9 months and counting with the Garmin Vivosmart HR Part 1
After my disastrous experience with the Fitbit Charge HR, which lasted all of 2 months before succumbing to power issues, I was wary but optimistic about the Garmin Vivosmart HR.
Contrary to tech sites and so-called "athletes" who bash and gush about fitness devices, your experience with wearables really depends on your habits. Its so easy to blame consumer electronics, when in reality its generally the user who is incompetent and ignorant (look at Amazon reviews for millions of examples). In the same way your technical aptitude determines how much you enjoy or loathe Android, Linux, FreeBSD, or macOS, your satisfaction for products such as the Garmin Vivosmart HR is determined by your expectations, and understanding of how consumer tech works.
For my part, the product met my price to performance/feature ratio and I continue to wear it daily. As a documentation engineer who isnt an athlete (and has no intentions of being a brainless gym rat) and who tries to workout at regularly every week, the Vivosmart HR is a worthy companion. Like all tech products, however, the Vivosmart HR isnt perfect and isnt for everyone.
Over the course of 9 months, I tested syncing the Vivosmart HR with Garmin Connect with the following devices:
- Macbook Air - macOS (over USB)
- HP Stream 8 - Windows 10 (over Bluetooth and USB)
- Sony Xperia C3 - Android 5.1
- Lumia 925 - Windows Phone 8.1
- Lumia 650 - Windows 10 Mobile
- Moto G4 Plus - Android 6
1. Admittedly, an IT office worker putting in 9 to 10 hours a day in front of servers and virtual machines dont get as much activity as say, a construction worker or even a barista, who are on their feet most of the day. However, the Vivosmart HR does a good job of counting the 30 floors I try to climb in my office building daily. The Vivosmart HR often misses 1 floor or occasionally interprets a landing as a floor, but in general gets it right (though a recent firmware update made the sensor even less accurate).
Theres a lag of maybe 30 seconds to 2 minutes before it vibrates to indicate you accomplished your target number of floors for the day. Moreover, the Vivosmart HR isnt very good with calculating inclines and hills as floors.
2. Sadly, the rubber free loop snapped off after 9 months. Im temporarily using a plastic wire loop or paper clip to keep the strap from flapping around. Surprisingly, it snapped off while I was sleeping and not while performing any physical activity.
3. Although the waterproof design of the Vivosmart HR is excellent, its still better to remove the device when youre taking a shower since accumulated soap, moisturizing lotion, and chemicals quickly accumulate in the area.
Continued in 9 Months and counting with the Garmin Vivosmart HR Part 2