Withings' Activité and Activité Pop Updated With Swim Tracking Capabilities

[MacRumors]

Withings' Activité and Activité Pop are two of only a handful of activity trackers on the market that are entirely waterproof, and as of today, the two devices are able to be used to track swimming. Swim detection is a feature that Withings has long promised and will be a welcome addition for customers who bought the activity trackers to track their swim movements.

We appreciate your patience. We've heard your requests. And we're OVERJOYED to announce swim tracking is here. pic.twitter.com/Mok3wr1o8m - Withings (@Withings) July 7, 2015

Following today's firmware update, Activité fitness trackers will be able to automatically detect swim motions, recording a swimming session as a workout as the device does for other activities like running. Activity and workout information is then available for viewing within the accompanying Withings Health Mate app.

Activité Pop automatically recognizes swim. Just put it on, dive in and the watch will log your full session and record calories burned.

Both of the Withings activity trackers are water resistant down to 50 meters, or 164 feet, a feature that many of the popular activity trackers on the market cannot match.

Even Apple's own Apple Watch is not rated for swimming, but several people have opted to test the waterproofing of the device and have found that it does seem to be able to be used in the water with no consequence. Still, Apple does not recommend that it be used when swimming or showering, unlike the Activité, which can be used reliably in both situations.

Withings' Activité and Activité Pop can be purchased from the Withings website for $450 and $149.95, respectively.

Article Link: Withings' Activité and Activité Pop Updated With Swim Tracking Capabilities

 

[jmh600cbr]

Not an apple product

 

[LucasEVille]

There are quite a few smartwatch products for swimming: Garmin fenix 3, 920xt etc.

I'll be surprised if Apple do not waterproof their watch within the next 2 generations, they can easily steal the health tracking market they just need the waterproofing, 48+ hour battery (sleep tracking), multisport app and GPS built in.

 

[batmccoy]

I was going to rant and complain about how Apple purposely leaves features out in order to have a selling point for future versions. Which lee know they do to a certain extent, but in reality, they had to leave GPS out of their watch to moderate battery usage. But Apple has painted itself in a corner by positioning the watch as a piece of jewelry rather than tough activity device. This direction probably started with Ive who seems more comfortable on the fashion floor than a hiking trail or pool. Ive's increased control (without Jobs or Forestall to balance) is not helpful for the user. But I don't think Tim sees this. In fact I'm not sure anyone at Apple is putting the end user at the top of the list anymore.

 

[amirite]

I bought an Activité Pop from Best Buy in January, with moderate expectations. It was just going to be something to hold me off until the Apple Watch release. Even if it looked rather unattractive and cheap, at least it would do the job: tell time and track activity. Right?

Unfortunately, no. I was hugely let down by the product and Withings support. I quickly realized I had to recalibrate the watch multiple times a day because it would regularly go off by 30+ minutes for no reason, rendering it useless. I contacted support a few times and all they gave me was promises of a fix in some future update sometime. The watch was useless—I couldn't trust it to tell the correct time, so it could not function as a watch. And if it couldn't even do that then I certainly wasn't going to trust it to be able to accurately count steps.

I own a Withings bluetooth scale which is great, but making a decent "smart" watch isn't as easy as some companies seem to think. Apple took three years to make a watch, while these companies think they can throw something together in as many months. I truly feel sorry for anyone who has spent $450 for the non-pop model of this rushed to market beta product. I also had issues with it disconnecting from my phone and not updating properly. A problem I've never had with the Apple Watch.

I don't mean to sound like a fanboy but if you want a good smartwatch for iOS you only have one option. If you were thinking of buying this over the Apple Watch: don't. If you're on a budget just get a fitbit and a regular watch.

Here's my conversation with Withings' poor support:

The minute hand on my watch needs re calibrating constantly. I Picked it up from Best Buy on Friday and it's already useless for telling the time. I've had to recalibrate it four times in the past two hours.
If this is a hardware issue I would appreciate any help you could give. Thank you.

I am sorry to hear that you are having difficulty with your Withings Activité. Can you please try disassociating and resetting your Activité to factory settings? [...] Please note that performing this reset will delete any data stored on your Activité. Please let me know if this does not resolve your issue.

I followed the instructions and am still having the same issue.

My sincere apologies for the delay in response. I have spoken with the development team and they are currently working on a firmware update to improve the timekeeping on the Activité. In the meantime, you may need to recalibrate your unit periodically [seriously?]. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience or frustration this may cause. Again, apologies for the delay in response and any inconvenience this may have caused.

 

[martygras9]

I bought an Activité Pop from Best Buy in January, with moderate expectations. It was just going to be something to hold me off until the Apple Watch release. Even if it looked rather unattractive and cheap, at least it would do the job: tell time and track activity. Right?

