Wellness and technology, the quantified self movement

That looks like a nice keyboard.

Have you seen what Lenovo propose for the new X1 Carbon?

WTF has happened to the CAPS LOCK key? And where are the F1-9 buttons?

that would confuse the hell out of me.

although I really do miss the split space bar (space, backspace) that I used to have

That looks like a nice keyboard.

Have you seen what Lenovo propose for the new X1 Carbon?

http://www.lenovo.com/images/subseries/lenovo-laptop-thinkpad-x1-carbon-2-keyboard.png

WTF has happened to the CAPS LOCK key? And where are the F1-9 buttons?

Well once they took F13 off laptop keyboards and forced you to use the Alt+F4 shortcut there was only one way it was going to go.

It would confuse me a lot more if somebody ever used any capitals.

Maybe !

All your NHS info belongs to us.

http://www.care-data.info/

Now being pushed back for 6 months because apparently people don't like this sort of thing. Who knew? Maybe if there was some attempt to actually communicate ... nah why bother

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26239532

Although, researchers can apply for those safeguards to be lifted in exceptional circumstances, such as during an epidemic. This will need the permission of the health secretary.

This sounds ominous, as it suggests that there will be a store of the raw data somewhere, which I have little faith in the government keeping secure indefinately

So was thinking of getting one of those fitbit/jawbone/fuelband but the reviews seem a bit contradictory, lots of love for the first couple of months then many many complaints about the build quality and lifespan.

Anyone have one and love loathe it?
Or is there a new alternative out there that surpasses them all?

Why? would be my first question.
As far as I've seen none of them offer a decent degree of accuracy (compared to a garmin, say) and seem to be entirely aimed at people who are mostly sedentary/have little experience of actual exercise.
Maybe I'm just cynical but it seems like another gimmick to make $$$ off first timers who don't know better?

(obv. my opinion is less valuable than someone who actually has one!)

I've owned a few and found them all cheaply made, short-life, low-utility (after the first month of insight), and frankly pointless.

The big problem is that once you know your level of off-cycle activity, it's not like it's going to greatly vary.

It becomes pointless to measure every day, you know what a 5,000 step day feels like, and what a 10,000 step day feels like. You know roughly what that means in calorie burn.

So you find yourself going through the chores of maintaining the device, charging it, using it, for less and less utility as once you know this stuff the value of being told it approaches zero.

After a month with a fitbit/fuelband/jawbone, it's like owning a tamagotchi. You're no longer being told about your fitness, not really... now you're just trying to make a stupid electric device happy.

Frankly, they're pointless. Get a very simple and cheap odometer, use it for a few weeks, get a sense of your step-level, google calories per step... and you're done for way less expenditure and without being slave to a wearable tamagotchi.

I guess I find so so much more utility in real-time information.

Heart-rate, hydration level, wattage and power output, etc.

Real-time information is super useful and increases in utility as you go on, especially when the variances allow you to adjust quickly and make improvements.

Great analogy of them being a tamagotchi.

Very useful website for those looking to opt out of care.data

https://www.faxyourgp.com

I agree with DK, I had Fitbit and after some initial enthusiasm, was disappointed with the lack of quality information it provided. It then broke, so I returned it to John Lewis for a refund.

Reason for possible purchase was I've started running, and am tracking it via run keeper, but don't do the same for my cycling even though I have strava. So was hoping that one of the movement bands would be able to have the best of both worlds, was also interested in the sleep monitoring aspects of them.
I like the idea of wearable technology but want it to be robust enough for years of use, which none of these seem to be..

Meh I'll keep doing what I'm doing I suppose..

The sleep tracking of a fitbit is utter bobbins. As far as I can tell, it only tracked movement so as long as you weren't moving it recorded that as sleep.

I have a withings pulse (fancy odometer with pulse meter). I got it partly as I have withings scales. Picked it up in the US so wasn't quite as pricey as over here.

I keep it in my pocket with my keys so that screwed the pulse sensor pretty quickly.

The main thing I use it for is for when I go abroad with work I like to wander around the city I'm staying in and get a feel for how long I've walked.

