2 articles that bookend the CES wearable madness

The bad: I tried on 56 wearables today. Here’s a photo of every single one of them

The sensible: Fitbit's CEO explains why his company isn't making a smartwatch

Pre-Apple Watch, the more time passes the less seems to happen

In some ways, many things have changed since I last wrote in this blog.

• Android Fit is out in the Lollipop OS update, as is Apple's HeathKit
• More Android Wear devices are out
• Samsung has released a bunch more watches, and more significantly, a medically-advanced band reference design (Simband)
• Apple Watch has been announced

But in many ways nothing has changed, nor is going to change for many months.

During this time, we can predict:

• More Android-based hardware will be released, but there won't be a "killer design"
• Samsung will continue its shotgun experimentation with consumer design
• People will continue to rumourmill about Apple Watch

But the bottomline is everyone will be waiting for the Apple Watch launch to see how big the smartwatch market will actually be. At least 24 million, according to UBS.

In the meantime, niche parts of the market are shaping up in a very interesting way.

One example of this is the approach from current tracker leader Fitbit, which has carefully upscaled its range to just below smartwatch level (or fitness super watch as it labels it).

More significantly, its two future devices have constant heartrate detection, underlining that this is now a standard feature in the market.

Certainly, I'll be picking up a Charge HR band when they're released.

And similarly the other devices that are catching my eye are those that input some elements of smartwatch functionality within the classic watch aesthetic.

Prime example is current Indiegogo project Nevo (above), which is a nice analogue watch with Misfit-like activity indicator lights around the dial. It can also alert you to notifications. Best of all, it looks like a nice watch. 

If only Nike+ could connect the dots...

Having finally suffered from the dreaded Fitbit Sweat Rash, I've bought three new straps for my Flex.

Looking at the new straps, I really hadn't realised just how hammered the original two pink straps had become.

Coincidentally, yesterday I got an email from Nike reminding me to replace my running shoes every 300 km. Interestingly, according to Nike+, my current pair have done almost 600 km.

If software was connected to sales, it could offer me a discount.

But, as with so many aspects of the health/fitness wearable industry, there's plenty of data in the system, but few smarts on how to use it effectively.

For the busy doctor, email would save more lives than Fitbit

Two great quotes:

1
For the most part, health wearables are worn by the "wealthy and well."

2
"Doctors would love to be excited about wearables — they're gadget guys at heart — but their day-to-day is spent battling 30 year old fax machines to get your last lab report." says Jeff Tangney, CEO of Doximity, which makes a social communication platform for clinicians.

"For a busy doctor, the ability to use email would save more lives than a Fitbit."

Read the article over on VentureBeat.

Power problems

While I'm excited by the idea of 24/7 wearables, my experience over the past year has not been great.

My Jawbone Up wasn't robust enough to last 3 months, while I lost my Fitbit One within a month. My Fitbit Flex has done better than both, but now requires some card to be jammed into its proprietary charging dock to charge.

What is it with wearable makers and proprietary charging docks/cables?

In other 'bad battery' news, I've been trying out the Moves smartphone software, which was recently purchased by Facebook.

It works okay, but is a total battery drain; it's usually the largest singler battery user on my Nexus 5 at around 30 percent, and - of course - I don't carry my phone with me much either, so it's not even tracking most of my movement. 

Fitbit treading water for the time being

There's an interview snippet from Fitbit CEO James Park on Engadget. 

Despite being viewed at the current market leader in the nascent fitness tracker market (58%), Park plays up Fitbit's start-up status. 

"We're still a relatively small company," he says.

Fitbit Flex - my current tracker

And that's the reason it's still struggling with the Flex recall. Although only 1.6 percent of users have returned their band, citing skin irritation issues, it's being investigated, hopefully returning, this time with a global roll-out.  

As for future devices, Park says, it's "advanced sensors, tracking more about your body. This is where we're going."

The importance of important data

I've been using my Fitbit Flex for a couple of months now, and I like it. I haven't lost it, like my Fitbit One and it hasn't been recalled, like the Fitbit Force. Sure it's merely functional but that's all I need.

One thing I particularly like is the weekly email of my data, which I've worked up into some graphs.

But are these graphs (and hence the underlying data) useful? Not in all cases, I fear.

I don't do anything clever in terms of entering my eating habits into the Fitbit website so that means the graph of total calories burnt is data once removed as it's reversed engineered from my activity; something effectively covered by the other two graphs.

Also, it's pretty clear to see that total distance travelled (in km) and total steps are measuring the same thing.

