Misfit Shine Fitness + Sleep Monitor (Jet Black)

Others have waxed lyrical about the Misfit shine so I shall not repeat it all. The best bits are that it is waterproof and the activities include swimming. It has a replaceable battery that lasts 6 months so no recharging (for which read taking off wrist) It can be attached in a number of different ways - to suit different activities. The software on iPhone works flawlessly and is simple to use. It integrates with the new iOS8 health app for "steps". It auto syncs and syncing seems to work almost all the time. The ipad app is nicely laid out. As for the device neat small and unobtrusive it even includes a watch. One does not need a display on the device as the auto sync feature means the up to date data is always on the app.Negatives not really found any. I would think sleep function is based on movement so take with a pinch of salt.All said a whole lot more enjoyable than the pedometer of old.I got the "chrome" one and the colours are a nice touch.As an update I have now been using this device (and my wife also has one)for over a month and I love it. It works well, with the sync working first time on 85 - 90% of the time (if it fails turn your phone Bluetooth off and on again and it will sync fine)It integrates with IOS 8.1 "steps" and with "Myfitnesspal" app. The Calorie count looks high but includes of course you basal consumption (those calories burned just staying alive) It is totally water proof and steam room safe and battery strength is still high. It stays on my wrist all the time.Good looking , well thought out and engineered.If you want a neat fitness tracker this is the one I think.An observation is that it can be tricky to get the back off to change the battery (life is about 3 months in reality) DO NOT TWIST the tool in the slot you will knacker the case. Place the shine front down on a cloth on a firm/hard surface the simply push the tool into the 12 o'clock slot at 45 degrees hard and lever down on the tool handle slightly - off comes the back and not ruined case.

There's no getting away from it - this IS a glorified pedometer. However, it's also a very good glorified pedometer, one that's helping me in my transition from certified couch potato into - well, part-time couch potato.You get a magnetic clasp (which secures the Shine to clothing more securely than I'd expected it to) and a plastic wrist strap which makes it look like a cheap watch. Alternatively, you can just slip it into a trouser or shirt pocket and that works just as well. Any way's fine, and you soon forget it's there.It syncs up via bluetooth to an app on the smart phone which tells you how many steps you've taken, calories burned, equivalent miles, and "points" for the day or week (vs average and vs your target). I'd read about the points system being complicated, but it really isn't - you get a target for the day (where 1000 points is the equivalent of 90 mins walking) - and double tapping on the Shine gives you an indication of progress towards that target through lighting 12 dots. All very simple, in my opinion, although admittedly you have to go into the app to see how many steps you've taken rather than just look at your wrist.It also monitors your sleep (with deep and light sleep patterns, but seems a bit gimmicky to me) and can be used to track weight & weight loss goals too.Battery life is great - I've had it 5 weeks so far, wearing all the time and lots of checks on progress, syncs with the phone, etc.A real plus point for me as no recharging required.I've found that in the 5 weeks I've had it I've made a big change in my lifestyle. Only time will tell if I keep it up, but things like parking the furthest possible point away from the office (and then, walking the long way round), walking around during meetings, spending time on the exercise bike and in the gym. The kids are always asking me if I've "completed my dots yet" which keeps it at the front of my mind (they love double tapping it and telling me off if I've not completed the dots). Surprisingly my wife decided she wanted one too after she saw this, and this increases the 'pressure' on both of us to complete our dots!In the five weeks of usage so far, I've upped my daily target a number of times - in the first week, I was really shocked at how inactive I was (struggled to get even a quarter of the way towards even a small target). Over the past month I've got into the habit of taking more exercise and ended up getting competitive with myself to beat my personal best points total. And the best thing about this for me is that it's made me realise that this is really fun - kicking the football about with the kids for an extra 15 mins, going for a bike ride, taking the dog for a longer walk - it all counts. I know I shouldn't need a bit of tech to tell me this - but seems that I did (and sadly, I think there are many people like me).So it's a glorified pedometer - but it's been worth every penny so far to me.