ThingsAmongMany

The crossover between fitness and technology is something that’s of great interest to me, and I’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Fitbit device for a few months now (according to a recent email, I’m looking at a May/June arrival). I’m really excited to see what kind of information the device offers and how it’ll help me in my everyday life. As far as I knew, the yet-unreleased device is the only one of its kind.

So, obviously, I was surprised this morning to catch a follow from GoWear Fit on Twitter. Turns out that the GoWear Fit is similar device to the Fitbit and actually offers a little bit more information about the wearer. In addition to tracking movement (via accelerometer) to count steps and calculate calorie expenditure, the GoWear Fit also tracks galvanic skin response and temperature to offer a more complete picture of your activity throughout the day.

Unfortunately, the extra information comes at a cost - or rather a few significant costs. Whereas the Fitbit runs a rather stomachable $99 including software, the GoWear Fit clocks in at twice that for the basic device. Plus, they charge as much as $12.95/mo. from then on to continue using their software to see the information you get from the device.

If costs aren’t enough of a deterrent, the GoWear Fit is also considerably larger than the Fitbit and has to be worn on an armband in order to function correctly (the Fitbit can simply be clipped to your belt/pocket/etc.). I’d imagine that armband might get a little stinky after continuous wear (but you can buy an extra for $8).

So, while I’m really impressed by GoWear Fit’s integration of further technology to offer more information, it appears that their product design and business plan leave a little something to be desired. Granted, you can actually get a GoWear Fit right now whereas the Fitbit is still in production…