Which new fitness tracker is right for you?

 




SAN FRANCISCO — There are so many new fitness trackers on the market it's hard to know where to start. Jawbone, Fitbit, Basis and others all have new devices out or arriving soon.
In the past few weeks, USA TODAY's Ed Baig and I have gotten a look at some of them. Here's a summary of our impressions and what's due when.

JAWBONE
Jawbone's UP bracelets are terrific for combining function and fashion with an easy-to-use companion app. The San Francisco company is adding two new devices to its lineup: the $49 UP Move and $179 UP3.
The Move is a "pod"-type design that you can pop into a provided clip or an accessory bracelet. It's out now. UP3 is the new flagship. It's super light and adds more sensors and more detailed monitoring of sleep and workouts. Availability: A simple black version of UP3 will be available later this year. More models arrive in early 2015.

FITBIT
Fitbit has three new wrist-worn activity trackers. First out is the $129.95 Fitbit Charge, which adds an LCD screen that lets you read the time and get some phone-based notifications. Continuous heart rate monitoring without a chest strap will be a main feature of the otherwise similar Fitbit Charge HR, coming next year for $149.95.
The most notable of the trio also arrives in 2015 — the $249.95 Fitbit Surge, which Fitbit describes as a fitness-oriented "Super Watch." It has eight sensors and taps into GPS location tracking as it monitors pace, distance, elevation, split times, and other stats.

BASIS PEAK
The new Peak from Intel-owned Basis is out now for $199 at Best Buy (and on pre-order at Amazon for shipping on Nov. 20). Among other things, the company says it has improved built-in heart monitoring with additional sensors. It can automatically detect your activity: Whether you are running or biking, say. It can also tell when you are sleeping without you having to set it to sleep mode.
The design is much sleeker than the original Basis band. It looks and feels great to wear, though in the time that I have worn it feels a little clunky for overnight wear for sleep tracking (and the sensor lights on the underside are really bright!). It has a monochrome touchscreen face and is water-resistant. It's a great-looking band and will become even more useful later this year when the company adds the ability to get some phone-based notifications for email, texts and the like.

MICROSOFT BAND
Microsoft's entry pushes the edge near full-on smartwatch territory, though it looks more like a fitness band. The $199 Microsoft Band is out now and works with companion apps across the three major mobile platforms and a new cloud-based Microsoft Health service.
It sports 24-hour heart rate monitoring — no chest strap required. Built-in sensors do many things, including determining your level of exposure to ultraviolet rays.
You can also get notifications of incoming calls and text messages, along with updates from Facebook, Twitter, your calendar and the weather. Overall, this feels like a solid first effort from Microsoft in the modern wearables era, but the Band needs refinement. It's clunky to wear, for one thing.

LIFE TRACKER 1
Seattle-based startup Pivotal is taking on the entry-level end of the market with its $12 Life Tracker 1 band and companion app. The twist here: You pay a $12 annual fee for the app, and the company comps you the tracker. I got a brief demo of the band and it looks promising. It's a nice-looking (think Fitbit-like) device with an OLED screen that displays calories burned, steps, distance, sleep mode and the like at the touch of a button. It is water and sweat resistant. It's on pre-order now at pivotalliving.com for shipping in December.

MISFIT FLASH
Misfit Flash is a $49 plastic and rubber version of the company's signature Shine tracker. I've been wearing it for a few days this week and like it a lot as an inexpensive tracker. Flash is one big button. An LED display shines through to show you your progress, or the time. Reading the display takes a little getting used to, but not much. I like that it automatically senses when you are sleeping. It syncs with a companion app for Apple, Android and Windows Phone. It's on pre-order at Misfit.com, and in stores now at Best Buy, Target and Walmart.