When it comes to wearable technology, fitness monitors and activity trackers are fast becoming a norm. With the market flooded with countless devices, it has become increasingly difficult to decide which one is most suited to your use and lifestyle.
Riversong, a Chinese mobile accessories manufacturer, has now officially unveiled two of its fitness bands in Pakistan; The Wave Fit and Wave BP.
Between the two devices, you now have a personal fitness tracker and health assistant at your fingertips.
Both have a companion app which lets users monitor and control their training progress, as well as monitor various health metrics like sleep and blood pressure.
We decided to test out the two smart bands to give you an idea about which suits your needs best.
Wave Fit
About the product: Wave Fit is a wearable fitness tracker which monitors your movements around the clock. The smart band is a great day-to-day companion for maintaining an active lifestyle.
Features: The band is fully dust proof and IP67 water resistant. It features a 0.91 inch OLED display, a 70 mAh battery which gives up to 4 days of battery life, and a black wrist band.
Display: While the device does not feature a touch screen display, it instead relies on a capacitive button to swipe between different display screens. The display however is good, and in addition to showing the time, provides a simple overview of the number of steps taken, distance covered, calories burnt and heart rate reading.
Tracking capabilities: Throughout the day, the onboard pedometer will record the number of steps you take, notifying you of your progress towards a daily goal which you can customise through the companion app.
The app itself is very basic and apart from giving an overview of steps, sleep and heart rate, does not provide any additional information like some of the more well known fitness trackers and apps. The data collected and provided, however, was accurate. It would be great if the app could provide recommendations for improvement, or analysing what this data says about your lifestyle.
The sedentary settings feature will also encourage you to stand or walk if it detects that you have been sitting in one position for too long.
Other noteworthy features: Additionally, the smart band can also be used to find your phone, receive notifications for incoming calls and messages, and as a silent alarm clock which vibrates on your wrist to catch your attention.
Having tried the Wave Fit during a rigorous workout, we found the band to be a little rough on the skin, especially because of its thick metal buckle, which left a bruise around the wrist on one occasion.
Verdict: Overall, at the given price point, the Wave Fit can be a good entry level fitness tracker for those interested in basic day to day tracking coupled with the peace of mind of being backed by a local distributor and a “no questions asked” return policy.
Price: The Wave Fit is available in Pakistan for Rs3,698 which is a decent price for the features it offers.
Wave BP
About the product: The Wave BP fitness tracker is a relatively advanced smart band by Riversong which, as the name suggests, allows users to monitor their blood pressure as well as carry out the basic functions of an activity tracker.
Features: The device features a 0.87 inch display, a 70 mAh battery and three different coloured straps to choose from. The smart band is waterproof and therefore fit for avid swimmers as well.
We found the quality of its display, as well as the strap to be a lot better compared to the Wave Fit.
The Wave BP packs a large number of features for such a compact design.
Heart-rate monitor: The heart rate monitor works well and provides consistent readings. It also allows users to set custom limits. Every time the user nears or exceeds the set limit, the device will alert them.
Blood pressure monitor: Its most standout feature is the on-board blood pressure monitor. This feature is advertised to be a complete replacement for a conventional blood pressure monitoring device. While the device does give you a reading, in our experience, however, this is not something we can recommend.
For those suffering from conditions that require them to constantly monitor their blood pressure, the readings of this device should not be exclusively relied on.
We tested out the device a number of times and were unable to get a consistent reading. For some a misreading of blood pressure can be a serious issue. However, the Wave BP could serve as a useful portable backup.
Other note-worthy features: The sleep monitor and step counter also work accurately and provide sufficient information about workouts, activities and sleep cycles. The device’s sedentary settings will make sure you remain active throughout the day, and the onboard selfie mode allows users to snap a selfie by simply flicking their wrist.
Smart notifications will not only alert you of incoming calls and messages but also show you the identity of the caller or sender.
Charging the device can be a buit tricky, because the USB charge port is on the band itself, requiring you to remove one of the straps from the device each time you have to charge.
Verdict: In conclusion, the Wave BP does pack a lot of features but with so many alternatives available at this price point, purchasing decision would depend on personal preference more than anything.
Price: The Wave BP is available in Pakistan for Rs4,499.
