Fitness tracker Sony SmartBand Talk. And jump and chat.

Specifications

The bracelet has the following features and characteristics:

• weight is 25 g;
• the body is made of silicone and plastic elements;
• the product is resistant to moisture;
• built-in battery;
• the charge lasts for 120 hours;
• The device is fully charged in 1.5 hours;
• compatible with Android, IOS;
• Bluetooth version 4.4;
• service life up to 3 years;
• black, white, blue and pink colors;
• 1 year warranty;
• made in China.

Smart bracelets (Health Products) Sony in Moscow

Sports bracelets Acer Liquid Leap Active (black) HM.HQNEE.001

from 4790
Total reviews - 30 Rating - 5

dima-gordien — May 12, 2011

4/5

The build quality can be considered neither a plus nor a minus, depending on your luck. The device itself looks and feels solid, monolithic. But you may come across a liquid, for example, with a squeaky lid. Fortunately, this can be treated by placing two pieces of paper under it - of course, “crazy hands,” but you can live. Also, the protective glass on half of the devices comes out on the right in the middle (including on mine). It does not affect functionality, but is purely aesthetically unpleasant. For this amount of money it’s a very reasonable choice. I advise you to update the firmware immediately after purchase, at least to 2.1, you will get an almost different phone. In addition, when you enjoy all the Android effects, you can safely turn them off in the “animation” menu item. The phone runs much faster, and this is only good for the battery. And yes, if you have the opportunity to buy Liquid E and not for fabulous money compared to s100, take it

Advantages:

1) A very bright and juicy screen with excellent resolution (without five minutes of “Retina” from the 4th iPhone. Pixels on this diagonal are completely invisible. The sensor on it is also sensitive and responsive. The surface of the display, apparently, is impossible to scratch, which cannot not to please. 2) Quite fast, although on 2.1 the interface sometimes slows down. I tried a couple of heavy 3D toys - they go without a hint of a brake. 3) Wonderful sound in headphones. Of course, not in the kits, although they turned out to be surprisingly decent, except that there is not enough bass. 4) Many sensors, good and different. Everyone is working great. USB charging. for new firmware, support promises 2.2 by the end of the year. 5) Cost. There is no need to pay, as in the case of HTC, 30% for the brand and the dubious usefulness of “Sens”. 6) Well, and the design, probably. Although “Desire” and even “Hero” personally appeal to me more, the liquid itself looks much prettier in real life than the “spatula” in the photo above. Quite a lot has been said about the advantages of the platform itself.

Flaws:

Of course, this price was achieved through considerable compromises. So, to the disadvantages: 1) The most important of them is the battery. Because of it, you simply don’t have time to use all of the above goodies normally, because with a good level of backlighting and Wi-Fi, the percentage of charge decreases every 2-3 minutes. Total - half an hour of web surfing = -10% battery. With more gentle use, at the end of the day about 30% of the battery remains, i.e. You will have to charge it every day, no matter how you look at it. If you use it only as a dialer (which is a little ridiculous with such and such a device), it can last 3 days. However, competitors are not doing any better with the issue of autonomy. 2) The built-in speaker is useless, emitting a dry, wheezing sound. (With seeds in the yard, you can’t listen to “rap” 3) The same situation with the camera - only QR codes can be recognized. In poor lighting, the output is generally only some incomprehensible abstract paintings. 4) Impractical, slippery, terribly pawed glossy body material. And the designer should be slammed for such an inconvenient arrangement of creaking buttons. 5) Not enough memory. If you can somehow coexist with RAM, then 192 MB for applications, half of which are filled with factory junk programs, is very, very little. The situation can be saved by flashing it to Froyo, where it is finally possible to install software (not all) on a flash drive. ...well, to the heap - vague Wi-Fi, showing 4 out of 5 bars at a distance of a meter from the router. After 2 walls the speed barely reaches 200 kbit.

