The best fitness trackers you’ll ever strap on your wrist

[Wireless News]

http://l2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/uOA2z1C4GhxnfFOtyfSLNQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/d767880a51471349917d51a79045e3b0 (http://news.yahoo.com/best-fitness-trackers-ll-ever-214338366.html)he fitness wrist band remains very popular, despite the growing attraction of smartwatches, which can perform many of the same functions, with added convenience and all that notification goodness. The reason fitness bands aren’t going anywhere is they’re often well-priced, lighter, more compact, and more focused as a product than even the most basic smartwatch. Related: Smarten your style with these 6 pieces of high-tech smart jewelry If you’re looking for a wrist band to help motivated you get more exercise, track your calories, or even keep a log of your sleep patterns, then you’ll probably be surprised by the amount of choice out there. We’ve collected seven of our favorite fitness tracking wearables, to help make the buying process a little easier. The Best Garmin VivoSmart ($80) The Garmin Vivosmart Activity Tracker merges activity tracking tools with a long battery life. “Smart Notifications” will display notifications of incoming calls, texts, and emails. Garmin’s premium tracker also records sleep time and a number of activities including swimming. The understated OLED screen will display plenty of data on the face of the bracelet including time, day of the week, date, and common activity tracker metrics like steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, and steps needed to reach the goal. When paired with optional heart and bicycle sensors, the Vívosmart can also log heart rate and bike speed. And those who own one of Garmin’s VIRB action cameras can use the Vívosmart as a remote control to start and stop recording, or snap a still shot. Despite all those nifty features, the VivoSmart has the heart and soul of an activity tracker. In seconds, the vivosmart will pair with your phone, or with heart and bicycle sensors and log your info on Garmin Connect. It’ll allow you to set goals and even compete with friends to earn virtual badges. Also included is the move bar alert that will vibe every time you go an hour without walking.- Read our full review here. Buy in now from: Amazon-Best Buy-Walmart The Rest Fitbit Charge HR ($148.50) Five day battery life means the Charge HR will be there to track all your activities in real time. Steps, minutes active, calories burned, and distance traveled can all be recorded. You can even enter your meals and it’ll track the amount of calories consumed. Sleep tracking feature will log your light and deep sleep and a caller ID will display incoming phone calls on the band’s display. The Charge HR also features an updated clasp designed to stay on your wrist when you decide to do cartwheels. It also has a heart rate monitor, which ensures that your stats are accurate.- Read our full review here. Buy in now from:- Amazon-Best Buy-Walmart Runtastic Moment-($130+) Runtastic is best-known for its amazing running and fitness app, but it’s also made wearables. Now, Runtastic plans to woo fashion-conscious fitness freaks with the gorgeous Moment — an analog watch with a progress bar and LED light that syncs with your phone to give you stats on your activity. It tracks distance travelled, steps taken, calories burned, and sleep. The Moment comes in a variety of styles and sizes to suit every taste, whether you prefer a sporty look, a classic watch, or something funky. The best part? You never have to charge it. Read our hands on review here. Buy in now from: Amazon Withings Activité Pop ($190) Withings showed us fitness trackers didn’t need to be dull black wristbands when it introduced the Activite watch, but all its style came with at a very high $450 price. That’s why the Activite Pop is the one to buy at $100, or less if you shop around. It has the same tracking functionality, so keeps watch on steps, calories, and sleep patterns. Plus it’s waterproof to 5 ATM, so you can wear it swimming. The compromises come in materials. The Activite Pop has a soft silicone band, an anti-scratch screen, and a PVD-coated matte finish body.- Read our full review here. Buy in now from: Amazon-Best Buy-Walmart Jawbone Up2-($80) Jawbone has an extensive range of fitness trackers on sale, and although the Up2 isn’t the newest, it’s still the most comfortable, and least compromised in terms of design in the range. Jawbone deserves attention because of its Up app, which is easily one of the best you’ll use. It effectively tracks and presents all your fitness and sleep data, provides long-term data, and a great range of tips and challenges to keep motivated. Tracking data is fine, but doing something with it is what makes a good fitness tracker and app package great. Read more here. Buy in now from: Amazon-Best Buy-Walmart Next Page: 5 more of our favorite fitness trackers Polar A360-($200) The Polar A360 promises one of the best heart-rate monitors on the market, developed in-house at Polar, which uses optical technology for a highly accurate beats-per-minute count. Rather than being an ugly, medical-grade wearable, the Polar A360 is a good-looking band with a color touchscreen, a waterproof stainless steel body, and colorful interchangeable straps. It’s $200, and works with the company’s own Flow health and fitness management platform. The app provides training advice and guidance, but you can also share your data with your coach. Read more here. Buy in now from: Amazon-Best Buy-Walmart Garmin VivoActive-($170) The VivoActive blurs the line between fitness band and smartwatch, with the emphasis on the former for functionality, and the latter for design. It’s aimed more at athletes and serious fitness fanatics, thanks to the inclusion of GPS and the option of a separate strap-on heart-rate monitor. It includes complex fitness tracking capabilities, will deliver notifications from a linked phone, and operates with the Garmin Connect app.- Read our full review here. Buy in now from: Amazon-Best Buy-Walmart Moov Now ($80) The Moov Now impressed us when we saw it earlier this year, thanks to its comprehensive training app, which contains 10 different programs that audibly guide you through a workout. These include running, cycling, and boxing. The Moov Now looks cool with its webbed band, and the battery will last for about six months, plus more programs will be added to the app in the future. It’s also competitively priced at less than $100. Read more here. Buy in now from: Amazon-Best Buy Xiaomi Mi Band-($15) Matched only by the Pivotal Living Band on price, Chinese mobile manufacturer Xiaomi’s $16 Mi Band is a stylish and feature packed fitness wearable, that’s only officially gone on sale in the U.S. recently, through the company’s own online store. The metal core unit snuggly fits in a silicone band, which can be purchased in a few colors, and tracks steps, calories, and sleep. Best of all, the 30-day battery life minimizes trips to the charger, while the accompanying app is for Android or iOS, and presents collected data in an attractive way. There’s not much feedback or advice, but at this price, it’s hard to complain much.- Read our full review here. Buy in now from: Xiaomi Misfit Flash ($20) There may be better fitness trackers out there, but not at this price. The Misfit Flash for is a decent, entry-level fitness tracker that can track steps, sleep, and even has a feature for swimming. Waterproof up to 90 feet, the Flash pairs with the Misfit App that’ll allow you to set goals for daily steps and will display your progress on the minimal LED interface. And the replaceable LED battery will last nearly six months. Read more here. Buy in now from: Amazon-Best Buy-Walmart



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