Android App Review: Fitbit

Do you ever feel painfully out of shape and want to make a change in your lifestyle, but don’t know where to start? As some of you may know, Fitbit created a wireless activity tracking device, called the Fitbit Ultra, designed to help its users get active and stay active. As a refresher for anyone not familiar with the actual device, it is a small unit meant to be worn on the body at all times and tracks the user’s movements and sleep habits. The information is then displayed on the accompanying Fitbit website for the user to view and manage all of the data the device is tracking. The idea is that you are able to stay motivated for a healthier lifestyle by making a game out of fitness through the Fitbit website. Users can easily  achieve their fitness goals by earning badges, medals, and virtual awards. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t do laps around my coffee table at 11:35pm just to reach my daily fitness goal.

Sounds good right? Usually devices of this nature are launched with a mobile app and while Fitbit released a mobile app for iOS users last October,  the company lacked a mobile app for the Android community. Thankfully, Fitbit finally got on the ball and released a new app to the Google Play store which acts as a complimentary aid when used in conjunction with the Fitbit Ultra device. So of course, we wanted to go hands on and see what it had to offer.

App Summary: Users can track their fitness through exercise, food, and caloric intake on-the-go. The app provides the same advantages as the iOS app and allows Android users the ability to readjust their fitness goals based on their tracked activity. The app displays all the data you’ve collected thanks to your Fitbit Ultra device, however, you don’t necessarily need the $100 device to take advantage of the app’s other perks.

How it Works: The Google Play app will then automatically sync information to the user’s personal web profile on Fitbit.com. Unfortunately, Android users won’t be able to get rid of using the computer entirely as the app doesn’t allow the user to track their performance out on the field like the significantly more expensive Nike FuelBand which connects via Bluetooth. Ideally, I wish Fitbit could directly send data to my smartphone without the need of a computer and the dock.

Features

Dashboard: Home base for user

– User can view stats for the current day and up to 2 weeks in the past
– At a glance user can see their latest steps, calories burned, and floors data when the Fitbit Wireless Tracker syncs with a base station

Food Plan: This helps the user achieve and manage a weight goal by selecting a calorie intake plan

• Different plans and levels of intensity to fit to user’s current lifestyle
• Calorie allowance adjusts based on your activity level
• App syncs up with user’s Fitbit website. user can view overall stats and back up data

Logging: Allows user to manually log food, water, workouts, and wait on-the-go

• Logging is easy and quick to input with native dashboard interface
• User has to locate foods in Fitbit data base or can create custom entries, sometimes you have to get creative when logging food
• User can access their preferred foods and favorite meals

Pros:

• Deep integration with the Fitbit Ultra device
• Dashboard displays stats for today and up to the last two previous weeks
• Dashboard displays latest steps, calories burned, and floors data when your Fitbit Wireless Tracker device syncs with a base station
• Food Plan is easy to use and adjusts calories based on activity completed for the day
• Social aspect boosts motivation, users can add friends with a Fitbit account and can stay competitive with goals
• Fitness badges and awards make achieving your goal more like a game and keeps it fun and borderline addictive

Cons:

• Users who don’t own a Fitbit wireless tracking device will not be able to take full advantage of this app’s activity tracking features
• App will not display sleep data collected from a Fitbit device, you still need to use website to manage that data
• Any steps and activity measured by your Tracker still has to be uploaded via plugging the Fitbit base station into a computer
• No ability to log Body Mass Index (BMI), users have to go back to website to log BMI
• No bar code scanner for food
• Needs additional food options to log
• App doesn’t allow your Android device the ability to actually track your physical activity or steps taken. App does not replace the actual wireless tracking device

Summary: The Fitbit app is a complementary must have for any Android user who already owns a Fitbit wireless activity tracker. However, the app in no way replaces actually owning the Fitbit wireless tracking device, and really needs the device to work to its true potential. While a user could benefit from some of the app’s features without owning the Fitbit device, this app would leave you with only a piece of your fitness picture without having the device to track your steps, stairs, and sleep activity.

Personally, I was in search of an affordable fitness tracking app that would improve my current lifestyle and help me achieve higher goals. The manual aspect of having to log my food on a daily basis did make me feel accountable for what I was putting into my mouth. Having the mobile app made it even harder to cheat throughout the course of a day. Before the app was released, I would have to wait until the end of the day to log all my food, and it wasn’t a happy coincidence if I “forgot” to log in the McDonald’s I had for lunch. At least with the app, I was logging food right after I ate it, which created a habit in my daily routine after a few days. It wasn’t long before I actually drove away from a Burger King and went home to make a salad just because I didn’t want to log in the calories for a Whopper. The convenience of seeing my stats wherever I was via my Android device seemed to make fitness a more conscious priority during the day. All in all, I felt that the app was a good compliment to owning a Fitbit device, but not what I was looking for in a one-stop fitness tracking mobile app. Is it possible to find a suitable app that helps us track, reach, and manage our fitness goals without shelling out a few hundred bucks for a separate device?

On the positive side, there’s no denying that the app steps up to the plate if you’re looking to track your exercise and caloric intake activity on-the-go in conjunction with a Fitbit device. The best part about having the app is the convenience of not having to remember everything you consumed during the day when you were away from a computer. Now logging everything you consumed is as easy as whipping out your Android.

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