Last year, the new FitBit channel was launched on IFTTT.  If you haven’t heard of it before, IFTTT is like an automation system for the internet, allowing you take data from one service and do something with it another service.

Activating your Fitbit on IFTTT is easy:

1. Sign up for (or log in to) the IFTTT.com website.
2. Click “Channels” at the top.
3. Find “Fitbit” in the list and click on it. Follow the instructions to activate the channel.

There is also an IFTTT iPhone app available.  Setting up the push notifications for IFTTT on my iPhone wasn’t immediately apparent to me, so here are the steps to set it up:

1. Search the App Store for IFTTT, then locate and download the app.
2. Open up IFTTT, log in, and tap the “recipe” icon on the top-right
3. Tap “Channels” and look for “iOS Notifications”
4. Tap Activate and follow the steps

Now that you have IFTTT setup and ready, here are the ways to supercharge your Fitbit!

• Log Your Daily FitBit Activity in a Google Spreadsheet
  You can use this IFTTT recipe to keep track of how active you were on a day-by-day basis by logging your steps and activity minutes to a Google Spreadsheet.  This allowed me to see that Fridays are usually my least active day, so I now plan to take some extra laps around my workplace on Fridays.
• Log Your Sleep in a Google Spreadsheet
  This is also useful if you want to look for trends in your sleep.  For example, I found that I’ve been getting less than 7 hours of sleep on average, which I intend to change in the new year.
• Get a Notification If You Haven’t Reached Your Daily Goal by a Certain Time
  Assuming that you are syncing your Fitbit throughout the day to your mobile phone or computer, you can use this IFTTT action to get a push notification if you’re running out of time to reach your daily step goal.
• Log Your Weight by Sending a Text Message
  This makes it very convenient to log your weight on Fitbit.  Just remember not to get too hung up on your daily weight fluctuations, as your body weight can change up to 2 pounds or more from its normal functions without actually gaining any fat.
• Tweet When You Achieve Your Daily Step Goal
  If you met your step goal for the day, you may as well brag about it on social media!
• Use Your Fitbit to Raise Your Own Virtual Pet
  This doesn’t involve IFTTT, but if you need some additional motivation, you can try caring for a virtual pet by feeding it your Fitbit steps.

These are just some of the ways you can power up your Fitbit.  If you like IFTTT, be sure to check out the FitBit channel on IFTTT for more ideas!

Need a Fitbit? Check out the Fitbit store on Amazon.

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The Vivofit 2 will sport the same $130 initial price tag like the original.  It features sleep tracking, smartphone syncing, and is waterproof up to 50 meters.  There is a non-rechargeable battery included which is good for about a year, at which point it will need replaced.

Look for it in the first quarter of 2015.

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Here is a quick run down of Fitbit’s new lineup.

Fitbit Charge

• $130
• Basically the same as the recalled Fitbit Force, minus the skin rashes (hopefully)
• Built-in display shows your stats as well as Caller ID for incoming phone calls (this was promised on the Force and is now finally available via a firmware update)
• Automatically detects when you go to sleep
• Seven days of battery life

Fitbit Charge HR

• $150
• Includes all of the features of the regular Charge, plus all day heart rate monitoring (using optic readings obtained via LEDs) for more accurate calorie burn measurements
• Five days of battery life

Fitbit Surge

• $250
• Built-in GPS to track your runs (without your phone)
• Built-in heart rate monitor like the Charge HR
• Touchscreen display can show notifications from your phone and provide music controls
• Seven days of battery life
• Coming in 2015

Sadly, there is still no word when (or if) Fitbit will support Apple’s HealthKit system.

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The Microsoft Band features a thermal plastic elastomer (“stretchy”) body with a small 1.4-inch touchscreen display at 320×106 resolution that can display your texts, emails, calls, and other notifications.  The $200 band includes:

• UV sensor to track sun exposure
• Galvanic skin response sensor to measure stress
• Built-in GPS tracker

Microsoft has also partnered with Gold’s Gym, MyFitnessPal, RunKeeper, MapMyFitness, and Jawbone.  It will work with iOS, Android, and (of course) Windows Phones.  It will go on sale tomorrow.

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The Fitbit Charge appears to basically the same as the recalled Fitbit Force, but presumably without the skin irritants.  The feature set gleaned from the leaked images include:

• Tracks steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, & active minutes
• Displays stats, time, & caller ID
• Monitors sleep quality
• Silent, vibrating alarm
• Water resistant

An upgraded model is also shown, called the “Fitbit Charge HR”, which will likely include heart rate monitoring capabilities.  The feature set includes:

• PurePulse continuous, wrist-based heart rate for better calorie tracking & cardio training
• Tracks steps, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes & 24/7 heart rate
• Use with MobileRun on the Fitbit App to see run stats
• Displays activity + run stats, time, & caller ID
• Monitors sleep quality
• Silent, vibrating alarm
• Water resistant

Hopefully we’ll see an official announcement from Fitbit soon (that hopefully includes plans for HealthKit integration!).