Period of use:

a few months

Features and Features

Smart watches are equipped with various useful features. Present:

• heart rate measurement;
• calorie burn counter;
• a pedometer that measures the distance traveled and the number of steps taken;
• sleep tracking;
• heart rate sensor;
• Motion Sensor;
• NFC technology;
• smart alarm clock;
• vibration alert

The manufacturer claims that the device is waterproof and can withstand immersion to a depth of 3 m. Users, however, note that the gadget often stops working after bathing in the bathtub or shower.

Design

Let's start our review of the Sony SmartBand 2 swr12 bracelet with a description of the appearance. The device does not have a display or microphone. The module body is made of plastic, the strap is made of silicone. It has become much denser and better quality. There is no previous texture on the surface of the strap, in the cracks of which dust and fabric fibers used to accumulate.

Instead of a round button, beautiful but unreliable, a rectangular clasp was installed, which firmly holds the strap on the hand and does not allow it to unfasten. The clasp is made of aluminum and the brand logo is printed on its surface. But you can only see it by looking closely. The distance between the holes is minimal, so choosing the right size is easy. However, users complain that fastening the bracelet is not very convenient, especially at first.

As a result of these changes, the bracelet does not look like a regular fitness watch, because there is no display. Externally, it is an ordinary silicone strip with a metal fastener. And only the initiated will understand and appreciate that this is a device from Sony.

The Sony SmartBand 2 fitness tracker is located on the inside of the strap. To remove it, apply gentle pressure from the outside. On the side of the case there is a large mechanical control button for the device. Near it there are three indicators that glow in different colors: green, orange or red. For example, at the beginning of charging it lights up red, as the charge is replenished - orange, and after full charging - green.

There is a heart rate sensor installed at the bottom. When it takes readings, the green light turns on. True, it is difficult to see it, because it is on the inside. For the heart rate monitor to work correctly, you need to install the module tightly on your hand. A new strap with a secure clasp helps with this.

Instructions for use

The Sony gadget comes with instructions in Russian. To turn it on, press the button on the right side of the case. If the device does not turn on, charge it.

Connect to a special application on your smartphone to view your metrics.

The device notifies you of calls and SMS messages with a slight vibration. To disable this feature, go to Settings in the app.

It is also possible to control music on your phone using a fitness tracker. To do this, you need to press the power button and then tap on the outside of the bracelet. With one tap you can start or stop playback. Knock twice to switch to the next track, three times to replay the previous one.

Functions

Main functions of the Sony SmartBand 2 device:

• The pedometer accurately measures the number of steps taken per day and determines the number of calories burned. Creates an activity graph that can be viewed on a linked smartphone. Analyzes weekly activity and determines whether the set goal has been achieved
• The sleep tracker distinguishes between different sleep stages and monitors them. Information is provided in the form of graphs in the application
• A smart alarm clock uses sleep phase data to determine the optimal time to wake up. The device vibrates to notify you of received notifications and incoming calls. This option can be disabled if you are not expecting an urgent call, because you cannot join the conversation or read the message.
• Using SmartBand 2, you can manage music files on your smartphone. To do this, press the main button and wait for the indicators to light up blue. All actions are performed by tapping on the outside of the device. One tap means ON/OFF, two taps switch to the next one, and three taps go back.
• The main advantage of smartwatches is the “Heart Work” mode. Here the pulse is measured not at rest and not in separate periods, but constantly, in real time. This allows you to assess how physical activity affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

The bracelet from Sony - SmartBand 2 shows through the artery over which it passes. The first time you need to spend the whole night with it to collect a base of readings for the rest period. Then it measures less frequently to save battery. To enable this mode, press the button on the side twice. If the LEDs start to glow yellow, this means that the mode is turned on. Because the indicators light up when measuring your heart rate, they may be disturbing at night.

Mobile app

In a convenient mobile application, the user can view information about his activity, sleep, calories burned, and distance traveled. You can install various programs. Lifelog is available for Android mobile phones. There is also a special application available to owners of smartphones based on Android or IOS versions 4.4 and 8.2 and higher, respectively.

