This arrived just as I injured my ankle so it was not taken from its box for over a month. To say this is a pedometer is a disservice to this multi-use product, however that is the starting point, link it to free Withings Apps and go from there.
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It is 4x2x.8cm and can be worn either on a belt clamp or a watch strap, both are provided. This device shows nothing unless you press the one button which is either bottom right or top left dependant on how you wear it on your wrist. It only fits into the strap housing in one way.
The only other item on this matt black product is a micro USB socket used for charging only. This device requires that you have an iOS or Android device and Bluetooth 4 to upload its stored information.
My first job was an extended three hour charge period before the device started to register.
It is clever enough to store your steps for longer than a day and when uploaded it even tells you when you did what.
One press of the button shows the number of steps taken that day, the second press shows your altitude, a third press shows distance walked, forth press the calories burnt, fifth press shows two icons pulse rate and sleep and finally the sixth press shows the time AM or PM.
So should you want to check the time its six presses of the button so not exactly a convenient watch. However if you press the button once again in less than a minute the last shown display still shows. The display remains showing for four seconds.
The number of paces updates but not as often as other such devices.
I mentioned the screen with two icons the first shows an image of a heart and once pressed you place your finger on the back of the unit – once removed from its clamp or strap – and it then gives a pulse reading. The second a picture of a moon you press and then press again to confirm that you are going to sleep it says you should wear the unit at night but as it does not tell the amount of sleep only the time since you pressed the button until you press it again this serves no real purpose.
Reading anything on the unit in strong sunlight is impossible in bright light difficult but indoors is fine.
By pressing the button for three seconds it starts trying to connect to the App and after around thirty seconds the information since your last connection is uploaded to the App and displayed in a range of clever ways within the App.
In its favour it is very light at only 21grams in the watch sleeve.
I do not have an iOS device with Bluetooth 4 and while I currently have three Smart Phones all running Android 4.4 only two of them will upload information which says to me Bluetooth 4 is still not universal on Android. Without Bluetooth 4 this is not a useful device. Even with it I have my doubts pressing a button six times to get the time is not easy, having to remove the unit from its sleeve to take your pulse takes time and while the Altitude reader might be useful on a mountain not for normal urban use.
Just the week before publication Withings released an update to the App that allowed you to change the sequential order of the screens, so the six presses to see the time can be reduced.
The Withings Pulse O2 is available from the link below for £99.99.
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/search-keywords/xx_xx_xx_xx_xx/withings%2Bpulse%2Bo2/xx-criteria.html
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