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The Apple Watch includes several LED sensors on the underside that detect your heart rate.  These sensors work in conjunction with a built-in accelerometer and the GPS and WiFi features of your iPhone to measure your physical movement throughout the day.  For example, the Apple Watch can sense when you simply stand up or when you’re embarking on an intense run.

The new smart watch also includes a Workout App that shows real-time stats like calories, distance, time, and pace while you run, walk, cycle, and more.  These “official” workouts are combined with your casual activity throughout the day and are presented to you on the Activity app, where you can see your activity over time.  And the Health app allows you to share your activity data with third-party health apps.

The Activity app on the Apple Watch provides a simple graphical representation of your daily activity and includes three rings: move, exercise, and stand.  The “move” rings represents how many calories you’ve burned.  The “exercise” ring shows how many minutes of brisk activity you have done.  And the “stand” ring represents how often you’ve stood up to take a break from sitting.  After all, sitting is the new smoking, or so they say.

Overall, the Apple Watch is a great tool for health-conscious consumers.  Plus, the Apple Watch boasts many other features as well, such as a built-in speakerphone for phone calls (and a special “Walkie Talkie” app), subtle tactile alerting to new notifications, and the ability to send quick nudges and drawings to your Apple Watch-wearing friends.  You can even use the Apple Watch to make payments with the new Apple Pay system.  The Apple Watch will be available in early 2015 starting at $349.

The post The Apple Watch: Will It Help Us Lead Healthier Lives? appeared first on Technically Well.

Apple iPhone 6

• There will be two new sizes:
  • iPhone 6 which is 4.7 inches
  • iPhone 6 Plus which is 5.5 inches
• Both will be thinner than the iPhone 5S
  • iPhone 6 will be 6.9mm thin
  • iPhone 6 Plus will be 7.1mm thin
• Both will feature more powerful A8 chips and M8 motion coprocessor (which includes more motion tracking capabilities, such as altitude)
• Both will feature an improved, faster-focusing camera (and the iPhone 6 Plus will have optical image stabilization)

Apple Pay

• Securely store your credit cards in Passbook on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
• Both phones include an NFC chip allowing you to use them at existing contactless payment terminals when combined with your Touch ID
• Your actual credit card number is neither stored on the phone or transmitted to the merchant, so there’s no need to worry about canceling your cards if you lose your phone or if the merchant has a breach (like Home Depot’s recent incident)

Apple Watch

• A stylish smart watch that pairs with your iPhone 5 or later
• Allows you to make and receive calls, use Siri, read texts and emails, get directions, and much more
• Includes a heart rate monitor and multiple sensors to record your workouts and activity throughout the day
• Read more about it in our full article.

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I love my FitBit, but one of the major issues I have with activity trackers and apps is that they place a huge emphasis on cardio such as walking and running. However, we all know that strength training is also a key element of any fitness plan. A new tracker named “Push” will help you keep tabs on your weight lifting as well.

Although it’s not the most discreet tracker, the Push arm band tracks your speed and movements to calculate how much power your exerting, and then makes recommendations on whether or not you should be lifting a heavier weight.

Push also tracks your reps and sets, and the accompanying app has an extensive workout database and can share your results with your trainer or your social networks. Even the Washington Redskins are starting to incorporate Push into the players’ workout routines.

Push had a very successful Indiegogo campaign and early backers are now starting to receive their units. Hopefully, we see this trend continue for fitness trackers so all of our activities can be tracked (and bragged about on social media).

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Sony’s new Xperia smartphones will feature the Sony LifeLog app, which tracks not only the physical motion of the Core, but also your emotions: meaning your location and your photos.  The details are still sketchy, but it appears that LifeLog app will be an auto-scribing diary of your life.

SmartBands in various colors will be available for the Core, allowing you to wear it on your wrist like many other trackers.  Sony plans to reveal more details on the device and partnerships at Mobile World Congress later this year.

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Sharing some of it looks with the Nike Fuelband, the LG Life Band Touch features a dotted LED display, a USB clasp and a soft-to-the-touch rubber covering.  However, the LG bracelet has some additional features over the Fuelband.

LG includes an altimeter for more accurate tracking when going up the stairs at work or climbing the hills on your next hike.  The Life Band Touch can also display call information and provides media controls for navigating your music.  You can even track your heart rate with “Heart Rate Earphones”, which measures the blood flow in the ear.

No solid release date yet (heck, it was supposed to come out in mid-2013), but we’ll watch to see if the Life Band Touch ever comes to life.

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