I gave this to my wife on Christmas Eve and she LOVES IT! She had been using a Polar Training Watch and had been doing heavy elliptical work (6-7 hours per week), but had gotten off her training program and was dreading starting again.Bought her this because she really likes graphic feedback and goals. She started playing with it while people were over and is delighted with the trophies, video game style feedback, loves developing her island, animals and gardens. It did the trick and made it fun for her to get active and moving. She''s doing little up and down the step routines because of the rewards. She laughs out loud with delight when she gets new and unexpected items on her island.
I hope the incentives continue to work for her, but it''s been well worth the price to get her active and enjoying exercising again. Just got back from taking a long walk around the neighborhood at her suggestion.
Technical thoughts. We agree that the Striiv has done a great job of tapping into short term goal setting and rewarding the desire for immediate gratification. My wife is a PhD / professor of Social Work, son is a doctoral student in Nanotechnology / Electrical and Computer Engineering, and we were all marveling at the design and thoughtful programming that has gone into this. He admits he might want one too because while he goes to the gym and lifts weights, he can get into sedentary patterns while writing and doing research. She falls into this when grading papers and working on research projects too. Both agreed that this got them thinking about how active they had been, and both liked the comparisons it makes to national averages, daily, weekly and monthly activity averages. Raised awareness of activity levels.
Bottom line, I''ve threatened to take it away from her at 10 pm each night lest she be tempted to do ''one more thing on it.'' That''s pretty strong motivation.
We both like the charitable contribution feature.
I wish it would have software on the PC that would capture and display the data.
I did some unscientific testing for accuracy.
100 steps walking with it in my sweat pants pocket registered 106.
100 steps walking with it in my jacket pocket registered 107.
100 steps walking with it hanging from my jacket zipper registered 100.
200 steps jogging with it hanging from my jacket zipper registered 171.
100 steps jogging with it in my sweat pants pocket registered 29.
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I bought one in November 2011 and loved it. I was walking over 10,000 steps a day. I was driving my husband and son crazy walking back an forth threw the house and around circles around the kitchen island. It lasted 10 days. It stopped counting my steps and then the screen went black. I turned it back on a it wiped out all my saved data, all the trophies, the two donated glasses of water that I didnt get around to downloading, everything. I sent it back and purchased another one along with the fitbit. I started them both on December 6th 2011. The fitbit was great to track sleeping patterns and the striiv was great for motavation. The fitbit is still going but the Striiv died Dec 27th 2011, not even a month. The screen locked up on achievments. Ive plugged it in to the outlet to recharge it. Ive tried to turn it off. I plugged it in to the computer and the computer isnt reading it. Im going to try to let it run completely out of power and see if that will unlock it but I will probably be sending this one back alsoRead Best Reviews of Striiv Smart Pedometer (Bundle Descriptions Below) Here
---UPDATE 1/11/2012: It looks like my Striiv came with older software (PID 1.0.193). I''m going to test it with the current software installed (1.0.215) and again with a newer version which should be coming out shortly, and I''ll update my review when I do.
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UPDATE 1/12/2012:
ACCURACY
I updated the software in my Striiv to version 1.0.215. After about a day and a half of using it and comparing its stats to those of my Fitbit, I''ve found that the Striiv is now much more accurate. Using the Striiv with the older software it registered only 74.9% of the steps that the Fitbit registered. Across a day and a half of walking with the Striiv since updating the software (about 15,000 steps) I''ve found that it now registers 98.1% of the steps registered by the Fitbit. (This is with the Striiv in my pocket.) The Striiv fared less well when I jogged/walked on a mini trampoline: it registered only 70.4% of the steps the Fitbit registered. But for me, the accuracy of the Striiv while walking is no longer much of a problem.
STAIRS
I was wrong in what I said below about how the Striiv is meant to track stair climbing. Apparently it''s supposed to measure real stairs climbed and the equivalent of stairs climbed when walking up steep hills. For me, the results are not yet at all accurate. I counted 114 stairs climbed earlier today, with no hills walked at all, and the Striiv reported 191 climbed.
There should be a new software release shortly. I''ll also be receiving a belt clip. I''ll test the device for accuracy and report back here. I''ve updated my ranking to 4 stars as the accuracy of the Striiv has improved quite a lot with the software update to 1.0.215. I''m hoping the stairs issue will be addressed in the next software update. I really do like the Striiv and hope to see it continue to improve.
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UPDATE 1/15/2015
Since last updating this review I''ve updated my software to version 1.1.1.329. I also received a belt clip from Striiv and have been wearing the device clipped to my waist rather than in my pocket. This seems to have improved its accuracy further. It''s still not counting all the steps the Fitbit counts (today, 10,070 on Striiv vs. 11,280 on Fitbit), yet in tests where I''m counting sets of 200 steps it performed well, both on the treadmill and when jogging/walking on the trampoline. Stair counts are better than before. I had been getting seriously inflated numbers (e.g., 33 stairs logged when I''d climbed 12). Today I saw values from 10 to 16 when I''d climbed 12 stairs. So, getting better. And I have faith that the device will continue to improve, particularly as the company has shown itself to be very responsive to user feedback.
