Are Fitbit Watches Reliable?

A Lawsuit and Complaints Against Fitbit’s Heart Rate Monitoring Technology

Lately, there has been a lot of discussions about the accuracy of measuring heart rate activity in the FitBit HR and Surge. I thought it would be interesting to discuss about this topic and share my opinions, since I am an avid user of the FitBit HR.

On Christmas, I was given a new Fitbit HR and when I discovered what it could do, I was quickly excited and wore it all the time non-stop, even when I was sleeping. I am very happy to have my new Fitbit because I am interested in my health and I try to get as much exercise as possible. However, when I first heard the news about the class action lawsuit against Fitbit, a lot of questions stirred and I did some research.

The lawsuit states that Fitbit devices, specifically the Charge HR and Surge, have not consistently recorded accurate heart rate data with its monitoring technology, the PurePulse tracker, as promised and warranted. In addition, Fitbit has unjustly kept class members out of court through a post-purchase agreement, meaning that buyers are required to agree to not sue Fitbit after using its products with the PurePulse trackers.

Relating to the inaccuracies in the heart rate monitoring technology, a complaint from a woman in Colorado states that she wore her Charge HR during high rate activity, and when her coach measured her heart rate, it was twice the number of what her Fitbit watch recorded. Regarding these complaints, the plaintiffs have cited independent testing in which they had a board-certified cardiologist test the heart rate monitor technology at different intensity levels of exercise; what they found was that the data was inaccurate at an average of 24 beats per minute, while at extreme cases as much as 75 bpm (page 15, allegation 2, clause 37). In response to the lawsuit, Consumer Reports tested Fitbit’s products to see if they complied to the independent testing and consumer complaints.

“At Consumer Reports, we were surprised because we had tested both of the devices, and found the heart rate readings to be quite accurate. We decided to retest these models to confirm that we should continue to recommend them. And to learn more about their performance, we added some elements to our standard fitness-tracker test protocol. The result: Both the Fitbit Charge HR and Fitbit Surge passed our tests handily, accurately recording heart rates at everything from a leisurely walk up to a fast run. (Read more)

I must mention the limitations and reliability of Consumer Report’s testing; as stating on their website they “recruited a male and female volunteer”, each of “the two subjects” used the Fitbit Charge HR and Surge. What I find alarming is that they only had two test subjects, which could seriously lead to inaccurate data when relating it to the whole of society, meaning this study in my opinion has little environmental validity.

Consumer Reports also mentions that their participants wore two copies of the same fitness model tracker “one placed on the wrist, and the second one a few inches higher.” What they failed to mention was if they switched the placement of the two watched to see if, for example, the watch worn close to the wrist recorded the same activity as the second watch, which was worn higher up the forearm.

Even though Consumer Reports state that “all tests were conducted twice” and “a total of 64 heart rate measurements were recorded”, it does not mean that the data is reliable enough to comply for all people, as the data was only tested on two test subjects.

In my opinion, I believe that the Fitbit watches are worth the money, even if there are numerous complaints, lawsuits, and tests that oppose to the reliability of the PurePulse heart rate monitoring accuracy in the watches. At the end of the day, Fitbit watches are not medical instruments, but instead recreational; consumers should not criticize the heart rate monitoring to every last detail because it is not a matter of life or death. Your body knows when to stop, so rely on your body not what some watch tells you. What I really find enjoyable is the motivation I receive from the watch; just wearing it encourages me to be more active and to live a healthier life style.

I give a thumbs up to the Fitbit Charge HR.

 

#IBlife

When you have a presentation tomorrow you haven’t really prepared for and two written assignments due the next. Plus Math HL questions that you don’t even know how to answer.

Sometimes I wonder why I chose the IB, especially now since I’ve been sleeping from 12:30 to 6:00 am every single day of the week. I can’t wait for the weekend…

#iblife

 

Officially a New WOTE Fan

I’ve decided to start posting again, even with the IB taking up my free time and completely freezing my social life. I’m just going to be posting things that I find interesting.

