• Priscilla Peck
• On September 17, 2015

(Edited) Our fabulous Medhatter writer, Sequina, is back again with another review this week! 

Today, there are many fitness trackers to choose from. I was given the opportunity to review the Fitbit Charge HR fitness tracker and here is my experience with the product. This basic tracker retails at 199SGD.

The Fitbtit Charge HR comes in 4 different colours. (Black, Plum, Blue and Tangerine). There are also two sizes for this particular product. (Small, Large, and X-Large) The battery, according to the manual, should last up to 5 days, and true to expectation, it lasted around 6 days. At the end of each day, I would sync my Fitbit to my phone. This way, when the battery power is low, you will be alerted via phone or email.

For accurate results, ensure that the sensor is in contact with your skin. The numbers will still register when it’s not worn or in contact with skin, but for accuracy, wear it right. You are also advised to wear the watch on your non-dominant / non-master hand. If you wear the Fitbit on your dominant hand, it’s possible it tracks activity that doesn’t really count, for example when you’re vigorously brushing your teeth.

Fitbit is very user-friendly. Download the app “Fitbit” and sync it to your iPhone or Android phone to get detailed data of your daily status. You need to switch on the Bluetooth feature of your phone for the syncing. The downside of Fitbit is that its not Waterproof so you can’t bring it into the shower or for a swim.

Fitbit allows you to track the number of steps you take, your heart rate, the distance you walk, the number of calories burned and how many steps up stairs you take. You can also track your exercise, sleep, calories consumed and water intake.

However, you have to personally note down the calories and water intake through the app. To track your sleep, go to the app and click the “start sleeping” button. Alternatively, a short-cut would be to tap on your Fitbit 4 times to activate it. Isn’t that convenient! When you wake, you have to click the “awake” button. Fitbit can help you track how long it takes for you to fall asleep, how many times you are restless or awake.  I guess from the readings, I get pretty decent sleep although I wake 3 times during the night. 

The Fitbit app can help you to customize your Fitbit to a whole new level. Use it to set notifications,alarms,customize your display and clock face. The app also provides you with a guide to help when you face difficulties with your product.

Fitbit also has a cool function not found in many other fitness trackers. Fitbit Charge HR has a built in caller id function. When you sync your Fitbit to your phone, your display screen identifies callers when you get a call. Competitive types will like the Fitbit app challenge page where you can compete with friends for different activities. And when you do well, get a reward in the form of a badge like “Sneakers-10,000 steps in a day”.

Likes:

• User-friendly
• Ability to track your heart rate,calories burned,amount of steps taken
• Caller ID

Dislikes:

• Its not waterproof

All in, I really like this fitness tracker. I personally feel that this is an important item to have for working adults because we are mostly so busy and by the time we get home, we just want to put our feet up. It motivates the lazy to embrace a healthy lifestyle and to start exercising. This is true as Fitbit allows you to track how many flights of stairs you take, I tend to push myself nowadays to take the stairs or walk a little more to hit at least 10,000 steps a day. (Edited: ET)