Unfortunately, no. I was hugely let down by the product and Withings support. I quickly realized I had to recalibrate the watch multiple times a day because it would regularly go off by 30+ minutes for no reason, rendering it useless. I contacted support a few times and all they gave me was promises of a fix in some future update sometime. The watch was useless—I couldn't trust it to tell the correct time, so it could not function as a watch. And if it couldn't even do that then I certainly wasn't going to trust it to be able to accurately count steps.

I own a Withings bluetooth scale which is great, but making a decent "smart" watch isn't as easy as some companies seem to think. Apple took three years to make a watch, while these companies think they can throw something together in as many months. I truly feel sorry for anyone who has spent $450 for the non-pop model of this rushed to market beta product. I also had issues with it disconnecting from my phone and not updating properly. A problem I've never had with the Apple Watch.

I don't mean to sound like a fanboy but if you want a good smartwatch for iOS you only have one option. If you were thinking of buying this over the Apple Watch: don't. If you're on a budget just get a fitbit and a regular watch.

Here's my conversation with Withings' poor support:

I bought their baby monitor a couple years ago. Huge let down.

 

[avanpelt]

Unfortunately, no. I was hugely let down by the product and Withings support. I quickly realized I had to recalibrate the watch multiple times a day because it would regularly go off by 30+ minutes for no reason, rendering it useless. I contacted support a few times and all they gave me was promises of a fix in some future update sometime. The watch was useless—I couldn't trust it to tell the correct time, so it could not function as a watch. And if it couldn't even do that then I certainly wasn't going to trust it to be able to accurately count steps.

Interesting. I bought an Activite Pop in May and have not had this problem. It stays synced with my iPhone down to the second.

 

[Keane16]

But Apple has painted itself in a corner by positioning the watch as a piece of jewelry rather than tough activity device. This direction probably started with Ive who seems more comfortable on the fashion floor than a hiking trail or pool. Ive's increased control (without Jobs or Forestall to balance) is not helpful for the user. But I don't think Tim sees this. In fact I'm not sure anyone at Apple is putting the end user at the top of the list anymore.

This is why opinions are great - I completely don't share yours.

I wear my Watch all day at work, during my runs and at the gym. The Space Black version IMO is a decent balance between out and out jewellery and something sporty. With the black 'rubber' band it blends well with my running or gym gear. And with the link bracelet it looks nice for work.

What you wrote would be apt for the Withings Activité from the article - I really wouldn't want to wear something as delicate looking whilst swimming (the leather strap is not something I'd want in a swimming pool) or at the gym.

I think Apple did pretty well with the design. They had to cover the fashion types who don't work out aside from walking. And the types like me who run and lift weights. Lets not forget the Apple Watch isn't a pure fitness tracker - it's also an extension of your phone, and in the future will run its own apps too.

I think the market they miss - and the one you allude to in your post - is the one with users who want something truly rugged. And I agree the Apple Watch is a bit too jewellery focussed to wear for Tough Mudder, for example. But I would happily clip on one of the hideous cases for the the times I need truly rugged. And those that need something rugged regularly - sadly this isn't the product for them.

The balance they hit with the Apple Watch (and its many straps) means I'm happy with it in the office, at the gym, or running through the city centre in my running gear. I'm so glad they didn't do what you want and make a sporty/rugged looking device. I think they covered a large segment of the market with their choices.

 

[daniesy]

It took them more than half a year to implement the swim tracking capability, a feature which was advertised on the watch's page from the beginning. I guess that for a $450 watch, coming soon means waiting more than 6 month. This is truly sad, because i really wanted to buy one.

 

[mazz0]

"OVERJOYED" eh? Wow, they really care!

 

[amirite]

Interesting. I bought an Activite Pop in May and have not had this problem. It stays synced with my iPhone down to the second.

I haven't touched mine since February, it's collecting dust. I'm glad not everyone had such a poor experience though

 

[Sheza]

This is why opinions are great - I completely don't share yours.

What you wrote would be apt for the Withings Activité from the article - I really wouldn't want to wear something as delicate looking whilst swimming (the leather strap is not something I'd want in a swimming pool) or at the gym.

I feel as though I must correct some misinformation here. The Withings is cheaper and designed for swimming, it is hardly delicate. I would not want to go swimming with an Apple watch for fear of it breaking and voiding the warranty. This product is designed for swimming. For you to say you wouldn't want to swim with it because it looks delicate is, IMO, madness.

