Few questions about the band before pre-order

[SamJHannan]

I was excited to see the Band is now up for preorder in the UK, I've been very tempted to get one on eBay but now I can save myself the extortionate fees added on. Hopefully a current Band user will be able to answer my questions.

First of all, how tight does the band have to be on the wrist to take effective measurements? I sometimes struggle to wear a watch that is too tight due to skin complaints, however I do regularly wear one, just slightly looser.

Secondly, I've seen in the videos that it is possible to reply to texts directly on the band, I was wondering whether the same worked for other apps like whatsapp or facebook messenger (or whether this is something for the future?).

Finally, is the activity tracking enough to replace standard phone app trackers?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Nate Silver]

1. I find that the Band needs to be snug, but not necessarily really tight, during exercise. I generally loosen it up a click or two for regular use. Anecdotaly, I've had no problem with skin irritation so far with the Band, whereas I have had problems with Fitbit Surge and Basis Peak causing a rash. Don't know, but my feeling is that the narrower width of the Band is a factor there.

2. Don't know, its not a feature I've tried.

3. Umm...for me, yes and no. Its pretty good, but I still typically also use my Mio Fuse paired to my phone and Endomondo or IPBike during exercise. The Mio's HR is more accurate and responsive, and IPBike allows me to utilize my ANT+ speed/cadence bike sensors, and my foot-pod sensor when running. To be honest, its probably more me being anal about details than anything truly meaningful.

 

[pepelepieux]

Question 2 :

No, you can only use the keyboard to reply to texts. I dont know if it woud be possible to extend it to other apps in the future.