When the new Weight Watchers ActiveLink 2.0
was launched I was eager to get my hands on the device. I had the
original ActiveLink for a long while and while I enjoyed it, I was eager
to see the difference, especially since the 2.0 is a souped up edition
of the device. I had been contemplating getting a FitBit since those are
now compatable to the Weight Watchers activity monitoring software.
What
sold me immediately was that during it's initial launch previous
ActiveLink subscribers could get $20 off the top, making the monitor roughly $40. The cool thing for new members, an ActiveLink is included
with your membership for a very short period of time in December.
What
really sold me was the devices capabilities. Not only is it waterproof
(as the last ActiveLink was) but you could wear it in a multiple of new
ways - one being on the wrist (using an included wrist strap)
or attached to the body. There are interchangeable rings to make the
front of the ActiveLink the color of your choice. Another huge plus is
that the ActiveLink 2.0 has Bluetooth which makes for super simple
syncing to your smartphone to see where you are at activity wise for the
day. The monitor itself has extra lights which light up for every 10%
of activity. This is perfect, especially for those folks who are visual
and like to see where they're at. It also has the ability to monitor
your sleeping habits to see how much of a restful sleep the wearer is
getting.
The greatest capability is the ability to
sync the device with a smartphone. I love being able to get
notifications of when I hit my baseline, or when I reached my goal and
being able to see exactly how much I've moved that day. It's a motivator
to do a little more, especially if you've only got so many more
percentage to hit before getting a bigger and better number. I wear my
ActiveLink to bed and in the morning I can tell my ActiveLink when
exactly I went to sleep and when I woke up and it'll graph out and
movements during sleep. You can then give your sleep pattern your own
personal rating (smiley face, neutral face or a frown).
The
only downside is the battery power isn't nearly as great as it was in
the first ActiveLink. Once the 2.0 is fully charged, I can get roughly
3-4 days out of it before it's in the "danger zone" and needs to be
re-charged. On the flip side ... since it has a USB port, you can easily
charge the device in your car (if you have the proper adapter), using a
wall charger, or as intended on your personal computer. The device
charges up to 100% battery life pretty quickly.
Another
noticeable difference between the original ActiveLink and ActiveLink
2.0 is the size. The original ActiveLink was pretty bulky and was
noticeable under clothing (particularly if you wore it on your bra under
your clothing). The 2.0 is smaller in size, while being noticeable
under clothing it's not as noticeable as its predecessor.
The
2.0 does light up when you hit base lines/goals so you will
occasionally see green flashing lights from where ever you decide to wear
it. I don't find it's incredibly noticeable to folks we interact with
... but since I do wear my ActiveLink attached to my bra, I do notice
the lights out of my peripheral vision and have a mini panic attack
thinking it's a bug/etc.
Overall I quite enjoy my new ActiveLink 2.0 and love it a lot more then the original!
