Caramel Quin reveals gadgets to help every modern-day Renaissance man keep his body a temple
“Know thyself” was a popular maxim in Ancient Greece. The quest for self-knowledge has now gone high-tech with the trend for “quantified self” (QS) gadgets that turn daily life into data.
The best known are fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Nike+, but there are devices out there to monitor sleep, weight, air quality, eating, posture and more.
The common thread is that these affordable, portable gadgets give data on your performance – information that a few years ago would only have been accessible to elite athletes with a team of personal trainers. So whether you want to train for your first marathon or simply make good on your New Year’s resolutions, there’s now a gadget and an app to help you.
Kieran Alger, editor-in-chief of gadget magazine T3, uses multiple QS gadgets to track his ultramarathon training. He says: “Fitness trackers are brilliant motivational tools. My running app lets other users send me messages of encouragement via my headphones, which is a huge boost. I share the heart rate data I record on my watch with my trainer, who can tell me if I’m doing the right things.”
Certified personal trainer Lol Lecanu uses a heart rate monitor watch to log her training sessions. “It elevates my performance,” she says. “I can see that I’m training at the right heart rate for my goals, whether that’s strength training, endurance or fat burning.”
She adds: “I like the way that some of these devices make you compete [both] against yourself and friends to complete a certain amount of exercise per day. Experts are constantly warning that we are becoming dangerously unfit and obese, as a nation – gadgets such as these are a really cool way to make exercise fun.” Here are ten to try out.
1. Nike+ FuelBand SE
£129
nike.com
You’ll forget this discreet activity tracker is there until you glance at it for a spot of motivation. It connects to your Apple device and you use the Fuelband app to set daily and hourly goals. The wristband’s coloured LEDs then tell you how well, or badly, you’re doing at burning energy.
Simplicity is both its strength and its weakness. There are no complex controls, just a single button to tell it you’re starting a fitness session – from running to basketball to yoga – or show the time when pressing twice.
But its activity tracker is less sophisticated than some. For example, there’s no altimeter – walk up 12 flights of stairs or cycle up a mountain and it’ll log you as being moderately active.
Features include sleep tracking and the option to share and compete with the huge Nike+ community.
2. Fitbug Orb
Small, affordable and versatile, it’s hard to fault the Fitbug Orb. It’s half the price of other activity trackers and can be attached in three ways – with a wristband, belt hook or lanyard.
An underwear clip is also available separately (£7). It tracks steps, distance, calories, speed and sleeping patterns, and syncs them with a smartphone app.
You can also use the app to track eating and weight (either type in your weight manually or buy a set of Fitbug Wow scales for £70 that automatically sync with the mobile app), so your fitness routine and diet are logged in one place.
Its watch-style battery lasts four months. Works with Apple and some Android 4.3+ devices.
3. LUMOBack
£130
lumobodytech.com
This unique posture sensor belt goes around your waist and wirelessly connects to your smartphone (Apple and some Android 4.3+ devices). After a glacially slow set-up process, it’s easy to use.
The gadget simply vibrates against your lower back whenever you slouch. This Pavlovian trigger reminds you to sit up straight – and it works, as long as you don’t start ignoring it after a while or remove it because it’s annoying.
The app is part gimmick – an on-screen stick man apes your current posture – and part activity tracker – it logs your sitting, steps, standing and sleep as well as posture.
4. Withings Smart Body Analyzer
£130
withings.com
This elegant set of scales, which comes with a slick app for Apple and Android as a companion, measures and tracks your weight, BMI (body mass index), body fat percentage and heart rate, and every half-hour it automatically measures air quality (carbon dioxide and temperature) too.
A matching pulse activity tracker is available. Everything is logged on the app and a password-protected website, plus it links to a range of popular health and fitness apps.
That said, I definitely didn’t want to log on via my Facebook account – the idea of a computer glitch accidently posting my body fat stats on my timeline doesn’t bear thinking about.
5. Zensorium TinkE
US$119
zensorium.com/tinke
A one-trick pony, but it’s a neat trick. You pop your thumb on a pad to measure heart rate, blood oxygen and breathing.
The smart bit comes from the Tinké app, which turns these measurements into two different ratings – a Vita rating for fitness (best taken first thing in the morning) and a Zen rating for wellness, complete with calming breathing exercises for relaxation. It’s tiny, the size of a matchbook, and you can share results with the Tinké community.
