Orbit from Runtastic a great wearable tech fit

My first use of wearable tech has come in the form of the Runtastic Orbit. I received it last month and have worn it to help me track my steps and calories. Fitness trackers are all the rage these days with the Nike Fuel Band, FitBit and Jawbone UP24 competing for your money as well as the Orbit. I’m not sure how long the wearable tech craze will last given that so much of it is fueled by speculation and hype but fitness trackers should have a place for a while.

Retailing for 119.99 in Canada it is now available for buy online at Amazon.com. The Orbit is also available at Canada Computers and Walmart.

I’ve downloaded the Runtastic Me app for iOS but haven’t added the Runtastic GPS app for running, biking & other fitness activities. The the Orbit works with the iPhone 4s/5/5s/5c/6/6 Plus as well as Android Bluetooth Smart Ready Android devices running Android 4.3 and up. It also functions as a standalone device.

The Orbit is a 24 hour activity, fitness & sleep tracker. I set the Orbit to tell me when i have reached 8,000 steps for the day. You can also track calories burned, and sleep duration & cycles. I was hesitant to wear it for sleep as I didn’t want to have any gadgets on my wrist while I was resting. It was handy to use it as a watch as well so that I didn’t have to grab my iPhone to check the time.

The Orbit is a small device about the size of a 9V battery with a magnetic slot on the back that attaches to a USB cable. You then plug the Orbit into the USB port on your computer to charge it. It also includes two wristbands (Runtastic Blue and Basic Black), as well as a clip (Basic Black). It can be a bit of a process to insert the Orbit into the wristband but be patient as it’s worth having on your wrist. It’s also waterproof up to 300 feet.