Best fitness trackers to get you in shape for 2015

Best fitness trackers to get you in shape for 2015. Keeping your New Year's resolution can be hard. That's why we've rounded-up the best fitness trackers to help you get the job done

One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to get in shape and lose weight. And while you can pay the big bucks for a personal trainer or a gym membership, that may not be necessary. One of the easiest and best ways to lose weight and start living a healthier lifestyle is by walking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, per week for overall health benefits. 

The boom of connected devices has made it easier than ever to monitor your daily activity progress and motivate you to reach your fitness goals. We've tested dozens of activity and fitness trackers at CNET over the past year and came away impressed by only a handful of them. These are the trackers that will help you finally achieve that News Year's resolution.

Affordable trackers

Pivotal Tracker 1

The Pivotal Tracker 1 is the most affordable fitness tracker we have ever tested. Pivotal Living, a startup based in Seattle, has taken a unique approach and is offering the tracker as part of a yearly subscription plan. The US-only device is available for only $12, which also gets you access to the company's Android and iOS app. The following year you can pay $12 more for another year of access to the app. Pivotal Living will even provide you with a new band. 

The Pivotal Tracker 1 is capable of tracking your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, active time and sleep. Battery life is around a week, there are inactivity alerts, a silent alarm feature to wake you in the morning and daily and day-specific activity goals. The tracker isn't waterproof, however, and we found that it wasn't all that accurate when it came to distance tracking. There were also some concerns with the build quality of the band -- not entirely unexpected at the price.

The company's mobile app is well designed, although there is no food tracking and you can't sync with other third-party apps. The influx of traffic from such an affordable device has also caused some problems with the company's servers. Users have reported syncing issues, random reboots and app crashes. Read our full review of the Pivotal Tracker 1.

Misfit Flash

The second tracker on our list is the Misfit Flash. This small (and waterproof) device tracks your steps, distance and calories. There is also automatic sleep tracking and it has a replaceable coin battery that lasts six months. The tracker can be worn on your wrist or your waist with an included clip-on accessory. The mobile app, available for Android and iOS, also integrates with a variety of other ecosystems, such as RunKeeper, MapMyFitness and MyFitnessPal. 

There are some things to consider before buying a Flash. It doesn't have a screen and instead uses a ring of 12 LED lights to notify you and display the time. The Flash is available for $50 is the US, £50 in the UK and about AU$55 in Australia. 

The Misfit Flash receives the nod over the similar priced Jawbone Move because of its more appealing design and the fact that it's waterproof and can be worn while swimming or in the shower. Read our full review of the Misfit Flash.

Trackers for the masses

Jawbone Up24

 

When most people think about fitness trackers there are two brands that come to mind: Jawbone and Fitbit. The former company's Up24 fitness tracker is hard to beat. The stylish band can track everything you would expect -- steps, distance, calories and sleep -- and a recent software update improved battery life to 14 days. You can set a silent alarm to wake you up in the morning, alerts to remind you to get up and move, and daily activity goals. It's also waterproof, meaning you don't have to take it off before you shower.

Jawbone's Android and iOS app is one our favorites, it also syncs with other third-party apps like MyFitnessPal and RunKeeper. The one downside for the Up24 is that it doesn't have a screen to view your daily progress -- but that comes with the upside of the bracelet-like Up24 being arguably one of the most stylish trackers on the market. The company has also announced that the Jawbone Up3 will be available in early 2015. The newer model will include all-day heart-rate monitoring, which should improve calorie and sleep tracking.

The Up24 is available for $130 in the US, £125 in the UK and AU$150 in Australia. With the Up3 just around the corner, the Up24 should only be purchased at a discounted price. Read our full review of the Jawbone Up24.

Fitbit Charge

 

Fitbit is arguably the original name brand in the fitness tracker space. It's new Fitbit Charge is a retooling of the earlier Fitbit Force, which was recalled earlier this year after some users complained of skin irritation. In addition to being able to track the steps you take, distance you travel, calories burn, stairs you climb and your sleep at night, the Fitbit Charge has a small OLED screen that will display call notifications from your smartphone.

The tracker has a silent alarm feature and you can set daily goals. The Android and iOS app is also capable of can syncing with third-party apps, such as MyFitnessPal and RunKeeper. We did find that the Charge's distance tracking was a little inaccurate. You also have to remove the band before you shower or go for a swim.

The Fitbit Charge is available for $130 in the US, £100 in the UK and AU$150 in Australia. Similar to Jawbone, however, Fitbit has announced that a new model will be available in early 2015. The Fitbit Charge HR may well be worth waiting for: The device will cost only $20 more and includes a traditional watch strap and all-day heart-rate tracking. Read our full review of the Fitbit Charge.

 

Trackers for runners

There are fitness trackers and then there are GPS running watches, but more companies are attempting to combine the two. There's the Garmin Forerunner 15, Polar M400 and Microsoft Band, however only one of these stands out from the rest. For runners that are interested in all-day activity tracking, the Polar M400 offers the most appealing set of features. 

The watch seems to have everything a runner could want. It can track your steps, distance and calories burned, with the GPS enabled it can also tell you your pace and distance while running. Sleep tracking is automatic, it supports wireless heart-rate monitors, it has inactivity alerts and it's waterproof. The Polar M400's battery lasts about 2 weeks and it's the only device on this list that charges through a normal Micro-USB port, rather than a proprietary charger.

The reason we chose the Polar M400 over the comparable Garmin Forerunner 15 was because it includes Bluetooth and can wirelessly sync with your iOS and (in a few weeks) your Android device. The Polar M400 starts at $200 in the US, £135 in the UK and AU$249 in Australia. Read our full review of the Polar M400.

Smart trackers

Companies are now including more "smart" features with their activity trackers. In addition to being able to track your daily activities, these devices, such as the Microsoft Band and Basis Peak, attempt to improve your fitness level with coaching and activity feedback.

There is no perfect device in this category yet, but we believe the one with the most potential is the Basis Peak. This smart fitness tracker continually tracks your heart rate and activity. It has automatic sleep tracking and offers habit-coaching feedback. The Peak is one of the few devices that actually feels personal, with goals and daily achievements that are tailored for you.

The watch is also waterproof and the battery lasts up to three days, much longer than other smart devices. The Basis app does leave a little to be desired, though. While it's compatible with Android and iOS devices, there's no food tracking and it doesn't sync with third-party apps. It has been promised that a future software update will bring smartphone notifications to the Peak, but it's unclear when we will actually see the update.

The Basis Peak is available for $199 in the US and £170 in the UK. Australian pricing and availability has not yet been announced, but the UK price directly converts to about AU$315. Read our full review of the Basis Peak.

Trackers of the future

The International CES trade show kicks off the first week on January. It's the first major tech event of 2015 and we fully expect to see a lot in the way of wearable tech. CNET will be on the ground to cover all of the news. In the meantime, be sure to check out CNET editor Scott Stein's rundown of what you can expect moving forward in the world of wearable tech.

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