Fitbit - Flex Wireless Activity and Sleep Tracker Wristband - Black

As of 5/07/2013 I have only owned the device for a week now but I am liking it quite a bit so far. Set up was easy, plug in device, recognize device, sign up/login and you're off and tracking. Nice looking dashboard online, iPhone app is great for quick stats and entering water, food, activity, etc. I linked MyFitnessPal app so that I could better track my meals and again set up was very quick and easy. The Flex will track and monitor your daily burn along with calories consumed and give you up to date net results. I walk quite a bit between a full time job and a part time job so tracking my daily movement was huge for me. It seems to be pretty accurate so far after having tested my movements with the Nike+ devices previously. I am still figuring out the tracking and just how accurate it is though. The biggest surprise for me in liking the Flex is the sleep tracking. I wanted to test this out but I didn't realize how much I would like this function of the device. Wear it to bed and when you wake up you log in when you went to bed and when you woke up and it gives you the time it took you to fall asleep, times awake during the night, how long, and sleep efficiency. It's not incredibly detailed beyond that, but that is very nice information if you have trouble sleeping or are just curious what type of sleeper you are. When reviewing your sleep activity it would be nice to be able to expand your timeline to view the awake times a little better. The bar graph shows lines and you hover the mouse over them to view awake time, but the lines are very small and you can easily jump from one line to the next. I wish the timeline could be expanded a bit more to really comb over the details. You can edit almost all the settings for your device such as steps goals, calories burned goals, but you cannot set water consumption that I have seen and the default 48oz is way too low. Syncing is very easy on the Flex. You can either open up the app on your phone and it will auto sync, or the device comes with a USB device that will detect the Flex if you're within 20ft of your PC for any length of time. You an also manually sync with the PC device. The device is very comfortable which was my biggest concern. I have the Nike+ Sportband and I found that when I wore it to work anytime that I did heavy lifting it would pop off my wrist. The Flex has not done this once. It snaps in nice and tight, stays high enough up on the wrist so that when I bend my wrist to does not get strained like my Nike+ Sportband did. The flex also looks nice too, not flashy or over the top at all. Hoping for small display in the future, but not a huge deal if they don't come out with one. It's only been a week so the device is still figuring things out, but I like it quite a bit so far and have very few and very minor complaints that will most likely be fixed in future app updates. Edit: After going to the gym a couple times I've noticed the Flex definitely tracks more movement, as far as it being an accurate representation of your movement in the gym is based on the individual. The hour and a half I was in the gym the Flex dashboard graph shows solid red lines, whereas the lines before and after that time are yellow for moderate and blue for regular movements. I also added the activity into the activity tracker so that I could match the spike in movement with the correct activity.

First things first: If you fasten/unfasten the clasp a few times (it took me 3 times), the holes in the band will loosen up and the Flex is very easy to take off/put on from that point forward. The very first review of the Flex on Amazon made that point quite clearly. Second, there is a reason there's no manual: generally, people don't read them. That's why you need to go to the website to initialize your Flex, and, hopefully, read the other instructions. FOR EXAMPLE: If your results are really inaccurate, you may need to change the default from Non-Dominant wrist (sensitive calibration) to Dominant wrist (less sensitive). [My experience: I'm using it on my non-dominant wrist, and I spend much of the day on the computer. I'm right-handed, and that's the hand I use for mouse/touchpad. My Flex is on my left (non-dominant) hand, and my results are well within my expectations for other movement.] Third, MEASURE YOUR STRIDE. If you walk, as I do, try this: Put a pencil or other straight object on the ground, just behind your heels. Walk 10 steps, bringing your heels together on the last step. Put another object behind your heels. Measure the distance in inches between the two straightedges and divide by ten. Bingo: You just got a fairly accurate stride. If you are a runner, run a known, accurately measured distance, **counting your steps.