frag1k September 8, 2014 at 02:43

MyKronoz ZeFit - pedometer bracelet with European roots

The boom continues. Almost every week (and within the IFA every day), another electronics company (and not only) presents a fitness bracelet or smart watch. Is this good or bad? I think it is good, as high competition contributes to the rapid development of the market. A year ago, it was difficult to purchase such a device for less than $ 100, but now it’s quite realistic. An example of this is the very “Chinese” Viddon X5, which we talked about a few months earlier or the hero of our review today, a device from the Swiss company MyKronoz - a ZeFit bracelet.

ZeFit comes in a box with a transparent cap, in which the bracelet itself is placed on an acrylic pedestal. Only a clip for charging is included and ... that's all. Well, what else would you like to see complete with a bracelet?

There is no need to talk about design in the case of such devices, they are all in the same manner. Probably the most serious and important difference is the modularity of such devices. In our case, the device is not collapsible, the main module and the strap are a single unit.

The main unit, which contains the display and the rest of the “electronic” filling, is painted black and covered with glass, while 8 colors are available for the strap. The glass is scratch resistant, at least everyday wear did not entail any serious defects.

The clasp is plastic, but made soundly and does not cause any complaints. Such a system has already been tested by more than one generation of bracelets, be it Fitbit Force, Samsung Gear Fit, etc. The length of the strap in the stretched, as far as possible position is 19 centimeters, and due to the wide range of diameter adjustments, the bracelet is suitable for both a child and and an adult. The weight of the gadget is only 25 grams.

On the inside there are 4 contacts for charging and synchronizing the device. Here, by the way, is a rather interesting design, the manufacturer did not want (or saved?) To communicate with the magnetic system, but decided to do with a regular clip. Is it convenient or not? More likely not, I personally liked the system in Vidonn X5 , where I just needed to insert the module into the USB port more.

You would say that the latter solution is more prone to moisture, but here the manufacturer himself wants to challenge you. Officially, comrades from a Swiss company promise only verbally protection against moisture and splashes, without the possibility of immersion in water.

The button is moderately tight with a clear tactile response. The display is made on OLED technology and is very similar to that of the already mentioned Vidonn X5 . By the way, I won’t be surprised if their elemental base is the same too. In the bright sun, it is almost impossible to see anything on the display, unfortunately.

Looking ahead, I’ll say that the functionality of the bracelet is quite modest. Pressing one single button one by one causes a change of screens, of which there are four: the clock (automatically synchronizes with your smartphone), counting calories burned, distance traveled and the number of steps. When a low battery is reached, a notification pops up on the display, and you can constantly monitor the charge level through the mobile application.

Holding the button for a long time will put the bracelet into sleep tracking mode. ZeFit can determine in what phase of sleep how much time you spent, but, unfortunately, it does not know how to wake up based on these data. Exit sleep mode is carried out by a similar initial action.

One of the most interesting features is the ability to set reminders, for example: take medicine, eat at a specific time or do a warm-up. In total, such notifications can be set up to six pieces per day. Regarding autonomy, they are stable for 3-4 days (a battery with a capacity of 60 mAh is declared in the TTX), which is a certain standard for such devices. More is better, but less is no longer possible.

IOS app

The application for working and synchronizing with MyKronoz ZeFit is available for iOS (version 6.0 and higher), Android (4.3 and higher, Bluetooth 4.0) and Windows. Consider the application using the example of the iOS version. After installing and entering personal data, you will need to connect the bracelet to the device for subsequent synchronization. To do this, turn on the Bluetooth on your smartphone, activate the ZeFit display by pressing a single button and press the install button on the smartphone itself. To force data synchronization, you must also activate the display and click on the corresponding icon in the upper right corner of the application interface.

Login and synchronization completed - we can study our achievements. The main screen, it is also the “Activity” section, displays all the data collected per day. By tap on the strip, symbolizing one of the 4 types of activities, go to the screen with the display of histograms.

The next section is “Targets”. The name speaks for itself, here you can set the peculiar marks that you want to achieve. Next - the “Reminders” window. There are 6 types to choose from, among which: activity, sleep, food intake, medicine, wake up and set. You can add a text note to each of the tasks, which will be displayed on the phone when the specified time comes, and the bracelet, in turn, will notify you with vibration and using the icon will indicate the type of reminder.

The last, purely technical section “Parameters” allows you to change the profile data, additional settings (time format, units, etc.), as well as get information about the current version of the application or the serial number of the bracelet.

Despite the large number of complaints about the application in the Play Market, it worked for me without problems on both Android and iOS devices. Again, the application is simple and the manufacturer has room to grow, it is worth looking at least towards Jawbone or Fitbit. Separately, it is worth noting the Russian localization of the application.

► Summary

Still a good toy, which every time will remind you of the need to put the body in motion, taken a medicine or eat. Unlike the cheaper Chinese counterpart, it has a more pleasant design (thinner), good build quality and enhanced functionality. With its role as a pedometer, it copes with a bang. There are also no special complaints about the price (regarding other similar devices). On the official website, the cost is 59 euros, while in Russia ZeFit will cost you 3200 rubles . When choosing between a “purebred” Chinese bracelet and any brand, I would prefer the latter, because the probability of a sudden “death” is much less, and what if a bracelet purchased locally (from an official distributor) can be returned to the store under warranty.