What I want to talk about today is WOTE, otherwise known as Walk Off the Earth, which is a Canadian band that makes music off of already hit songs. Though there’s a twist: they normally make their music videos with unusual instruments and have cool performances. What I mean by this is they, for example, use a surfboard and tap shoes to make instrumental sounds and they perform in a garage behind a surf board. This was in their new video of their version of “Hello” by Adele, which also happened to be the first video I have ever seen of them. Yeah, I literally had no idea they existed until yesterday.

How could that happen? They are like the best singers ever with their voices in perfect tune and beautifully harmonized. And the fact that they have become so popular without the help of record labels, booking arrangements, or managements is quite astonishing. They also seem like real people, which is one of the things I like most. They aren’t like a stereotypical band with superficial lives, at least not that I know of.

Anyway, hope most of you guys have heard of this band. If not, go watch their videos! The newest ones are absolutely amazing!

A picture of the band members taken from the WOTE official website: http://www.walkofftheearth.com/photos/

 

Leap of Faith

Hey again! I know it’s been a long time since I last posted, but I have been busy with the IB. Now, I’m working on my CAS diaries and decided to share one of my reflections. A little while back, I took on the challenge of making a public speech and performing it in front of all of my peers.

Reflection

The English Public Speaking Competition was held at St. Olav on Tuesday the 24^th of November 2015. I, along with five other classmates, competed in the competition while our peers watched and voted for their favorite speaker. However, the main objective of the competition was to encourage students to take the stage and share with the audience their thoughts on the topic, which was how everyone has power even if they do not know it.

At first, I was very excited to face the challenge of making my own, creative speech and then performing it in front of over 50 people, however the last few days before the competition were nerve-wracking and I almost backed away from the challenge. Whenever I tried to write or research information for my speech, I would avoid it and think about other things to calm me down. However, I took on the challenge and faced my fears. On the last day before the competition, I practiced in front of a mirror and researched tutorials on how to present a good speech; my perseverance did not let me down and I was determined to do my best on the final day.

Once it was the day of the competition, I could not focus during classes because my mind was in a different world—the world of my speech and its message, the speeches that I would hear from my opponents, the feeling I would have being on stage. When it finally was competition time, each of my opponents took the stage one at a time; I listened for about the first 30 seconds of each speech and then I was slowly dragged back to my speech and its world. And then last was me.

I slowly rose from my chair and carefully walked to the stage, taking one shaky step at a time up the steps. My heart pounded 100 miles an hour and before I knew it, I stood on the stage, feet planted on the floor and my body facing 50 people with curious faces. I then took a deep breath and told my story. Some say it was creative, others say I may have been too harsh, while the rest may say I moved too much on the stage. However, I did not take notice. How not? I was in my own world. I felt the words pass my lips and hit the audience with their strong meanings and emotions. My arms waved around, telling the story and trying to bring the audience into my world. At one point, I felt so empowered with the words coming out of my mouth that I almost felt a tear roll down my cheek. The emotions flooded me; the thought of influencing so many people was overpowering.

Once I finished and exited the stage, a smile crossed my face. I could not be any prouder. My opponents and I then exited the room and the students and ESU representatives voted for their favorite speaker and at that moment, it did not matter if I won or not. What mattered was the message I gave to my audience. Soon, the results came and I found out the devastating news that I did not win. I did not even get second place, but I held my head up high and I thought back to the week before when I was struggling to even write my speech. Now I had accomplished my challenge and proved to myself that I can face anything as long as I have the perseverance and keep my commitment.

Throughout this experience, I have gained much knowledge within the realms of public speaking and communication among peers. I have not only learned how to create a moving speech, but also how to deliver it; I also recognize my need for improvement. I am very proud of myself for taking on this challenge and learning to face my fears. I have learned something that cannot be taught through a textbook or a teacher—what I experienced was the power of my words, the overwhelming wave of emotions, and the influential moment while realizing that I was delivering my message to over 50 people—all in one, special moment. That is something that you can never learn from others, you can only learn it through your own experiences.

The six contestants along with the whole 2IB and two ESU representatives