Sorry this is so late, I thought I had posted this earlier but evidently not. I have been using the Fitbug for a few weeks now.
First impressions:
Q1. Why did you want to take part in this product test?
I am always looking for new ways to motivate myself into keeping fit. I am not naturally a sporty or active person, but I do need to exercise to keep my weight down and to fell generally good about myself.
Q2. What were your first impressions of the Fitbug Orb when you opened it? Did you like the look of it? If so, why? If not, why not?
The Fitbug looked excellent, I was very, very pleased. I had the black orb with the link stripe, which is very discreet. I would have been unhappy with the white one as it's so bright and would attract attention.
I wore it using the wrist strap to being with, but DCs were completely fascinated by it and were constantly wanting to wear it, so I switched to wearing it on my bra strap using the clip. This is perfect for me - very discreet and I can't feel it at all, so I am not bothered or irritated by it.
Now, a few weeks on, I still haven't used all of the fitbug features, or set up everything I need to. The instructions list set with the product was very, very poor, with a long list of URLs copied and pasted from their website. I think this is a terrible way of showing instructions, and requires access to a PC to set up which is a real pain. I would much, much prefer a booklet with all instructions inside, with clear pictures too, as I'd be much more likely to set this up in bed with written instructions. For a paid for product this is very very poor quality.
I did access the website to enter my initial information, I felt the homepage interface is way too cluttered with anything and everything thrown in in terms of health advice. It doesn't seem to support any particular training philosophy or USP for FitBug, and feels more like a group of copy writers have sat down and thrown lots of diet and fitness articles onto the screen rather than guiding the user through the attainment and attainment of a healthy lifestyle. I find the blog style articles particularly irritating - they are very waffly, and are one persons take on things, rather than an informed scientific opinion or Fitbug philosophy. I did try to upload my food intake onto the site - I found the food list was very generic, eg, if I ate a packet of crisps these show as a generic 'plain crisps (or similar)', whereas, having been on weightwatchers previously I know that the fat content of crisps varies enormously by brand.
Consequently I haven't ventured further in and find the site difficult and unenjoyable to use. I think there is also too much reliance on the website - generally I would prefer the orb plus all of the info on the app, rather than logging in. The tips that are sent to me via email are quite nice to get, but I don't want to deal with the device, app, website and emails, the messages should instead appear straight to the app, and also should not request logging in, or clicking on a link for more info - all of this makes it more work for the user, which is irritating.
I have downloaded the app - this is really clean looking, and intuitive to work with. I expected to be able to upload my nutritional intake here, eg with a database of foods, but am surprised you can't do this. Instead I have been addicted to the pedometer feature and have been using this daily to track my steps. This has been really, really motivating for me, esp seeing the aerobic steps completed and the weekly. The key with the coloured buttons showing targets met/exceeded etc is very unclear, but I generally ignore this.
I expect that the Fitbug does a lot more than I an currently using it for, but I don't find the information easy to get to - it takes a concerted effort to set up and use, which is not the case for other cheaper/free products. Fitbug developers should look at the MapMyRun app, or My Fitness Pal app for examples of great health and diet apps, available for free.
As it is I will continue to use the FitBug Orb as a pedometer as I think it's great, very user friendly and motivational, but probably not bother with the other features. I am not sure of the pricing structure of this ((is there an ongoing subscrioton fee after the initial outlay?), but I would not be happy to pay £50 for this, or any ongoing subscription fee, when there are cheaper pedometers and free apps available online.