Nike fuel band and app. Anyone get it?

[iproductsuser]

Therefore this product is worthless and IMO only makes you mentally feel better about yourself. If you exercise seriously, you don't need some stupid band to tell you that you're being active.

[rockyroad55]

Originally Posted by iproductsuser

Therefore this product is worthless and IMO only makes you mentally feel better about yourself. If you exercise seriously, you don't need some stupid band to tell you that you're being active.

I wouldn't say stupid. It's definitely not for serious users. But it's a great way to track movement for the casual user. And it makes a nifty watch too!

I know the band can't actually track oxygen intake. Gosh. I'm only telling you where I read it from.

[dwa2011]

Originally Posted by Burton8219

From my experience... Every 3 Fuel Points pretty much equals 1 calorie. Don't know if that's absolute fact, so don't hold me to it, but from my experience that seems to be the connection.

Originally Posted by rockyroad55

You vs. Usain Bolt on a 100m dash. Sure, he may smoke you but you both gained about the same amount of Fuel based on oxygen intake.

I agree with @iproductuser. Though it does equate to almost 1/3 a calorie and we all are equal, it is still arbitrary. To use your example, rockyroad55, I feel like the oxygen intake and muscle use during the 100m dash me and Usain have should have some sort of formula or explanation. Also, I doubt that me and Usain would have the same number of "fuel points" as it would take me more steps and oxygen than Usain. (not to mention I would be inhaling his dust jk)

But still, I wish there was more of an explanation than "measure your moves and turn them into NikeFuel." and regardless, it is an awesome piece of technology.

[kam187]

I just ordered one so i'll let you guys know how it goes. I mainly do a lot of rowing so it'll be interesting to see how badly it measures that :P

RE the fuel points. If we talk about basic calories first, someone who is 6 foot 4 and weighs 200 lbs will have a totally different recommended calorie intake, and different calorie burn target than someone who is 4 foot 9 and weighs 100 lbs. If the 4 foot 9 person burns 1000 calories that's a hell of a lot of a bigger achievement than the 6 foot 4 person burning 1000 calories.

The fuel points are a way to provide a normalised value so you can compare points between people with different absolute calorie targets (i.e. people of different physical size). In the example above if one person gets more fuel points than the other, then he/she "wins". If one burned more calories than the other, it's hard to say without knowing their physical size and weight who "wins". This is the whole point of 'fuel', you can easily and quickly compare the achievement of people and stick them on a leader board chart etc.

The actual correlation between fuel points and calories will depend on the height and weight you entered into the app when you setup the band. For one person it may be 3 fuel points = 1 calorie and for another it may be 2 to 1. (And for the pro's out there, obviously this will never be accurate either, just like it can't be even on your pro fitness machine with heart rate monitor - even heart rate isn't a perfect indicator of your O2 intake - but it's good enough)

At the end of the day, this thing has a few accelerometers in it, makes a bunch of assumptions - based on nike's testing and averages derived from that - about what combination of movements those sensors detect translates to calories, and that's all it can do.

It'll never be accurate, and you should really see it as a motivational tool, and concentrate on relative improvements. So if the fuel you earn goes up, you're doing good, if not you're not doing good. Much like with any exercise, if you want to cheat, by waving your arms around, you can, just like you can not do a proper situp :P

And if you're a pro, then you already know this isn't going to give you perfect stats, so if you want it cos it looks cool, buy it for that reason and stop moaning!

It is definitely an overpriced pedometer, and you're paying for the coolness factor and actually the simplicity of the display, and how it works - this works for normal people.

[Shredder96]

I have the black ice fuel band and app, and I love it! I mainly skateboard and snowboard, and this thing measures that well.

For those who don't know, you can actually change the orientation of the fuel band so you can reach the button easier-- mines switched to my right hand.



You should definitely put the band on your dominant hand to get more accurate results.

[kam187]

Fuelband just arrived! For people wondering about size... using the size guide I was smack bang in the middle of the medium/large range. I ordered a medium/large and it's slightly loose with the small link in there, and about perfect with no links.
(I'm using the small, medium/large, extra large scale here)

One thing I wasn't expecting is that the band is very rigid and fixed as a kind of elongated oval shape. That means when I twist my wrist it feels a bit weird! Because it's not super tight like a watch, nor super loose like a charity wristband or something, it takes some getting use to.

It's on charge, so i'll have another look once I put it on properly.

[kam187]

Wow that didn't take long to charge :P I squeezed the band a bit and it seems better now. I just walked across the room (about 10 steps) slowly without really moving my arms.. it registered 2 steps.

