Health gadget maker Fitbit seems to be following its competition. Discontent with users stuffing their Fitbit Ones into pockets, bras or clipping them to trousers, Fitbit is selling a device called the Flex, which attaches to a wristband, just as Jawbone and Nike Wellness devices do.
I'm far from convinced that, without comprehensive calibration options, these kinds of devices offer real accuracy when they measure steps, sleep, calories burned, and offer feedback on eating habits.
But they give you a gee-up in your quest for a healthier lifestyle, have useful alarm features, and are entertaining too.
The Flex consists of an oblong-shaped tracker just 3cm long that you fit inside a cavity in the rubber Flex wristband.
The bands are interchangeable: you get black and grey ones with the Flex and for $39.95 you can buy a pack of three coloured wristbands.
Slotting the tracker into the wristband can be awkward until you get used to it, as is clasping the two studs to secure the band on your wrist. You'll need to do this at least weekly as you take it off to recharge the tracker.
There's a USB attachment with a cradle for this. I've been getting just over five days of use between charges. It's a bit of an awkward set-up actually.
Graphic: Fitbit Flex
But there's good news too. First, the Flex mounted in its wristband is water-resistant, so you can wear it in the shower. There's no reason to take it off your arm between charges.
Second, the Flex syncs to an iPhone and selected Android phones by Bluetooth 4.0 automatically, so you can get a comprehensive readout of activities any time using the Fitbit app. And you can sync it.
In contrast, you need to take the Jawbone Up off your arm and plug it into the phone audio socket for syncing. That's hardly a problem as you can slip it off and on your wrist in an instant.
We tested syncing the Flex with the Fitbit app on the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S4, which worked fine. If that doesn't work for you, you can sync your Flex with a PC. Fitbit supplies a small Bluetooth USB dongle for this.
Unlike the Fitbit One, the Flex doesn't have a digital display, just five small LED lights that indicate your progress towards a goal you nominate on the Fitbit website. The more lights you see, the closer you are, and the Flex vibrates when you get there.
The Fitbit app itself is quite attractive. You can peruse through daily readings of your steps, distance travelled, calories burned, weight and sleep, and monitor the progress of friends who dare to share their stats with you. You use the app to set alarms and use the Fitbit website to set your daily goal.
You can set multiple alarms and the days they are to activate on the Flex, but the Jawbone Up has the added feature of being able to wake you when you are sleeping lightly near your alarm time.
There is a question as to how accurate these devices really are. I wore both the Up and Flex for a few days to see if they'd report the same information.
In the five days leading up to this review, the Up reported 9464, 18,451, 21499, 14,731 and 4720 steps. The Flex recorded 10,533, 19,088, 22,282, 14,978 and 4803 steps, a tad more.
I was shocked when FitBit emailed me a certificate saying I'd walked 50 miles (80km) - I'd been on some long walks around Sydney CBD, but that was all. At $119.95, the Fitbit Flex offers good value too.
