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Keep Apple Watch or get Fitbit?

cfclay said:
The kicker was when I downloaded the fit bit app and saw all of the data that it integrated.
Click to expand...
This is where the AW really falls short. It is one of the major areas that I really hope Apple rewrites. The AW mobile app and lack of web app for activity and fitness is a huge gap.
 
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exxxviii said:
This is where the AW really falls short. It is one of the major areas that I really hope Apple rewrites. The AW mobile app and lack of web app for activity and fitness is a huge gap.
Click to expand...

I think Apple was hoping that the developers would write a killer fitness app.

Stark reality is that very few developers are writing apps for the AW. I see this becoming a problem in the future.
 
If it were me, I'd buy a basic fitness band (fitbit or UP) to wear all the time, and just wear the AW when not at work, as you're already doing. That way you get the movement reminders and the step tracking but you don't have to make another big investment and there's no forced decision-making between wearing your AW or the new tracker.

BTW I used to do this - wearing the AW on my left wrist and an UP on my right. As the thinner fitness bands really just look like bracelets, it doesn't look weird. It worked really well. (I had to stop due to a completely unrelated wrist injury, and just never picked back up again, as I can wear my AW everywhere so it really was a duplication).
 
I have both a Fitbit One (carry it in my pocket) and an AW Sport. I'm carrying the Fitbit less and less and just using it to monitor sleep these days. I had been using it to compare against the AW and I found that the two were usually quite consistent in terms of steps (the Fitbit usually reports about 5% more steps). My Fitbit does tend to report about 15% to 20% more stairs climbed though. Exercise minutes are usually about the same for me.

I think only you will know if it is worth having both in your situation. If you can afford it, get the Fitbit tracker you want and try it out. Hold onto your AW until you are sure about what you want to do. If you have to take your AW off for 8 or 9 hours a day then you will not be able to use the activity rings, but you will at least be able to get similar metrics out of Fitbit. You can also get a third party app that can sync that data with the Apple Health app.

Maybe you can disguise your Apple Watch? ;)
 
Last year I bought a Fitbit Charge HR for workout tracking. Every time I began working out and sweating, it would stop tracking my heart rate. It was basically useless to me.

I was speaking with someone at Bestbuy and was told they had many returns because of that.

I stopped using it. I waited until AW2 this September to buy. Very happy with it and the only time it stopped tracking my heart rate was when it slipped down to the base of my wrist and was sitting on one. I wear it a bit tighter and it hasn't happened since.

I use the Activity watch face so I am reminded all day of my goals and how close, or far, I am from achieving them. I sit at a desk all day, so I also like the reminders to get up and move if I haven't in the last hour.
 
Update on my experience: I should take this time to mention that I bought my first FitBit on October 18 2015, and they have replaced it free of charge for 3 times... and now offered me a discount on the fourth. I'm ordered the Charge 2 at discount from them in part because they have stood by their product. I can't speak for the issue of sweaty workouts, but I never take them off- so water has probably intruded them. This most current one works great but it just stopped measuring heart rate about three weeks ago.
 
just returned Nike watch and bought fitbit HR2 - dont get me wrong, the AW is a high quality piece of kit and the integration into the fitness apps is excellent. The problem is beyond that and notifications etc i didnt really see what other functions I would use (ok maybe apple pay) that would justify the price so opted for the fitbit as very similar functionality for less than 1/3 price. Theres no doubt that theres a quality difference in build, the screen, extra apps etc etc but apart from the fitness apps i feel the watch is lacking a killer app - especially when so many apps require you to be near the phone or even to open the app on the phone!
 
sheareb said:
just returned Nike watch and bought fitbit HR2 - dont get me wrong, the AW is a high quality piece of kit and the integration into the fitness apps is excellent. The problem is beyond that and notifications etc i didnt really see what other functions I would use (ok maybe apple pay) that would justify the price so opted for the fitbit as very similar functionality for less than 1/3 price. Theres no doubt that theres a quality difference in build, the screen, extra apps etc etc but apart from the fitness apps i feel the watch is lacking a killer app - especially when so many apps require you to be near the phone or even to open the app on the phone!
Click to expand...

I agree! The fitness aspect is so much better on the Fitbit. The Apple Watch really needs automatic activity recognition and sleep tracking. Fitbit does activity recognition (with just an accelerator) so it's definable just an algorithm more than any additional hardware required. Maybe Watch OS 4 :)
 
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