A final note: With version 1.1.1.329 Striiv introduced push challenges, and I think the idea is brilliant. I find myself taking my Striiv up on challenges more often than I would have thought, and regretting when I''m unable to for some reason.
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ORIGINAL REVIEW
Here in a nutshell is my response to the Striiv after testing it for a little less than a day. But read on for more detailed information.
PROS
-Attractive device
-Intuitive design
-Bright and very readable screen
-Ingenious idea to incorporate charitable giving and game play
-Motivating mini-challenges
-Can be viewed in sunlight
CONS
-Doesn''t count actual stairs climbed
-Quite inaccurate (consistently under-reports step count)
STRIIV VS. FITBIT
-The Fitbit is a far more accurate device
-The Fitbit offers more in the way of data. Users can check their stats history online and also use the web site as a food journal. And they can share their daily stats on Facebook and Twitter.
-From what I understand, the new Fitbit Ultra tracks stairs climbed (based on elevation change, so stair steppers don''t work)
-The Fitbit, on the other hand, does not offer the mini-challenges and other motivators that the Striiv has
IN SHORT
Users who are more serious about their stats and want access to them online as well as a food journal and access to a member forum should stick with the Fitbit. Also, the Fitbit is very accurate. The Striiv is not. But the Striiv is visible in sunlight and more fun to use and it offers built-in incentives. It''s very unfortunate that it''s so inaccurate, but I''m happy, at least, that it under-reports rather than over-reports steps. I''d rather be tricked into taking more steps in a day than fewer.
AT LENGTH
The display on my Fitbit pedometer has been weakening dramatically over the last couple of weeks. So I think that after a little over two years of very happy use it''s on its last legs. I was going to just buy a new one--I''ve loved my Fitbit, after all, and have nothing to say against it. (Well, except that the display isn''t visible in the sunlight. I''ve wondered if they could somehow make one with e-ink.) I wouldn''t have hesitated to buy a new one, but then I saw this new device called Striiv, and I do love new gadgets. It was just released in October. Like the Fitbit, it''s a small pedometer that you wear throughout the day. But there are a lot of differences between the two.
APPEARANCE AND INCENTIVES
The Striiv has a 2" color display. It looks kind of like a tiny, white iPod Touch. You can keep it in your pocket, and it comes with a fob you can attach so the device can go on your key chain. It''s simple to use. There''s a home button and a back button, and mostly you interact with the touch screen to view your total steps, their equivalent in stairs, miles walked, calories burned, and energy points earned. Where Striiv is particularly novel is that it offers numerous incentives to get you moving. (1) Throughout the day it gives you badges as you accomplish new goals. For example, since getting the Striiv in the mail today I''ve earned the Golden Gate Bridge badge because I''ve walked enough to have crossed it. (2) The more you walk, the more will be donated to a charity of your choice (out of three: saving a rain forest, getting fresh water to a child in South America, or immunizing a child in India against polio). (3) There are mini challenges that you can opt to undertake, and if you do so successfully you''ll win extra energy points. (4) There''s a mini game where you can spend points to plant trees and such to build up a world. In other words, there''s a wide variety of incentives, at least one of which will probably appeal to most people.
DATA AND UPLOADING TO COMPUTER
The Fitbit uploads data wirelessly to a your Fitbit account online. The Striiv works differently. All the data is kept on the machine. It doesn''t communicate wirelessly with your computer, and you don''t need a computer to use it at all unless you want to donate your points to the charity of your choice. To do that you have to plug it in using a USB cord that comes with the device. I haven''t done that yet so I don''t know whether there''s anything complicated about the process. Clearly this device will not appeal to people who want to have access to their data online. But for my purposes it should work fine. I don''t need access to a history of my steps taken. And I don''t want to use it to input my food consumed (as one can on Fitbit''s site.) I just want to know from day to day (with some comparative data for fun) whether I''m complying with my goal of taking 10,000 steps a day. This should serve the purpose well, and provide some incentive and fun at the same time.
STAIRS
The Striiv tracks stairs climbed, except they''re not real stairs. They''re the equivalent of your steps in stairs climbed. Whatever that means. I would be interested to know how many stairs I climb in a day. But I don''t care whatever about how many of these equivalent stairs I''ve climbed. It seems to me a meaningless statistic.
OUT OF THE BOX
The out of the box experience for me was a little worrying, first because I had trouble removing the sticker from the screen. It wasn''t super clear to me where it ended, and I came close to prying up the screen protector beneath it, which would have been bad. Also, at first I was worried that it didn''t work. I plugged it into the wall and tried starting it up, but it didn''t respond. Turned out it just had to charge a bit more before it responded, and then everything was fine.
