Specifications: Fitness tracker, OLED display, tracks steps, sleep & exercise, heart rate monitor, blood pressure monitor, built-in USB charger, Android and iOS app, up to 7 days battery life
Pros: Sleek design, colour display, comfortable to use, good battery life, coach system, price includes health plan, feature-rich app
Cons: Screen tends to scratch quickly, raise to wake doesn’t work every time, heart rate monitor is not 100% accurate
Goqii launched their fitness bands and service three years ago and they’ve come a long way since. Unlike many other fitness bands, the company provides health plans and interactions with a live coach/motivator who provides advice tailored to your specific needs and goals. Their latest offering is Goqii Vital, a fitness band that can measure heart rate as well as blood pressure (apart from the usual activity tracking).
ADVERTISEMENT
The Vital sticks with the conventional fitness tracker design — it’s too common now and a bit boring in our opinion. The first apparent change on the Vital is the colour OLED display instead of monochrome one — plus it’s designed to be visible even under direct sunlight. The display is touch-sensitive: tap to wake up, swipe up to move between menus and tap to select with any onscreen button. A touch button under the screen works as a back button.
More Power, More Fitness: When Apple Watch & 3rd-Party Developers Join Hands To Up The Game
1/6
You may think that a tiny fitness tracker on your wrist is not capable of much but Apple begs to differ. Combined with expertise from third-party developers and accessories, the Watch is made even more powerful. ET got a chance to experience several new avenues that Apple is exploring to revolutionise health monitoring and improve personal fitness. These are a few of the experiences that stood out.
You may think that a tiny fitness tracker on your wrist is not capable of much but Apple begs to differ. Combined with expertise from third-party developers and accessories, the Watch is made even mo..
Read More
Prama is unlike any gym you’ve seen: there are no rowers, treadmills, steppers, exercise bikes or other gym equipment. Instead, you’re greeted with large screens, surround sound speakers, pressure sensitive walls/floors and LED lights. Basically, it gives you a complete body workout (strength, agility, speed) by immersing you in a giant game. It’s a strong motivator for someone who shies away from fitness because its boring. An instructor with Apple Watch will be able to control the workouts from his/her wrist — this means changing the workouts, swapping music and upping intensity/speed. Prama does require a fairly elaborate installation though and the expense makes it more suitable for gyms rather than houses.
Prama is unlike any gym you’ve seen: there are no rowers, treadmills, steppers, exercise bikes or other gym equipment. Instead, you’re greeted with large screens, surround sound speakers, pressure se..
Read More
Diabetics need to keep a constant check on blood glucose levels. The problem is that conventional measurement kits (while fairly accurate) are not connected or smart. They also look kind of dated and boring. OneDrop Chrome is a beautiful looking kit that includes a tiny meter, lancing device and test strips. All three fit into a smart leather case. Results take just 5 seconds and all information is synced via Bluetooth to the OneDrop app (also available on Apple Watch). Reports are detailed & can be shared from the app.
Diabetics need to keep a constant check on blood glucose levels. The problem is that conventional measurement kits (while fairly accurate) are not connected or smart. They also look kind of dated and..
Read More
When you need to improve your game, you would typically get an instructor to record and analyse your form. But that still doesn’t give you raw, measurable data on your performance. Zepp’s Tennis sensor fits on to the end of the racquet handle and connects via Bluetooth to your Watch. Once you get the Zepp Tennis 2 app, it starts measuring the most important aspects of your serves/strokes: speed, swing analysis, ball spin, accuracy, consistency, backswing, impact and so on. The sensor itself weighs less than 8 grams so it won’t affect the feel of your racquet. There’s also a community aspect, where you can share your own videos, watch videos of other players and compete across different courts.
When you need to improve your game, you would typically get an instructor to record and analyse your form. But that still doesn’t give you raw, measurable data on your performance. Zepp’s Tennis sens..
Read More
If you don’t like wearing sleep trackers on your wrist but still want information on your sleep patterns, this could be an option. Beddit, a company that Apple acquired early this year, makes the Sleep Monitor — a slim sleep tracker that you place under your sheets on the bed. It spans the width of the bed and there’s no need to charge it (needs USB power). It senses when you lie down and automatically begins to track things like respiration rate, sleep time/efficiency, heart rate, movement, snoring and room temperature/humidity. It pairs with the Beddit app on your iPhone/Watch which uses the data to give you detailed, personalized insights and coaching for better sleep.
If you don’t like wearing sleep trackers on your wrist but still want information on your sleep patterns, this could be an option. Beddit, a company that Apple acquired early this year, makes the Sle..
Read More
Cardio equipment in gyms already have some sensors and if you’re wearing a smartwatch, there is some data collection going on there as well (activity, heart rate). What if these two could talk to each other, share information and make it easier for you? You won’t waste time trying to set up two devices before a workout. With GymKit and watchOS 4, you will be able to pair your watch with the equipment with a single tap. Data like calories, distance, floors climbed, incline, pace and heart rate will be synced. Manufacturers like Life Fitness and Technogym are on board (with more coming). You should start seeing these connected fitness machines in gyms later this year.
