Fitbit Flex Manual
There is a saying that "he who gives first, gives twice" and this is what Fitbit achieved a few years ago by being the first brand to make a powerful launch of one of those gadgets that are neither a heart rate monitor, nor a GPS, nor a pedometer, nor a watch, ... but have a little of each of them and are focused on occasional sport, sport health, etc...
As of today, there is no consensus on what to call them so, although there are already several models on the market from various brands, many end up referring to them as "ah, the Fitbit that MMM has", where MMM is the brand in question.
That is, it has happened as with that brand of tissues, yogurt, ... whose names are almost equivalent to the type of product and that is worth a lot at the product level because it is easier to say "I bought a Fitbit" than something like "I bought a bracelet to measure physical activity".
Fitbit has several models in its catalog but we are going to focus on the Fitbit Flex bracelet, the most "wearable" of them all.
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Fitbit Flex
Groso modo, is a device that serves to quantify the physical activity we do, count our steps, distance traveled and calories burned and monitor the sleep cycle.
The kit that comes when you buy it is composed of the device, two bracelets (large and small size), a Bluetooth 4.0 connector for the computer, the device to connect it to a USB cable to charge it or transfer information via cable and a very brief documentation (so brief that it barely carries the link to which you have to connect to consult it online).
The heart of the matter is in the device, a kind of little pill of 3x1x05 centimeters that has inside a three-axis accelerometer and has five little lights that are the ones that will serve as an interface to understand what it wants to tell us.
With this accelerometer is able to estimate the physical activity we have done based on the movements we make and in the case of steps, estimate the distance traveled. With this and the data that we have configured it is also able to estimate the calories burned.
To monitor the sleep cycle, it is based on analyzing the movements that are made since it has been put in this mode of operation and is able to tell us in which time slots we have been sleeping like a dormouse, how many times we have had slight movements and how many times we have been wiggling as if we had nightmares (unstable sleep, so to speak)....
The bracelet is asiliconada so it should not give problems by allergies, is clean, resistant, etc.. It is available in seven colors and in the kit comes in two sizes so we can use the one that best fits our wrist and is quite discreet so we can wear it continuously in our day to day. Of course, it is submersible.
The device is inserted inside it so that the lights are visible that incorporates the device and that serve to indicate the progress in our goals.
It has five lights and each one of them represents 20% and when the fifth one has been conquered and we have reached 100%, the Fitbit greets us with a vibration that warns us that we have already achieved what we intended for that day. To find out how much of the target we have covered, simply tap it twice and the lights indicating the percentage turn on.
Using the Fitbit Flex
Before you start using it you have to configure it and, for that, you must have a Fitbit account (you create it in a jiffy). From there, you just have to put the BlueTooth connector that comes in the kit on the computer, enter the username and password in the Fitbit application Fitbit wait for it to pair automatically and then follow the instructions that guide us in the initial configuration.
Once you have done that, all you have to do is define the goal you want to set (e.g. to run 10K a day), put the bracelet on your wrist and start living your normal life.
To charge it you have to use the connector that comes in the kit and connect it to a USB socket (computer or network) and it charges quickly. The charge lasts between five and seven days, depending on how many times we synchronize it. If you are not giving it every few minutes, it will last a full week without any problems.
Synchronization can be done with the cable or with Bluetooth 4.0, both with the computer and with a compatible cell phone (the website indicates which ones, but basically the main requirement is that it supports background transfer and a version of Android later than 43).
Upload and Query Information
The synchronization is done automatically, when the Fitbit is in range of the computer or phone and is practically immediate.
The application to query the information is very simple because the purpose of this device is not focused on hyper-detailed activity, but is intended to be a simple activity monitor.
There is a set of widgets or indicators in which we can make a basic configuration and that show us the main indicators.
From this panel we can also manually record activities, food, sleep, ... either because we were not wearing the bracelet, or because there has been some error, etc.. Simply select from the top menu what we want to record, fill out the form and it will count in our statistics as if the Fitbit Flex had automatically entered it.
As it usually happens with these things, the theme of sharing and internetiana community has a lot of weight so it also allows linking to the Social component from the "Community" tab:
As for the phone application, as simple or more, as it should be in a device with the philosophy of being simple to the highest degree.
Conclusions
We are witnessing the birth of the category of "wearables", smart clothing and similar things and it is difficult to know where they will go in the medium - long term because, although many new things are emerging and some of them hit hard, no category ends up settling clearly, many of them are mixed, etc..
However, it seems that this type of device for measuring physical activity has caught on with a certain public and that is why the main brands have thrown themselves into the ring trying to present something that meets this demand.
Within that segment, the Fitbit Flex has the advantage of being from Fitbit, going in a simple and elegant bracelet, is cheaper than most (or all) competitors, is tremendously simple, lasts long enough battery, very good connectivity, ... But it also suffers from some shortcomings that may make some not consider it as an option: lack of display (not a complex display but perhaps with the possibility of showing some basic data), does not measure vertical movement (does not count stairs as do some of the Fitbit devices), although it is one of the cheapest, it moves at prices that already give to buy some interesting heart rate monitors, ...
In any case, it is clear that there is a type of public that likes these gadgets, either for the mere fact of being a gadget, either because it serves as a spur to encourage them to do sport, ... so, for those who want "one of those", the Fitbit Flex is a great choice because it is just that, no more, no less, no less, no more.
PROs & CONs
PROs:
- Simplicity to the highest degree, no displays, simply a wristband with five LEDs.
- Price compared to other similar products.
- Comes standard with two bracelets.
- Synchronization via Bluetooth 4.0.
- Discreet and elegant.
Cons:
- No display, something that for some may be a handicap.
- It is difficult to put it on (close the hook), at least until you get the hang of it.
- Having to keep putting it in and taking it out of the bracelet every time we want to charge it, the cavity ends up giving of itself.
Where to buy the Fitbit Flex?
The Fitbit Flex pack can be purchased at Mobilefun.es for 98,49€ .
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