The Garmin vivofit fitness tracker
Garmin has announced the vivofit, launching them into the fitness tracker market, which has been dominated so far by the likes of the Nike FuelBand, Fitbit and Jawbone Up.
This is a non-GPS device of the type that I normally don’t cover, but it may be of interest to many of you, so I’m going to offer some highlights from the news release…
Vívofit is the only fitness band that automatically greets users with a personalized daily goal, tracks their progress and reminds them when it’s time to move. Featuring a unique, curved display that always stays on, vívofit also shows steps, goal countdown, calories, distance, and time of day. Vívofit’s user replaceable batteries last over one year and vívofit is water-resistant (50m), as well as being compatible with ANT+ heart rate monitors for fitness activities.
Vívofit learns users’ current activity level, then assigns an attainable daily goal. As milestones are met, vívofit will adjust the goal for the next day. Research shows prolonged periods of inactivity such as sitting at a desk decreases the body’s production of fat-burning enzymes. Taking frequent, short walk breaks throughout the day can reverse this. And while it is easy to lose track of time and forget to move, vívofit knows. A red move bar appears on the display after 1 hour of inactivity and builds when users have been sitting too long. Walking for a couple of minutes will reset the move bar, and get users out of the red.
Vívofit follows progress 24/7, and it can stay on for more than a year without a battery change. Setting the sleep mode when going to bed allows vívofit to monitor the quality of rest. With the touch of one button, users can wirelessly sync vívofit with Garmin Connect, a free online fitness community with currently over 4 billion miles uploaded by users. At Garmin Connect, users can see a complete picture of their progress through easy to read reports and graphical representations, including their total sleep hours, as well as periods of movement and restful sleep. Also at Garmin Connect, users can join online challenges with other vívofit users or start their own competitions with friends to compete for virtual badges and bragging rights. Users can access this free online community from their computer or on their compatible mobile device with the Garmin Connect Mobile app.
Using a heart rate monitor with vívofit to record heart rate and zone data will achieve more accurate calorie burn information for any fitness activity, such as a run or a cardio class at the gym. The vívofit band is water-resistant, so it can be worn in the shower or get caught in the rain, worry-free.
Vívofit will be available in black, purple, teal, blue and slate and both small and large sizes come in the box. Vívofit will begin shipping Q1 2014 and have a retail price of $129.99 and $169.99 (heart rate monitor bundle).
One other note, the vivofit uses Bluetooth 4.0, so your phone must be compatible to use the Garmin Connect mobile app with it.
UPDATE: Here is a promo video…
http://youtu.be/XHGq3ZJPnFc
About Rich Owings
This is a very interesting device. I’ve been using the Garmin Fit app on my phone for hiking and skiing to track where, how far, and how long with the Garmin Connect site. It’s been great. I’d like to see if I can merge both data tracks into one on Garmin Connect to get a full picture of what I’m doing.