Application

SmartBand SWR10 does not have iOS support, and as is the case with SmartWatch, it is not planned in the foreseeable future. So, unless you plan to actively use an Android smartphone in the near future, the SmartBand SWR10 may not be the best choice.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages are:

• convenient application;
• not too high cost;
• high accuracy of heart rate measurements;
• stylish design;
• stress measurement function;
• the ability to change straps, a large number of colors;
• tight and comfortable fit of the product to the hand;
• ease of use.

There are also a number of disadvantages:

• lack of display;
• high probability of watch breakage after contact with liquid;
• inconvenient charger;
• the need to charge the device frequently.

What is the difference between a smartwatch, a smartband, a sports watch and an activity monitor?

Theoretically, all these devices can be associated with one thing: some kind of activity meter. However, this does not change the fact that each has specific functions. Let's discuss the differences.

Smart watches and smart bands fall into the same category: wearable devices. Their name comes from the fact that they have direct contact with your body at all times - usually your wrist. Thanks to this, they can constantly monitor your body parameters.

The difference between them is the set of available functions.

What is smartwatch

A smartwatch is not only a watch, but also an independent device with a set of functions similar to a smartphone. It has a display, either color or e-paper, an operating system (usually Android Wear, now known as Wear OS, or watchOS for Apple models), and quite a lot of functions.

Simpler models allow you to view notifications without having to remove your smartphone from your pocket. The more advanced ones are essentially "mini-smartphones", with space for a SIM card, a built-in microphone and the ability to make calls and interact with notifications received.

You can manage your smartwatch settings directly or using a special application installed on your smartphone. Due to its multifunctionality, smartwatches require a more powerful battery and more frequent charging. But, as a rule, for several days at once.

What is smartband

Smartband, in turn, is an easy-to-use device that is designed to monitor your activity. It counts the steps you take throughout the day, measures your heart rate, and also allows you to monitor your sleep parameters. However, for full functionality it needs to be connected to a smartphone or tablet via a special application.

To show what your daytime activity or nighttime sleep quality looks like, the headset first syncs data with your smartphone. She can do this once during the day, or constantly connect to it using Bluetooth. If you prefer to save energy, set up data synchronization between devices once a day, for example in the evening.

However, the Bluetooth connection allows for other convenient options, such as call notifications. When someone calls or texts you, the bracelet vibrates. If it has a display, it will also show the corresponding icon and even the contact's name. Models with diodes only vibrate and glow.

Due to its limited features, the smartband has a slightly smaller battery, but it lasts for a longer period of time - at least about a dozen days on a single charge.

What is a sports watch

A sports watch is a device close to a smartwatch, but with more “concentrated” sports functions. Sports watches are better suited for people who play various sports or train professionally.

The operating system of a sports watch is usually a dedicated solution from the manufacturer (for example, Garmin Connect), which, together with other devices (for example, a navigator, a treadmill tracker, analytical scales or sports cameras), creates its own internal ecosystem, which simplifies the exchange of data . You can simultaneously monitor many parameters, not only how much you move, but also how you sleep, how much you weigh, and what your heart rate is.

Additional features of this type of device also allow you to display notifications from your phone directly on the screen of the sports watch, however, you should remember that this is a nice addition and not the main function of the device.

What is Activity Monitor

A sports activity monitor is the simplest and most minimalistic gadget that is designed only to track your activity.

It does this completely automatically. Easily recognizes that you are running, swimming, walking, cycling or sleeping. Can be powered by a disposable battery, which is enough for even a year of operation.

The sports activity monitor can also be connected to a smartphone via a special application. This will allow data to be exchanged and analyzed.

Customer Reviews

Oleg, 32 years old, Astrakhan: “Six months ago I purchased a Sony SmartBand 2 SWR12 Black. I made the payment in the online store, after which the courier delivered a plastic box with the gadget within a week. The tracker looks simple, but it is comfortable to wear and does not cause discomfort. You can wear it not only to a workout, but also to a meeting with friends or to a work meeting. For me, the main drawback was the need to constantly charge the device. Sometimes I forget to charge it on time, after which the gadget turns off and activity data is lost.”

