By Leslee Jaquette
The simple, count-your-steps fitness trackers are passé. According to a recent article (Oct 11, 2014) in the WSJ, a next generation of monitors is on the market and it’s got lots more fire power and doo-dads than its predecessors.
For starters, says author Nathan Olivarez-Giles, Apples’ Health app, a feature of iOS 8, changed the playing field by introducing the capability of collecting data by the apps of a lot of different health gadgets. This means that you can use a variety of devices and you can send information directly to your doctor.
Olivarez-Giles suggests that with these devices getting cheaper and more capable, it may be a good time to jump on the fitness-tracker bandwagon.
The author describes four new trackers:
The Jawbone UP24 bracelet is compatible with a wide range of apps and devices, from sleep software to thermostats-and is available in three sizes.
You can wear the Misfit Flash in different ways: on the wrist, clipped to waist, as a necklace or even tucked in a sock or pocket.
The Garmin Vivosmart is a lot like a smartwatch with an OLED screen that shows notifications.
Beyond counting steps, stairs climbed and hours slept, the Withings Pulse 02 reads heart rate and blood-oxygen level using a fingertip scanner on the back.
