Activity Monitors are becoming increasingly popular and there are many different types now available. The two most popular are the Fitbit and the Weight Watcher’s Active Link. These two both have their strong and weak points, all may be a determining factor on your choice.
Overview Of Active Link
1. Waterproof
For an activity monitor such as Active Link, being waterproof is a major plus! It gives you the capability to be able to use your monitor while doing things with water. Things like swimming, running in the rain, or any other water sport can still be monitored and counted towards your daily goals.
2. Doesn’t Count Steps
One downfall of Active Link is the fact that it does not have the ability to count your steps. For many people a step goal is part of their daily health goals, and having a high tech activity monitor that lacks this basic feature could be very disappointing.
3. Active Link App
The Active Link monitor has a coinciding app for smart phones and tablets that can be downloaded. The app syncs your monitors information and gives you more in depth analysis of your activity. This is also very convenient since it can be accessed at any time and anywhere.
4. Three Axis Accelerometer
The Active Link features a three axis accelerometer, that uses three different dimensions to determine the level of activity you are doing and the intensity you are performing it at. This technology gives you an extremely accurate breakdown for your daily activities as well as how efficiently you are working out.
5. Ease of Use
The monitor itself is very lightweight and only 2 inches long, making it easy to carry or wear comfortably on a daily basis. It comes with a clip that can be used on your waistband or other article of clothing, a necklace so you can wear it around your neck and can also function properly being carried in a pocket. However, since the clip is not actually attached to the monitor and it is so lightweight it is a possibility to lose the monitor and not realize it.
6. Display
The visual display on the Active Link is very basic, with only a row of LED lights that are used to show you your daily progress. The lights however are easy to see and very bright.
Overview of Fitbit
1. Design
The design of the Fitbit is impressively sleek, about an inch and a half long and an inch wide. It also comes in a huge variety of 11 colors so you it can suit all different styles. There are also a selection of accessories that can be purchased to use with the Fitbit such as different colors of bands and clips.
2. Analyzing
The Fitbit uses many different factors including, step count, intensity meter, and speed meters, to give you a very in depth overview of your daily movements. It also monitors your sleep patterns and how many times you wake up in a night, which can be highly useful. With the Fitbit app and website you can view your stats for up to a year.
3. Display
The display of the Fitbit is a basic LED display that shows you your progress, step count, distance traveled, and calories burned right on the device. The display can be viewed by tapping on the screen to “wake it up”. This is slightly advanced when compared to other activity monitors.
4. Doesn’t Give You Activity Points
Activity points, or APs, are the amount of points you earn each day based on the amount of physical activity you have tracked. With the Fitbit you are required to calculate your own instead of having the convenience of them being calculated for you.
Differences Between Active Link and Fitbit
1. Cost
The cost of each device varies pretty drastically. The Active Link will run you $39.95 plus an additional $5.00 subscription fee for use of their app. The Fitbit is a bit more pricey at $99.95, however there is no ongoing usage fees associated.
2. Water Proof
Another big difference that could affect your decision is that the Fitbit is not water proof, or even water resistant, which can make it difficult to use accurately if you regularly participate in water activities. The Active Link however is fully water proof.
3. User Tools
When it comes to the use of the data you are tracking the Active Link falls sadly short of Fitbit. The Fitbit program gives you a much more in depth analysis of your activity than the Active Link app.