I’ve had the Fitbit Alta since March this year as I had to replace the 3rd Jawbone UP3 that broke. I was really disappointed when I swapped from Fitbit to Jawbone as the device and their app overall were a letdown. I love the Fitbit app, its so easy to use showing all the items it tracks on a simple homepage and then each item it tracks is analysed in more detail on a seperate screen.
However, the Fitbit Alta is just a better looking version of the Fitbit Flex. Yes it is nice to have stats on the screen and receive text messages, but it is all very basic. It has a screen for the time, steps, distance, kJ burned, time active, alarms set and battery. I love the idea of tracking steps, my boyfriend and I sometimes have competitions through the Fitbit app to see who can do the most steps in a week, which adds a bit of fun and competition to fitness.
While the Alta has gotten me through while completing the Amanda Bisk program, but now that I have started running, I can’t track my runs very accurately at all. I have to always use the Fitbit app which is frustrating. I only gives an analysis of pace too. I recently swapped to tracking runs in the Map My Run app which transfers my active time and kJ burned to my Fitbit app, which works okay but it isn’t the best option. I really want to be able to track my heart rate as an indicator of how hard I am working.
The band on the Alta is detactable which is great in theory to swap colours, but after a while the band clip loosens and now if i knock my Alta the wrong way the band detects from the device which is quite inconvenient. Also my band has stretched overtime, meaning it is becoming less secure on my wrist. It is really easy to put on myself as it is simply pushing two prongs into holes in the silicone band, however, this means that again, if I knock it the wrong way it comes undone. This is really not ideal as it means that I can lose my Fitbit without realising.
The Alta has a very good battery life, mine usually lasts a bit over a week and it charges quite fast too which is convenient if you want all those steps tracked.
As much as I love the Fitbit app, I am going to buy myself the Garmin 735 XT. It is very expensive but it is able to track running, pool swims, open water swims, indoor running, cycling and other workouts too. I love the idea of having a watch that tracks all the activities I do, plus it also tracks steps, and its a pretty blue colour, YAY! So I will do a review of the Garmin and the app once I’ve had it for a few months!
In the mean time if you have any questions about the Alta feel free to ask!
I recommend the Fitbit Alta to someone who wants it to solely track steps or distance they walk each day. It is a good basic tracker and it is better than the Flex in the regard that you actually have a screen! Happy Fitness Tracker Shopping!
Journey to Fitness 