[GARMIN vivofit2 Impress Part 1] Eliminating the weaknesses of the first generation, the fitness band will also evolve
A fitness band that measures the amount of exercise in your daily life. There is a feeling that it has already taken root as an evolved pedometer. GARMIN has announced "vivofit" and "vivosmart" as products of this genre. Introducing this time is "vivofit2", which is an evolved version of vivofit. The appearance is not much different from the first generation, but it is a powerful machine that almost realizes what I wanted to do with vivofit.
◆ Fitness band that is rapidly becoming multifunctional
A fitness band is also known as a wristband-type activity meter, activity tracker, or life log wristband. It is a wearable device that measures the amount of exercise in daily life.
There are various features and characteristics depending on the manufacturer, but basically, the built-in acceleration sensor detects movements such as walking and displays and records the data. Most products work with smartphones and personal computers, and data can be saved in the cloud and checked in a list or graph of activity records. If you think of it as a very advanced pedometer, there is no mistake, and it can be said that it is perfect for those who are worried about lack of exercise.
GARMIN's vivofit first appeared in May last year, and at that time it was the pinnacle of fitness bands in terms of functionality and price. However, when its popularity ignited, many manufacturers entered this genre. It is booming enough to say that a big market has been born. Naturally, development competition has intensified, and many models equipped with GPS and heart rate monitors are now available. With the advent of models that measure skin temperature, the number of functions that are close to those of smart watches is increasing.
◆ Compact, lightweight and long life
Under these circumstances, the vivofit 2, which was remodeled for the first time in a year, is a simple model at the current level. It was the most versatile a year ago, but in just one year the fitness band's criteria have changed dramatically. But that doesn't mean that vivofit2 isn't attractive.
Fitness bands from other manufacturers are running on multifunctional routes, but the price is bloated and expensive. The vivofit2 doesn't have a GPS or heart rate monitor, but it has all the other features, and it's still compact and lightweight, which is its biggest attraction. The price is also cheaper at the current level. This simplicity and compactness are the weapons and charms of vivofit2.
■ Even if it is super lightweight, you can always record your exercise for 24 hours.
The comparison with other manufacturers has come first, but let's check the specifications of this machine again. This unit is a fitness band that continuously measures daily exercise, and can display the number of steps, distance, and calories burned on the display of the main unit. The number of steps is the number of steps. You can also set a goal for the number of steps per day and display the number of steps remaining until that goal, the time, and the date.
The size of the main body is 21 mm in width, 10.5 mm in thickness, and 54.8 mm in length (the length is measured by the editorial department). The size of the display is 10mm x 25.5mm. This body is used by attaching it to a dedicated band. Two bands are included in different sizes, so anyone should be able to fit them perfectly. When we measured the weight including the band, it was 25g. According to the data announced by the manufacturer, it is 25.5g only for the main body, but when measured only with the main body, it is about 12g, so it seems that the data announced by the manufacturer is the weight including the band. Either way, it's very lightweight.
The body is completely waterproof to 50m, so you can take a shower or swim while wearing it. The battery uses two CR1632 button batteries and has a battery life of about one year. The battery life of models equipped with GPS and heart rate monitors from other manufacturers is at the level of a few days, and it can be said that the simple advantage of this unit is also appearing in such a place.
The operation method is exactly the same as the previous model, and all operations are performed with just one button. Basically, clicking to switch the display one after another, but you can also select various functions by long-pressing. In addition, the band is made of a soft material, and it is devised so that when it is attached to the arm, the excess of the band will be inside the ring.
One of the features of this machine is that you can record your exercise continuously for 24 hours. In other words, if you wear it even during sleep, you can measure and record the state of sleep. In addition, each measured data is recorded in GARMIN Connect, which is GARMIN's cloud service, and can be displayed in a graph or list in an easy-to-understand manner.
■ Add backlight and beep sound, and record activities
The vivofit, which was released a year ago, has gained a lot of loyal users, but since it is a product of a new genre, it seems that many people thought "I want you to do this" after using it. This machine reflects a number of such user voices.
In my case, what I most strongly requested using the predecessor vívofit was to be able to record activities (exercise). Running and exercising on a bicycle are good because they have their own devices, but I take a walk every day. I want to record this as an activity and increase my motivation. I also want to record all the small exercises and skipping ropes that I do between work.
Although it is possible to record such movements with the previous vivofit, it is specified that an optional heart rate sensor is required for that purpose. It's a good idea to require heart rate measurement to record activity, and I have a heart rate sensor so I just need to put it on, but I put on a heart rate sensor every time I take a walk. I do not want to do it.
It seems that many people think the same way, and a function called a timer has been added to this unit. It's basically a stopwatch, and when you use this feature to measure your time, that time is recorded as an activity. It's easy and clear, and it's convenient to know the elapsed time at a glance while exercising. Thanks to that, I was able to record all the small exercises I do many times a day.
It's also a small detail, but it's equipped with a backlight. The display of this unit has very high contrast and is easy to see, so the specification of the previous model without backlight is not unnatural, but there were some situations where it was really troublesome. For example, in the coming season, even if you take a walk for exercise, you often avoid the heat at night. Since this machine is backlit, you can easily check the number of steps even in such a case.
A beep sound has also been added. This machine has a red bar called Move Bar, which encourages you to stretch and exercise if you do not exercise for a certain period of time. With this machine, when the length of the bar is maximized, it will notify you with a beep sound. Although it's a small detail, the handheld GPS and sports GPS watches that GARMIN has built up the brand prove that the improvement of such small dissatisfactions will generate many users.