Irina, 22 years old, Krasnoyarsk: “I read the reviews and decided to buy myself a tracker from Sony.” Despite the high quality of the manufacturer's products, I did not like the product. Without a display, use was not very convenient. To watch something, you constantly have to go to the app on your phone. It discharges quickly, which is also inconvenient. The only advantage I think is the ease of managing music. In winter, you don’t have to take your smartphone out of your bag to change the track, just tap on the tracker.”

Inga, 30 years old, Novosibirsk: “In the first days after purchase, the bracelet worked well. I had to charge it frequently, but it wasn't too much of a nuisance since it didn't take long to fully charge the battery. Difficulties began in the second week of use. I took the bracelet into the shower, after which it stopped turning on. I had to go to the workshop, where they said that the cause of the breakdown was liquid getting into the tracker. Because of this the warranty was voided. I don't recommend it."

Life hacker: review of Sony SmartBand SWR10

The first generation of Sony smart bracelets – SmartBand – stands out from the crowd as a representative of its class. It does not have a screen, but the proprietary application for tracking user activity is armed to the teeth and very dangerous. From “suitcase” batches, the device leaked onto the Ukrainian market in the middle of last year, and at a very good price for the segment, but the “white” SmartBand limped to our country much later. Moreover, SmartBand Talk, a new generation of bracelet with an e-Ink display, microphone and speaker for answering calls, has been on sale worldwide since November 2014. In Ukraine, you can find Talk, “gray”, and at a price at which you can buy an entire smart watch today. But the price of the first generation SmartBand, which will be discussed in this material, on the contrary, smiles and beckons in every possible way. The model can be found in Ukraine for 1500-2000 UAH (about 70-80 dollars). Therefore, even after a long time from the moment of its announcement and appearance on the world market, it still makes sense for us to talk about its capabilities, and for you to learn about them.

What is this?

Sony SmartBand SWR10 is a smart bracelet without a screen, therefore with good battery life, it can count steps, calories burned, monitor sleep and wake you up correctly, notify you with vibration about incoming calls and spy on all user activity on your smartphone. It obeys only devices running Android OS (4.4 and older, with 1 GB of RAM or more) and records all information about the user in a proprietary application, closed on itself (there is no ability to connect to the Google Fit platform, at least not yet). The application is extraordinary, completely different from what other developers of fitness platforms for mobile devices do. SmartBand SWR10 was released in two colors - black and brown “skin color”, and there are also replaceable colorful straps in stores - there are 9 of them, sold separately.

Does he look cool?

SmartBand is not bad in terms of appearance. But it’s also not the jewel in the crown of Sony designers, a company that produces the most beautiful flagship smartphones and tablets on the market. The same SmartBand Talk or the line of Jawbone bracelets look more interesting on the hand. Perhaps my perception of the model was influenced by the color. We reviewed the bracelet with a black strap, and black makes anything look rougher than it would in any other color. At the same time, I liked the material of the SmartBand case more than the plastic in the Huawei TalkBand smart bracelet - it looks a little more expensive. The mount, the only element made of a different material visible to prying eyes, adds flair to the case. The bracelet is relatively thin and weighs a little - 21 grams.

If we put aside the issue of color, then we are left with an accessory that will look equally good with sportswear, business style, and casual, you can wear it not only to workouts, but also to work. Unless in an evening dress (if you have one) it will obviously be superfluous.

Those who plan to lose weight or gain weight with the help of a bracelet should be pleased with the fact that the package includes two straps. One is suitable for thinner hands (apparently, sizes XS, S and M), the second - for larger hands (L, XL, XXL). I don’t have the thinnest wrists, but the shorter strap was enough for my head.

The entire “smart” part of the bracelet is hidden in this plastic box. It has IP58 protection, which means you can shower and swim with the gadget. The bracelet is equipped with an NFC module, which simplifies pairing with smartphones that also have NFC. There are also three diodes on its body - they signal the transition to pairing mode, the charging process and, of course, the device is turned on. Pay attention to the microUSB connector - to charge the gadget, the insides will have to be removed from the strap. And here’s an unpleasant surprise - the only SmartBand control button (needed to turn on the bracelet and activate the Bluetooth pairing mode) is flimsy and falls out. When the model came to us for review, the button was already hidden in the box separately from the gadget; without it, there was no way to turn on and connect the device. Therefore, while charging the bracelet (and I had to do this twice), I concentrated on making sure that the button did not get lost. After all, the included charging cable is short; you can’t put the SmartBand near the laptop so that it won’t be pulled or accidentally touched later.

