Fashionable Fitness Tracker

CEBU, Philippines - Considering today’s sedentary lifestyles, it has become necessary to track if one attains at least the minimum amount of physical activities required to maintain health and fitness. The issue is now very close to home, as parents assume office-bound jobs and their teenagers get glued to the couch absorbed in their gadgets. Hence, a functional and fashionable device that prompts one to move about. 

Donning minimalist design ethos that draws it more like a baller bracelet and not a clunky piece of wearable tech, Fitbit’s “Alta” melds the functional upsides of an activity/fitness tracker without blatantly looking the part.

Developed by the brand that helped establish the overall activity tracker industry, the device has recently been made available in various gadget and sporting goods stores here in Cebu – touting features like an automatic activity identifying function, support for real-time smartphone notifications, provisions for custom reminders to move when one is idle and more.

Essentially an upgraded variant of Fitbit’s “Flex,” are these highlights of the “Alta” robust enough to qualify it as the best activity tracker currently available in the metro?

Does it have the chops to cause progressive changes in how Cebuanos identify a good activity tracker from other cut-and-dry offerings?

Form – Weighing somewhere around 30 grams, the “Alta” doesn’t have any physical buttons; it utilizes a tap-friendly display screen as its primary console for user input. It stays off until tapped or if one’s wrist turns the wearable device; the screen shows information like the time, the number of steps its wearer has taken and covered distances, calorie burnt and active time estimates – information that’s of interest to most activity trackers.

Comparing the “Alta’s” looks with previously released Fitbit trackers would reaffirm the brand’s penchant for minimalist designs – Fitbit’s take on coming up with more fashionable wearables, so to speak.

This barebones design approach is backed by a personalization factor that’s achieved by the “Alta’s” interchangeable strap feature, allowing its users to swap straps of other colors, or those made of non-rubber materials like leather or metal.

Out of the box though, the “Alta” comes with only one rubber strap, leaving it up to its users to decide if they want to purchase additional straps.

Features and functions – One feature that sets the “Alta” apart from other activity trackers of its class can be found in its automatic exercise/workout recognition feature which allows it to automatically records running time, yoga sessions or elliptical exercise machine workouts, among others.

This is complemented by the “Alta’s” support for on-screen call, text and/or calendar notification functions when it is actively paired with a smartphone – along with a configurable notification option that reminds its wearers to move when it detects idle active times.

The absence of an altimeter, built-in GPS sensor and heart rate sensor pegs the “Alta” as an “entry level” activity tracker that’s aimed for individuals who want to keep basic records of their activities/workouts – not for those engaged in extreme sporting/workout activities like triathletes.

The device is water resistant and not waterproof, which means that one can’t use it while swimming.

Software and configurability – Like other activity trackers, the “Alta” roots its activity logs on a day-to-day recording scheme – wirelessly synchronizing its data with a Bluetooth 4.0-enabled smartphone or a computer via a USB dongle that’s supplied with the wearable device.

Trumping other activity trackers, the “Alta” supports multiple mobile and desktop platforms – having apps for Android, iOS and Windows 10 Mobile (most activity trackers only support Android and iOS), and desktop apps for computers running on Windows or Mac OS.

These applications sync data over Fitbit’s cloud-accessible database, which means that “Alta” owners who have multiple devices can unify records to all their devices when connected to the net.

Configuring the activity tracker’s ‘watch face’, notification options and other functions is mainly done through the Fitbit app – which also links its users to setup guides and other pertinent walkthroughs. The app is pretty straightforward to use, and even highlights novel features like a food consumption recording function which can factor in calorie intake versus calorie burn rates.

Overall – Fitbit’s “Alta” is a good activity tracker to have – it doesn’t fall short of what the Fitbit brand aims to bring to the table. Its battery life runs up to five days per charge, and its automatic activity/workout identifying feature makes it quite seamless to use – no need to configure/reconfigure it for specific activities.

Some users, though, may encounter a slight hiccup in setting up the device with a PC running on Windows 10 (an update was required for it to properly function. Yet as an ‘entry level’ activity tracker, the “Alta” works to the advantage of its wearers.  (FREEMAN)