MS Band vs Fitbit step count

[MikeSo]

What these devices are meant for is not to track absolutes, but progress. Anything worn on the wrist is bound to be somewhat inaccurate, as my Flex is compared to the pedometer in the Lumia 635 in my tests. But as long as you use the same device over a period of time, out doesn't really matter. It's internal consistency that matters more, so you can track and measure progress.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

It's internal consistency that matters more, so you can track and measure progress.

Amen!

That's how I explain those scales that measure your % body fat. They will never match water displacement/calipers/body scan, but so long as it is consistent, it is about measuring progress over time.

I mean sure, we hope that these things are in the ballpark for steps, but I don't think we need to use them as absolutes. It is more about getting the idea of how many steps you did today compared to yesterday and hitting those goals.

 

[tk-093]

It's internal consistency that matters more, so you can track and measure progress.

It is more about getting the idea of how many steps you did today compared to yesterday and hitting those goals.

Those are great points, actually. I don't have the Band yet, but I have a Garmin Vivofit and the new Moto X. (Don't hate! I have to use it for work, I'm still a MS ******.) :smile: On Saturday my Vivofit said I had 13,650 steps, and the Google Fit app they just released said I had 12,281. I don't know which one was more accurate but the end result is I took a lot of fricken steps. I'm guessing the Band would have been right around there too.

 

[CoZmicShReddeR]

Funny I just bought my Microsoft Band yesterday and have a Fitbit One and noticed


I keep my Fitbit in my pocket but you would think if the Microsoft Band wasn't accurate it would show more steps from the wrist swinging... I do wear my MS Band with watch face on top of my wrist. I am hoping something is wrong with it and they do fix it with a software update!

I am using it with my iPhone 6 Plus 128GB... I might wipe out my Nokia Lumia 920 see if it works better with it. I would like to see a Weather Temp on the Default watch face like my Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 had!

I only bought mine to get me through until the Apple Watch comes out...

 

[realwarder]

Funny I just bought my Microsoft Band yesterday and have a Fitbit One and noticed
View attachment 88926

I keep my Fitbit in my pocket but you would think if the Microsoft Band wasn't accurate it would show more steps from the wrist swinging... I do wear my MS Band with watch face on top of my wrist. I am hoping something is wrong with it and they do fix it with a software update!

I am using it with my iPhone 6 Plus 128GB... I might wipe out my Nokia Lumia 920 see if it works better with it. I would like to see a Weather Temp on the Default watch face like my Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 had!

I only bought mine to get me through until the Apple Watch comes out...

I'm curious why you suggest something is wrong with your Band. How do you know the FitBit in your pocket is not the "inaccurate" device? I say inaccurate because it is impossible for a single accelerometer to accurately determine if you are walking over other activities and may count high or low. They all never catch every step but are tuned to try and catch the most common motions. An example is pushing a shopping cart - our FitBit Flex counts 0 steps while doing that because the hand is not moving when the body is.

The pocket is arguably a better location for step tracking so may appear more "accurate", but then you loose the other benefits of notification access etc. I really think a remote ankle sensor tied to a Band is the best solution as that will be great for cycling and walking. But most people find one add-on enough trouble without adding several to improve accuracy!

Note that performance will be no different with an iPhone to L920 other than you gain Cortana on the Band, but steps/calorie data will be identical.

 

[oldpueblo]

A lot of you guys are going about this wrong, steps don't really matter it's just a baseline measure of how active you are. I've used a flex for a long time and it regularly tells me I've hit my 10k while I'm washing my hands and not actually moving. Do you want meaningless pinpoint accuracy about how many steps you've taken, or a device that gives you "free" steps in error all the time, or do you want a device that urges you to be more active in a more accurate/consistent way? So what if the band doesn't count the few steps I took from the table to the fridge, I didn't really exert myself there did I, so why should I care about those steps? At the end of the day I don't care how many actual steps I've taken, I care if I've exerted myself consistently and accurately, and I'd rather be a little under on estimates because that means I'm actually going to push myself more.

 

[realwarder]

The fact is the band takes your heart rate throughout the day and calculates calories from that. Much more useful than steps..