Can a smartphone replace a fitness tracker?

Wear smart gadgets have recently been gaining popularity, while of all their diversity, perhaps the most successful use of fitness trackers - they are not as expensive as a smart clock, but they are quite functional. What is a fitness tracker? These are "smart" bracelets that help to track the physical state of the user.

Of course, for the most part, the target audience of fitness trackers is active people involved in sports. However, is their purchase justified? Are fitness trackers so necessary and convenient, as it seems their developers and will not they be replaced with ease by the true "friend" of every modern person - a smartphone? Let's understand.

To begin with, we remind you the basic options for trackers. We will not consider any individual models, because, just like the unlimited tariffs of the "big three" of operators such as Megaphone, Beeline and MTS are similar, all trackers are similar in functionality.

So, here are their main options:

• Options for athletes - analysis of the time of classes, counting the calories burned, the steps taken, etc.
• Analysis of sleep - fitness trackers can track the sleep phase and its quality, can awaken a person during the fast phase (most favorable for waking up)
• Sync with smartphone and PC
• Notification of calls, received SMS and other events that occurred with the smartphone
• Demonstration of time

However, it is important to note that the last two options are not available in all trackers.

In general, as you can see, there are not many opportunities. In addition, even with the available options, in fact, not everything is smooth. One has only to go to some portal reviews and start reading about the experiences of fitness tracker owners, it immediately becomes clear. There are a lot of complaints, but we singled out only their main ones.

The main problem is the inability to set up the tracker for different types of activity. Of course, there is a primitive set, for example, walking, running, jumping. But, for example, if you want to calculate how much calories are spent while exercising in the gym on different simulators, your tracker will not be able to help you in this matter any more.

The second important drawback is the inaccuracy of the data. The software algorithms of most trackers are very doubtful, many "happy" owners write that sometimes calories for walking are numbered and when you are sitting, but, for example, strongly gesticulating.

Another not very pleasant moment - trackers interact, as a rule, only with special applications-companions, which are often not only not very functional, but also work with constant lags.

Well, finally, about the analysis of sleep - a chip that attracts so many users. Of course, it's possible to check how much the user does not have this option, but in 2007 the American Academy of Medicine decided that to determine the current phase of sleep accurately: an electroencephalogram along the frontal, central and occipital channels, recording EOG, and electromyogram of the chin muscles. So it's unlikely that the "smart" thing on your wrist really can understand what phase of the dream the user is in.

In general, as you can see, most of the declared options of fitness trackers are nothing more than fantasies of their producers. However, it is not necessary to be upset. The ideal gadget for playing sports exists, and most likely, you wear it every day in your pocket - it's your smartphone.

What are its advantages? First, when calculating physical activity, it can use not only built-in sensors, but also access to GLONASS and GPS. This fact provides more accurate data and allows you to evaluate more parameters of activity, for example, acceleration and tempo. Secondly, for smartphones today there is a huge amount of software, these programs allow you to evaluate the productivity of employment in virtually any sport - from table tennis to dancing. In addition, a special application can turn a smartphone into a "sleep phase". Of course, it will be as conditional and inaccurate as in fitness trackers, but the fact remains that such an opportunity is available.

It should be noted and the fact that the smartphone will give an opportunity to listen to music, because few people like to play sports in silence. In addition, if on a morning run you suddenly vzbredet in the head to take a picture of the dawn, the smartphone and then come to the rescue.

And, of course, the use of a smartphone instead of a fitness tracker is an excellent opportunity to save money, and since the crisis in the country should be saved today, everything depends on servicing not directly from mobile operators, but through dealers, through the Corporations of Communications "For example, which, by the way, not only provides mobile communication cheaper, but also often gives gold cellular numbers.

Perhaps the only advantage of fitness trackers is their compactness. For athletes freedom of movement is important, and they often will not know where to attach a smartphone, at a time when the fitness tracker can be conveniently placed on the arm.

Of course, ultimately, you decide what to choose, but if you make a choice in the direction of a fitness tracker, do not take any expensive model, it is unlikely to work more accurately, but the damage to the wallet will. However, we will repeat, it's up to you.

The article is prepared based on the materials of the site www.corporacia.ru