Philip Houska Fitbit, the pioneer of wearable fitness devices, has introduced new generations of its popular Charge and Flex models. Apart from the design changes, they also come with functional equipment that should compete with the expected Apple Watch 2 smart watch. The official iOS application has also received an update.
The novelties under the name Charge 2 and Flex 2 are to conquer the world with smaller novelties hidden in a new elegant body. Thanks to the new "Relax" function, Charge 2 allows meditation based on deep breathing, simpler all-day physical performance measurement, adaptation to various sports and certain improvements in cardio exercises.
The second new item from Fitbit's workshops, the Flex 2, is 30 percent smaller than its predecessor and offers water resistance up to 50 meters. This enables the use of this product, for example, when swimming, when the person concerned can measure the distance covered and the calories burned. Newly, it can also recognize specific exercises, encourage users to move and customize weekly challenges through the Fitbit app.
Even the aforementioned software background for these fitness bracelets has undergone certain changes. The official Fitbit app for iOS now has the "Fitbit Adventures" function, which allows users to, for example, run virtually in New York or explore the beauty of the American Yosemite National Park.
Charge 2 and Flex 2 could be models that will compete in the sports field with apple smart watches, but above all the expected second generation Apple Watch 2. It seems to have come with GPS module, improved barometer and up to 35% higher battery capacity. A larger battery will be needed precisely because of the GPS chip, which after all has significant energy requirements.
The Fitbit Flex 2, which will be available from October, is available for pre-order for just under €100. The more expensive Charge 2 will cost less than €160 and will arrive to the first customers in 2-3 weeks.
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The Flex 2 is very similar to the Mi Band, which, however, is in this specification for a seventh of the price and lasts seven times as long. It seems to me that Flex 2 offers just more diodes :-)
If we're talking about the Xiaomi MiBand... I had it a month ago and the only good thing about it was that I complained about it and they recognized it (I'm talking about the first version). It is a giant, it was not fully waterproof, the official application was not for the EU, UK or America in the google store and was pulled from various unofficial sources. It was full of gross errors and security problems. Phew! Never more!
I've had a Xiaomi Mi Band (1s) for about half a year now, so I'm very satisfied - the only thing I'm missing is the clock and continuous heart rate monitoring while running, but there are no Mi Band Tools for iOS, so I can't hack it :-). I only take the bracelet off to charge it, after 30-40 days, I haven't noticed any problems with it yet.
The 1/2 year activity is a possible limit, just like in my case ;-). Either they have improved, or you have a problem, my bracelet started to show a lot of problems after about a year and a half.
You can find security problems here:
http://technet.idnes.cz/chytre-hodinky-a-naramky-spehuji-d4k-/sw_internet.aspx?c=A160719_110051_sw_internet_vse
My observations:
It does not work with the original application from the Google Play Store. Has it changed on Android? It is necessary to download the application from unverified sources, so the application may contain a lot of ballast, or compromise or infected code.
The belt lasts a maximum of 10 months, then it physically breaks and you need to buy a new one (is it possible to make a complaint?).
There have been problems with it since about 1/2 year of use. Synchronization didn't work several times, sometimes it didn't count the whole day's results even though the bracelet had already picked up that I was done. It used to not work charged.
Is it possible to export the current data somehow? On Android, thanks to security, I probably do, but I don't feel it.
SW can pick up with a connected phone only after the third ring, not immediately, because it's too late.
SMS alerts or notifications can be disabled, but they do not work (at least with the Samsung Galaxy S5mini).
DID ANY OF THIS CHANGE?
I have no idea about the app for Android, I have an iPhone whose apps are sandboxed, meaning they can only read their own data, not the data of other apps. This can be exported through the Apple Health system app (like Google Fit?).
There are no notifications except for iOS calls, which I personally welcome, but I would also prefer it to vibrate on the first ring. Once in a while the sync goes through the second time, but I haven't lost any data yet.
The belt is still holding, the fact is that I took it off about five times, which can also have an effect on the service life.
So thanks for the info, it sounds much more optimistic than version 1 ;-).
So I looked through the forums of the biggest sellers and you can see that it's not so rosy ;-). About 1/3 of people have some problems (probably suitable for complaints). So you probably have a handle, or in a year you'll complain about it like me and you'll have the handle that it just got on your nerves ;-).
I'm out of warranty in a year :-) I bought it from China via GeekBuying, so I probably wouldn't even have to deal with the complaint; it would have to be sent back, it would cost more than the bracelet at the price list of the Czech Post :-D
Otherwise, a new strap doesn't even cost $2, even with a one-year lifespan :-)
In my opinion, this is no competition at all for the Apple Watch. Well, at least not for the current version. It is only for those who want to have an extended mobile phone arm and not a sports tester. It seems to me that it is an interesting competition to Garmin watches, so certainly interesting.
When I look at what it can do, it definitely doesn't match the Garmin Vivoactive, and it's in the same price category.