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

Took me over 2 hours to get it registered/installed and half way working. Must admit to getting help from DH. Some people probably haven't had theirs delivered yet, so won't start until Monday.

Am wondering what the sleep mode can possibly tell us.

Anyone on iPhone 5c? Wondering how it gets on with that

msFITs I got round the download issue by clicking the link for the Samsung Note (on the page of compatible devices on the website). The app opens ok but haven't played with it as DH now using it to watch something on Netflix.

FFS 11.40pm and I'm still trying to pair it. Completely not happening - tablet can't seem to find it at all. I'm really pissed off now!

I've been trying mine with all of the different types of pairing as I've got it synced with the iPad (for battery sake) and I'm at home). It seems that the option to constantly feedback movement isn't actually so constant - mine seems to give up and go to sleep (or reset to a different form of pairing rather than constantly pushing info?) Whilst it's probably to save battery, it's not what it suggests in the blurb, and it makes it difficult to gauge how well it's working in these initial set up days.

Mine arrived yesterday too :)

It seemed ok to set up, but it seems to be very slow actually syncing anything. I registered it with the app, but nothing at all synced until I logged in online and even now, it doesn't seem to be streaming very well. It's still stuck on what it was an hour ago.

Inculkate no, you don't sound like you're bragging (but am vair impressed and want homebrew on my wi too now) sounds as if they sent you a faulty one. At some point (next week? After a week of attempts?) We there should be some Fitbug people helping to iron out problems, so maybe they will help.

Thank you for the running/step adjuster info! I hadn't seen anything about that, will have a look now.

Sleep mode seems to have not worked on mine. I did turn sleep mode on (and off) but it hasn't recorded anything about it (although it might just be being slow). Had to getbup a few times for the loo so wondering if that has affected it.

Sleep monitoring has updated on mine now. Swipe to the left and there is a little graph showing when I woke up (including waking at half 3 to the cat sitting up beside me, nose to nose, staring right at me!).

Mine arrived yesterday too. Nice black one. Not too difficult to set up on the iPhone 5. I'm not one for reading instructions and did have a couple of hiccups ( couldn't get the device to pair up) but got there in the end.
Was frustrated not to be able to set more than one goal. Or a more general goal anyway. I want to lose weight, get fitter and tone up. Seems I want too much

However, not sure what I've done wrong with the sleep monitoring as it doesn't seem to have any data at all. I did the 3 fast button presses and got the 5 flashy lights thing so assumed I was all set up when I got into bed last night. But it appears not! Feeling frustrated this morning.

Going for a run in a bit so will see how it deals with that. Am not going to change my stride length as it's more of a shuffle than a run in general anyway!

So there is a way to actvate stride extender when running, then. It looks about the same level of inconvenience as activating my Runtastic running app (although that also gives me a map and tracks where I run, with elevation, how fast each km is etc. so is worth the extra bother for that. And it's a free app.)

FitbyForty have you turned the sleep mode off again? Long press until it flashes 5 times). Then it seems to take about an hour to sync the sleep info.

I was gutted not to get into this test as I'm on a real fitness drive at the moment - not taking the car and walking a lot more for starters, plus running a lot as I've entered a 10km race at the end of September.

Before I saw the test I knew of the Fitbug Orb and had been thinking about buying one but the early feedback has really put me off! Will be following the rest of the trial with interest.

Mine monitored sleep for 2 hours, until I got up for a wee Going to have to remember to reset it each time I have a wee now!

I thought I had YeGods but perhaps not. It's recorded over 1000 steps so far today (I've only been to hang the washing out!) so it should have turned off automatically now. I'll have another check in a bit.

I confess to being a bit of an Apple consumer as I find their technology intuitive and easy to use. First impressions of the Orb are very much neither of these things.

You do need to turn sleep mode off, it isn't automatic. It still records your steps, even in sleep mode. (It counded my 100 steps trip to the bathroom before I turned it off.)

It also says I fell asleep after 20 minutes last night, when in fact I was still awake for another hour until I went to the loo (it recorded those steps too). So it records sleep as when we tell it we are asleep, which is odd.

Still can't pair it. It's recording that I've burned calories today but I think(on the website - the app is just tumbleweed) that's a resting calorie burn because it's given me no indication that it's paired.