I did it again much quicker and it registered all 10 steps. Time to do a real work out now

EDIT: Strangely it wasn't charged but after setting it up, it displayed 'GO' instead of charging.. I guess my workout will have to wait!

[rapaleeman]

I ordered one earlier this week and it should be on my wrist by Monday.

Unlike most people, I am not going to use it as training/running tool but more like a life tool.

As with those that actually like the Fuel Band and give it a good review, it seems to be a great motivation device. I'm a sucker for pretty lights and sounds and while I know the device isn't accurate by any stretch, the simple fact is that the higher the numbers, the more one is doing on a given day. Movement is better than sitting still and getting a little light show that says I have been doing stuff is hopefully going to be a great little "win" everyday.

I work all day in an office and while I do workout and exercise, a little mental boost here and there is always a good thing. There are days when I am too tired to hit the gym or just too busy to go for a run that an artificial kick in the pants is something I need.

That's what the Fuel Band seems to be and the goal it sets out to accomplish. To get people moving and to hopefully spark a lifestyle a little less sedentary. A simple daily reminder that I am or am not active in a given day is something that I think I can benefit from which is why I ordered it.

[Grayburn]

Originally Posted by rapaleeman

I ordered one earlier this week and it should be on my wrist by Monday.

Unlike most people, I am not going to use it as training/running tool but more like a life tool.

As with those that actually like the Fuel Band and give it a good review, it seems to be a great motivation device. I'm a sucker for pretty lights and sounds and while I know the device isn't accurate by any stretch, the simple fact is that the higher the numbers, the more one is doing on a given day. Movement is better than sitting still and getting a little light show that says I have been doing stuff is hopefully going to be a great little "win" everyday.

I work all day in an office and while I do workout and exercise, a little mental boost here and there is always a good thing. There are days when I am too tired to hit the gym or just too busy to go for a run that an artificial kick in the pants is something I need.

That's what the Fuel Band seems to be and the goal it sets out to accomplish. To get people moving and to hopefully spark a lifestyle a little less sedentary. A simple daily reminder that I am or am not active in a given day is something that I think I can benefit from which is why I ordered it.

You nailed it there, if i was going to say why i got mine you just said it for me right there!

In getting one my mate has seen it and he now has one, he is over 20 stone and is tryiong to make an effort where he never has. I've talked him into getting a bike as i go out every week on mine so i'm gonna get him to work and gfet some of that weight off hopefully. I know it'll take more then that but it's a start.

[dinggus]

Well, I didn't get a Fuelband but someone was saying its a waste of money because it's almost as much as the Nike+GPS, which supposedly does the same but more than the Fuelband. Does anyone know if this is true?

[rapaleeman]

Originally Posted by dinggus

Well, I didn't get a Fuelband but someone was saying its a waste of money because it's almost as much as the Nike+GPS, which supposedly does the same but more than the Fuelband. Does anyone know if this is true?

I'd assume the Nike+GPS (that's the watch one right?) does a lot more since it is more focused to tracking runs specifically. I looked at one of those but decided against it since I don't want or care to track my runs (personal preference).

Fuel Band seems to not really track much accurately other than how mobile you are. For me it is fine since I'm not really into accurately reporting calories and steps, but more after how much I was moving in a given day while basically keeping myself honest.

I wanted a way to track that I was active in a day while doing so in a fun, motivational way. The stupid little light show is what I was looking for and having using a friends for a week, decided it was for me.

The Nike+GPS watch seems to be a training tool while the Fuel Band seems to be just a motivation tool. I know when trying one out for a week, I set the goal for 3000 and on a few days, I had to force myself to get that goal. It basically kept me honest with myself to make sure that I was motivated enough to either hit the gym, walk that extra distance to the car, and overall just move a little more than usual.

It wasn't accurate since it only tracks arm movements. For instance, I got Fuel points for taking shots at a party which is a little odd as I know I wasn't burning that many calories. With that said, it did give me that little mental push in order to see that light show with the goal highlighted. The dumb little videos were also really cool too.

Unlike the other fitness devices, this one seems more apt to a person that just wants to either get off the couch or maybe just move more than they currently are. Again, I typically hit a hard workout 3 times a week, but having these daily goals has got me more mobile. Have I lost more weight or am I in better shape after a week? Realistically, probably not at all, but I feel better and I really can't wait until I get my own. Those little virtual pats on the back are oddly satisfying and highly motivating for me.