Secondly, of course you don't wear the leather strap when you go swimming or to the gym. That's why the straps are interchangeable, and a damn sight cheaper than Apple's straps. You wear a silicone one for swimming. It says all this on their website should you bother to look.

It took them more than half a year to implement the swim tracking capability, a feature which was advertised on the watch's page from the beginning. I guess that for a $450 watch, coming soon means waiting more than 6 month. This is truly sad, because i really wanted to buy one.

The first part of your comment is true however do bear in mind that the watch is only $149 if you don't go for the expensive looking one, and why would you?

I haven't touched mine since February, it's collecting dust. I'm glad not everyone had such a poor experience though

I can only imagine that this is because you have found a replacement. Otherwise it simply doesn't make sense to me unless you are not the sort of person to use wearable technology in the first place. If you don't have an alternative, why on earth would you just not use the one that you have bought?

I usually defend Apple when I post, and I agree Withings have been late on this update, but there is some misinformation here that I felt I had to correct. And it's a damn shame Apple with its bazillion dollars of cash is afraid of a few people claiming warranty on their watch because it broke while swimming. It seems perfectly waterproof and I would buy one easily if it did swimming tracking as well.

 

[amirite]

I can only imagine that this is because you have found a replacement. Otherwise it simply doesn't make sense to me unless you are not the sort of person to use wearable technology in the first place. If you don't have an alternative, why on earth would you just not use the one that you have bought?

I'm not sure what you're talking about. Did you read my post where I said it was unusable? I went back to a regular Watch until I bought an Apple watch a few weeks ago.

 

[Sheza]

I'm not sure what you're talking about. Did you read my post where I said it was unusable? I went back to a regular Watch until I bought an Apple watch a few weeks ago.

Apologies, I read all posts but on mobile it's easy to scroll past usernames and I thought your earlier post was by a different person.

 

[jason.siegel]

For activity tracking, the Activite and Activite Pop look pretty competitive with the Apple Watch: http://comparewear.com/wearables/?vs=watch&vs=activite&vs=activitePop

 

[Keane16]

I feel as though I must correct some misinformation here. The Withings is cheaper and designed for swimming, it is hardly delicate. I would not want to go swimming with an Apple watch for fear of it breaking and voiding the warranty. This product is designed for swimming. For you to say you wouldn't want to swim with it because it looks delicate is, IMO, madness.

Secondly, of course you don't wear the leather strap when you go swimming or to the gym. That's why the straps are interchangeable, and a damn sight cheaper than Apple's straps. You wear a silicone one for swimming. It says all this on their website should you bother to look.

I'm afraid you've missed the point entirely. There was no misinformation. You just failed to read what I wrote. I know exactly what the Withings line is capable of.

My personal opinion above was that the Withings Activité was too "delicate looking". I said nothing of it's durability. And I stand by my point, there is not much chance in the watch below belnding in with my gym or running gear. In the office, yes.

I have no doubt the watchface would be fine when worn in a pool (just like the Apple Watch which isn't even certified for such activites). The OP I was responding to was saying the Apple Watch wasn't rugged enough, and my opinion was that they hit a decent balance or ruggedness and 'jewellery' type looks.


On the strap thing you are not forced to buy Apple's pricier straps - they are not special. Just buy cheap 3rd party versions for working out in. That's what I am doing to build up a varied collection. I must admit their link bracelet is really nice though, better than anything on any competing smartwatch I've tried.

 

[rtjstevens]

I have the 'pop' and it's been fine...no problems at all (although syncing is a little slow).
I broke the watch glass some months ago and bent one of the hands. I asked Withings for the cost of repair, and, on sending it back, they replaced it FOC within a week. Communication with them was excellent.
BW
Richard

 

[Sheza]

I'm afraid you've missed the point entirely. There was no misinformation. You just failed to read what I wrote. I know exactly what the Withings line is capable of.

My personal opinion above was that the Withings Activité was too "delicate looking". I said nothing of it's durability. And I stand by my point, there is not much chance in the watch below belnding in with my gym or running gear. In the office, yes.

I have no doubt the watchface would be fine when worn in a pool (just like the Apple Watch which isn't even certified for such activites). The OP I was responding to was saying the Apple Watch wasn't rugged enough, and my opinion was that they hit a decent balance or ruggedness and 'jewellery' type looks.


On the strap thing you are not forced to buy Apple's pricier straps - they are not special. Just buy cheap 3rd party versions for working out in. That's what I am doing to build up a varied collection. I must admit their link bracelet is really nice though, better than anything on any competing smartwatch I've tried.

Sigh....

You keep showing and talking about the much more expensive Activite, not the Activite Pop which is much more tailored for fitness than casual life styles. You DID provide misinformation when you failed to realise that you're supposed to replace the leather strap with a silicone one - should you have the more expensive version - for swimming.