It's interesting and it works well for what it does, uploading to my phone and hence online is seamless and the web interface isn't bad but ultimately (unless you're wandering around a foreign city, stopping to look at stuff, wandering in shops, etc) you generally have a good feeling of how far you've walked in a day.

It's a nice toy but I can only see it being useful as a fitness device for someone who's going from a position of virtually no exercise and walking 10,000 steps or whatever in a day is actually a reasonably tough target.

Reason for possible purchase was I've started running, and am tracking it via run keeper, but don't do the same for my cycling even though I have strava. So was hoping that one of the movement bands would be able to have the best of both worlds, was also interested in the sleep monitoring aspects of them.
I like the idea of wearable technology but want it to be robust enough for years of use, which none of these seem to be..

Meh I'll keep doing what I'm doing I suppose..

The Endomondo app does both cycling and running (and other sports too).
It tends to be the only main fitness app I use to track activity. The only gadget I use is a pedometer which reminds me not to be a lazy git on the days I am working from home.

I use cyctastic. Pretty good and all sports in it. Good features, recommend

What about using your phone and something like MyTracks to GPS log walks? You'll chew battery power but it might be something to consider. Then upload to whatever site and estimate calorie use.

[B]Samsung Galaxy S5 and Samsung S Health 3.0 give consumers access to ANT+ ecosystem of health, fitness and sport devices[/B]

  **Barcelona, Spain – February 25, 2014** – ANT Wireless,  proven innovator in ultra low power (ULP) wireless technology, today  confirms that ANT+ is a native feature of Samsung’s latest flagship  products including the newly announced Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone and  the Samsung S Health 3.0 custom health app.
  Now celebrating ten years in wearable technology, ANT+ continues to  link Samsung consumers to highly functional and innovative ANT+ sport,  fitness and health monitoring solutions. Samsung’s Galaxy S5 with the  updated S Health 3.0 focuses on assisting users in maintaining healthier  lifestyles and gives consumers immediate access to ANT+ sensors from  leading brands such as A&D Medical, Concept2, Garmin, Octane, Star  Trac, Timex and Woodway.  With ANT+, the S Health 3.0 app connects users  to ANT+ products such as Fitness Equipment, Bike Speed and Cadence  Meters, Heart Rate Monitors, Weight Scales, and Blood Pressure Cuffs.
  “It’s exciting to bring the best in wearable technology products to  customers of the world’s most popular handsets via ANT+,” stated Rod  Morris, VP, ANT Wireless.   “ANT+ has been engineered to enable devices  that fit seamlessly into a person’s many activities and we’re proud to  be a part of Samsung’s commitment to the optimal user experience.”
  The Samsung Galaxy S4, Note3, Note 10.1 (2014 Edition), Galaxy Grand 2  (LTE), and the Galaxy J are already enabled with the extensive ANT+  capabilities and interoperability.  Because the devices are ANT+,  Samsung users are able to engage in the varied and extendable  activities, including those in the Gym (group and individual fitness),  home (weight scale, blood pressure), and outdoors (cycling, running,  swimming, etc.).
  As per the Galaxy S4, the Galaxy S5 also brings Samsung customers  wireless connection to over 100M ANT+ enabled products available  worldwide.  Consumers may access the complete listing of Samsung’s ANT+  certified products and apps at the ANT+ Product directory, [http://www.thisisant.com/directory/filter/2316/~/~/](http://thisisant.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5d5b48517f73205fa1201d7ac&id=1470be455e&e=48ce055b22)
  ANT+ is the wireless communication link that facilitates  interoperability between certified devices. Designed for reliability and  fast time-to-market, ANT+ opens up vast possibilities for Android app  developers and product manufacturers.

Uh. Sony did this two years ago?

Arc S and their fitness phone both had ANT+. Its good, but most non- cycling stuff is going to low power Bluetooth I think so I'm not sure how much extra value you will get from ANT+.

Although the S Health app sounds more useful as stuff like strava wouldn't recognise the HRM strap as they wanted you to buy a 'premium' BT one from them. Not sure what it adds over MyTracks though

And?
Who buys Sony phones? :P

Well I did so nah nah nah.

I guess my point is that if you can pick up an Arc S for ~£75, which does most of the same things, it might be slightly more useful.

And S5 is going to be too big for pockets, no?

My condolences.