Fitbit Versa:
Great Watch, Terrible Customer service
After turning 60+, we have decided to make sure that we don't enter our "golden years" with all of the health entrapments of old age - diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc. As a way to attain our fitness goals, we have decided to purchase smart watches that monitor various health statistics.
As anyone who knows me, I have a personal dislike for Apple products. In my humble opinion, they are overpriced, trendy products with a company that has marketed them as luxury items. Please understand that I was a hard-core Mac user for years.
All of that aside, I pitted the Apple iWatch against the Fitbit Versa. Both have very similar features, but the Fitbit won out for me because it has all of the bells and whistles of the Apple iWatch, but at a much lower price.
After the watches arrived (and very quickly) set up was a snap. They were recognized by both Bluetooth mobile phones and my Windows 10 laptop. We downloaded the Fitbit app on the phones from the Google Play Store and at the Windows 10 store for the laptop.
The software monitors a host of valuable tools: heart rate (over time and real time), sleep stages, steps walked, calories burned, time of active exercise, stairs climbed, and so much more. I haven't even begun to take advantage of the exercise apps that are included with the watches (I will add more about them later after I've set them up and used them for a while at the gym).
The display is nice and bright and is about the same size as its Apple cousin. Battery life varies depending on how much you enable on the watch - if you want it to track GPS for running, and sleep cycles, the battery life is about 4 days before needing a recharge. The watch also saves battery life by only lighting up when you move your wrist to view the time and/or statistics.
When you open the app, you can also choose from hundreds of watch faces from analog, digital, mass stats, and even virtual pets that give encouragement for your efforts. Synching between the watch and phones, tablets or laptops is a snap with Bluetooth. The watches are quickly identified and pair without a hitch. The first system update (after unboxing) is a little time consuming because Fitbit's servers seem to run at a snail's pace - it takes about 45 minutes. During this time, it is highly recommended that you keep the watch on its charging dongle.
Oh, about the dongle...
The Versa comes with this clunky, obtrusive dongle for charging. It would have been nice to simply have a micro-USB connection in the side or even ability to use a charging pad, but I assume that the manufacturer wanted to keep the watch water resistant to 50m, so there are no openings to allow watch to get inside the watch.
There are, however, third party vendors that make more attractive charging stands for a paltry sum.
Charging time is VERY fast! I've had the watches fully charged from about 25% in less than an hour.
If I had to fault the watch on anything, it would be the music compatibility feature. Sure, you can store a few hundred of your songs on the watch itself in a variety of formats. BUT, the only two music services that it supports are Pandora and Deezer. If you are a fan of Spotify, then you're out of luck. The same problem exists with the Fitbit Flyers (Bluetooth earbuds). I was excited when I saw how sleek they were and there was no wire to tether them to any device. Imagine my disappointment when I found out that, even though they paired perfectly with both mobile phones, Spotify doesn't recognize them in the Bluetooth list of devices. Upon researching, I found out it's not Spotify's fault - AND FITBIT refuses to enter into contract with Spotify, one of the major players in the streaming music arena.
The only other gripe that I have is the design of their website. When you go to about 90% of major companies to make a purchase, you are always given the option to purchase as a registered user or as a guest. An option is triggered at checkout to allow you to register.
NOT SO WITH FITBIT.... my first purchase went through as a "guest" and I received no shipment information, no electronic receipt, and even though I purchased a 2-year extended warranty through Square Trade, I didn't receive an email confirming that fact.
It became a compounded problem when I wanted to return the Fitbit Flyers. The website REQUIRES an order number. Fortunately, I was smart enough to issue a "print screen" before I closed MS Edge and DID have an order number. The return process was flawless except the only choice they give is to use FEDEX at a charge of $7.00 and you have to drop the package at a FEDEX location.... inconvenient!
All in all, Fitbit is an amazing watch. It is feature packed and you safe a lot of hard-earned $$$ over the iWatch. Just be aware of the few limitations that I mentioned. And to be fair, there are many companies and products on the market that aren't perfect - it's just that as our technology becomes more complex, the more chances we have for incompatibilities - even for the infamous "Apple" products!