Fitbit Flex fights Nike+ FuelBand, talks to your phone
The Fitbit Flex is a water resistant, wireless wristband that tracks your exercise, activity and sleep.
Flex and bend and two and three… Ah, didn't see you come in there -- just doing a spot of calisthenics with the Fitbit Flex, a new fitness-tracking wristband that talks to your phone.
The Fitbit Flex is a water resistant, wireless wristband that tracks your exercise, activity and sleep. It's a rival to the similar Nike FuelBand, tracking the steps you take, the distance you cover, the calories you burn -- and even how you sleep, should you keep it on after you're done climbing the stairmaster and climbed the wooden hill to Bedfordshire.
Fibit has also added a new stat, to challenge Nike's all-encompassing NikeFuel points system, which adds up all your activity of different kinds into one number. The Flex tracks active minutes, counting how many minutes of moderate-intensity cardio you manage in a day, whether they're a hardcore sesh in the gym or a shorter burst like walking to the corner shop in your pyjamas.
There's an LED indicator on the wristband to give you an idea of how you're doing, and the band vibrates as you hit targets during the day. But that's just the first part of the process: the band also wirelessly syncs with your phone via Bluetooth 4.0 to record your activity in the Fitbit app for your Android phone or tablet, or iPhone or iPad.
If you have a selected Android phone, you can launch the Fitbit app by tapping your phone against your wristband, handy if you've got sweaty hands from pumping iron, or you're wearing gloves as you pound the pavements.
All this activity tracking happens in real time, so you can look at the app to see how you're doing even in mid-workout, rather than having to wait until you get back to your computer to sync.
If you're already wedded to other apps or services, the Flex also works out other fitness apps such as Endomondo, LoseIt, MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal and Sparkpeople.
The Fitbit Flex costs £80 from 27 of May, and comes in black or grey with teal, tangerine and navy covers sold separately.
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