Fitness Tracker for a Very Small Windows User?

January 12, 2016 12:23 PM

Microsoft Band, Band 2 and Fitbit are all too big. All the devices I've seen that look as if they *might* fit aren't compatible with Windows Phone. Dear MeFi, please help this tiny little Windows-using snowflake track All the Things.

I'm in the market for a fitness tracker, ideally something I could use for daily wear as well as workouts (primarily running). I've tried on the Microsoft Band, Band 2, FitBit Charge and one other FitBit (the Flex, I think). The smallest size of each was too large to make proper contact for sensing, (to say nothing of being comfortable to wear). My wrist size is 5", (the smallest size the Band 2 comes in is 5.5" - 6.5").

I did check with Microsoft to see if they make Band 2s in an extra-small, (either for the U.S. or maybe a foreign market) but no dice.

The main things I'd like to track are:

- Heart rate (resting and workout)
- Pace and mileage for runs (ideally, with a display that lets me see them during the workout)
- Sleep

Bonus points for a tracker with a smart alarm like the Band 2's (it wakes you sometime within a given time window, depending on where it thinks you are in your sleep cycle).

Thanks in advance for your help!

posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger to Technology (10 answers total)

What about the FitBit One? I have to dress professionally for work, and prefer that because I can keep it in a pocket or clipped on my bra.
posted by notjustthefish at 12:33 PM on January 12, 2016

It doesn't track heart rate, but there are different Fitbit Flex bands on Etsy or Amazon that might work?
posted by getawaysticks at 12:44 PM on January 12, 2016

The only HR/sleep-sensing one I have any experience with that you didn't mention is the Basis Peak, which has a more typical adjustable watchband than the Band. (I used the B1, which is Basis' first model. The Peak is smaller.)

I have large wrists, so I can't tell, but that one might be worth trying on.
posted by Polycarp at 12:56 PM on January 12, 2016

I'm not quite as small as you (I can wear the smallest MS Band 2) but I loved the adjustability of the Basis Peak band - and the actual band is just a watchband, not part of the sensor package, so you can replace it with whatever kind of watchband you want in your size. It was a really nice piece of hardware. (I didn't keep it because the sensor irritated my skin, but if I hadn't liked the Band so well when I got it, I probably would have gone back to the Peak as it wasn't that bad. Also my skin chemistry is odd - haven't run into many people who had that problem with it.) I would assume it also can play with a Windows phone, but haven't tried it.
posted by dust.wind.dude at 1:20 PM on January 12, 2016

Have you looked at the Jawbone Up3?

The Up app looks like it’s available for Windows phones. I have a Jawbone Up2, and I’m really happy with it and its app so far as a pedometer, sleep tracker, and silent smart alarm. I know that its band would fit you (my wrist is 6”, and it could go about 1.25” smaller). However, it does not measure heartrate. The Up3 and Up4 do, but they have a different type of band that I haven’t tried. They appear to be very adjustable, though. Worth looking at, anyway.

I'm not sure if any of the "fitness trackers" like Fitbit and Jawbone Up can show you milage, though. I think they all work as motion detectors, and don't have GPS. For mileage, I think your keywords are going to be "GPS sport watch," such as a Garmin or Tom Tom (or Band 2).
posted by Kriesa at 1:26 PM on January 12, 2016

Fitbit is also coming out with a smart watch with GPS, the Blaze. Maybe its band will be better for you, but, I don't think they've announced a release date.
posted by Kriesa at 1:33 PM on January 12, 2016

I also have tiny wrists (just measured, and they're a bit over 5 inches) and I've been wearing a fitbit charge for over a year. It did feel wrong to me when I first started wearing it, but I got used to it in a few weeks. The thing about the fitbit is that it is supposed to be worn a bit loose, if it's tight around the wrist you don't get an accurate reading of steps taken. I actually tested this out by comparing results with a friend I went for a walk with who had hers done up snug to her wrist.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:37 PM on January 12, 2016

Have a look at the Garmin VivoSmart line. There is some support for W10 devices, and it comes with two sizes of wrist band by default.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 1:41 PM on January 12, 2016

Looking around a bit, it appears that the Garmin Forerunner 235 might fit your needs. The 230 works on one Windows Phone, so it seems like the 235 might work on others. The 640, 640 XL, 735 and 830 all use the same prcoessor. The Garmin Connect app doesn't have a ton of reviews, but the reviews it does have are good.

Fitbit support has been around for a while, and both the Flex and the One have third party bands, or can be worn on your waist. Neither is going to give you pace or heart rate, though the One will tell you how long you've been running. I have a One and it works 100% fine with Windows Phone.
posted by cnc at 3:01 PM on January 12, 2016

Response by poster: Thank you all so much for your suggestions! You've given me some great starting points. 5_13_23_42_69_666, that's a great point about the FitBit and step counting.

My next step is to compile a list of possibilities (including your suggestions), then visit my local big-box gadget emporium and try a bunch of them on.
posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger at 7:28 AM on January 14, 2016