If you are looking for a serious training tool, the Fuel Band is probably a waste of money to be honest. The Nike+GPS (and the other fitness devices hitting the market) seem to offer significantly more tools for the serious athlete and for specific workouts/training regimens. The Fuel Band on the other hand seems to be for the every day to just ensure that you are moving while offering a fun way to motivate you to keep moving.

End random rant/mini-review.

[v3rn]

I owned the Nike+GPS Watch, and bought a Nike Fuelband. I sold my Nike+GPS Watch. The watch is huge, and is really only good to wear when going for a run. For all day, it's not very practical. For runs, I wear my iPhone and use the Nike+ Running app, so the watch was pointless.

But the biggest problem with the watch is that it's huge and ugly. The Fuelband doesn't attract attention, and just looks like one of those rubber bracelets.

[dinggus]

I don't understand how Nike Fuelband can track activity, but doesn't track running?

[rockyroad55]

Originally Posted by rapaleeman

I ordered one earlier this week and it should be on my wrist by Monday.

Unlike most people, I am not going to use it as training/running tool but more like a life tool.

As with those that actually like the Fuel Band and give it a good review, it seems to be a great motivation device. I'm a sucker for pretty lights and sounds and while I know the device isn't accurate by any stretch, the simple fact is that the higher the numbers, the more one is doing on a given day. Movement is better than sitting still and getting a little light show that says I have been doing stuff is hopefully going to be a great little "win" everyday.

I work all day in an office and while I do workout and exercise, a little mental boost here and there is always a good thing. There are days when I am too tired to hit the gym or just too busy to go for a run that an artificial kick in the pants is something I need.

That's what the Fuel Band seems to be and the goal it sets out to accomplish. To get people moving and to hopefully spark a lifestyle a little less sedentary. A simple daily reminder that I am or am not active in a given day is something that I think I can benefit from which is why I ordered it.

Nailed it!!!!

[rapaleeman]

Originally Posted by dinggus

I don't understand how Nike Fuelband can track activity, but doesn't track running?

It does and it doesn't. It doesn't do the GPS tracking like a running tracker and it doesn't track sessions or even run times. It only tracked daily activity from midnight to midnight when I used it and I didn't see a way to get more data from it.

Under the hood it is a glorified pedometer (attached to one rm instead of your pants) though it seemed to be tracking a little more than that. It gave me a ton of points when I played football for an hour but only about half of that when I walked the mall for two hours shopping. I know I walked and exercised more at the mall than when playing football since it wasn't a constant activity but the Fuel Band gave me more fuel for football.

So yes it does track running but not a particular session or route. It is more of a constant that basically told me whether or not I was active in a given day. The actual stats weren't accurate but it was a decent indication that I was moving/doing more which is why I think of it as more of a motivational tool instead of a training tool.

[dinggus]

Originally Posted by rapaleeman

It does and it doesn't. It doesn't do the GPS tracking like a running tracker and it doesn't track sessions or even run times. It only tracked daily activity from midnight to midnight when I used it and I didn't see a way to get more data from it.

Under the hood it is a glorified pedometer (attached to one rm instead of your pants) though it seemed to be tracking a little more than that. It gave me a ton of points when I played football for an hour but only about half of that when I walked the mall for two hours shopping. I know I walked and exercised more at the mall than when playing football since it wasn't a constant activity but the Fuel Band gave me more fuel for football.

So yes it does track running but not a particular session or route. It is more of a constant that basically told me whether or not I was active in a given day. The actual stats weren't accurate but it was a decent indication that I was moving/doing more which is why I think of it as more of a motivational tool instead of a training tool.

Thanks, I might buy one tomorrow to see the hype. There are two people in my office that have one and like it. One said they should have just bought the Nike+GPS, but since I run with my iPhone I don't need it plus I don't like watches.

[kam187]

Looks like LG have copied the fuelband!

http://gizmodo.com/5974676/lg-smart-...earable-gadget

It shows you calls, texts, controls your music, has a touchscreen, altimeter, as well as a accelerometer. Looks like it has everything the fuelband is missing! Debating if i should return my fueldband now, as it seems like there'll be a lot of these kind of products this year..

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/4920...er-ces-preview

All of a sudden the fuleband feels very very expensive and limited! Nike really should update the firmware to allow control in the opposite direction. Although maybe that's not even possible depending on how its wired internally.

What do you guys think?