How to use it?

To connect your SmartBand to your smartphone, you must first summon the devil and download several applications from Google Play.

SmartBand SWR10 – for the smartphone to see the bracelet in the Smart Connect application.

Smart Connect is a program for managing the connection of the bracelet. And a bunch of other Sony accessories.

Lifelog is an application that displays all the information collected by the SmartBand. To use Lifelog, you must create an account or log in through your Google account.

By the way, the information about supported devices on the official website has become outdated - my SmartBand connected to both ASUS Zenfone 5 and Lenovo P70 without any problems.

SmartBand is not the first smart bracelet in my hands, but when this class of devices became interesting to me, there were already many new models with a screen on the market. Therefore, the main question for me in using a smart bracelet was whether buying wearable electronics without a screen makes any sense today. The answer is that it all depends on habit. If you wear a wristwatch, swapping it for a reasonable piece of plastic without a screen would be strange. If you don’t have the habit of wearing a watch, then you should choose a non-communicative bracelet if both autonomy and price are critical. Because new models of smart bracelets from different manufacturers are already close to a week of battery life despite the presence of displays. But the price for such gadgets is higher. You don’t have to look far for an example - Sony SmartBand Talk.

My relationship with SmartBand was different from all previous bracelets. The screen is the first reason. Without it, there is no need to look at the gadget during an incoming call, jogging, listening to music and in the morning. Secondly, I’m already used to looking at pedometer calculations in Google Fit. It took some time to relearn because the Google app is often lame; the SmartBand is more accurate. As a result, I usually looked at the Lifelog application once a day to find out some statistics that the Fit platform did not provide me with. And there is a sea of ​​her.

What can he do?

The capabilities of SmartBand are determined by the capabilities of the Lifelog application. It doesn't connect to Google Fit, and Sony doesn't appear to have plans to add this feature. The product page on the official website states that some other third-party programs can be connected to Lifelog – Habit Monster and IFTTT. To be honest, I tried, but it didn’t work out. Either the implementation is too complicated, or it doesn’t work yet. But something else is interesting - this is the essence of the applications and the fact that Sony decided to tie its fitness gadget to its products, and not to what Google does for everyone. Both additional applications are... mmm, life hackers (Lifelog, by the way, too). The first helps to develop good habits, the second helps to automate some processes in a smartphone. For example, always upload photos from Instagram to Dropbox and so on; there are many scenarios for automation and you can create your own.

This is not the path that all health tracking platform developers are taking, but it is an interesting one. Lifelog is not positioned as a fitness platform. This is a program where you can monitor your behavior and habits in your relationship with the gadget. It's for time management maniacs and efficiency gurus. Calories, kilometers and steps within it are considered as one of the components of human life, which is not of key importance. In “Health” in iOS gadgets, everything is quite the opposite; there you can break down the state of your body into details that will be understandable and needed only by a very enthusiastic athlete or hypochondriac. Windows Phone and Android (represented by Google Fit and S Health) also revolve around food and physical activity, but the “soul” (and some aspects tracked in Lifelog cannot be attributed anywhere else except to the state of mind) are not measured in any way. You can follow your spiritual impulses in Lifelog not only from your smartphone, but also through the web interface here. That's what the app can do.

