Hands-on review: CES 2014: Garmin Vivofit review

Hands-on review: CES 2014: Garmin Vivofit reviewPosted by admin on November 12th, 2014 12:07 PM

Garmin Vivofit’s rerouting the incredible short battery life of wearable gadgets by launching an always-on fitness tracker that lasts even more than a year on a single charge.

We were able to put on the Vivofit physical fitness band without using down the battery at CES 2014 and rapidly discovered that its secret is shunning a backlight on its rounded LCD screen and using some low-power efficiency techniques.

That’s lovely fantastic provided the reality that leading fitness trackers, like the Fitbit Force and Nike FuelBand SE, need recharging every 7 days if you are lucky. They also require pushing a tiny button in order to check out the time, everyday step count, distance and calories. Vivofit displays all this details without the have to press anything. Its single button is simply utilized to cycle through the information.

Even much better, the Garmin Vivofit specs indicate that the battery is really two user-replaceable CR1632 coin cells. Going down to the drugstore to get these new batteries once a year would be a much easier regular than constantly needing to charge the device.

Of course, the obvious downside to having an always-on display with no backlight is that it’s difficult to read the time and physical fitness metrics in the dark. So while it’s convenient to see the time and steps you have taken in a day just by just looking down at your wrist, that’s only possible in lit environments.

Contents

Metrics, inactivity bar
Healthy competition
Look, feel and sizes
Price, availability
Early Verdict

Metrics, inactivity bar

The waterproof Vivofit computes steps, objective countdown, range took a trip, calories burned and sleep quality and it displays the time of day. It’s also suitable with Garmin’s heart rate monitor to determine your heart rate and heart rate zone. The company plans on bundling the two for quantified self enthusiasts who desire the full metrics package.

Just as special as its resilient battery life, the Vivofit includes an on-screen lack of exercise bar. That begins after you have been still for an hour. The red inactivity bar grows from left to right at the top of the LCD screen, offering you an always-on visual cue to move up and move your lazy bones.

“Sitting is the smoking of this generation, ” a Garmin speaker upheld throughout our demonstration with the fitness band. “And you don’t even realize that you are doing it. The stagnation bar is a visual cue that keeps you liable. ” Moving around and strolling for two or 3 minutes will stop the red danger-colored bar.

Healthy competition

More inspiration may come from the Garmin Connect and leaderboard software application. This Android and iOS compatible fitness tracker uploads data through a smartphone or the tiny USB ANT nub that’s the Vivofit. Like other fitness bands out there, this gadget requires holding its single button to sync steps, calories, goals, etc, to the app’s adjustable widgets.

Its leaderboards can constantly drive you to walk further since they are initially public. This implies that you are pitted in regular trials against other fitness-enthusiasts in the very same time zone and who’re talking the exact same language.

Garmin’s leaderboard widget resolves a concern that plagues the Fitbit Force and Nike FuelBand – you want to engage in “healthy competition,” however insufficient of your good friends have the exact same activity tracker. This heaps the leaders, even if you’ve no idea them. It’s likewise simple to opt out in case this doesn’t interest you.

Look, feel and sizes

The Vivofit comes in 5 colors: black, purple, teal, blue and slate. There are no red, yellow or true green colors as part of the lineup. Nevertheless, each order does feature 2 sized bands, little measures 4.7 in to 6.9 in and huge fits anywhere from 6.0 in to 8.3 in.

Since the actual Vivofit hardware inside the band is interchangeable, you can order additional colors and switch it out if you are fashion conscious and constantly have to match. The band is a soft rubber, just like the Fitbit Force and Fitbit Flex, which is contrary to the stiffer rubber material discovered in the Nike FuelBand SE and honest Razer Nabu.

Vivofit’s water-proof as much as 50 meters, so yes, you can utilize the Garmin Vivofit while swimming in a pool, the ocean or just showering. Simply do not expected to obtain many steps with these activities.

Price, availability

Garmin Vivofit’s on sale today as a pre-order on the map business’s website for $129 (₤ 99, about AU$ 145) and with the heart rate display consisted of, it’s $169 (₤ 139, about AU$ 190).

The Vivofit release date is 5 to 8 weeks out, according to the United States shipping dates on the pre-order site. Officially, Garmin will just state that it will start introducing worldwide in the very first quarter of this year in the US and UK, while the Australian release date is set for the 2nd quarter.

Early Verdict

Garmin is a GPS navigation company taking a brand-new direction in the wearable fitness market. Sure, it marketed cycling monitors and running watches for over a years now, but Vivofit represents its very first attempt at a more mainstream gadget.

CES 2014 has made it noticeable that the wearable market is ending up being filled. Vivofit stands apart with its year-long battery life and always-on display. Always-on is actually practical if you are running and want to keep a continuous watch of your steps without pushing a small button every 100 speeds. It’s just not backlit as an outcome.