 

[Keane16]

Sigh....

You keep showing and talking about the much more expensive Activite, not the Activite Pop which is much more tailored for fitness than casual life styles. You DID provide misinformation when you failed to realise that you're supposed to replace the leather strap with a silicone one - should you have the more expensive version - for swimming.

In my original reply to the OP... "What you wrote would be apt for the Withings Activité". I've never once mentioned the Pop, not sure how that device came up in conversation when replying to me.

The Activité (non-Pop to be clear) is a watch with swimming capabilities. But like pretty much every watch ever sold of course you change the strap if you so wish - in fact I imagine you would have to change the strap before swimming.

But you've gone off on a bit of tangent by jumping in, claiming misinformation and taking the conversion away from what was being discussed... the Apple Watch design, in particular an opinion that Apple went too far in favour of fashion over ruggedness - which I disagreed with.

 

[Sheza]

(the leather strap is not something I'd want in a swimming pool)

I simply informed you that you're not supposed to use it with that strap.

 

[uwdude]

I would rather have their device with the O2 sensor, although I don't know how well that works.

 

[nj1266]

I bought an Activité Pop from Best Buy in January, with moderate expectations. It was just going to be something to hold me off until the Apple Watch release. Even if it looked rather unattractive and cheap, at least it would do the job: tell time and track activity. Right?

Unfortunately, no. I was hugely let down by the product and Withings support. I quickly realized I had to recalibrate the watch multiple times a day because it would regularly go off by 30+ minutes for no reason, rendering it useless. I contacted support a few times and all they gave me was promises of a fix in some future update sometime. The watch was useless—I couldn't trust it to tell the correct time, so it could not function as a watch. And if it couldn't even do that then I certainly wasn't going to trust it to be able to accurately count steps.

I own a Withings bluetooth scale which is great, but making a decent "smart" watch isn't as easy as some companies seem to think. Apple took three years to make a watch, while these companies think they can throw something together in as many months. I truly feel sorry for anyone who has spent $450 for the non-pop model of this rushed to market beta product. I also had issues with it disconnecting from my phone and not updating properly. A problem I've never had with the Apple Watch.

I don't mean to sound like a fanboy but if you want a good smartwatch for iOS you only have one option. If you were thinking of buying this over the Apple Watch: don't. If you're on a budget just get a fitbit and a regular watch.

Here's my conversation with Withings' poor support:

I have the Withings Activite and I love it. I have had zero problems with it. I don't want your sympathy. It is a great watch. Two features that this watch tracker has over all the others are waterproofing and battery longevity. I had a Fitbit Flex and it was so annoying to charge every 4-5 days.

Withings is always improving the watch. It is not perfect, but it does everything that I want. Tracks steps, sleep, waterproof, 6-8 months battery, and now swimming. The app has a heart rate monitor.

It is also a beautiful Swiss time piece. No one knows that you are wearing a tracker and it looks good when you go out on fancy dinners/lunches. It is not bulky or geeky.

I will get an AW when/if Apple makes it waterproof and makes the battery lasts for at least a couple of weeks.

 

[nj1266]

I haven't touched mine since February, it's collecting dust. I'm glad not everyone had such a poor experience though

Not only did I not have a poor experience, I bought a pop for my brother on his birthday. That one had a defect that Withings contacted him and gave him a new one even though I bought it from BB. They contacted him and sent him a new one before even returning the old one.

The leather strap on my Activite was very snug on my wrist. I contacted them and they sent me a longer one free of charge and I still kept the old snug strap.

I bathe with the leather strap on and it has been fine. It is high quality leather that can withstand bathing and maybe swimming too.

 

[nj1266]

In my original reply to the OP... "What you wrote would be apt for the Withings Activité". I've never once mentioned the Pop, not sure how that device came up in conversation when replying to me.

The Activité (non-Pop to be clear) is a watch with swimming capabilities. But like pretty much every watch ever sold of course you change the strap if you so wish - in fact I imagine you would have to change the strap before swimming.

But you've gone off on a bit of tangent by jumping in, claiming misinformation and taking the conversion away from what was being discussed... the Apple Watch design, in particular an opinion that Apple went too far in favour of fashion over ruggedness - which I disagreed with.

You do not HAVE to change the strap. I do not change mine at all when bathing. I leave it on leather 100% of the time. Granted, I have not gone swimming with it yet, but when I will, I am leaving the leather strap on. After all Withings sent me another leather strap free of charge.

 

[uwdude]

It would be interesting to hear from a swimmer how it works while swimming, if you can use it underwater, etc.