What is it?
A portable gizmo that monitors activities such as running, walking and cycling. Oh, and sleeping, too.
How will it change my life?
Activity trackers have become popular over the past year as a way to measure daily exertion. These devices were originally seen as niche with the bulk of them aimed at gym goers and athletes to provide data for comparing exercises and their effects on the body.
They also tended to be bulky and intimidating with little regard given to comfort or style, an oversight in this fashion-conscious and technologically-savvy age. MisFit Wearables has identified the gap in the market and created the Shine, a happy medium between the trusty pedometer and those devices at the high end of the sports physiology spectrum.
The Shine is not just limited to monitoring activities such as walking and running, but can also track swimming, cycling and sleeping activities. It means most movements can be quantified with the effort intended rather than a general number plucked from the sky like most activity trackers, which can't tell the difference between a hop and a jump.
This versatility merges perfectly with daily routines and provides a platform to transform the way we ascertain and manage goals, be it weight loss, fitness or simply motivation to be a bit healthier.
Good points? The first thing you notice is its elegant design. The dome-shaped sensor is about the size of a 10p coin and can be clasped to clothing, worn round the neck or fitted to a wrist strap which is comfortable and convenient due to its watch feature.
A tap of the Shine's surface displays steps taken, distance travelled and calories burned with additional graphs available when connected to your mobile device. The connection is simple and achieved via Bluetooth by placing the Shine on the screen of an iOS or Android device with the free MisFit app installed.
The battery lasts three to four months, which is excellent. Having to charge the tracker every night as you do with your mobile would be too much of a chore and the Shine would soon be thrown to the back of a drawer and forgotten.
Bad points? The MisFit Shine is void of the usual motivational messages, which in testing kept my interaction with it to a minimum, plus there is no support for Windows mobile devices. I found the triple tap mechanism a bit hit and miss at times, which resulted in missed activity efforts.
Best for … Those looking for a weight loss leg-up when calculating calories burned against those consumed.
Avoid if … You don't have an iOS or Android device to sync with the Shine. Those participating seriously in any discipline like running or cycling would be better advised to invest in a specialised running watch or cycle computer.
Score 7/10. The MisFit Shine looks great but is too limited for a full endorsement.
l MisFit Shine, £80 (misfitwearables.com)
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