Fitbit One Wireless Activity and Sleep Tracker

I bought this mainly for sleep quality tracking, but the step features are quite cool too.

PROS
- sleep tracking is easy, wristband isn't annoying
- website shows you a lot of useful sleep stats and a nice graph showing you when you moved around during sleep
- it is not uncomfortable to wear during the day, you just forget it is there
- if you have windows, syncing is very easy
- it definitely gets me to walk a bit more and go to bed earlier

CONS
- you can't download the minute-by-minute movement data for day or sleep to do your own analysis
- it doesn't sync with Android yet, doesn't sync with ipad 2 or with linux
- I counts driving or being on public transport as steps and you need to manually tell it on the website that you weren't walking

The FitBit One is the latest in a range of what are described as pedometers but the FitBit One is so much more. It tracks you going up stairs and also your sleep patterns, the website will track food intake and so much more!

Upon opening the box you will find the tiny Fitbit One with its smooth plastic front and dark titanium style metal back this thing is seriously small and light, you almost don't feel it in your hand. Thankfully there is a silicone rubber and metal clip which means you shouldn't loose it, there is also a wristband for use when your sleeping as this thing tracks your sleep.

You goto the website and signup, this also downloads the latest version of the software and you just follow what it asks you to do and before you know it your done and ready to go. Charge the unit for an hour and get to work! LOL

Like most other pedometers this tracks your steps and stores them, unlike other pedometers it will track altitude so it tracks the extra energy you use going up steps and hills (converted to stair floors), it also tracks your sleep patterns, pop the device in the supplied wristband at night and press a button (long press) to tell it your going to get to sleep, wake up in the morning and press that button again to tell it your awake and it marks that as sleep and will tell you how you slept based upon your movement in the night.

All this data gets synced to the website where it is displayed and stored. I can't describe the website it has SO MANY options and SO MUCH information its crazy and its free unlike many other similar services.

Can't get to your PC? You can get an app for iPhone and Android to view your progress, enter foods you have eaten (though I advise the use of MyFitnessPal as it does barcode scanning, personal recipe storeage and more and links with FitBit), even record your mood and more.

If you have a more modern smartphone (iPhone 4S and 5 at present) you can also sync to those directly when out and about, more phones will be compatible soon but they do need Bluetooth 4 which not many have at present, but the FitBit One is at the cutting edge of this tech so most new phone models released will likely be compatible (ie. your next phone will probably work)

This is an excellent motivation, once you see your stats and even how often your sedentary it will make you want to do more. I am definite proof of this :-)

Worth the money, if your looking to loose weight this tells you calories in, calories burnt and really you can't hide how your putting on or loosing weight if you use this, its all there in detail which means you can change things, just make sure you put out more than you take in, even for a fatty like me its actually easier than any diet you've ever been on. Trust me!

PROS:
* Small and Lightweight
* Tracks the extra work it entails to go up stairs and up hills (converted to stair floors)
* Tracks Sleep patterns
* Only needs charged every 5-7 days
* Excellent Website
* Links to modern models of smartphones (Bluetooth 4 needed)
* Plays well with others, links to MyFitnessPal, Endomondo and so much more

CONS:
* Some people could be prone to loosing such a small device, I used a lanyard which I put into a keyring, the keyring then goes into FitBit One clip, I loop the lanyard around my belt loop pulling the fitbit through the middle, this means its locked to my jeans and can't escape and I can still pull it out and read it, pop it on charge when at the computer, etc.
* I would recommend once you install the software, update the Fitbit One via the software as mine did not pick up that first update automatically right away, it may do that after a sync or two but you want to start with the latest software, so best double check it with a manual update.
* No backward compatibility even with a button push to Bluetooth 2/3.

Is this better than the Fitbit Ultra? In a word, Yes, its smaller, lighter has a better armband, has a better brighter clearer display, has a better clip, is more resilient to damage and is splash proof and waterproof to 1m, will let you sync to mobile, firmware upgrades via computer or via mobile. So to repeat, yes, its worth the upgrade.

I've had my FitBit One a couple of days after seeing the older version tested on a popular UK TV gadget show. I have to say I'm impressed by how good this tiny device is. It's been measuring my activity extremely accurately, steps taken, flights of stairs climbed etc. I'm a fairly regular gym user, so up until now I've only really been using the figures on exercise bikes/cross trainers etc to get an idea of the distance and calories burned. Having this device, I'm now able to see just how much walking I do on a daily basis, going to the train station, walking the underground stations or just going to the shops.

The Dashboard on the website and mobile apps give you daily targets, 5,000/10,1000 steps, stairs climbed etc, and I find this is a motivator to get out and walk more, take the stairs rather than the lift etc. So I would definitely recommend this to people who perhaps need that extra push to get out and exercise. Although it comes with a belt clip, mine tucks into my jeans pocket and it's been working fine there.

Now for some negative points. If you have an Android phone, it's not going to work (yet). It needs Bluetooth 4.0, and although my Galaxy Nexus has this, it's not supported. However the Bluetooth dongle supplied works very well, it syncs my FitBit as soon as I enter the room. When it is sync'd, the mobile app can read your account details and show you the activity graphs, targets etc, so it's not all bad.

I did try logging food, but as with many US products, this is very US centric. So you're not going to find many UK foodstuffs in their database. You can enter details manually, although when I tried this with my breakfast cereal, it asks for grams of fat per portion, and that's not on the Info box.

** Update ** I've since found that you can link your FitBit account to 3rd party apps like My Fitness Pal. This excellent app lets you log your food intake with UK foodstuffs, there's even a barcode scanner to quickly get the item you want to add.

Despite the minor niggles, I would recommend the product.