Still, I do find it interesting that my both are on an upwards curve. Now if only there was a simple way of extracting sleep data...

Fitbit and Samsung market leaders in fitness bands and smart watch sector, reckons Canalys

ABI Research recently licked its finger and raised it to the breeze, predicting 90 million wearable devices will be shipped in 2014.

Now rival market intelligence outfit Canalys has got more specific (if more pessimistic), suggesting 17 million wearable bands will ship in 2014. It reckons 9 million will be fitness bands like Fitbit Force, while 8 million will be smart watches like Pebble.

Shipments are predicted to rise to 23 million units in 2015; a 35 percent rise.

Looking at the current situation, Canalys has considered the market share of the key competitors in each sector. For what it calls "basic wearable bands", it gives Fitbit a 58 percent of the global market, followed by Jawbone at 21 percent.

That's probably about right as general consensus - which I agree with - is that Fitbit's devices are the best, with Jawbone, Nike and the rest struggling to catch up.

Surprisingly, however, Canalys thinks that Samsung is leading when it comes to smart watches. This is surprisingly, as though the company has spend tens of millions of marketing dollars, its Galaxy Gear watch is generally considered to be useless.

Similarly, devices from second placed Sony have not found much critical acclaim, leaving Pebble - in third place with 16 percent market share - in a stronger position than the numbers suggest.

Why 6-24% is not a healthy range

I love data, but only data in the correct context.

There is nothing more stupid, or dangerous, than data in the wrong context.

And sadly - sadly because it makes excellent products - is the following from Fitbit.com

"What's body fat percentage?
Body fat is essential to maintaining good health. For most women, 14-31% is a healthy range. For guys, that range is closer to 6-24%."

Of course, this information is roughly correct, but as ranges go 6-24% and 14-31 % are ridiculous.

For a company that makes personal fitness devices, maybe it should get a bit more personal when it comes to statistics.

What's body fat percentage?

Body fat is essential to maintaining good health. For most women, 14-31% is a healthy range. For guys, that range is closer to 6-24%.

What's body fat percentage?

Body fat is essential to maintaining good health. For most women, 14-31% is a healthy range. For guys, that range is closer to 6-24%.

What's body fat percentage?

Body fat is essential to maintaining good health. For most women, 14-31% is a healthy range. For guys, that range is closer to 6-24%.

What's body fat percentage?

Body fat is essential to maintaining good health. For most women, 14-31% is a healthy range. For guys, that range is closer to 6-24%.

What's body fat percentage?

Body fat is essential to maintaining good health. For most women, 14-31% is a healthy range. For guys, that range is closer to 6-24%.

What's body fat percentage?

Body fat is essential to maintaining good health. For most women, 14-31% is a healthy range. For guys, that range is closer to 6-24%.

What's body fat percentage?

Body fat is essential to maintaining good health. For most women, 14-31% is a healthy range. For guys, that range is closer to 6-24%.

Hello new Fitbit Flex

Following the loss of my Fitbit One - great device, terrible wearable - I had to get another tracker.

I don't like the Nike+ FuelBand concept and my experience with Jawbone's Up wasn't great either. I didn't want to get another tracker that couldn't be easily worn either, so that was the Withings Pulse out.

So, with the more capable Fitbit Force not being available yet in the UK, I decided to go with the cheaper and less functional Fitbit Flex (£80/$100).

Interestingly, it's not an integrated bracelet as I originally thought, and the website suggests. Instead, it's a small hard pod (waterproof) which slips securely into a flexible rubber band worn around the wrist.

You only have to take the pod out of the band to charge it once a week. Syncing with the Fitbit website is automatic thanks to a dongle which plugs into a USB slot on your computer.

In terms of day-to-day use, the Flex is excellent if simple.

Of course, it doesn't have the screen of the One, so you can't see how many steps you've taken, or levels you've climbed on-device. By tapping it, it will show you how many steps you've taken in terms of the flashing of 5 small leds, each of which represents 2,000 steps.

If/when you reach 10,000 steps in a day, it flashes and vibrates.

The other key feature is the sleep mode, which you toggle on by tapping on the band for a couple of seconds until you see the end two leds light up. It's a similar process to reset to active mode. This process takes a bit of getting used to, but it's not rocket science.

So, in conclusion, while Fitbit Flex is the most simple of the wearable lifestyle trackers you can buy, that's it best feature. It's small, there's little messing around, you just wear it, and - if nothing else - every week you'll get an email detailing your activity and sleep totals. And if you want more information, you can log into the website for daily totals.