** Divide the distance by steps and convert to inches. No, the Flex doesn't have an altimeter, so it can't measure "flights of stairs." (Neither can the One, actually: it measures 10' changes in elevation.) But nothing in the Flex's literature should have given you any impression that it has an altimeter. So not having something it never purported to have, is not a problem with the device. If you do even the most basic research, you'll know the Flex only syncs via Bluetooth to a very, very few Samsung devices (two or three, I believe) and iPhones/iPads. On the other hand, it doesn't suck your Android's battery if you can't sync via Bluetooth. It takes _maybe_ two seconds to sync to my computer via the USB device, and by the time I look at my phone or tablet, the updated info is in both the Fitbit app *and* MyFitnessPal. (If you really want to sync to your phone or tablet, there are cables available to accept the Flex's USB dongle, and plug into a micro-USB port.) Before getting my Flex, I was using the Android app CardioTrainer. I'm still using CardioTrainer, because (a) it's on my phone and (b) I get to listen to music while I walk. The step counts between the Flex and CardioTrainer are within 1 percent of each other (using the same stride length, and having the phone in a back pocket). No, of course the Flex isn't a heart-rate monitor. So no, of course it's not going to *precisely* tell you how many calories you've burned. But the algorithm should be useful for the vast majority of people. If need or want pinpoint accuracy, then yes, you need a heart-rate monitor. Bottom line: For what it is intended to do, the Flex is as close to perfect as I could ask for. Everything I expected it to do, it does, and very, very well.

PROS: 1. Roughly Accurate when you enter your personal running and walking stride distance; in the settings dashboard under your profile. I saw a lot of people complaining about inaccuracy but I don't know if they even dove that far into the dashboard of the software, this isn't guesswork people. 2. No issues when using it to monitor my sleep pattern when using the software correctly; make sure you have the latest Bluetooth 4.0 installed on your android/apple device before downloading the Fitbit application. 3. Asks for Blood Pressure, Glucose and Blood Pressure readings to gather information for those who are really serious about their health. 4. I barely know its there when I sleep, throughout the day. Having two separate bands for small and large wrists are a plus. I am 6' 3" at 227lbs and the large fits me just fine. 5. Charging was extremely fast and the device syncs with ease on my iPhone 4S with the 6.2 update; Bluetooth only transfers when I open the app, not when it's running in the background. So this saves on my phone and tracker battery. 6. Water Resistant; I've run with it, grabbed a shower and swam with it in the last 48hrs and I have had absolutely no issues. 7. Vibration in the tracker is a major plus for me and allows me to wake up just fine. I despise the audible way we have been accustomed to using. Your sleep pattern is very important to a productive day and lifestyle. This was a major reason I chose this device. CONS: 1. There should be a barcode scanner built into the application for ease of adding in foods that are not in their system. Logging in a new food can be a little time consuming. 2. The locking system for the band my not be suitable for contact sports or recreations that you may come in contact with another or the ground. Maybe a band with a locking clasp would be beneficial down the road. I thought I might lose it during laps in the pool or running and I didn't, but still worried I may. So far so good. 3. No Altimeter like previous devices for tracking of elevation, this would be a great feature in such a small form factor, maybe it will be there in the 2nd generation. Fitbit does offer this feature with other devices they manufacture. Final Thoughts: If you want an extremely accurate device for calories and distance, go out there and spend the money on a GPS device like; GARMIN, POLAR or MAGELLAN. I own a GARMIN and POLAR product that do exactly that in two separate areas. I've never read anywhere where Fitbit claimed to do just that. This device is made to keep you moving and push you to follow individuals goals you've set to maintain a healthy lifestyle or put you back on the right track to consuming the foods that are good for you. This is not bulky like the Jawbone up and connects wirelessly. The Fitbit doesn't have a numerical display like the Nike Fuelband, but read the reviews on that and it's a major disappointment to a lot of Nike fans, plus those new to the idea. I would recommend this product for those looking for a comfortable band that can sync wirelessly with your phone or computer and are looking to watch your running, walking, sleeping and consumption with food/water. Good Luck and Stay Healthy!