ACCURACY TESTS
Wearing both the Fitbit and the Striiv today for 4.5 hours, I''ve got the following step counts:
Fitbit: 3051, Striiv: 2279
I did three 200-step walks on a treadmill and counted the steps as I did them, to check the relative accuracy of the two devices. In the first and third tests I had the Striiv in my pocket; on the second I tucked it into my waist band. On all three tests I wore the Fitbit on my waist:
Test 1, 200 steps
Fitbit: 201, Striiv: 191
Test 2, 200 steps
Fitbit: 201, Striiv: 10 [that''s not a typo; apparently the waist band method didn''t work]
Test 3, 200 steps
Fitbit: 200 steps, Striiv: 168
The Fitbit really shines here, while the Striiv''s under-reporting is disappointing. I am happy, at least, that it is UNDER-reporting rather than over-reporting. I''d rather be tricked into taking more steps over the course of a day than fewer.
CONCLUSION
On the plus side, the Striiv is an attractive little device. It''s intuitive to use. And I really think that incorporating charitable giving and game play (shades of the Wii game Walk It Out) into the device is ingenious.
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Ok, so I found out about this thing yesterday afternoon, decided I had to have one, paid the extra $3.99 to have it overnighted (Go Prime!), and got it around noon today. Let me tell you I''m super pumped about this little guy!Before I get into my experiences with the Striiv, let me give you a run down of the person using it. I have been going to the gym regularly for the last 6 or 7 years, but I''m by no means "fit". I''m pretty strong yes, but also pretty round. More of a Chunk than Hunk. I Love lifting, but Hate doing cardio (as well as eating like I should). Tough to admit, but I''m one of those 30-something year old dudes who used to be in shape and thinks they still are, until they see a picture of themselves with the belly/double chin/manboob trifecta going on. Unfortunately, there''s a lot of us out there...
Anyway, I''ve tried quite a few pedometers, heart rate monitors, and even the BodyBugg a couple years ago. I actually used and wore the BodyBugg for over a year, and I liked it for the most part. I just was too lazy to log my food consistently and transfer all my activity to my computer. What actually got me to quit using it was the recurring subscription expense I just couldn''t justify paying for it anymore. It did help me though, and I lost 20 lbs and have kept it off while using it. This is definitively something I love about the Striiv I don''t have to upload my data onto my computer if I don''t want, and there''s no ongoing cost to owning this thing.
So why am I so amped about this? I think this could be one of those things that could be a game changer! I really do! It''s so intuitive and easy to use, I could see a ton of non-tech people using this. Heck I could see my dad using this, and he doesn''t even own a computer (and proud of it!).
But as important as its ease of use is its ability to motivate you! Like I said, I actually do like going to the gym, but cardio is what I always slip on. No problem lifting, but I''m lucky if I normally get 20 minutes of walking/elliptical trainer in before I wuss out. Well I went for 70 minutes today! And it''s mainly because of the Striiv I went so long! I actually lost track of time while doing cardio. That has never, ever happened! Seriously, that has never happened for me, but I went 25-30 minutes before I even looked at the time on the elliptical. The Striiv not only keeps track of your steps/distance "walked"/calories spent, but it gives you trophies for hitting milestones. Big deal right? Well it is, cause you want to hit the next goal! The game on it is very addicting too! I''m not much into games, but this is a very ingenious motivational tool. You build a world and the way you build it is by spending "energy" and money, which you get by being active. There''s also a deal where you can actually donate to one of 3 charities, but using your "energy" you earn by being active. I''m telling you this thing is genius! I''ve only had this about 8 hours, but I''ve taken almost 11,000 steps today! A LOT of those steps I would not have taken if I didn''t have this Striiv!
Time will tell how motivated I stay, and how durable this is, but so far this has motivated to to move like nothing else! If I would have known about this before Christmas, I would have bought one for everyone on my list. It''s may seem pricey at $100, but if it lasts it''ll be worth every penny. Heck, I actually don''t know if I''ve ever written a review on Amazon, so that should show you how pumped I am.
I''ll post an update in a week or two to let you know how it''s going. In the mean time....Get To Steppin!
***UPDATE 3-17-12***
Ok, so my update "in a week or two" actually took me almost three months to get around to. The good news is I''m still using it every day! I''ve lost a little over 7 pounds since I got this guy (253 down to 245.6), and I would contribute that weight loss my increased activity. Striiv without a doubt motivates me to increase my activity. The challenges it offers are a really great concept to get you to move more. Almost every day I''ll pull it out to check my steppage, and there will be some challenge waiting for me that I''ll decide to accept. And we''re talking 3 months after I got this, so the new toy factor has wore off....this really does motivate you!
Looking at the numbers, I''ve averaged 7420 steps and 3.4 miles per day since I got it. I wanna get up to a 10k average, so I have room to improve, but I know I''m doing a lot more than I had been. My high was 20,140 steps going 9.4 miles. I think now that it''s spring and the weather''s nice, I can bust through the 10k average pretty easy.
As far as the durability, it''s performed well. It locked up on me once and started acting screwy. I called the customer service and they walked me through resetting it and updating the software in it. After that, no problems at all. Hopefully they''ll continue to add different games, and it would be cool to have some sort of account/website, where you could see your stats/walkathon donations.
Overall my Striiv is a keeper! I''ve been very happy with it, and hopefully it will continue to motivate me to move. I''ll check in in a few months and let you know if it has.
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