Everyone be intimate Fitbit : The proud Fitbit data annunciation of that dude from high shoal on Facebook , the friend who wears a Zip on their hip or your coworker with a Charge on their wrist . It ’s the well - known name in fitness trackers .
But it ’s had a crude time lately . masses slammed itsfirst literal smartwatch , the Blaze , to begin with this calendar month and the troupe ’s stock has been on a downward slide sinceAugust of last yr . The fellowship needs a winnings and the Alta , a new slim fitness brand for the “ fashion - conscious ” is the closest to a winnings they ’ve drive .
It ’s enticing to call it the first Fitbit with way in mind : it ’s got well - publicized choices . There ’s a nice black pick , pink leather selection , three pastel in plastic , and a very attractivestainless sword bandthat I ’d covet if it did n’t be $ 99.95 sans tracker . As a reviewer , I had a choice between a traditional opprobrious band and gross muted tan gray leather that feel like a “ leather ” jacket purchase at Mervyn ’s circa 1994 and bet like the cutis that moult off zombies as they trundle towards their dinner party . I snuff it with the one that did not look like the foul flesh of the undead .
But this is n’t the first Fitbit focused on manner — it ’s just the first one to not treat way like an rethink . From the clasp ( a little vexatious to apply ) to the levers to take the ring off , this matter is clearly thinking “ style ” every step of the fashion .
Back in 2013 they made their first attempt at the mode thing with a whole tune of Fitbit Flex bandsmade by Tory Burch . They were endlessly more attractive than anything the Alta has ( outside of that steel band ) . They were also really fucking expensive . I love Tory Burch as much as the next fille , but I ’m not going to drop nearly $ 200 on an accessory for a equipment that goes for less that $ 100 .
The Alta , even with the fancy leather ring , is under $ 200 ( $ 129 MSRP)—reasonably affordable for a twist mean to be worn all day . And because it ’s still identifiably a fitness band , it does n’t have to worry about the gamey watermark for fashion the Blaze had to look at with . citizenry are used to see kinfolk with a lump of gum elastic strapped to their wrist , and unless you ’re rocking it at a black-market tie case , no one ’s go to call out the fashion false kiss of peace .
Instead they might be impressed with what the Alta can do . It ’s like they have the best spot of the Flex and Charge and smooshed them together . The stripe is thin like the Flex ( though it sits a short high on the articulatio radiocarpea ) , but has a elaborated video display like the Charge . With sentence , traditional fitness stats , caller ID and even calendar apprisal all on the small black and bloodless OLED exhibit , it ’s the most instructive Fitbit exhibit yet .
There is , however , an almost - calamitous flaw — the water faucet response , which might be one of the most treacherous features I ’ve ever seen in a consumer electronic equipment .
A three-fold rap of the display should reveal the time with each subsequent hydrant go through your gram calorie burn ( extremely unreliable ) , steps take ( pretty reliable ) , and mile walked ( holy crap , I get around ) . Except for the very rare social occasion , I ’d have to tip the display like a god bloody morse code operator to get it to activate . When it turn on , it would immediately splay through all the screenland before settling down and being the antiphonal product I was promised . That ’s some serious howler - on - Comcast - level interim . The “ flip your wrist joint to activate the display ” feature was significantly more precise , but I still had to shimmy my wrist repeatedly , which earned me a few looks on the underpass .
The only clock time the show consistently turn on was when the integral machine would buzz to remind me of a encounter . The bombilation to apprise me of a caller , however , took a well five to ten indorsement after it go buzz for the caller ID to appear on the video display . With that kind of inert response time , I could have just pulled my phone out of my pouch , something Fitbit does n’t require you to do .
With its focussing on fashion , the Alta require to be an routine gadget rather than just a fitness gadget . The marvelous stamp battery biography ( the Alta regularly lasted 6 days ) and the wicked immobile recharge time go a long direction to achieving that destination .
I ’ll admit , as janky as the display has been , I ’ve still find myself wearing the Fitbit Alta almost every . Damn . twenty-four hours . I love waking up in the morning and syncing up to see how much sleep I got and I dig recoiling when it cover on those two - hour forty winks on Friday night ( though it also recorded an entire ’s night sleep — including bouts of fidget — when it was just sitting on my desk at work ) . And I get a little , slaked thrill when it celebrates 10,000 steps or my first 40 mile of the yr .
For a firebrand that needs a win , the Alta let over the blood . Fitbit ’s unstated destination is world wrist domination and this is its best banding yet — if only the damn show on a regular basis worked .
README
Great “ wear and forget about it ” stamp battery life history
Boring banding options
A display so laggy you might rend it off your wrist and crush it beneath a car
Fitbit ’s best dance orchestra yet
Update ( 3/30/16 ): Fitbit would care to point out that you call for to flick your wrist to activate the display , not just tilt your radiocarpal joint and stare .
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