I've owned the fitbit flex for over 3 months and it has been a terriffic motivator. If you don't know someone who has one you will have to go on line to figure out exactly how things work since there are no instructions in the carton. Here's the basics of what you need to know. Although it comes preset from the factory and the settings are pretty good you can change them if you want to. There is a small sending unit the size of a peanut that does all the work. After you place it in the USB charging device and charge it up you slide it into the wrist band and you're ready to go. You have to log onto the fitbit website and register the device. It asks for your age, height and weight but the only thing it really needs is your height because they use a formula based on your height to calculate how long your stride is so it can turn the steps it counts into "miles". You must also plug in a small USB bluetooth device (furnished) into your computer so any time you are nearby the computer and it is on it will automatically upload your steps. You can also add a fitbit app to your mobile device so you can see your steps and update your miles on the fly. The website shows how many steps you took, miles traveled and calories burned for the current day plus a 7 day rolling average. It also can show you the last 30 days history as well. If you want to have a competition you can join one of the already existing fitbit clubs or you can create your own group by "friending" people you know. There is a spot on the website where you enter a friends email address and fitbit will send them an invitation. There are privacy settings that allow you to share all, some or none of your information. It comes out of the box with most everything set to "private" except your daily and weekly step totals. You can choose whether you want to share your other info such as you age, weight, picture, etc, etc. I have been competing with several people that average about the same number of steps I do each day and each of us have stepped it up a notch (pun intended). For the first two months I only lost 2 pounds but then something happened and I started shedding pounds. It has now been 3 1/2 months and I lost an additional 9 pounds and am down to the weight I want to be at. There are 5 lights on the wristband and it comes preset so each light represents 2,000 steps. You tap the wristband twice and the lights turn on in a sweeping motion and then either 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 lights light up telling you your progress. When you achieve 10,000 steps the wristband lights up and vibrates for a couple of seconds to alert you to the fact you achieved your daily goal. I reset mine to 15,000 steps because it kept going off early in the day but my freind who is somewhat out of shape set hers to 5,000 steps and she plans to increase it once she consistantly hits 5,000 per day. The fitbit also records your sleep. Prior to getting into bed you tap the wristband quickly about 5 or 6 times in a row until lights 2 and 4 light up for a second indicating you are in sleep mode. It's kind of tricky at first and you're not really sure if you are in sleep mode but eventually you get the hang of it. To confirm you are in sleep mode you can tap the wristband twice (and only twice) If you are in sleep mode you will see lights 2 and 4 light up. If you are in awake mode you will see lights 1 through 5 light up in succession and then a row of lights light up showing how many steps you have traveled. Don't lay down with you hand over your head and try to tap it into sleep. You arm has to be in normal posture mode, not upside down. The wrist band is water resistant meaning you can leave it on when you are in the shower without a problem. I'm told you can also swim with it and some people say that's true while others have told me it stopped working so you will have to decide if you want to chance it. Lastly, if you are trying to decide if you should buy a clip on model vs an arm band I have heard a number of people complain that the clip on one falls off your body without you knowing it or you take it off and misplace it so I would recommend the wrist band.