[rockyroad55]

Originally Posted by kam187

Looks like LG have copied the fuelband!

http://gizmodo.com/5974676/lg-smart-...earable-gadget

It shows you calls, texts, controls your music, has a touchscreen, altimeter, as well as a accelerometer. Looks like it has everything the fuelband is missing! Debating if i should return my fueldband now, as it seems like there'll be a lot of these kind of products this year..

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/4920...er-ces-preview

All of a sudden the fuleband feels very very expensive and limited! Nike really should update the firmware to allow control in the opposite direction. Although maybe that's not even possible depending on how its wired internally.

What do you guys think?

It's LG. Nike has a better track record of making athletic products. Heck, that's pretty much their market. I'm not too trusting of LG. I like their home media products, but I don't know about this. Besides, I like the simplicity of the Fuelband.

[kam187]

Well i'd say technology wise LG probably have a better record. But they're both big companies so i'm not too worried about the quality of the hardware itself.

If it were just a like for like product It'd be a no brainer - Nike will probably develop the software side a lot better, and come up with new and novel ways to keep you active with the same fitband.

But, if you're going to wear something on your arm all day long, the more it can do the better. For me I think the price will dictate everything. If it's similar in price i'll probably return my fitband before the 30 days limit. If not, i'll stick to the fitband.

The LG could be a lot more useful when i'm on the train and don't want to pull my phone out all the time. Just my opinion, interested to hear what anyone else thinks.

[rockyroad55]

Originally Posted by kam187

Well i'd say technology wise LG probably have a better record. But they're both big companies so i'm not too worried about the quality of the hardware itself.

If it were just a like for like product It'd be a no brainer - Nike will probably develop the software side a lot better, and come up with new and novel ways to keep you active with the same fitband.

But, if you're going to wear something on your arm all day long, the more it can do the better. For me I think the price will dictate everything. If it's similar in price i'll probably return my fitband before the 30 days limit. If not, i'll stick to the fitband.

The LG could be a lot more useful when i'm on the train and don't want to pull my phone out all the time. Just my opinion, interested to hear what anyone else thinks.

Is your phone on silent or no vibrate? It's not like it's going to be any different. You still have to pull out the phone when you get a message. However, if the phone is in your bag, that's different.

Tech-wise, I can see how LG may be better, but I trust Nike because the Fuelband is a fitness monitor and Nike makes fitness items.

[kam187]

Originally Posted by rockyroad55

Is your phone on silent or no vibrate? It's not like it's going to be any different. You still have to pull out the phone when you get a message. However, if the phone is in your bag, that's different.

Tech-wise, I can see how LG may be better, but I trust Nike because the Fuelband is a fitness monitor and Nike makes fitness items.

I was thinking more for controlling music (with the touchscreen), and seeing incoming mail (which doesn't always need a reply). But then, you'd have to leave bluetooth running, and you could easily achieve almost the same thing with a BT headset/headhpones.

I agree that Nike will probably develop the fitness aspect a lot more than LG will tho.

[kam187]

Nice teardown here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xdajSS_cOU

So it looks like it only has one 3 axis accelerometer. No altimeter or second accelerometer with different sensitivity.

[dinggus]

Just an update on how I'm liking the Nike Fuel Band. I've had it for a week now, and I set my goal as active, so I have to hit 3000 fuel points. To be honest, I've only hit it once! Every other time I'm between 1-3 lights away. I consider myself active and go to the gym every day. The band says other wise, so now I'm stepping it up a notch, taking the dogs for a walk and what not.

So, all in all I'm loving the band. I'm thinking about getting the wife one as well.

What I'm liking is this fuel point stuff, it is motivating, never thought I'd say that. I just got done browsing the Nike Fuel website and seen they now have Nike Missions. So, you can select the Nike device you use, and start a mission and I tried the beginner one out which was 200 fuel points in 30 minutes. Motivated me to get up out of my chair and walk around the office for 15 minutes (I work nights, so no one is in it).

I'm now considering getting the Nike Kinect, I think it would be fun for the wife and I do together. I didn't realize how big Nike was on activities.

[rapaleeman]

Originally Posted by dinggus

Just an update on how I'm liking the Nike Fuel Band. I've had it for a week now, and I set my goal as active, so I have to hit 3000 fuel points. To be honest, I've only hit it once! Every other time I'm between 1-3 lights away. I consider myself active and go to the gym every day. The band says other wise, so now I'm stepping it up a notch, taking the dogs for a walk and what not.

So, all in all I'm loving the band. I'm thinking about getting the wife one as well.

