Fitness tracking is hip right now, which is probably one of the more beneficial things we've done as a species, as far as trends go. If you've not jumped on the bandwagon yet, you might be a little wary about dropping a significant amount of cash on something you're not sure you're going to utilize. But if you're interested in getting started, we'd like to introduce you to
Misfit Flash, a budget-friendly, feature-packed fitness tracker.
Misfit Flash is a small fitness tracker with a minimalist interface. Tapping the front of Flash will show you your progress, followed by the time in a sleek analog sort of way, which we liked - we don't like touching our phones when we're working up a sweat. Speaking of getting things wet, Flash is water resistant, meaning that you don't need to worry about sweat, rain, or even showers.
One of the nicest things about Flash is that it doesn't need to be charged. Instead, it runs on a coin cell battery, which should last you six months before it needs replaced. That means that you're not going to get halfway through your day before it needs recharged, giving you a more accurate insight into how active you are. It uses a low-power Bluetooth connection, called Bluetooth Low Energy, to sync only whenever you open the app, but is capable of storing up to 30 days of data before it needs to be synced.
Flash isn't just a one trick pony, and tracks more than just steps taken. Using the app, it's also got the option for tracking yoga, cycling, dance, tennis, and even sleep. Yes, you read right, it tracks sleep as well. We've never been fully sold on sleep tracking that relies on monitoring how much you move during the night, but it rather interesting data to check out. We've learned that on average, we're prone to sleeping very poorly, which probably isn't too inaccurate. The app itself is great and has a decent interface and provides lots of nice data you can refer back to, which is critical for those of us who are trying to top our personal bests. It's worth noting that Flash only works with the Misfit App, and doesn't work with Apple Health or any of the other big-name fitness apps.
Flash comes with two options for wearing it, which both have their pros and cons. We prefer fitness trackers that can be worn on the wrist, like Jawbone, FitBit, or the Apple Watch. They're convenient as you can easily check your progress, and they're a constant little reminder to get up and get moving. Flash has a wrist option, but we're going to be fully honest here: It is not remotely comfortable. It's made of some sort of polycarbonate that they tout as "soft touch" and comfortable, but it's not what we'd consider ideally comfortable. When we were out and about, we didn't mind the sport band too much - it was comfortable enough to wear to the gym or doing errands. But if we were wearing it at the desk, we found that it pinched our skin or uncomfortably pressed into our wrist any time we'd put our hands down to type. Inevitably, we'd take off the flash to provide a little comfort, but then wouldn't track the dozens of times we'd get up to run errands or move around the office.
Of course, there's also the clip-on option. It's a great way to keep Flash on without it becoming intrusive. Clip it to your shoe, your sock, your lapel, your shirt sleeve, your jacket pocket - basically anywhere that you can clip it. The biggest problem for us? That made it utterly forgettable. We left it on our clothes when we changed out of them, we left it on our shoes all too often and didn't remember to switch it from work shoes to gym shoes. We lost it in our bedsheets twice when it came unclipped from our nightshirt while we were sleeping. It's not Misfit's fault, but if you're somewhat absentminded like we are, you might want to stick with the sportband.
So, it's not perfect, but we're actually very impressed by how well it works. If you're looking for a cheap way to get into the fitness tracking game, we think this is the perfect solution.
Misfit Flash is available directly from the retail site for a paltry $30, with free shipping.
Who should grab Misfit Flash
If you're new to the fitness game and want to get started without making a huge investment, this is a great one to try out.
Who shouldn't grab Misfit Flash
If you're a gym rat, or if you need a fitness device that pairs up with other apps, pass on this one.
-Amber Neely (
@SurferAmber)
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