It started on Twitter. Someone I follow tweeted about a fitness product unfamiliar to me - FitBit. Being curious, I went to the website http://www.fitbit.com/. The first thing I saw was the price - $99.00. I did not look further - it was too high. I did not know exactly what FitBit did or if it warrented the $99.00 price. My vague impression was that it was a high tech pedometer.
Then, at TED@MotorCity, it was mention by Thomas Goetz, Executive Editor of Wired and author of The Decision Tree. Thomas made the point that people need personal, relevant information to make better choices. He showed graphs and charts from FitBit. Thomas talked about the nature of the personal, relevant information the FitBit provided. Additionally, he talked about the ease of use, tracking against goals and against others. My interest in FitBit went up. I went back to the website to find out more information. In addition to keeping track of activity, it also keeps track of sleep. Sleep is important. The price seemed a lot more reasonable.
I needed more information, so I checked out the reviews in Wired and the Wall Street Journal. The reviews were from October and November of 2009. Generally, they were positive. Both mentioned a lack of a manual. Time to go back to the FitBit site. A link for the manual is right on the home page. I am even more interested, but not quite ready to order. In addition to the features already mentioned, it also tracks calories consumed and expended. Usefull personal relevant information.
A blog post by Angela Jenkins (@AJhealthcoach) on the Healthier Michigan website moved me to action. Five Ways Technology can Help You Achieve and Maintain Your Ideal Weight http://bit.ly/fk2nPk . One of the technologies mentioned - FitBit.
All of this happened within two weeks. I got the hint and ordered my FitBit.
11/04/09 WSJ.com - Fitbit Sees How You Run, Walk and Sleep
http://on.wsj.com/3LK73g
10/16/09 Pocket-Sized Workout Pal Is Data Geek's Dream | Product
Reviews | Wired.com http://t.co/pcAbmdF
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