I did a lot of research on fitness trackers before buying this thing. I wanted something to count my steps but needed it to be durable for the life of a zoo/aquarium worker. I work in an aquarium, but often deal with handling larger animals on a daily basis. Therefore- whatever I decided to buy and wear on my wrist 24/7 would have to be able to withstand a lot of water splashing & dunking, as well as stand up against a lot of blunt force trauma & scattered claw showers (because, let's face it, working with the unpredictability of animals does not always allow you the foresight or time needed to remove precious electronics from your body). So far, so good. When I finally decided on the flex, I went into best buy & explained my situation to the clerk. He was helpful in selling me a year (maybe 2 year? I should check on that) warranty in case my life decided to murder my new investment (I realize selling the warranties is part of the job, but I appreciated it nonetheless). I was skeptical, told myself if it died in the 14-day original trial run, I would return it and explore other options. I had a whole team of coworkers looking up to my decision as they wanted to get whatever I got, so that we could "compete" in friendly workplace step-counting. I have had this thing on my wrist since the beginning of April with zero complaints. I have recommended & managed to get about 8 of my friends & coworkers to get the same thing so that we can have challenges together. Out of my entire group, mine probably goes through the most rigorous tests. So far it has been: Slammed into a heavy door Dropped into the bottom of a salt water tank Stepped on Stolen by an iguana Licked by an octopus in 50 degree water Repeatedly dunked into buckets of delicious thawed fish water Swimming with stingrays Also licked by stingrays Touched by sharks Yanked by small children Etc & so forth I mentioned to a family member that I forgot to take it off during a snorkeling session & she panicked. Reminded me that it is "water resistant" not "water proof".... As a precaution, I now remember to take it off prior to snorkeling. But that is the only time that I remove it (aside from when it is charging). The step counter seems accurate, I have watched it move as I walk before, & while I may have some Italian blood in me (ie, I talk with my hands a lot) it seems to do a good job measuring my activity. I also enjoy the app & the fact that I can screenshot the end of a busy day at work to send to my boss in hopes of a raise or a "feel good bonus"... Still working on that. All in all, very great product. I got awesome customer service from Best Buy, & I managed to help y'all sell a couple more to the people around me. I truly hope that I do not jinx myself by posting this... But if you're looking for a tiny activity meter that can still accurately measure your activity while doubling as a mermaid, you have found your product.

Previous Fitbit owners be warned.. This device is very much a downgrade from both the ULTRA which is what I used and the ONE. This device only allows a single "goal progress" to be set and monitored in the device at a single time. In order to change the goal monitoring you must log into your Fitbit account and choose what goal you want to be able to monitor within your settings of the Flex. The progress options you have to monitor are steps, distance, calories and very active minutes. It would have been ideal if they would have programmed in a tap sequence to allow you to at least change what goal progress you wanted to view within the unit itself rather then going into your account and changing device settings. Regardless its very minimal upfront quick reference information that prior units easily displayed and you will quickly miss. One other thing that lacks in this device is the ability to track stairs, I'd assume because of arm swing the unit would probably not be accurate at all and that might be why it didn't have this feature, but it was one that I grew to like and now miss a lot. For accurate tracking I did have to log into my account and input my stride distance in order to make the device a lot more accurate. New users of Fitbit may not mind this device as they will have no base line to go from but prior Ultra and One users might not care for the lack of features this device has upfront and the overall "lack" of thought into the development of the device. A few fixes to improve future Flex bands which I would guess might happen would be to minimally have a small screen rather then just LED blinking lights to display information and direct goal display changing. Lastly if you do not own the newest of devices for syncing count yourself out from utilizing the devices boasted easy quick syncing. The device will not sync with anything other then Bluetooth 4.0 and select devices within this 4.0 category so you will be using the USB sync provided which takes away from what should have been a backwards compatible Bluetooth sync device. I own a Ipod 4th gen and Galaxy Tab2 and of course the device cannot sync with them because of the "future 4.0 " device outlook that Fitbit decided to go along with thinking everyone will purchase new phones, ipods etc. Regardless your stuck going back to your base computer to sync. Overall I would have expected more from Fitbit and the device is not worth the price, this unit is basically the Fitbit ZIP in a smaller water resistant wrist band. We all know that fitbit can do programming upgrades but at this current time the device has fallen way short of what you might expect.

