LifeTrak Zone C410

The going rate for most fitness trackers hovers around $150, but the LifeTrak Zone C410 is a much cheaper option at $125.

It logs calories burned, steps taken and distance travelled. It also measures your heart rate and monitors your sleep/wake patterns by tracking the movement of your arm on which the tracker is worn.

The C410 looks like a cheap wristwatch, but the silicone strap feels quite comfortable on the wrist. The strap is easily replaceable ($22 apiece) and is also available in orange.

Despite its modest price, this device has a small always-on LCD screen that displays the time, date, activity type and activity value, so you can use it as a wristwatch.

Press the big metallic button below the display to toggle through the activity types.

There are two other buttons on the right side. The top one displays graphs of your fitness data (hourly or daily) and switches to Workout mode to note duration, steps, calories and distance over a specific period. The lower button is a Start/Stop toggle in Workout mode. Press both buttons simultaneously to activate the backlight.

This updated C410 displays black text on a white screen, making it easier to read than the white text on black of the earlier version. But the backlighting is weak and lacks contrast.

To check heart rate, ensure that the metal plate on the back of the device is flat against your wrist, hold down the metallic button on the front and wait.

I also used the Heart Rate Pro app on my Apple iPhone 5s to measure my heart rate. The difference in readings was no more than five or six beats per minute.

I set the sleep tracker to work automatically and it was quite accurate in pinpointing when I slept and woke up. But when I left the tracker on a table, it registered that as sleep too.

Previously, the C410 would sync with the iOS-only free Argus app. Now, LifeTrak has its own app (Android and iOS). To pair and sync data via Bluetooth, hold down the lower button (on the right side of the device). The app's sleep data (absent from Argus app) display is not as comprehensive as that of the Withings Pulse O2 or Jawbone Up24, and does not differentiate between light/deep sleep.

It is not as easy to sync data on this tracker as it is on others such as the Up24. At times, you need to make the smartphone forget the device and pair them again in order to sync the data.

One major advantage of C410 is its battery life. It uses a standard CR2032 battery, which is expected to last for a year.

If you are no fashionista and do not mind its cheap looks, the LifeTrak Zone C410 is the best value-for-money fitness tracker in the market right now.

BACKGROUND STORY

TECH SPECS

Price: $125

Material: Plastic case with silicone strap

Water resistance: 30m

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0

Weight: 35g

RATING

Features: 4/5

Design: 2/5

Performance: 4/5

Value for money: 5/5

Battery life: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

This article was first published on July 30, 2014.
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