Pedometers are so last decade. Over the last few years, fitness trackers have turned into more than just step counters, tracking a variety of exercises, sleep quality and heart rate. With so many to choose from, we take three popular models on two-week test runs.
Fitbit ChargeHR
$149.95, fitbit.com
Wearability: 4* While it takes a few days to get used to the large band, the adjustable watchlike strap keeps this tracker secure. The digital screen let's us quickly monitor our steps, heart rate and more.
Step tracker: 3.5 It's pretty sensitive and not always accurate. We were bummed we didn't get steps if both hands were on a shopping cart but did get "steps" for clapping in our seats at a Cleveland Indians game.
Sleep log: 3 Sure it automatically senses when we go to sleep, but the report isn't as detailed as we would like only tracking asleep, restless and awake periods.
Pros: It's the gateway drug for an Apple Watch — not only does it vibrate when someone calls your smartphone, but the display screen has caller ID.
Cons: Though it claims to have a battery life of up to five days, we had to charge our Fitbit for at least two hours every three days.
Jawbone UP2
$99.99, jawbone.com
Wearability: 4 No screen makes the small band sleek and fashionable, and we occasionally forgot we were even wearing it.
Step tracker: 4 While no screen means turning to the smartphone app for step total updates, being buzzed after sitting at our desks for 30 minutes got us off our butts.
Sleep log: 3 When it did register sleep, it was pretty accurate. But on three occasions, the tracker left sleep mode in the middle of the night, leading to missing data.
Pros: The UP smartphone app's Smart Coach delivers relevant dietary, fitness and sleep advice using the data it collects, and the band comes close to its promised seven-day battery life.
Cons: Though it wasn't for us, it could be easy to forget to put the UP2 into sleep tracking mode, and twice the band managed to become unlatched and fall off.
Timex Ironman Move x20
$99.95, timex.com
Wearability: 3.5 The half-circle of rigid plastic housing the display creates a slightly awkward fit, but the bright digital screen and big buttons make up for it.
Step tracker: 3.5 Great for general walking and running (you can calibrate the step count to your stride for each), but it doesn't capture cycling data and struggles while we're holding the handle during lawn mowing.
Sleep log: 3.5 The manual sleep function records light and deep sleep like a dream, but generally underreported the time spent awake during the night.
Pros:A marathon of functionality for the price: digital display, text and phone notification, handy weather readout and full seven-day battery life.
Cons: The Bluetooth sync can be a little clunky, sometimes taking several attempts. We would love a way to manually add bike or swimming activity.
*scale of 1 to 5
