Welcome to Day 3 of the Tech Guide 12 Days of Christmas gift ideas to help you come up with the best tech product to give to your loved ones. We look at a different category each day.
Today we’re looking at wearables and activity trackers – one of the most popular categories this Christmas.
We’ll feature the devices whose main purpose is to track your steps, distance travelled and calories burned.
What we won’t include today is smartwatches – they will be featured on Day 8 of the Tech Guide 12 Days of Christmas gift ideas.
Day 3: Wearables/Activity trackers
DAY 3 – WEARABLES/ACTIVITY TRACKERS
FITBIT CHARGE HR – $179
This is one of the most sough after products this Christmas with FitBit becoming the go-to brand for many customers looking for an activity tracker.
The FitBit Charge HR records your workouts and exercise stats including your all-day activities like steps, calories burned, floors climbed and active minutes which can be monitored on the companion app on your smartphone.
And with the heart rate monitor on board the FitBit Charge HR can also measure your pulse at rest or during your workout without the need to wear a chest strap.
And by night the device can monitor how well you sleep and even act as your alarm with a silent vibration on your wrist.
GARMIN VIVOFIT 2 – $129
Garmin has updated its popular Vivofit fitness tracker with a new design and added functionality.
The device has a larger display so you can see the time, your steps, your goal and the stopwatch.
This latest version also comes with a heart rate monitor strap that provides a more accurate look at your pulse, heart rate zone data and calories burned.
The Garmin Vivofit 2, like its predecessor, has a built in battery which will run for a year before it needs changing so there’s no hassle about charging it every couple of days.
Users can also track all of their measurements and stats on the excellent Garmin Connect app.
JAWBONE UP3 – $249
Jawbone was one of the first companies to enter the fitness tracking space and its latest product – the UP3 – delivers a range of features.
What it lacks in display it makes up for with four bioimpedance sensors located around the inside of the band.
These are used to accurately measure your resting heart rate – a measurement used by doctors to gauge your heart health.
And on top of the usual activity measurement, the Jawbone UP3 excels at monitoring your sleep quality right down to the the light, deep and REM sleep you’re getting.
But without a display, the Jawbone UP3 relies heavily on the UP app which is one of the best we’ve seen.
It displays your stats and data but also suggest ways to improve yourself like getting to bed earlier and drinking more water.
You can read our complete review of the Jawbone UP3 here.
GARMIN VIVOSMART HR – $229
Garmin has taken its Vivosmart activity band and made it even better by adding a heart rate monitor and a larger always-on display.
The device can not only track your activities 24/7 but, when paired with a smartphone, it can also act as a smartwatch as well and relay all of your notifications, messages and emails.
You can read our complete report of the Garmin Vivosmart HR here.
