T3 India – April 2019

First-time fitness trackers

WWW.T3INDIA.COM APRIL 2019 T3 Tomorrow’s Technology Today 77

e see a lot more people

try to get (back) into

fitness, whether that’s

to lose weight, feel

healthier,or even just to prove that

they really can do a half marathon

if they want.

If you’re going to get off your

sofa and work towards a 5k run,

you’ll need a bit of guidance to

make sure you’re doing the right

things. The fitness wearables

below range from basic trackers

that can tell you whether you’re

walking a decent amount per

day, right up to running

watches with the capability of

coaching you like a pro. The key

thing is that they’re all great

options for those of you who are

starting out – some just offer

more headroom for the future

than others. Let’s see which one is

ideal for you...

W

GARMINVIVOSPORT

`16,990 , garmin.com

A lesson in how usability is as important as

features: the Vivosport directly rivals the

Fitbit Charge, but adds great extras such

as GPS, a mode for counting reps at the

gym, and a tool for monitoring your stress

levels. But while it’s a solid performer, it’s

less pleasant to wear than the Charge, the

screen is less clear, and the app is more

fiddly than Fitbit’s. The same metrics are

there, and more beside, but they’re harder

to find and use. Syncing is painful at times.

For tech specs, this is excellent, but we

would always reach for the Fitbit.

BIG TECH, LOW PRICE

POLARM200

approx. `19,000 , amazon.in

If you want a serious running watch at a

newbie-friendly price, this is ideal. The basic

run workout tracking shows your route,

distance, speed and pace, your heart rate

through the optical sensor, calories burned

and HR zones – simple and effective. If

you’re training for an event, the M200 will

create a program for you to follow that

builds you up over time. It also tells you

how many steps you’ve walked, how many

hours of sleep you’ve had, and how well you

actually slept. It’s not pretty, but it does its

job really well.

ENTRY-LEVEL, RUNNING FOCUS

APPLEWATCHSERIES 3

From `28,900 , apple.com

The older Apple Watch is just about all

the tracking most people keeping an eye

on their health need: it measures calories,

steps, exercise time, heart rate, GPS and

more, plus workout tracking for loads of

activities. The Fitbit range beats it for easy

analysis and coaching, and the Garmins

beat it for metric tracking, but it wins out

for non-fitness features (calls, notifications,

texts, emergency alerts), and it’s the best-

looking option. The battery lasts around

four days if you don’t use GPS much, and it

only works with iPhones.

MORE THAN FITNESS