Made for fitness people...
By Ravi GKon
Brad Molen04.21.14Fitness trackers and smartwatches come a dime a dozen, but devices that combine the best of both? Still exceedingly rare. Now, however, Samsung thinks it has the perfect solution in the Gear Fit, a fitness band with a beautiful, curved screen, as well as a heart rate monitor, pedometer and a few smartwatch features thrown in for good measure. It's an ambitious product, no doubt, but unfortunately, this $200 fitness-tracking smartwatch hybrid didn't quite meet my expectations. Here's why.Beautiful. That's the thought that ran through my mind when I handled the Samsung Gear Fit for the very first time back in February. Mostly it was the screen that got me, a 1.84-inch curved Super AMOLED display that wraps around your wrist. It helps this smartwatch/fitness band hybrid look and feel more natural, and it's much more aesthetically pleasing than most of its rivals, too. The screen itself has vibrant colors, making it fun to stare at even when you're not using it. It's barely readable in sunlight, though; you'll need to bump it up to "outdoor brightness" mode, and even then it only stays in that mode for five minutes before reverting back down to your previous setting. And since there's no ambient light sensor, there's no auto-brightness setting to make it easier for your display to adjust when you go outdoors.Moving beyond the screen, the Fit is a narrow plastic module that comes with an interchangeable wristband. It's easy enough to swap colors, though you won't have many options at the beginning -- just six for now. It's comfortable enough that it's not a burden to wear for long periods of time, which is something I can't say about many rival watches. Still, it's a sporty-looking device, if you know what I mean, which means anyone looking for something elegant should probably look elsewhere.The Fit has one physical home button, which you can also double-press as a shortcut to certain apps (that part's customizable -- just choose the feature you use most often). On the underside of the device, you'll find the heart rate monitor, which uses an LED to measure your pulse, along with a proprietary docking/charging port. Inside, the watch comes with Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, an accelerometer and gyroscope. What's missing? GPS, which could've made it possible to add more fitness-tracking options (especially useful when it's not within range of your phone).