There are two versions – one for Apple (plugs into Lightning connector), the other for Android devices (connects wirelessly via Bluetooth). Free shipping to 30 countries is available.
6. Remee
US$95
sleepwithremee.com
This comfy, high-tech blindfold isn’t exactly a quantified self gadget as it doesn’t measure and log your sleep patterns, but it is a fascinating way to connect technology with body and mind.
After a set amount of time, red LEDs inside the blindfold flash in a chosen pattern to communicate with you in your dreams, telling you you’re in REM sleep. The goal is to make you aware that you’re dreaming and even take control, turning it into a lucid dream.
Settings can be customised by holding Remee’s light sensors up to a flashing online set-up page – ideally use a sleep-tracking app to pinpoint your REM patterns and then tailor Remee to hit them. You can have two settings: one for big sleeps, the other for naps. Can be shipped internationally.
7. Beddit
e149
beddit.com
Most sleep trackers require you to wear a sensor, and the ones that don’t – for example, apps where you place your smartphone on the mattress – get mediocre results.
Beddit, however, is a thin sensor that goes between your mattress and sheet. By sensing tiny movements, it can measure your breathing and heartbeat, track your sleep cycles and tell whether or not you’re snoring. It also monitors light and noise.
The graphs it sends to a smartphone app offer insight into the quality of your sleep and what factors might be affecting it, then the app advises on how to improve it. The sensor is mains powered via USB so no batteries are needed.
It works with Apple and some Android 4.0+ devices and can be shipped internationally.
8. HAPIfork
US$100
hapilabs.com
When first announced, it was hard to tell whether the Hapifork was a quirky product or an elaborate tech prank.
Compatible with Apple and Android devices, it’s the world’s first Bluetooth-connected piece of cutlery and the idea is that it not only tracks your eating habits (speed, how many forkfuls, and so on) but also vibrates to tell you off if you’re scoffing too fast.
Data is available online for you to track or share with a fitness coach, friends or the wider community, with leaderboards that let you compare or compete – although it’s hard to see why you’d want to tell the world how fast, or slow, you ate lunch. International shipping is available.
9. Fitbit Flex
This activity-tracking wristband is backed up with a free app that makes the most of its ability to track steps taken, calories burnt, distance travelled, minutes active, hours slept and quality of sleep.
Real-time updates mean you can instantly see your progress on your smartphone (Apple and select Android models). Alternatively, spend £40 a year for a premium service that acts as your virtual personal trainer, nutritionist and sleep consultant – setting personalised plans to help you reach your goals and track anything and everything.
The app also works with Fitbit Aria smart scales (£100) and you can share or compete with the Fitbit community. Also look out for the Fitbit Force, set to launch imminently, a similar wristband but with a small, bright OLED display to tell the time, distance moved, steps, calories burnt and more.
10. Basis B1
US$179
mybasis.com
By far the most sophisticated fitness tracker, the B1’s wristband has sensors for measuring heart rate, skin temperature and perspiration, and tracks your activity and sleep. It also tells the time and looks good.
It comes with a black rubber strap but leather, white or designer options are available too. The companion app is impressive, letting you set a range of goals such as getting to bed on time or walking more than 8,000 steps four days a week – only when you achieve a goal do you move on to the next.
It works with Apple and Android 4.1+ devices and is only available in the US.
Apps to try
Moves
Apple, free; Android, £1.99
This app tracks your movement – walking, running, cycling – via smartphone, with no extra gadgets required. Count steps, set goals, see routes. It does eat battery life, though.
Lose It!
Apple/Android, free
Weight-loss clubs work simply by setting goals and sharing progress with peers. This app does it for free within a large online community. Calorie counting and fitness logging made easy, plus it talks to gadgets including Fitbit, Nike+ and Withings.
Run Keeper
Apple/Android, free
The daddy of run-tracking apps with more than 25 million users, thanks to its simple interface that makes it easy not just to track your progress and update followers but also to take photos and control music while on your run.
Tictrac
Apple, free
Keep track of all your data in one place – not just the information spewed out by your quantified self gadgets, but also your email, calendar, social media, spending, the weather and more, helping you to visualise the data and spot the patterns.
Sleep Cycle
Apple, 69p
Sit your iPhone in bed next to your pillow and this app will use its built-in accelerometer to track your movements. You get graphs of your sleep patterns, plus you can set its alarm clock so that it wakes you up at an ideal time, when you’re sleeping lightly.
