I Walk the Line

January 22, 2015 5:42 PM

Is there a wearable pedometer that syncs with ios8 that is NOT wristbound?

I am tracking my activity. Problem is that the phone falls out of my back pocket. I am seeking a wearable pedometer that will sync with the ios 8 healthkit. My preferred routine would be clipping the thing to my back pocket or waist and sync it to the healthkit.

Before you say fitbit, the problem with a wrist bound pedometer is that I am at a treadmill desk and rest my wrists as I type and walk so the counts suck.

I want to have my data collection be easy, 'cause I'm lazy. Any suggestions or recommendations?

posted by jadepearl to Computers & Internet (13 answers total)

Best answer: Fitbit comes in non-wrist form factors. A friend of mine uses and likes the Fitbit One.
posted by brainmouse at 5:44 PM on January 22, 2015 [6 favorites]

Response by poster: So close! Unfortunately, Fitbit is not planning to integrate with iOS 8.
posted by jadepearl at 5:49 PM on January 22, 2015

Best answer: Fitbits don't natively talk to Health, but you can use Sync Solver to bridge the gap.
posted by dorque at 5:50 PM on January 22, 2015 [1 favorite]

Oh, and the Misfit Shine and Flash both have a magnetic clip option in addition to the wristband, and I think the Misfit app can natively talk to Health.
posted by dorque at 5:53 PM on January 22, 2015

Seconding the Shine, have used one off and on for a year or so. Not as full-featured as some others but does the job and is very flexible in terms of how you wear it. Clip to belt or back pocket, or just put in in your pocket...my wife wears hers like a hairclip.
posted by slipperynirvana at 6:58 PM on January 22, 2015

my wife and i have had good luck with the withings pulse, which we both clip to our belts. i like their native ios app, but they have fairly extensive ios8 healthkit integration as well. their wifi scale also works well.
posted by bruceo at 7:33 PM on January 22, 2015

I'm loving the Shine. My hubs has one too, and it syncs with his iphone. Their website says it syncs with iOS 7 and above. I'm an Android user, and I don't know what iOS the hubs's phone has.
posted by patheral at 8:26 PM on January 22, 2015

Just because it's not going to sync with "ios8 health" doesn't mean it won't work with ios8. You'll probably just have to use the app that comes with the device, which means looking at data through that app and/or their website.

Or maybe by "syncs with ios8" you strictly mean "apple's health app?"
posted by RustyBrooks at 7:05 AM on January 23, 2015

Best answer: I use the Fitbit One every day. It sits in my pocket and I don't even notice it. Once a day I sync it with Fitbit's iOS app, and then run Sync Solver to sync it with HealthKit (as dorque suggested). It works very well for me.
posted by merikus at 7:26 AM on January 23, 2015

Could you not wear your wristband tracker around your ankle instead?
posted by a halcyon day at 10:23 AM on January 23, 2015

The Nike+ shoe tracker goes in your shoe and can be used for walking or running. It has been supported by iOS for years (but not every iPhone) and is supported by HealthKit.
posted by Monochrome at 10:44 AM on January 23, 2015

Response by poster: To answer questions:

1) can you wear a wristband tracker around the ankle? Err, I got cankles;
2) yes, integration with ios8 means the HealthKit so I can have one steady dashboard with possible later integration with a food journal.
posted by jadepearl at 11:07 AM on January 23, 2015

Response by poster: So, I plunged and ordered the Fitbit One and got Sync Solver. I will see how it all ends up working. Thanks for everyone's input. I will look at Misfit and Withings if Fitbit fails me.
posted by jadepearl at 6:23 PM on February 2, 2015