What Does the Smasung Gear Fit2 Upload Workout Too

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When Samsung first announced its Gear Fit in February, I was intrigued mainly because it's a hybrid betwixt a smartwatch and fitness tracker. I've worn a number of smartwatches in the by and too currently wearable a Fitbit Force (see disclosure) for tracking my daily steps. Ane device to pull double-duty sounds interesting to me, provided it doesn't overwhelm my wrist with lots of apps.

The Gear Fit doesn't, equally I found out when coming together with Samsung to discuss the product and become a loaner unit before this week. There are only a few apps on the device and those that are there are ones you'd expect to track wellness and fettle. During my meeting — and forth with some investigation on my own over the by solar day — I learned several interesting things nigh the Gear Fit that may help you lot decide if the device belongs on your wrist.

In no particular order, here are few of the most important ones:

1. Yes, the Gear Fit tin display data in a more ergonomic vertical mode. Earlier this week, nosotros noted a software update to back up portrait mode which makes much more than sense for a device on the wrist. I found a setting that switches between horizontal and portrait style:
   
2. All of the health tracking features must be first enabled, meaning the Gear Fit works differently compared to other fitness trackers. Those mostly monitor steps, distance traveled, calories burned and more all the time. You have to commencement an activity on the Gear Fit for tracking to begin, which I hope the visitor considers changing in the future.
3. The Gear Fit doesn't include internal storage, so you tin can't transfer music to it from a continued phone. That's different from the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo which do back up music storage.
4. But like the Samsung Galaxy S5 handset, you tin can mensurate your heart rate with the Gear Fit, thank you to a minor sensor on its underside. However, similar practice tracking you lot accept to turn this characteristic on. And unfortunately, the Gear Fit doesn't monitor your heart charge per unit continuously in existent-fourth dimension; y'all become a unmarried reading which is saved to a history file. You besides accept to keep notwithstanding when checking your heart rate.
5. You can become real-time heart rate data to the Gear Fit with third-political party accessories, all the same. I was pleased to see a number of supported centre-rate monitors, including a version of the Wahoo unit I bought for running some time ago.
6. The Gear Fit works with dozens of app notifications. These are configured in the Gear Fit phone software and work very well. I'chiliad already reading notifications from Gmail, Google+, Facebook(due south fb), Twitter and more to name a few. You can tap the Gear Fit to open full messages from notifications, which shows them on the continued phone.
   
7. There's a Gear Fit manager application used to configure the device but Due south-Health is separate. That makes sense to some degree: Folks who have a Galaxy telephone but not the Gear Fit may still want to track their exercise, nutrient and such. If yous take a Gear Fit, however, it seems a little cumbersome to require two separate apps.
8. Speaking of S-Health, while y'all can runway your food intake, there's no bar lawmaking scanner included with the software. I suggested to Samsung that information technology consider adding one as it's far easier to scan a UPC code when you can, than to type out your food.
9. In that location are six brightness levels on the Gear Fit and the default is super brilliant; I had to knock it down to level 3. Level 6 is suggested for outdoor use.
10. You can wear the Gear Fit on either arm and there's a setting to let the device know if you're wearing it on your left or right wrist.
11. Charging the Gear Fit requires a small-scale, included piece that snaps on to the back of the device. It's not as bulky as the Galaxy Gear charger but I could meet it easily getting lost. If that happens, yous'll have to buy a replacement charger equally there's no USB port on the Gear.
    
12. To adhere the Gear, there's a small two-prong buckle that's very similar to the mechanism on my Fitbit. It'south piece of cake to snap and the device hasn't fallen off my wrist yet, so it seems pretty secure.
13. Samsung says information technology plans to work with more than third-party software partners, so you could see sensor integration with other popular exercise trackers.

So far, the Gear Fit looks similar a solid first attempt from Samsung to enter the quantified self market. I already see areas for improvement just thankfully, these can be addressed through software updates. From a hardware standpoint, the device seems adequately capable and well designed. Stay tuned as the Gear Fit becomes my daily clothing for the adjacent week or so.

Disclosure: Fitbit is backed past Truthful Ventures, a venture uppercase firm that is an investor in the parent company of Gigaom.

Updated at xi:11am PT to correct the information about internal storage of music on the Gear Fit. A previous version incorrectly stated that the Fit had internal retention for music files.

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Source: https://gigaom.com/2014/04/10/13-things-to-know-about-the-samsung-gear-fit/

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