Fitbit Versa: A workout watch
This post was originally published in the Southwest Journal, a Southwest Minneapolis community newspaper.
#####
My friends at Verizon recently shared a smartwatch with me, the Fitbit Versa. Much like the Fitbit activity bands, this has all of those features of step and calorie counting and more.
The one I had was black with a black band, but it comes in a variety of colors including rose gold and silver, plus there are different band options as well. The watch comes with both small- and large-sized bands so that you do not have to choose in advance which size you need.
Fitbits are generally simple to use, and this is no exception.
Different watch faces can show various information. The watch face that I liked to use displayed heart beats per minute, a step counter and a calorie counter — all available on the face with simple taps to get to more information.
It also displayed the date and time. Plus when emails, calendar reminders, or text messages notifications came through it showed them on the watch screen.
One complaint that I had on the watch was that it did not display when I raised my wrist. It took tapping the watch or activating a button to wake up the watch so that I could see the display. On other smart watches, the screen will illuminate by just raising your wrist towards your eye line.
There is no mistaking it, the Fitbit Versa is a workout watch.
While wearing it and pairing it to the Fitbit app, one can track steps, calories, water intake and more. It can also be used for sleep tracking and even for female health tracking. It gives you reminders to take steps each hour and tracks how many workouts you have done in the last week, congratulating you if you have been consistent in your routine.
While the watch can only show you so much on the screen, the companion app for your smartphone has a plethora of information, including the aforementioned health tracking data.
Built into the watch is a Coach mode that can take you through a few quick exercise routines. You can subscribe to Fitbit Coach Premium to get even more workouts and tailor your routine.
The Coach mode that I tried out was a seven-minute exercise that provided vibration prompts to move onto the next exercise and kept track of time for a countdown while coaching me through the exercises.
It looks like the prices ranges $150–$200 depending on where you buy it, with $200 being the original retail price.
Paired with Bluetooth earbuds, the Versa can play music straight from the watch from Pandora and Deezer (I had never heard of Deezer before).
Battery life was great. I charged it maybe twice per week, and the charging time was fast so that I was not without my step counter for very long. It is also water resistant up to 50 meters so you can use it in the water without fear of it getting damaged.
The Fitbit Versa also works with Android, iPhones and even Windows phones, so there should not be any compatibility issues. The Versa uses your phone’s GPS to track length of workout, pace and distance and then can share this so that they can be tracked and synced with other devices.
The Fitbit Versa is a solid watch that provides the most benefit when being used as a fitness tracker.
Paul Burnstein is a Tech Handyman. As the founder of Gadget Guy MN, Paul helps personal and business clients optimize their use of technology. He can be found through gadgetguymn.com or via email at paul@gadgetguymn.com.
