Dubai
Samsung’s wearable device — Gear Fit — sits between a fitness device and a smartwatch but with an innovative curved display that is incredibly comfortable to wear.
It runs on Samsun g’s custom operating system, which means users won’t be able to download apps in the same way they can on the Gear smartwatches.
The Fit’s main settings are managed by Gear Fit manager app which has to be downloaded from the Samsung app store and linked through Bluetooth.
The Gear Fit fitness wristband with its elongated and 1.84-inch curved Super AMOLED display is a bit better than a watch. It weighs just 27 grams. It has a resolution of 432x128 pixels with 244 pixels per inch and uses a low-power 180MHz processor.
Apart from the display and a chromed border, the rest of the Fit’s base unit is plain plastic with changeable straps in black, orange and mocha grey that will let users express their individual style.
The user interface is nice and clean, and simple to operate and set up.
It has heart rate monitor, email notifications, incoming calls notifications, pedometer and exercise (running, cycling, hiking and walking) features.
This is the first curved display since the Galaxy Round and LG Flex smartphones and is the first on a wearable.
The design makes reading the horizontal text a bit challenging but by switching views to either horizontal or vertical it can be done.
Fit initially worked only with horizontal display but Samsung has issued an update where it has an option of a vertical display. Whichever way it is, it is difficult to read long mails on a tiny screen by scrolling.
The band has to be worn tight to monitor heartbeat. To monitor hear beat there is a sensor located on the unit’s backside to make contact with the skin.
The Fit is water and dust resistant but won’t run its own apps.
The current fitness bands available in the market tracks steps taken, calories burnt, calories intake and sleep patterns. But Fit monitors hear rates also.
To monitor heart rate, the device need to be firm on the hand and takes a few seconds to complete. The readings are always different by plus or minus two or three. It is not meant for serious fitness philes.
Heart rate data is checked continuously in exercise mode. The only disadvantage is that its display turns off after few seconds. So I need to keep pressing the button on the side to monitor my stats. The Fit is supposed to turn on automatically with the flick of the wrist but I never used to get it all the time.
In running mode, the device suggests you to speed up or speed down depending on your heart rate.
In the meantime, I used to get email, Twitter and Facebook notifications. The big question is if you have a Samsung Galaxy S5 then why Gear Fit?
The only answer which Samsung could give is that Fit continuously tracks in exercise mode which cannot be done on S5.
The device not only monitors calls, the calls can also be rejected and also send quick responses. Music on the phone can be controlled by the device. There’s also a stopwatch, a timer, sleep and find my device link as built-in features.
The biggest disadvantage is that it works only with certain Samsung phones and tablets and dependent on S Health app.
So far, the Fit-to-S Health syncing process had a few hiccups. It’s hard to find your previous data.
The sleep tracker feature is limited and users need to tell the device when they are going to sleep and when they wake up. It then calculates the hours of deep sleep but no way to transport the data to the S Health app. It can only be seen on the Fit.
The “find my phone” feature is useful when you misplace your find the paired Samsung phone as long it is in the Bluetooth range.
The 210mAh battery can last for two full days for heavy users and I have squeezed three days out of mine. The Fit charges through micro USB but it needs an additional dongle to accept the cable. The Fit’s got a good balance but it needs more substance in the fitness area.
The device comes with Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, an accelerometer and gyroscope.
The Samsung Gear Fit is available for Dh799 and it is a bit expensive compared to other wearable devices like Jawbone Up and Fitbit. Most fitness bands works with Android and iPhone device and Samsung needs to think seriously about this if they want this to be the main entry-level fitness band.