Certainly, I'd recommend it as an excellent place to test the market if you're interested in wearables.

Byebye lost Fitbit One

As I have long predicted, yesterday was the day I lost my Fitbit One somewhere in the teeming streets of London.

It's a great piece of technology, but the crucial flaw is that you can't wear it directly.

During the day, there's a plastic clip to slip it into, and then clip to a pocket, while at night you have to put it within a soft cloth bracelet.

Compared to a wearable bracelet design such as Jawbone Up, a pod monitor is just too easy to mislay.

So where does that put me? I had a Jawbone Up for six months before the sleep/active button broke, and I had a Fitbit One for six weeks before I lost it.

Clearly, I now need to buy a proper wearable monitor, but one that is more robust than the Up band.

But my options are limited as I don't like the Nike+ Fuelband and the Fitbit Force, Polar Loop, Larklife Lark etc isn't available in Europe yet....

Two weeks with Fitbit One

So the good news.

I haven't lost my Fitbit One yet, and week 2 saw more activity than week 1; something I can clearly see thanks to my handy weekly roundup email.

Indeed, my daily average was over the 10,000 steps recommended, although we know that as with other government recommendations, it's pretty much a random number.

What more impressive - for me at least - is that I did a 10km run during week 1 so I've clearly been more broadly active in week 2, although I have been travelling during part of the week so that will have a lot to do with it.

The only downside is my average sleep is down 40 minutes; again that's due to travelling.

However, in my even-running comparison between Fitbit One and Jawbone Up, there's been a big development. The Up band has stopped working.

Of course, this is after 6 months of use (compared to 2 weeks), so let's see how the One's operating in April 2014 (if I haven't lost it by then).

This also underlines a key issue with wearables. You have to be able to wear them all the time and they have to be robust and not easy to lose. 

Neat summation: One week with Fitbit One

So one week into life with Fitbit One, and I'm enjoying it.

It works really well, the website tracking is great and I've not lost it yet (this is now my main concern).

One small but neat feature is you get a weekly email showing your data.

Of course, this being the first week, there's no trend comparison, but it's interesting to see that despite three hardcore days of sports, over the week I'm still under the 'recommended' 10,000 daily steps average.

Also, it's good to see the sleep data - something I more interested in than the exercise date. (Obviously I don't care about weight so I'm not updated that metric.)

Jawbone Up versus Fitbit One - first night's sleep

As with all big data projects, I want big data before properly comparing Jawbone's Up with Fitbit's One.

Still, here's a quick comparison in terms of one night's sleep.

The restriction with both systems is you have to manually toggle between sleep/awake settings by pressing a button. In the case of Fitbit One, pressing the button starts (and stops) a stop watch, so at least you can see exactly what's happening. In the case of Up, you're just toggling between a sun and a crescent moon LED on the device.

Another difference is Fitbit runs all its data through a website (and there's is an app), whereas Up is only available via an app. Personally, I think the website approach is better; certainly Fitbit's website is better than Jawbone's app.

In terms of the night in question, both devices tracked the same sleep patterns; 6.5 hours of 'sleep' with some 'awake' periods about an hour before I get up.

Up is better in terms of breaking out deep sleep (dark blue) and light sleep (light blue), although I'm not clear how accurate this is. Whereas One seems to be more sensitive in terms of highlighting multiple 'awake' periods, although I'm not sure I like the idea of its 'sleep efficiency' rating.

Still, I'll get a better idea of how the two compared when I've got at least a week's worth of data to play with. 

First impressions of the Fitbit One

Fitbit's Flex bracelet fitness tracker ($99/£75) looks pretty interesting.

But now it's being replaced by the more advanced Force bracelet ($130) - something that's only available in North America.

That was the reason I ended up with the Fitbit One (£80).

It's a pod tracker that comes with a clip so you can attach it to your clothes during the day and a soft bracelet for sleeping.

As well as the small size, I'm also hoping the hard case means that it won't get trashed like my Jawbone Up.

Set up is fairly straightforward.

You have to install a small program on your PC or Mac, also plugging in the USB dongle that wireless syncs with the pod to make the first connection between the two.

Using the PC, you have to register and log into the web-based dashboard, which is where your stats are displayed. Fitbit One also supports iOS and some Android devices if you want to take the app approach. However, in terms of set up, it seems you need to do the initial set up via computer.

In terms of my first impressions, I like the way you can personalise the welcome message - mine says 'Ola Fita' - while the button you press to toggle sleep/awake mode seems much more robust than the poor old Up (which I am still using as a comparator by the way).

More, later...