Looking to improve your lifestyle? UK MNers needed to try The Orb from Fitbug - worth £50 NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

We have been asked by the team at fitbug.com to find 50 UK MNers to try The Orb fitness tracker. We're looking for Mumsnetters who are keen to track their fitness levels everyday, those who are embarking on a new fitness plan (maybe trying to lose post baby weight), and those who just want to try out this product.

Fitbug says: "The system sets you personal targets each week for steps and food, helping you improve your lifestyle at a rate you can gradually adjust to, so it’s not a hardcore exercise regime or a diet that you do for a short time, but a way of improving your habits for the long term."

See here for a brief overview.

The Orb is iOS and Android compatible - but check the list of compatible Android handsets here: www.fitbug.com/connect

If selected, you'll be sent The Orb to try for a few weeks and so long as you add feedback as required you will be able to keep the product. There are no ongoing costs to worry about. You will also be able to download the Fitbug app and get more info on the Fitliving site: www.fitbug.com/uk/fitliving

In addition, all MNers who are selected will be given access to one-to-one support at Fitbug for their new gadget, should they need it.

If selected, you will be sent the Orb at the middle of August, and asked to try it for around a month. We're looking for feedback on a thread on Mumsnet twice: once on first impressions, on opening/ first use - on set up/ why you wanted to take part, etc. and then at the end of the month on your overall experiences with it, what you liked about it etc. The second feedback will be early - mid September. Please only apply if you're able to take part and add feedback at these times.
Please also note that Fitbug may use your feedback comments on their website and social media channels, as well as elsewhere.

If you'd like to take part, please add your details here: www.surveymonkey.com/s/JJS297S
We will be in touch with selected MNers ASAP. If you're not selected, please keep an eye out for the feedback thread, as there will be an extra chance to win Fitbug products.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

nutrition is a lot easier using My Fitness Pal, and the two will sync, eventually! Seems to be very slow, but it is going through eventually.

Picked mine up from the post office today - I have the black one. So far I have to admit I'm a bit underwhelmed - even simple things like getting it set up involving having to go to the website rather than getting full instructions have bugged me (not that I'm not grateful for getting it for free ).

It also looks very flimsy too with lots of bits and pieces - again not a problem at all as it's free, but I'd be feeling a bit cheated if I had paid for it.

Am waiting for DH to get home before I can start using properly as I need his i-phone or i-pad to use so I need to see which will be the least annoying for him !

One facility I would like that I can't find is the ability to hide things on the dashboard. I guard my weight jealously and think DH and DD would die of shock if they knew how much I really weigh, either that or I'd die of embarrassment that they knew. I hate the fact that it is displayed in BIG BOLD numbers which means I will not be able to show anybody the app.

I want to have my weight on it as one of my goals is to lose some but I wish there was a hide thing or a way of choosing what is displayed

Mines not arrived!

Anyone else still waiting for theirs?

Not sure how well mine is working. I got up this morning to go to the loo and I then looked at the stats. It said I did 215 steps and had burned 247 calories! The bathroom isn't that far away. It is now saying I have done over 16,000 steps today and burned over 3500 calories. That can't be right can it? I have been sitting atmy desk most of the day.

I set mine to sleep at bedtime and was really looking forward to the result as I don't think I sleep brilliantly. Woke up this morning and it says I have slept 0 hours at 0% quality but have walked 519 steps! So that's why I feel knackered!

sousadelic you could just put the weight you have told your DD/DH you are on the app and still aim to lose weight. But better to be honest about it and accept it.

silverlace are you wearing your orb on your wrist? You could try putting it in a pocket.

Nexus 7 people apparently my Nexus is a 2012 version (who knew? I'm blaming DH who told me it was a 2013 one) and that's why it won't work. I'm being sent a dongle so I can use it with my laptop.

I've also politely expressed to the nice customer service person that I'm glad I didn't pay £50 for this ...

I should add that I'd feel much guiltier if it wasn't for you lot all having a nightmare anyway

Excited when I saw the chance to test a fitness 'thing'. Been considering something for a few months but no idea what to go for. So it was a bit like Xmas when the postman arrived with a parcel.
First impressions were very good - it looked very modern (black one). Was about to out the door for a short run (part of the new fitness campaign) so decided to set it up when I got back.
Set it up on ipad mini and attached the orb to my wrist.
Attempted to look at the video of how to use but kept coming up with Server problems so just played about with it myself.
Impressed that I could add on food and it would give me all round health updates - so I logged the food that I had so far.
The next day I attempted to log what I'd eaten the previous night and then I realised something...I could not find how to amend a previous day. This was only after getting very frustrated with the App and then realising I could not do anything via the App (you can only look at it) and had to log into my account online.

Then the next issue hit me - attempted to log a slice of bread and an egg - simple you'd think - especially as I've regularly used MyFitnessPal in the past. However it only shows food in terms of grams. So without trekking to the kitchen (which would increase my steps!) to check the packaging I did not know how many grams in a slice of bread or in the egg - whereas MFP gives the cals for the bread and egg automatically. So I decided that it would be too big a faff to record food on the Orb.
First full day and regularly was looking at how many steps I'd taken - it seemed high first thing - I'd only been up about half hour - so I walked around the house and took 60 steps in about 90 seconds and then refreshed the app - it showed that I had just done over 1000 steps. Hmmmm!!
So I've now attached to belt and see how that goes.

I'm a bit confused about something (technical idiot here!) and wondered if somebody technically competent could advise me. I have the app on my phone but it just displays stuff and I am entering info on my laptop.

In a couple of weeks I am going on holiday and won't be taking a laptop with me. What do I do? Can I do anything from the phone? Or a tablet? I have a Kindle Fire I could take. Or could I access it from a friend's computer? If so how?

I'm using MFP to log the food, which can be done via app, and will sync across to Fitbug.

the mobile site on a phone isn't too bad neither, to add exercise - so you don't really need a laptop. I've not even tried logging food on it though. I will stick with MFP as I have been using that a couple of years already, it has a good app, and it is a lot more user friendly going on the comments on here!

I really don't like the way that fitbug starts with negative calories and slowly increases during the day. First thing in the morning it is syncing to MFP with -970 calories based on a rate of 482 base level which is absurdly low. I don't understand why it doesn't just start with a normal base level.

I'm glad its not just me having trouble with the fitbug I keep loosing the data and it seems quite inaccurate. I "borrowed" my husbands fitbit and used both the fit bit gave me about 600 more steps. I'm not impressed so far.

I made sure that both the Fitbit and Fitbug had the same data. I'm glad I didn't spend £50 on this.

Soul sister, I'm still waiting...

Ok, so I have finally unboxed mine and set it up. I am definitely a novice user compared to a lot of you as I have no previous experience of food trackers/ exercise gadgets at all. So can someone tell me, other than pure masochism (given the experiences reported here) why would I want/need to update the firmware?

How are you lot using MFP to log nutrition? How do I sync MFP with the orb? The only Fitbit thing on the list is a itbit air tracker which I don't have (looks expensive).

It's fitbug, this link should hopefully work -

here It connects the two apps.

MichelleMumsnet and affafantoosh, they are sending me a dongle for my laptop too.

My Nexus 7 must be 2012 too.

I've been using mine for a couple of days, it is much easier now DH has set it up to sync from MFP. It would be much easier if Fitbug let you enter food on the app. Sleep tracking isn't great as it has me asleep when I know I was awake. The app really is very limited. I like the concept and am looking forward to the advice next week.

Ooh I need a dongle - also seem to be using wrong device. Do I contact customer services about this?