I made a New Years resolution to get fit and workout at least 4 times a week. Let me be real, I probably won't manage to keep up that resolution for more than 3 months, that's an honest prediction. Now don't get me wrong, I am not trying to set myself up for fail and would love any sort of daily reminder to help motivate me. Is there something that could help me track my progress and motivate me, something gadgety and geeky, something that I could wear everyday. Something like the Fitbit? Turns out there is. Introducing the Fitbit Flex wristband.
The Flex is Fitbit's third product in line with their two other products, health monitors. Flex is a fitness tracker in the form of a wristband. There have been numerous wristband that are meant to help pump you up or track your workouts, such as the Jawbone Up or the Nike Fuelband, but each product are quite different. The Flex can track calories, steps taken, and distance covered. The wristband is also waterproof, so it's safe if you happen to trip and fall into a pool of water. The Flex will take the data and through bluetooth, send it automatically to a personalized website where you can then see your progress. The calorie counter is a bit more counterproductive since you have to manually enter it through the website or through the mobile app. It could also monitor your sleeping habits, but this too needs to be manually logged in through the website or app, unlike the Jawbone Up which actually knows when you are sleeping. The website is an extension of the product and actually allows you to add blood pressure, and weight. You could also track other exercises such as bicycling or swimming, since the Flex won't be able to track them accurately. The Flex wristband can last up to 7 days on a single charge which isn't too bad (thats 1 charge per week). The device is intended to be worn everyday hoping to motivate users reach their fitness goals through data tracking. The wristband also has a light that will illuminate when the users hit each 20% increment towards an intended fitness goal.
The Flex wristband looks to be a slightly cheaper alternative to several fitness wristband on the market now. It would be great to have a run with this product and see how it fares with the Jawbone Up. The product already looks great and comes in fantastic colors. If you are interested, you could pre-order it for $100, otherwise it will be released sometime this spring.
<Source: Engadget>
