I’ve been walking around with a Fitbit Zip in my pocket for the last week. Most of the time I forget it’s there. And then I remember to look and realise how lazy I’ve been. Is this activity-monitoring gadget the kind of thing that can get you into shape, or is it just more junk in your jeans?
What Is It?
It’s a tiny fitness monitor that counts your steps via an accelerometer, then estimates your distance traveleld and calories burned.
Who’s it For?
People who want to be more aware of how active or unactive they are. People who like stats and need a little motivation.
Design
Adorable. You won’t notice it in your pocket (or your sports bra, so I’m told). A silicone-covered clip keeps it securely attached to whatever it’s hanging from. The screen is not illuminated.
Using It
Take it out of your pocket and scroll through a step counter, the distance you’ve travelled, estimated calories burned, and the time of day. Sync it with your computer or phone, then view your stats, add meals, log activities, and compete with friends via the Fitbit website or app.
The Best Part
The design. It feels like a smooth pebble you plucked from a river. In your pocket, it’s light, smooth, and incredibly unobtrusive.
Tragic Flaw
The apps are terrible, particularly the Android app. It pulls in some data from the cloud, and then completely misses other stuff. Adding meals is fine, but adding activities is broken. Biking/cycling is not there. Needs a lot of work.
This Is Weird…
The face of the device changes depending on how active you’ve been that day. All I want to do is make it happy…
Test Notes
- Because it’s not something you wear directly on your body, like wrist-bound the Nike Fuelband, you won’t have it on all the time. How many calories did you burn while showering or having sex? You won’t know.
- Syncing works extremely well. It does it automatically when you’re within a few feet of you computer.
- It’s splashproof. Survived a rather torrential downpour. But you can’t go swimming with it.
- The Zip turned out to be more accurate than we suspected it would be. We used a GPS app on our phone to test the distance against the Fitbit’s estimate. The GPS registered 650m, and the Fitbit got 595m. Not too bad.
- We also checked the accuracy of its step counter. I counted 700 walking steps. The Zip counted 733. It’s possible that my counting was a bit off, too, but even if it wasn’t, that’s pretty good.
- The Zip should last for up to six months on a single watch-sized battery, which is very easy to replace yourself. Nice to not have to worry about recharging.
- The screen is pretty easy to read by daylight, but it’s not illuminated — in dark situations, forget it.
- Would badges and competing with your friends really motivate you? That’s for you to say.
- Right now it can sync with a computer via a Bluetooth dongle, but it can only sync with phones that support low-power transfers via Bluetooth 4.0. Currently it only works with the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5, and the most recent iPad. Future Android devices that support that protocol will be included.
- It comes in five colours: black, white, blue, green and pink.
Should You Buy It?
You should probably buy it for someone else. It would make a nice present for your mum or dad, and the price is reasonable at $70 RRP in Australia. But it’s hard to make a case for this thing over Fitbit’s own newly announced Fitbit One, which has an altimeter, tracks your sleep patters and is visible at night. For $50 more you get a lot of additional functionality. The Zip just doesn’t really do much by comparison. If you’re just curious about this for the novelty of it, the low sticker price could make it worth trying.
Fitbit Zip
• Radio: Bluetooth 4.0
• Size: 35.5mm x 28mm x 9.65mm
• Weight: 8g
• Screen: black and white, non-illuminated
• Splashproof: Yes
• Battery: 3V coin battery, CR 2025
• Price: $69.95 RRP in Australia