Why I’m So Fond of my Fitbit

I got a Fitbit a few weeks ago, and I’m really fond of it.

Not in any perverse way.  It’s what Apple product fanboys and -girls say about Apple products: it just works.

What’s going on?

  1. Elegant hardware design.  It’s a nifty little hi-tech clothes pin, with two-tone colors and the fabled One Button interface  (In all honesty, I have mixed feeling about One Button interfaces: there are invariably secret button pressing combinations that you have to remember; might be easier to just have another button).  But I’m carping.  The design is satisfying and elegant.
  2. Does one thing well.  I think the old debate between having one device to do everything or multiple devices has been settled in favor of multiple devices.  Most people I know have more than one mobile or portable device, and have use cases for each.  In FitBit’s case, the one thing is measuring footsteps and altitude changes (well, OK, maybe that’s two things, but the idea is to measure your level of activity during the day.)  (And then again, The FitBit Ultra also tries to measure your sleep quality; I think the job it does here is suboptimal; maybe should be left to another device.)
  3. The one thing it does well is a big plus for me.  I could see myself becoming one of those Quantified Self people; I love having the seamless feed of my activity into my diet software; I sort of have a vision where other stuff feeds in as well.  I don’t know if I’ll start wearing one of those headbands for sleep EEG waves, but I am toying with a FitBit Aria wireless scale.  If only the scale is accurate enough (I’ve had bad experiences with previous digital scales).

What’s not to like?