Korean electronics manufacturer LG has unveiled its attempt to break into the fledgling wearable gadgets category. The LG LifeBand Touch is a computerized wristband that keeps tabs on your workout and calories burned. It also syncs with the LG Fitness app installed on your iPhone, iPad, or any Android device include LG smartphones. The fitness tracker can also control the music, as well as notify of your incoming calls and e-mails, on your paired Android device.
Writing for the Associated Press, Youkyung Lee tried the wearable device for a week and found out that while the LifeBand has noble intentions, its cons are too hard to ignore. Lee pointed out that the device’s finger-length touch screen is virtually unviewable while outdoors under direct sunlight, considering that potential users of the LifeBand would use it while running/ biking/ hiking/ outdoors.
The reviewer also compared the LG LifeBand with another Korean-made fitness tracker, the Samsung Gear Fit. The LG gadget’s screen only comes in black and white, which Lee pointed out that for an additional $50 you could have enjoyed the Gear Fit with its “curved screen capable of displaying clear and vibrant colors and which is readable in direct sunlight.”
Other mishaps Lee found in the LG device include a lack of strap that would have left the fitness tracker dangling on smaller wrists, its constant vibrating as a way to motivate you into doing physical activities, and the inability to receive and make phone calls. At least its battery lasts up to five days.
Lee’s verdict: not compelling. “If it’s meant to be an outdoor fitness device, then it needs a display that works outdoors. If it’s meant to encourage you to work out, then it needs to avoid nagging and let you work exercise into your schedule.”
The LG LifeBand Touch has been available in the United States since last month for $150, while it will roll out to parts of Asia and Europe in the coming weeks. Add $180 for a companion earphone that also measures your heart rate.
Source: ABC News
