Review of the Runtastic Orbit 24hr Bluetooth Fitness, Sleep and Activity Tracker

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Wearable technology devices are booming at the moment. Thanks to this technology people are more in tune with their wellbeing and fitness than ever before. These fitness and health tracking devices offer insight into a range of key metrics such as calories burnt, total active minutes, steps taken, distance and sleep efficiency.

Once such brand that’s doing a damn fine job of providing both the technology and software is Runtastic and their Orbit device. The Runtastic Orbit is a lightweight, bluetooth enabled band you wear around your wrist or clip on to your clothing, which then measures all the above indicators and displays them in an easy to use app on your smartphone.

Why would I want to know such things? Well, in short, you can’t improve on what you don’t measure. Knowing your activity profile and how much each activity contributes to your overall fitness and wellbeing goal is the only way you’re going to reach those goals and new heights in your fitness regime. And it’s not just for the super-active. The Orbit is designed for people at all levels of fitness which means that whether you’re on a diet and need important calorie metrics to ensure you’re losing weight, or you’re training for a marathon or major sports event, you’ll always have those key metrics to align with your diet and fitness plan to ensure the best possible results, and reach new heights for your fitness goals.

The Runtastic Orbit device

The Orbit is so lightweight you can barely feel it’s there. Yet it’s rugged enough that a few knocks or bumps won’t send it flying off your wrist or damage it. The strap has a number of settings to ensure that perfect fit and is customised to your wrist perfectly. If you’re not keen on the wrist thing, there’s also an attachment supplied which allows you to clip the Orbit device to your waistband or clothing.

Battery life is good and you can expect to get about a week’s worth of use on a single charge. It charges to 100% in about 90 mins.

What do you get in the box?

The Runtastic Orbit comes ready to rock ‘n roll right out the box. Supplied in the box you’ll find the following. The box looks a treat so it’s perfectly suited for gifting as well.

  • 1X Orbit 24hr activity and sleep tracker
  • 2X Wrist band covers (black and blue colours, more colours available too)
  • 1X multi-use clip-on cover
  • 1X USB Charger
  • Instruction manual

Functions and features of the Runtastic Orbit and “Me” app

The Orbit is feature packed and just about covers all your needs in terms of fitness and wellbeing for the beginner to intermediate user.  From the smartphone app you can see all the most important stuff in a dashboard style view, these are: calories burnt, total active minutes, steps taken, distance and sleep efficiency and sleep cycles. The Runtastic Orbit will also measure your more intimate moments too – so you know you’re getting an all-round picture of ALL the activities you’re engaging in.

The app syncs with the Orbit everytime you open the app, so you’re assured that the data displayed is up to date and accurate. The device also has good internal storage capacity so you can go days without syncing and not be worried about lose data – it’s all stored safely on the device. All info is displayed through the app; the LCD display is really there to show you the time, battery status and when sleep and wake mode have been activated. The only thing I found to not be 100% automatic was the sleep measuring. When you go to bed you have to remember to activate sleep mode by pressing the button for 2 secs. The device is then in sleep mode and uses its advanced switches and measuring tools to gather info about your sleeping patterns and sleep efficiency. From the Sleep Tracking screen you’re able to see a range of bars which represent how well you’ve been sleeping and when you were at your deepest sleep (ie the time), and also when you were awake. It will then create an average and overall sleep efficiency %. You do need to remember to activate wake mode in the morning though otherwise the device still thinks you’re sleeping. Aside from that everything is automated and syncs automatically.

The Runtastic Orbit is Waterpoof to 100m

The Orbit really impresses by being waterproof to a whopping 100m. This meant that I actually never had to remove the device – and being a good looking little piece of tech on your wrist I didn’t mind having the thing on 24/7. That said, the Runtastic Orbit joined me in the shower and at the gym’s sauna without a hiccup or any sort of moisture droplets forming on the LCD. Which can be a problem for some devices, even if they are waterproof. Steam is a crafty bugger.

So whether you’re sweating up a storm jogging, swimming, diving, water skiing, fishing or just hitting the sauna at the gym, you’ll know that your Orbit can handle it all.

 Runtastic Videos

Conclusion

This is a neat bit of tech that checks all the boxes in terms of both fitness and sleep tracking. The free app that comes with the device is slick and easy to work with and gives you accurate and clear metrics.

Buy the Runtastic Orbit

Pros

  • Tracks activity and sleep
  • Lightweight and comfy
  • Waterproof to 100m. Also handles steamier activities too like a shower or sauna/steam bath
  • Syncs automatically with app on opening
  • Good battery life

Cons

  • Automation of the sleep mode could be a nice added feature
  • Only its own USB charger can be used

Runtastic Orbit

7.8 Very good

Great little wearable technology device that checks all the boxes in terms of both fitness and sleep tracking. It's lightweight yet rugged and stylish so you won't feel like a chop wearing it everywhere you go. The free app that comes with the device is powerful, slick and easy to work with and gives you accurate and clear metrics. Definitely one to consider if you're getting into the exciting world of wearable technology

  • Device functionality 7
  • App functionality 8
  • Price 7
  • Ease of use 9
  • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0
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