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"  Long a mainstay of the enthusiast GPS market, Garmin is expanding into the fitness tracking world with the Vivofit ($130 alone or $170 with a heart-rate monitor). Garmin&amp;#039;s Vivofit resembles the Nike Fuelband, with a thin single-line display wrapped in a rubber wristband. But it&amp;#039;s Vivofit&amp;#039;s secret weapon\u2014a year-plus battery life\u2014that separates it from the herd. Add an always-on display and easy-to-use app software, and the Vivofit is a top contender in the fitness tracker market. But can it upset the Nike Fuelband, Jawbone, and Fitbit titans? Design The Vivofit is a display encased in sleek matte rubber, flexible without feeling sticky. Its wristbands come in black or in muted pastels such as purple, blue, and teal (an optional $25 three-pack includes all three wristbands). The display features only a single line; click the Vivofit&amp;#039;s lone button to cycle through the options. The screen is notably thinner than larger watch-sized fitness trackers. Instead of the bright LED or OLED displays seen in the Nike Fuelband or Fitbit Force, the Vivofit uses a digital watch-style LCD display to drastically reduce power drain, though this leaves the Vivofit unreadable in darkness. But that keeps the Vivofit small and slim. From carrying groceries to lifting weights, I found that the Vivofit stayed out of my way through strenuous tasks. The Vivofit will even survive the shower. It has a 5 ATM water rating for immersion down to 50 meters, so feel free to take it swimming, unlike other water-unfriendly trackers.  The plastic Vivofit centerpiece pops out of the large and small wristbands effortlessly and locks securely, while the wristbands ride with comfort throughout sweat-filled workouts. The Vivofit&amp;#039;s squared-off top and gentle curves let it rest snugly on your wrist, unlike the Nike FuelBand&amp;#039;s bangle-style circular shape. The whole unit is so light I forgot was wearing it and fell asleep with it on\u2014which is the point.  Hardware Garmin banked big on keeping the Vivofit on your wrist as long as possible. The device boasts a battery that lasts you over a year, as opposed to three to five days of battery life for competitors that use rechargeable lithium polymer batteries. The Vivofit manages its incredible battery life via a pair of non-rechargeable coin-cell batteries, which are easy to replace, and the Vivofit re-syncs all data from your last sync. Garmin included one of its own heart-rate-monitor models with the Vivofit as part of a bundle, though the tracker will pair with any ANT+ heart monitor. Without included instructions, however, I had to look up YouTube tutorials to know where to place the monitor strap. The Vivofit holds up to three weeks of 24/7 data\u2014two weeks if a heart-rate monitor is used hourly. The device easily pairs with a smartphone via Bluetooth or with a computer using the included ANT+ USB fob. Software Like all fitness trackers, the Vivofit offloads your tracked data to your computer or Bluetooth-equipped smartphone. Both platforms support Garmin&amp;#039;s Connect online community, an in-browser website portal to post exercise stats and jump into workout groups or leaderboards\u2014a clear rival to Nike&amp;#039;s NikeFuel system. Syncing with computers via the included ANT+ USB fob or smartphone app takes about ten seconds. Both platforms visualize your data in daily/weekly/monthly/yearly spreads. Garmin&amp;#039;s Connect app, free for iOS and Android, is easy to set up and lets you see your data and interact with the Connect community. Just don&amp;#039;t expect to sync data with RunKeeper or any other fitness app: Garmin is restricting Vivofit data within its Connect network.  Performance The Vivofit tracks fitness metrics including daily step count, step goal countdown, distance, and calories burned. And while waving your arms may fool other fitness trackers into believing you&amp;#039;ve actually been walking, the Vivofit is difficult to trick because it matches band movement to your height and weight profile. The device lists steps taken in one display setting, and steps until you&amp;#039;ve met your goal in the next. Once you&amp;#039;ve met your goal, a little congratulatory &amp;quot;+&amp;quot; appears and it starts counting up to display how far you&amp;#039;ve surpassed it. Since Vivofit is all about motivation, it will nudge your step goal a little higher the next day if you&amp;#039;ve met your mark, or drop the goal down a bit if you haven&amp;#039;t, to keep your next day&amp;#039;s goal manageable. A small red bar atop the digits lights up when you haven&amp;#039;t moved in an hour, and adds more angry red chevrons until you walk far enough to shake up your sedentary workday. Thanks to the battery&amp;#039;s near-immortality and always-on display, I ended up using and paying attention to the Vivofit far more than I expected to. Forget the fancy LEDs found in other trackers: if this is one fewer device I have to remember to charge, I&amp;#039;ll keep it on my wrist forever. The Vivofit is a beast, too. I slammed it, drowned it, sweat profusely over it, and cut the batteries out, none of which stopped it from working. I stopped worrying about babying the Vivofit and started paying attention to my data. As an urban dweller, I knew I walked more than the average bear, but the Vivofit made me respect how far I trek. Color me empowered, Vivofit.  One negative: Sleep Mode. You have to press and hold the one button to put the Garmin into Sleep Mode. I often forget, meaning I get only intermittent stats about my sleep patterns. Bottom Line At $130, the Garmin Vivofit is the same price as a Fitbit Force and sits just under the Nike FuelBand and Jawbone UP24, both $150. Garmin&amp;#039;s device isn&amp;#039;t flashy, nor does it carry a rabid, built-in fanbase. Nevertheless, it&amp;#039;s a solid, utilitarian entry in the fitness tracker market. Vivofit weighs a fraction of a pound and will survive showers and swims, and its &amp;quot;no recharge necessary&amp;quot; gambit is a huge advantage in keeping your attention focused on fitness and not on device maintenance. Add ANT+ heart-rate monitor connectivity and you&amp;#039;ve got a serious contender for versatile and durable fitness tracking. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/sports/a10119/garmin-vivofit-the-fitness-tracker-you-never-recharge-16565457/>