Gadget Doctor – What sports tracking band should I buy?

Sports trackers

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Gareth Robottom: Hi Stuff Team. I’m quite into my exercise at the moment, kickboxing, gym, cycling and the occasional run. I quite like the idea of a tracking band like the ‘Nike Fuel’ or similar, to use with either my Galaxy S3 and/or iPod Nano (7th Gen). What do you think would best cover my needs? Ta!

Luke Edwards, multimedia journalist:
Good man for fighting your way to fitness, Gart. Armed with both iOS and Android devices, you’ve got the luxury of choice – you can pick from the broadest selection of sporting goodies to provide feedback on your training efforts. While the Nike+ FuelBand looks great and is popular it’s the most expensive of the bunch at £120 – and it doesn’t offer many options other than step counting. Since your Nano has Nike+ with a pedometer built-in, it would be a bit redundant.

As you’re into varied training, including cycling, the Fitbit Flex might be better suited at £80. This handy band will connect via Bluetooth 4.0 to your iPod for live step tracking and it allows you to log cycles, runs and your diet via third party apps like Map My Run, Endomondo and Map My Fitness. It’ll even measure your sleep patterns to show how well your time with the sandman went.

If you’re really into power napping, the £100 Jawbone Up offers sleep tracking with a smart alarm that wakes you naturally based on your sleep patterns.

However, for your needs, the Flex is probably your best bet. You can use it to set goals including calories burned, steps taken and distance covered. Wrap one of these around your wrist and you’ll be working hard and sleeping like a baby. A really ripped baby.