Uninteresting options, of course, can be disabled. For example, I almost never read from my smartphone, I only play movies occasionally, and then more often for work purposes, I rarely talk and talk little. At first, I wasn’t interested in tracking gaming time; it was only literally before writing this text that I saw the benefit of this function. SmartBand can monitor sleep - track phases, wake you up at the optimal time. The function is not new, I checked it and it works fine. But as an experiment, I decided to give up the alarm clock for the near future (I use it only once a week, because I have to), so I didn’t particularly monitor my sleep either. In addition to the correct wake-up call, the program is ready to provide information about anxiety and sleep phases; this is useful for those who feel overwhelmed in the morning; for this, you do not need to part with the bracelet at night. It turned out strange with the music. Through the program you can monitor its playback time. But Lifelog does not recognize Google Music and, apparently, does not read information from all players. The main one is Sony Walkman. The player in the ASUS smartphone was also included in the report, but for some reason only four minutes of playback out of dozens of hours. AIMP was also mistaken for a player. I was curious to know the number of hours I spend on the Internet from my smartphone - it turned out that there are not many of them. Although it all depends on the screen diagonal. If I had two smartphones with different display sizes in my hands, I would probably notice a difference in the statistics. In the Lifelog interface you can even track which photos were taken when, find yourself on the map and add a note. But the deplorable number of sandwiches eaten here cannot be saved. But there are other applications for this on Google Play. In general, the list of features is aimed at those who really want to monitor their every step and make sure that they have read enough books and that time is not wasted on sleep, the Internet and games. If you are worried whether your life is going to hell with all this technical fuss, Lifelog is a chance for an honest answer.

Among the negative aspects of SmartBand in general and Lifelog in particular, in addition to the fact that I did not find opportunities in the program to connect third-party applications and it also does not synchronize with the Google sports platform, I will note that if the bracelet for some reason is disconnected from the smartphone or you decide to connect it to your second device, it won’t be very noticeable from the application and the bracelet itself that they are not connected. I went through this for a couple of days, fully confident that the SmartBand was already disconnected from the Zenfone 5 and connected to the Lenovo P70. And he was resting all this time.

What can't he do?

Count the pulse, be a clock, show information about an incoming call or other event, control the player and do other things that require a screen.

How long does he work?

A week on one charge, as stated in the specifications.

Bottom line

SmartBand SWR10 is an original thing, which can only be compared and surpassed in originality by its older brother SmartBand Talk SWR30. It is worth buying this smart bracelet or turning to another one, after studying the screenshots with the interface capabilities. Is this information you want to know about yourself? If not, then the answer is no. If yes, then the next question is – do you need a gadget with a screen and headset functions? The screen is convenient, but a headset in a bracelet is a thing for extreme cases. So, yes or no? If yes, then you need the older model in the line, if not, then congratulations, SmartBand SWR10 is exactly what you need for complete happiness.

4 reasons to buy Sony SmartBand SWR10:

• you are interested in trying out a smart bracelet, but your purchase budget is small;
• you are a Sony Boy, and this in itself is a reason to buy an accessory from this particular company;
• you want to become (or are) a time management guru or a god of personal effectiveness;
• You are not a guru or a god (and you have no such ambitions), but you really want to better understand where your time is going.

2 reasons not to buy Sony SmartBand SWR10:

• it doesn't have a screen, so it's useless for jogging and as a watch;
• you are not interested in the capabilities of this model, you would like something more mundane - to show who is calling and count the pulse.

Negative reviews

The list of shortcomings probably outweighs the positive reviews. But the point is not even in their quantity, but in their significance. For example, many owners are not satisfied with the lack of a heart rate monitor and backlight. Although the model displays information well in the sun, it is practically useless in the dark. There are also complaints about the design of the strap with clamps, which, together with an inconvenient charging connector, often cause breakdowns. As already noted, the Sony SmartBand Talk SWR30 is equipped with a plastic screen covering. This decision led to two shortcomings at once: firstly, the weak function of the sensors when pressed, and secondly, susceptibility to mechanical damage.

Positive reviews about the bracelet

The model evokes a positive impression due to its simplicity, ergonomics and good functionality. While most manufacturers of new electronics strive to provide products with ever new and, as a rule, not particularly useless capabilities, the Japanese company has offered a truly effective option. As the owners themselves note, the Sony SmartBand Talk SWR30 is very convenient with its ability to receive calls and notifications, not to mention the basic functions of a fitness tracker.