk further and displayed as bar graphs the total number of steps taken each day. In terms of accuracy we found it slightly overcounting steps, but it wasn't too much of a hassle. A caveat: The pedometer is unable to count steps if one is jogging on the spot.
The other standout feature on the Fit is the heartbeat monitor. The monitor is very sensitive and except in exercise mode, one needs to stay very still for an accurate reading. Due to the sensitive nature of the monitor (or my hairy hands), there were times it couldn't read off my hand. But flipping the Fit to directly place the LED on the veins (so the watch face faced inwards) helped matters.
The Fit also has an Exercise mode. Here, one has a choice of walking, running, cycling and hiking and one can set goals and match exercise patterns based on the heart rate. Unfortunately, this app doesn't support pausing an activity. For example, if we need to take a break to attend that important call. One can only start and stop the activity. Also, one can leave one's phone at home if one is walking or running. For cycling and hiking, the Fit needs to be connected to a phone, and it uses its GPS readouts to measure the distance covered. Thus, if you're using an exercise bike at the gym, the Fit won't be able to record the distance covered at all.
Another interesting feature of the Fit is the app to track sleep patterns. But one needs to tell this app when one is going to sleep and one is waking up and then the app gives a readout of the time slept and the percentage of motionless sleep. I kept forgetting to turn this app off and as a result the Fit told me I had slept 16 hours mid-week!
All the data collected by the Fit can be synced with the S Health app on the phone (the Galaxy S5 for this particular review) for readouts of one's bill of health. Of course, one needs to fill in one's height and weight (and sign up for a Samsung account, if one hasn't already) to use this app. But beyond the reading, the app doesn't offer anything more in terms of interpretation of the results. Also, it's a pity the data collected on the Fit is tied in to the S Health app and can't be shared with other third-party apps, in case one is already using such apps.
The smartwatch
The Fit, as a smartwatch, is an extension of the phone. One can receive and read notifications, though reading long emails and texts on the curved screen requires a considerable amount of scrolling. Tweets and other social media notifications fare better.
One can customise the notifications one wants to receive on the Fit and one can opt for either just vibration alert or vibration and audio alerts. When one gets a call, one can flick the screen on the Fit to disconnect it or send a preset text message (for example, "In a meeting"). This feature would especially be helpful while driving.
The Fit also has a media controller, though it has no onboard memory to store songs one can listen to while working out. The media controller is a godsend if you want to change a track or increase the volume while working out.
The Fit generally goes to sleep at a predetermined time, so one needs to press the button if one needs to check on, say, the time. Also, there's a "double-press" function, by which one can automatically go to an app (which one can customise), with two presses.
The Fit is also water and dust resistant, and so we could work out to our heart's content without worrying about causing damage to the watch. The Fit, we're told, can't be worn in the shower or while swimming, but we did wear it while washing our hands. We were able to get through more than two days of use with a single charge of the Gear Fit (with the pedometer turned on, and receiving notifications).
The verdict
The Gear Fit is a device which tries to combine the form factor of a fitness band with the functions of a smartwatch. It does succeed to a certain extent, and is a step in the right direction. If you already own a Galaxy device, you can go in for the Fit, at Rs 15,900 provided you want a sexy fitness band for recreation purposes, which also serves notifications. If you don't own a Galaxy device, then it makes sense to buy something else, or wait and see if Samsung makes the Fit compatible with other
Android devices.
| OTHER FITNESS BANDS |
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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. It does not however offer sleep monitoring or diet tracking.
Price: Rs 15,999
Tracks your sleep pattern, activity level and food habits 24x7. 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.
Price: Rs 10,990
Tracks distance, steps taken, calories burned and stairs climbed. This discreet, about an inch-long accelerometer can be worn round the clock. Its altimeter quantifies the number of stairs climbed.
Price: Rs 10,590
A fitness band with a personalised coach. The data from the band tracking your daily activities and calories burned is analysed by experts and coaches to help you make “sustainable and incremental changes towards a more healthy and active lifestyle” through a GOQii app.
Rs 5,999 for six months
