Comments on: Perfect pedometer?

Question: Perfect pedometer?

kristi — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:01:16 -0800

Pedometer recommendation: is there an open source alternative to Fitbit? Or should I go back to a cheap Omron?

I walk 10-25 miles a week, and I like to track my miles.

A few months ago, I lost my trusty Omron pedometer. It worked pretty well for me:

Omron pros:

* pretty reliable

Omron cons:

* no data download; had to hand-log it
* only stores 7 days of data; anything older is lost
* loses lost when battery runs out

I love the idea of a Fitbit, but I'm not willing to sign up to a website to transfer data, nor do I want to pay to transfer data.

I would love an open source option that would track me reliably, but as far as I know, it doesn't exist yet.

I've tried a few pedometer apps for my iPod Touch, but they've been spectacularly unreliable - they'll work great sometimes, and other times they won't log any steps at all, or stop recording after a few minutes.

What's your current recommendation for reliability plus ease of exporting and archiving data, with no need to use a website or third party to transfer the data?

Thanks!

By: trillian

trillian — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:16:20 -0800

I have a new, unused Omron HJ-720 that I got as a year-end gift from my employer. I already have a pedometer and don't need this one, and it looks like it may not have the drawbacks you listed. I'd be happy to send it to you!

By: wongcorgi

wongcorgi — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:17:53 -0800

There is a library for the Bodymedia/Bodybugg devices to grab data.

https://github.com/openyou/libsensewear

By: mmascolino

mmascolino — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:27:32 -0800

I have the same Omron pedometer in my pocket right now. It only displays 7 days of data on the device but it stores 30+ days of activity. The company has a program that you can run on your PC to download your data into. From what I can tell it is nowhere near as slick as Fit bit and the like but it gets the job done.

By: kristi

kristi — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 21:13:20 -0800

Trillian - REALLY? WOW! THANKS! I'm sending you a MeMail now.

I'm still interested in any other answers anyone else has, so feel free to comment if you have suggestions!