I have been using my Fitbit Flex for about three weeks now. We got one for my dad for Father's Day, and my husband got one for himself at the same time. My husband liked his so much, I got one and we got another for our 17-year-old son. We all wear ours all the time and are "friends" on the Fitbit app. It's great to see your steps go up throughout the day, and see how your rolling 7-day total compares to your friends. We often decide to go for a walk at the end of the day to reach our goal (which you can set and change). We have rarely done such a thing in the past, and I credit this little device for giving us the motivation. It's very comfortable to wear. It's a little tricky to figure out the clasp at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's super-easy. It says you can wear it in the shower, but I always take it off for that. I do sleep with it on, because one of the features is sleep-tracking. I knew I was restless during the night; now I know when, how often, and for how long (if only it could tell me what to DO about it). The features, accessed on your computer and/or through an app on your phone, are great. You can set goals for steps and miles walked. You input your height and weight and it advises you how many calories you can eat throughout the day; if you want to lose weight (or gain, I suppose), you can input a goal weight and how quickly you want to reach it, and it will figure that into your calorie count. You can log your food intake to keep track of this. As I said, the device also monitors your sleep throughout the night and tells you how many hours you slept and when you were restless or awake during the night. There are many more options and features, too - I don't even use all of them yet. But I love the ones I am using. Negatives. I really only have two: 1) The app will tell you what the device's remaining battery life is, but you have to check it. It won't warn you when you're getting low, and I've run it all the way to dead. Then you're not tracking your steps while it's charging and get behind your friends and your goal! Nooo! 2) Since I wear it all the time, I wish there were more colors. My husband and son got black, I got slate and we bought the 3-pack of bands, blue, teal & tangerine (I'd call them navy, turquoise and red), but I'd like a few more choices. Pink would be nice. ;-) I think I might work on customizing one or two. (Note: Each device comes with two bands, one each of the 'large' and 'small' size of the same color. I can wear the large and the small, so I took their small black bands since they won't be using them. Those are the ones I'll probably try to customize.) Okay, I do have a third criticism. I haven't worn a watch for years, but since I have this thing on my wrist, I am constantly looking at it to check the time. Maybe 2.0 should have a clock, too.

I was SO excited to get my Flex, to assist in the training for my first marathon. I really struggled with the decision btwn the Flex & the Jawbone Up. Reading tons of reviews & articles comparing the two. Inaddition, to wanting the device to give me insight on how far I've run/walked I was VERY interested in the sleep monitoring. Seemed like the Jawbone does a better job of measuring sleep & has a better system to analyze the all the data & synthesize it for you. Unfortunately, on every site I read reviews(apple, amazon, target) I saw the pattern that the device failed 1mo, 3mo, 6mo down the road. So I went with the Flex because it appeared more reliable & I could get the other colored bands so it could match my outfits- which is important to me if I'm going to wear it every moment of everyday. And, it helps to air out the band after a few showers cause it can smell. About the device. It measures my steps, and I wanted to have some idea of how much I moved each day to wrap my mind around running a marathon. I did some experiments about how it is "tracking" these "steps". It basically is measuring the arm swing. So if your Latino or Italian & talk with your hands you may appear to take more steps than you actually do :) I have the fitbit app on my iPhone & android. The UX is MUCH better on the iPhone. You can set silent alarms & sync in real time vs not being able to get the bluetooth sync with my HTCONE. I don't know how it measures sleep yet. But, it was helpful to have an objective form of measure that if I laid down for 8hrs according to my flex I only got 2.5 hours sleep some nights. I knew I was tired, but now I use it to measure how well I sleep in different places so I find the most optimal place to rest. Lastly, the food guide you can use to calculate your caloric intake is not great for some who eats a mainly organic diet & eats at mainly slow food movement restaurants. If your diet consists of mainstream processed foods & food chains like Starbucks, McDonalds, etc then you're covered. So I don't even use the features because hardly anything applies to what I consume on a daily basis. I hope this helps. I would recommend the device, its not perfect-nothing is you just have to know what you want to use it for & work within it's limitations.