They are leading the charge of the wearables. No, not smartwatches, as many had predicted, but the much simpler smartbands. Ranging from straps with small core units to calculate the distance travelled, to the more complex watch-like designs that replicate some of the functionality of smartwatches, smartbands are rapidly becoming popular—not just among fitness enthusiasts but also among those who aren’t tech-savvy. But as in most things technology, smartbands come in many varieties, ranging from the utterly basic to smartwatch-like devices, and different price points.So which one should you be opting for? I found the answer to this question by answer the following questions that I found on a web site. Choose your most apt answer choice and add the points accordingly to get your final score, based on which you can select from any of the devices given below (after the questionnaire).
1. Will you be wearing anything else (such as a watch) besides the band on the wrist?
a. Yes. The band should blend in or be invisible.
b. Yes, but it doesn’t matter because I like wearing accessories.
c. No, this is going to be the sole, or at least the main, adornment on my wrist.
A: 2 points; B: 3 points; C: 5 points
2. How interested are you in getting information about your fitness levels and what kind of information will you seek?
a. I’m just starting to keep an eye on it, so basic information, mainly—steps taken, calories burnt and the like.
b. I’m getting serious about my fitness, so I will need more information and a detailed analysis.
c. I’m a fitness fanatic. I need extremely detailed information, including monitoring the heart rate, and perhaps even a fitness expert guide me.
A: 2 points; B: 3 points; C: 5 points
3. Do you want a gadget dedicated to just fitness or one that has “smart” features too—such as the ability to alert you about phone calls, text messages, mails and the like on the wrist?
a. I want as much “smartness” on the band as possible—if possible, enough to ensure that I can leave my smartphone in my pocket.
b. I would expect a certain level of “smartness” in the band, such as calls, text and mail alerts. Alarms would be a must.
c. It would be handy if the band had “smart” features but their absence would not be a deal-breaker.
A: 5 points; B: 3 points; C: 2 points
4. Would you prefer seeing fitness information on your phone/computer or on the band itself?
a. I would definitely want to see information on it—what is the point of my buying a smart device for fitness if I still have to pull a phone out to get information?
b. Having the option to see some information on the band would be a good thing; pulling out the phone repeatedly can be a bit of a pain.
c. I don’t mind seeing it on the phone or PC, as I use these often in any case.
A: 5 points; B: 3 points; C: 2 points
5. What kind of activities do you want it to track?
a. Basically, distance travelled. Anything additional (steps climbed, etc.) would be a bonus.
b. Track everything in as much detail as possible. It should even tell me where I was walking or running—tracking as many types of exercises as possible is a must, as well as activities like cycling and hiking.
c. Distance travelled, steps climbed and, if possible, basic exercises like push-ups and sit-ups.
A: 5 points; B: 2 points; C: 3 points
6. What is the level of accuracy that you expect from your smartband?
a. No one wants an error-prone device, but I understand there can be the odd deviation, so yes, I could live with a good approximation.
b. I would prefer it to be reasonably accurate—this is about fitness, after all.
c. I demand absolute accuracy. If possible, it should also have GPS to track my runs and not rely just on movement.
A: 2 points; B: 3 points; C: 5 points
7. In terms of battery life, what are your expectations?
a. I would prefer it to last as long as possible. I do not want to keep worrying about charging it.
b. As long as I get the information I want, I don’t mind recharging it frequently—after all, don’t I do the same with my phone?
c. As I want a fair bit of information, I can understand that I may have to charge the device regularly, but I would still prefer one that needs to be charged at the most once or twice a week.
A: 2 points; B: 5 points; C: 3 points
8. Finally, how much would you like to spend?
a. Well, the lower the better, as I am just starting out, but I could go up to Rs.5,000.
b. I would say, up to Rs.15,000—I am getting serious about fitness.
c. Budget is not an issue really as long as I get a device which delivers.
A: 2 points; B: 3 points; C: 5 points
SCORING: Award yourself points based on the response to each question, in accordance with the scoring pattern mentioned individually
16-23 points
You are not really looking for something too complex, so a basic fitness band like Xiaomi’s simple Mi Band (Rs.999 at Mi.com) or the Fitbit Flex (Rs. 6,990; Amazon.in) would be just what you need for your requirements.
24-31 points
You are just beginning to get serious about fitness, so our advice would be something on the lines of the Garmin vívosmart (Rs.10,990; Snapdeal.com) or the Jawbone UP3 (Rs.14,999; Amazon.in), which deliver more detailed information about your fitness than the “base” devices.
32-40 points
You are pretty much in “fitness freak” mode and have a geeky side as well, wanting to cram as much on to your wrist as possible. You would like something on the lines of the Fitbit Surge (Rs.19,990; Amazon.in) or even one of the more fitness-oriented smartwatches with GPS and a heartbeat sensor—such as the TomTom Multi-Sport Cardio watch (Rs. 23,499; Flipkart.com), any Android Wear watch that runs the Google Fit app, or even the Garmin fenix 3 (Rs.49,990 onwards) if you are rich enough. Even the updated GOQii band would be a good option, because it is essentially a subscription service that gets a human fitness coach to monitor your exercise and diet regime, and suggest changes and improvements regularly.
