I Wore Amazon’s Wellness Tracker For A Month – & Here’s My Takeaway

There was a time (and that time was the early 2010s) when wearable technology it was truly cutting edge and the brands were on the cusp of something revolutionary. The first iPhones were still being rolled out, so the very idea of ​​having everything from steps to monitor heart rate on a tiny (touch!) screen on your wrist? Talk about the future.

As a self-proclaimed nerd and lover of all things tech (I used to order Best Buy gift cards for my birthday and am not shy to admit it), I was an early adopter of smartwatches; For years, I shook the FitBit 2 charging before switching to the Apple Watch Series 3. (I recently upgraded to the series 7.) Then of course I was excited when I heard about Amazon Halo View, a newly released wellness tracker that helps you monitor everything from physical activity to sleep. During a recent media outing to the Catskills, I had the opportunity to put the halo view to the ultimate test: here's how it stacked up.

The proof

I've been around the corner when it comes to fitness trackers, and I have to say Amazon Halo View it is one of the most aesthetically pleasing. (FYI: Amazon has a previous, Halo band without screen which I haven't tested but offers the same application features as View). It's sleek and minimalistic and honestly so light that I barely even notice I'm wearing it. Because the cute factor matters, I also appreciate the color options with the band. I opted for Lavender Dream but you can get replacement bands at each rainbow colorin addition to special fabrics in leather, denim, and more. Like virtually all smartwatches, the Halo View also tells the time (important!) and has basic features like alarms, timers, and a stopwatch.

However, unlike many wearable technologies I've tried, Amazon's Halo View isn't just the device on your wrist. To make the most of it, there's a complimentary Halo app membership (which gets you a year free with a new device; after that, it's $3.99 per month) that gives you access to a robust library of on-demand and live streaming. content on fitness, nutrition, sleep and more. Over the course of our trip, we walked (and tracked our walk) using the activity tracking feature, did outdoor movement work with a Halo fitness expert, made healthy snacks with recipes from the Halo app, and went to school to sleep with a board -certified neurologist and Amazon Halo intern sleep doctor. My trusted tracker was there for everything, which is actually pretty cool.

If you love numbers and data, you'll get a lot out of Halo View; One of the most attractive features, in my opinion, is the sleep score that Halo gives you. Obviously, you don't need Jeff Bezos to tell you whether or not he slept well, but there's a lot more to consider whether or not he wakes up feeling happier. In addition to a numerical score between 0 and 100 (most nights, I'm in my 80s and 80s), you get your own hypnogram, a visual representation of different sleep cycles, how long you were in each one, and any sleep disturbances. your rest, i.e. how often (and how long) you woke up during the night. If you're struggling to get consistent, good-quality sleep, personalized tips and insights based on your data will be incredibly helpful. (Also, if you already own any Amazon Alexa devices, you can connect your Halo View to give Alexa access to your Halo data - this is entirely optional, but for added security measures, Alexa will require a PIN before answering any questions related to your personal profile.)

While working out, I found Halo View to be great for quickly seeing step count and heart rate, and then if you wanted to drill down into the numbers, you could fiddle with the app to see more detail. (Halo View displays the same information you can get from the app, but I found it easier to use my phone since the screen size is limited on your handheld.) Another nifty feature is that it will display your current Heart Rate on the screen of the device you are watching a gym class on (be it your phone, computer, etc.).

final thoughts

At $80 I'd say halo view it is one of the most reasonably priced trackers on the market. For people who are used to having a mini computer on their wrist, the Halo View's display capabilities will feel limited, as the home clock face only shows the time, for example. (To toggle between fitness tracking and data reporting, swipe up and down on the screen.) Part of its appeal, though, is that it doesn't overwhelm the user with a bunch of customizable apps and widgets; this won't be for everyone, and that's okay. Judging it simply as a wellness tool (and not a productivity or entertainment-oriented tool), I have to say I was impressed. I also loved that it held a charge for weeks, which is virtually unheard of these days. As an Apple Watch user, I'm used to my wrist buzzing several times a day with text messages, news alerts, and more; that's not necessarily the worst thing (especially when you're a Virgo workhorse like me), but I came to appreciate that the Halo View was in some ways the most disconnected smartwatch I'd tried in a long time. It's almost like I'm encouraged to live my best life offline: move more, sleep more, and if that's not wellness, I don't know what is.

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