What I'm liking is this fuel point stuff, it is motivating, never thought I'd say that. I just got done browsing the Nike Fuel website and seen they now have Nike Missions. So, you can select the Nike device you use, and start a mission and I tried the beginner one out which was 200 fuel points in 30 minutes. Motivated me to get up out of my chair and walk around the office for 15 minutes (I work nights, so no one is in it).

I'm now considering getting the Nike Kinect, I think it would be fun for the wife and I do together. I didn't realize how big Nike was on activities.

Don't get the Nike+ Kinect game. It is not very good. It doesn't detect movements properly and the stat tracking is plain broken in both the game proper and the iPhone app. The fact that it is supposed to help you with your form, yet doesn't actually detect your proper position is really disheartening.

Get the Yourshape Fitness 2012 if you want a workout game. It tracks really well though it isn't integrated into the Nike ecosystem. It also has some cool games that make the workouts a lot more fun. I actually really like the yoga stuff which is something I never thought I would do. It is really relaxing yet a decent workout at the same time. The Nike one has literally one game outside of the workouts and it is an awful one at that. I wasted $50 bucks on that thing and it isn't even a good motivational tool.

As for the fuel band, I used a friends one for a week, then decided to buy my own. I have been using my personal one now for a week as well and for work days I found 2000-2500 to be a decent goal, even when hitting the gym. On the gym days I always beat the goal but on the off days it is a little difficult to sometimes hit it so I end up going for a walk/run or playing some Kinect (I bought a stupid Power Rangers game that surprisingly gets the blood pumping). The point is, even crushing the goal makes me feel a little more accomplished (it is all superficial anyway) and when I am close but haven't reached the goal, gets me motivated to go do it. Failing to reach a goal is missing the point of the motivation to me so I feel setting it around an average (2000) makes the most sense.

I generally have the band always set at 2000 and up it if I know I'm hitting the gym or am actually going to be away from my desk. 3000 on the weekends isn't out of the question so I adjust accordingly. I basically don't want the motivation tool becoming a metaphorical weight weighing me down due to an unreachable goal. Unfortunately working in an office for 9 hours a day plus several hours travel time makes hitting a higher goal daily almost impossible.

Just my two cents.

Side-note: I will say that I wish you could do missions away from your computer and start them on your phone. Until that functionality is added, I don't really see the value. for those.

[dinggus]

Originally Posted by rapaleeman

Don't get the Nike+ Kinect game. It is not very good. It doesn't detect movements properly and the stat tracking is plain broken in both the game proper and the iPhone app. The fact that it is supposed to help you with your form, yet doesn't actually detect your proper position is really disheartening.

Get the Yourshape Fitness 2012 if you want a workout game. It tracks really well though it isn't integrated into the Nike ecosystem. It also has some cool games that make the workouts a lot more fun. I actually really like the yoga stuff which is something I never thought I would do. It is really relaxing yet a decent workout at the same time. The Nike one has literally one game outside of the workouts and it is an awful one at that. I wasted $50 bucks on that thing and it isn't even a good motivational tool.

As for the fuel band, I used a friends one for a week, then decided to buy my own. I have been using my personal one now for a week as well and for work days I found 2000-2500 to be a decent goal, even when hitting the gym. On the gym days I always beat the goal but on the off days it is a little difficult to sometimes hit it so I end up going for a walk/run or playing some Kinect (I bought a stupid Power Rangers game that surprisingly gets the blood pumping). The point is, even crushing the goal makes me feel a little more accomplished (it is all superficial anyway) and when I am close but haven't reached the goal, gets me motivated to go do it. Failing to reach a goal is missing the point of the motivation to me so I feel setting it around an average (2000) makes the most sense.

I generally have the band always set at 2000 and up it if I know I'm hitting the gym or am actually going to be away from my desk. 3000 on the weekends isn't out of the question so I adjust accordingly. I basically don't want the motivation tool becoming a metaphorical weight weighing me down due to an unreachable goal. Unfortunately working in an office for 9 hours a day plus several hours travel time makes hitting a higher goal daily almost impossible.

Just my two cents.

Side-note: I will say that I wish you could do missions away from your computer and start them on your phone. Until that functionality is added, I don't really see the value. for those.

Thanks for the tip about the Nike+ game! I'll look at the YourFitness.

I like the motivation of trying to hit the 3000 mark, so now I'm coming up with ways to make me even more active than I am now, lol.

The mission thing, I did a beginner level 1, turned it on and walked around the office like 30 times. I can't sit for 8hrs, haha.