Fitbit Alta HR

I had seen a coworker's Alta a while back and debated getting one but was disappointed that it didn't do HR. I didn't like the bulkiness of the Fitbits which did measure heart rate. So I started doing research -- trying to decide what features I did and didn't need. I have been using my phone to track my steps and whatnot to this point. I stopped by the fitbit website to see if they had new offerings and there it was. Exactly what I wanted! I ordered 2 (a small and a large) for my sister and myself from Amazon (2 day shipping!) I was on the cusp of small/large and I can tell you that both fit, but as the website recommends, size up if you're unsure. I've attached photos with the small and large slightly up my wrist. I love the size, the band, and the display. I appreciate the sleep tracker, the compatibility with MyFitnessPal, the silent alarms, and reminders. While it can receive text messages, it will only display short messages and truncate longer ones. The text displayed is small. If you get 2 or more messages from a person in short succession it will display the number of messages instead of the actual messages. However, I understand that I ordered a fitness tracker, not a smartwatch and so I am pleased it has text reading abilities in the first place. It does not track flights of stairs, which is okay by me. My phone didn't track them either. I have been comparing the steps tracked with my other step tracking apps and it seems relatively accurate. I'm sure that there are more accurate HR trackers out there, but the convenience of having these things together in one place is what sold me. Random side story: My sister stole my large fitbit the other day while I was doing dishes and threw it on her ankle to see if it would track. Not only did it track, but the HR was consistent with her small fitbit on her wrist. Some people have thought the calories are wildly off. I think they don't understand how Fitbit does calories. In many tracking systems, you will be shown how many calories you burned for exercise. So if you've done nothing and see some level of calories burned, you aren't sure why it's saying that. You do burn calories even when inactive. The overall calories for the day aren't that useful for me because I'm used to the system where you only get calories shown for specific exercise sessions but I've found when it tracks a workout session, those calories are pretty accurate. I love the social aspect of it, and I like that you can challenge your friends for a specific day/week/weekend of steps and meeting your goals. I like the app that goes along with the fitbit. Pros: ~Design! (I can't express how happy I am with this.) ~Tracks HR ~Auto tracks exercise ~Battery Life (I get around a week and it charges fairly quickly) ~Friend challenges and social community Cons: ~Not waterproof ~Cost (maybe prohibitive, but that is the market of fitness trackers.) ~Text messages system (but again, fitness tracker, not smart watch) Honestly, of the negative reviews I've read about this particular item, most of the people who are unhappy didn't do enough research first. You should judge an item by what it advertises it does. So far this has done everything it's said it would for me. I couldn't be happier. I think if you've done your research and this item has the features you have been looking for, you'll be super excited with it, like me. *Edit 6/5* I've had the FitBit Alta HR for a couple months now. I am still just as happy as when I got it. I've lost about 20 lbs since Christmas. It's slow going but the FitBit community has been great. I posted a picture for my first 5k and 90 some odd strangers cheered me on. Reading the discussion area is always positive and motivating. My only disappointment at this point is the lack of waterproofing because I am swimming more often these days. I'm slowly upping my goals and plan to work even harder all summer.