Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a fitness enthusiast and have had a Fitbit for several years. However, the Fitbit became less suited for my needs when I decided to join my college swim team and wanted a waterproof fitness tracker. After some research, I came upon the Runtastic Orbit. The waterproof feature was what originally drew me to the product, but the Orbit offers much more than simple waterproofing. When I received it in the mail today (after several anxious hours glancing out the window for the UPS truck), the sleek design immediately impressed me. Over the past few hours of wearing the device, I noticed some general pros and cons: Pros: - intuitive user interface - app integration - Bluetooth sync - ability to switch between wristband and clip - waterproofing up to 300 feet - ability to link with MyFitnessPal - ability to transfer Fitbit data archives to the Runtastic website - 24 month warranty! - Runtastic's many other apps also sync with the Orbit - wristband is comfortable although slightly bulky Cons: - short battery life as compared to the Fitbit (Orbit says 5-7 days [will update on actual results] while the Fitbit lasted several weeks in my experience) - only one charger cable and no cheap/easy way to replace it - wristbands aren't fashionable; however, the clip can be easily hidden on a belt or bra when style is a priority So far, the list of pros far outweighs the cons. I will update as I continue to use the Orbit, although so far I would highly recommend the product. ____________________________ Update as of 26 August 2014 I have been using the Orbit for a week now and am still very pleased with it. Over use I have discovered a couple more pros and cons to add to the list. Pros: - Bluetooth sync is turning out to be speedy and accurate. Love it - realtime step updating if you look at the display while you walk - vibrates when you reach 50% and 100% of your step goal - a bar on the bottom of the first page of the display shows you your step progress without having to click to the steps page (I had a hard time figuring out what the bar was for at first, though) - you can set an alarm!! the Orbit will vibrate on your wrist whenever the alarm goes off. I found that although I only used this once, it woke me up easily and was very effective. Cons: - it's difficult to get in and out of the wristband and the clip. I keep feeling like I'm going to break something. Pretty sure this feeling will go away with more use as I figure out the durability of the plastic - battery life is short, as advertised. It lasted about 6 days for me. I think this has to do with the demanding display, vibrations, and frequent Bluetooth-ing. - my biggest problem with it: I feel like the clip is going to fall off. Clipping it onto my bra resulted in my checking it frequently (which looks a little weird) to make sure it hadn't fallen off. My fears are probably unfounded, as it never did fall off on its own, but it seems to slide up and could possibly fall off with the right amount or direction of jostling. - it's hard to store the parts of the device not being used. I don't usually use the other wristband, so that wasn't a problem (I'll use it when swim season starts and keep it in my swim bag), but if you're planning to switch often between the wristband and clip, you'll probably have to figure out how to carry them around or keep them in an easily accessible place to switch. My recommendation would be to use the clip in the daytime and the wristband at night (leave it by the bed) or wear only the wristband. Simple solution, but annoying problem if this doesn't work for your lifestyle. All other pros and cons stay the same. Although the cons I've discovered after a week, especially the short battery life, are pretty significant, I believe the pros are still in the lead in terms of quality. As for the battery life, it's probably easiest to set an alarm on the device for once a week and charge it then. This may result in skipping sleep tracking for one night; not a big deal unless you're buying it for the sleep tracking (in which case I'd recommend a different device entirely). Overall, I'm quite enjoying the Orbit experience. The best features are probably the Bluetooth syncing, waterproofing, and many different options available. The worst features are the battery life and the possibility of losing the device when it's in the clip. One improvement I would suggest is having an option to turn off Bluetooth sync for a while or schedule a sync for certain times of the day. If the device is syncing when the app is not open, then it's wasting battery of both the phone and the Orbit. I still am unsure whether the sync occurs only when the Runtastic app is opened, in which case it would be fine. I'll update again after a month of using the Orbit. Still 4/5 stars, still would highly recommend. _____________________________________ Update as of 11 January 2015 Well, I said I was going to update a month after my last edit but sadly that didn't happen. The struggles of college life. However, after over 6 months of using the Orbit, I now have lots of new information. Two people have asked about how well it works in the water. I am on my college's swim team and therefore have been using it 6 days a week in the water for the past few months. There are pros and cons. The Orbit is, as advertised, perfectly waterproof. It's great being able to look at the time or my calorie information while swimming. However, there are some (to me) significant faults that I dislike about using it for swimming. The biggest issue is that the Orbit counts my strokes as steps. Swimming is a high-energy sport; swimming fast freestyle for two hours daily burns many more calories than walking for that same amount of time. I considered buying a dedicated swimming watch but I like how I can wear the Orbit all day and it can go anywhere with me, so I am considering looking for a new fitness tracker that is more focused on swimming. Despite my problems with using the Orbit during practice, however, more casual swimmers could definitely use it in the water and get good results. However, if you're looking for a serious swimming calorie/stroke/lap tracker, don't go for the Orbit. Other than that, it's been serving me quite well! Many people have said it's a cool "watch" and it goes with most everyday outfits. Before getting the Orbit I was very against watches because I didn't like having something on my wrist, but it is very comfortable and I love being able to check the time. Honestly, my favorite part about it is that I have the time anywhere I go, including the pool. The battery life is still pretty short compared to what I was used to with the Fitbit, but I got used to plugging it into my laptop every week or so. I haven't lost the special charger cord yet, so that's a bonus. I do want to address the free app that comes with purchase of the Orbit. I was excited to have an app similar to the Fitbit, but the Orbit app does have fewer features. Although I thought the app linked with MyFitnessPal, it is only Runtastic's run-tracking app that has this feature, not the Orbit app. Another fault is that the app requires Bluetooth, which can drain battery life. This doesn't affect my phone much (Nexus 5 running Lollipop) but it could be a problem for other phones. However, the app is great for tracking trends in steps, calories, and sleep over time. I rarely use the Orbit to track sleep, although I used the Fitbit all the time, mostly because I forget to turn off sleep tracking when I wake up and then it says I slept for 20+ hours when I finally do remember to turn it off. Overall, the Orbit is a really great product. It's good for casual swimmers and perfect for runners, and I love that it can be on my wrist all the time without me thinking about having to take it off or transfer it when I change clothes. Although it doesn't perfectly fit my needs as a competitive swimmer, don't let that discourage you from buying it! If the Orbit implements better swim tracking features in the future I will definitely continue buying from Runtastic. Meanwhile, I may be looking at other fitness trackers that are better for swimming, but whichever tracker I choose will have to really stand out to surpass the positive aspects of the Orbit.