Cardio equipment in gyms already have some sensors and if you’re wearing a smartwatch, there is some data collection going on there as well (activity, heart rate). What if these two could talk to eac..
That the screen is covered with plastic is apparent because it had multiple scratches within 10 days of use. Another issue we faced was with the raise-to-wake function. This is not enabled by default but once you do enable it from the companion app, it does not work perfectly. We found that 4 out of 10 times, the screen did not wake up automatically like it was supposed to. Battery life is great though: a single charge easily lasts 6 days and thanks to the built-in charger, you don’t have to carry a separate cable around with you — any powered USB port is enough to get a charge.
As a fitness tracker, the Vital does its job to perfection. Compared to a more expensive Fitbit Ionic, the Goqii Vital managed to track steps, distance as well as sleep with a margin of error of just 1-2% (fantastic in our opinion). With heart rate monitoring, the Vital showed a difference of 5-10 beats. Blood pressure monitor works great — it takes a minute to calculate the blood pressure and shows both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. It is not meant to replace a proper monitor, but works if you just want to get a general idea of your blood pressure.
ADVERTISEMENT
Goqii’s model is to give you the option of 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions. Once you install the app and make an account, you have to initiate your fitness plan. The app asks you to create a detailed profile including your height, weight, medical allergies, pre-existing conditions and so on — you need to spend a good 10-15 minutes for this.
Once done, you need to set how often you want your Goqii coach to follow up with you. It is totally your choice if you want basic motivation or a strict instructor that follows up with you multiple times a day to help you reach your targets. The coach interacts with you via in-app chat as well as voice calls. There is also option to consult doctors via the app, store your medical documents in a locker on the cloud as well as option to compete with your friends/colleagues on the app for various health goals. You get Goqii Cash for completion of targets and goals set by your coach — this can be used for discounts on the in-app store that offers a number of health products. The apps has started offering a multitude of features, but in doing so, the interface has become slightly cluttered.
ADVERTISEMENT
As a product that delivers a fitness ecosystem to you, the Goqii Vital has no challenger. The band as a few quirks, but all of those can be overlooked considering the features (heart rate and blood pressure tracking) and its coach system which pushes you to achieve your fitness goals.
Fitness Regime For The Busy Executive
1/7
Hectic schedules and full-time jobs don't have to get in the way of your weight loss.
Stick to these tips to get past the roadblocks.
Hectic schedules and full-time jobs don't have to get in the way of your weight loss.
Stick to these tips to get past the roadblocks.
Maintaining a to-do list is your thing, so just sneak in that gym/yoga/zumba appointment too.
We agree that there is a lot to do, but you can surely take some time out for achieving your fitness goals.
Maintaining a to-do list is your thing, so just sneak in that gym/yoga/zumba appointment too.
We agree that there is a lot to do, but you can surely take some time out for achieving your fitness goa..
Read More
Working out first thing in the morning guarantees that the job is done before excuses begin to pop up.
The first few mornings will be hard, but the more you will force yourself to do it, the easier it will eventually become.
Working out first thing in the morning guarantees that the job is done before excuses begin to pop up.
The first few mornings will be hard, but the more you will force yourself to do it, the easier ..
Read More
Maintain a calorie journal! Yes, it sounds too much, but it totally helps.
If you don't want to write it down, you can also do it via various apps.
Filling out your servings will help you realise and keep a tab on your portion size, and the need to exercise control.
Maintain a calorie journal! Yes, it sounds too much, but it totally helps.
If you don't want to write it down, you can also do it via various apps.
Filling out your servings will help you realise a..
Read More
Initially it might seem like a lot of effort, but in the long run it will save you a lot of time.
Planning lunch ahead of time will help you stick to the healthy options instead of buying a greasy slice of pizza.
Plus, once you invest in the ingredients and they are readily available in your kitchen, there will be no excuse for not packing a nutritious lunch.
Initially it might seem like a lot of effort, but in the long run it will save you a lot of time.
Planning lunch ahead of time will help you stick to the healthy options instead of buying a greasy s..
Read More
Instead of hitting up the vending machine or office candy bowl for an afternoon snack, carry at least five pieces of fresh fruit each week and display them on your desk on Monday morning.
Whenever you want a snack, just stretch your hand out!
These munchies will be light and nutritious and will prevent you from overeating, later in the day.
Instead of hitting up the vending machine or office candy bowl for an afternoon snack, carry at least five pieces of fresh fruit each week and display them on your desk on Monday morning.
Whenever y..
Read More
Just because you are trying to adhere to a fitness regime, does not mean you stop having fun.
Stick to having one drink only, and may be choose white wine over anything else, savour it and sip it slowly.
Just because you are trying to adhere to a fitness regime, does not mean you stop having fun.
Stick to having one drink only, and may be choose white wine over anything else, savour it and sip it sl..
