ActiPed Activity Monitor

ActiPed Activity Monitor Pedometer

The Actiped fitness monitor is a shoe-clip accelerometer that tracks your steps and calculates distance and calories burned. It uploads wirelessly to your computer via a USB ActiLink stick and connects to the ActiHealth website where you can view graphs and charts of steps, activity time, distance and calories burned. The upload is automatic and effortless. The only drawback is that there is no steps display on the unit, you must go online to see your steps and other data. To use this product, you need a PC running Windows and an Internet connection.

The ActiPed Shoe Pod is an accelerometer that detects your foot motion to record steps and speed. It translates this into walking steps and running steps. Even if you don't run, any quick motions get recorded as running steps.

Clip the ActiPed onto your shoe - through the shoelaces if it is a laced shoe or on the top of the shoe if it is a slip-on.

Size: The Actiped is about the size of a half dollar coin.

Noise: It is silent.

Accuracy: I compared the ActiPed with an Omron pedometer that edits out "junk steps." The ActiPed appears to record all foot motions and doesn't edit out the junk steps. But it appears to be fairly accurate for continuous walking. For accurate distance, there is a calibration tool on the ActiHealth web site.

Battery Life: The battery is not replaceable, you need to get a new Actiped when the battery dies. When logged into the web site, you can see how much battery life you have left on the battery. It appears to me that it would last about 6-12 months with constant use.

To use the ActiPed, you need the ActiLink USB wireless stick. If you have several people each using an ActiPed and uploading from one computer, you only need one ActiLink.

On first use, you download and install the ActiHealth Client software, and set a few basic bits of information about yourself. Weight is needed to calculate your calories burned. The set-up was easy.

System requirements: You must be running one of the following systems: Win98 Second Edition, Windows 2000, Windows ME, or Windows XP. Mac and Linux users can view their data with browsers IE 6, Mozilla, Safari.

Once set up, the upload is automatic any time you get within a few feet of the ActiLink (assuming the computer is on and running and connected to the internet). This is by far the easiest, most effortless uploading pedometer I've seen so far. You don't have to tell it to do it, it just does it.

The ActiPed stores up to 12 days worth of data, so you should try to upload at least every 12 days.

To get to the ActiHealth web site and view your data, you can click on the AH icon in your system tray, or use your browser. Again, they make this so simple that I am sure I could train my non-techno Mom to do it without any problem.

On the Dashboard, you can see daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly graphs for your steps, calories burned, active minutes and distance.

The daily activity chart shows walking and running steps per each 15 minutes. Any time you have a constant activity for 15 minutes or more, it gives you a total of steps, time, calories and distance for that activity.

The Activity Journal section breaks the day down into running, walking, and moving steps, calories, and miles.

Goals: You can set your daily target goal for each measurement: steps, calories, active minutes and distance. Your percent of achievement of this goal is shown with a bar and percentage, as well as on the bar chart.

You can also set health goals for weight, blood pressure, percent body fat, blood glucose and cholesterol. You would have to input those values yourself as they are not tracked by the ActiPed.

Weekly, Monthly, Yearly Screens: These screens show your totals over the desired time period and average per day, and how that compares to the goals you have set. You can also see each measurement tracked with a bar graph.

The ActiPed reminds me of the earliest version on SportBrain in that there is no display of step data on the unit itself. You have to go online to see how you are doing. For me, much of motivational value of a pedometer comes from seeing your step total throughout the day and then upping your activity. The ActiPed folks say they are working on including a display in the future.

Walking Workouts: The ActiPed, Omron 720 and the FitBug do not give the same level of detail for a walking workout that the SportBrain and DashTrak do. They gives only total and aerobic (or walking and running) steps per hour and do not calculate speed. But you also don't have to remember to turn them on to record a Step Event as you do with the DashTrak.

Nutrition Tracking Tools: The ActiHealth site doesn't allow for any nutrition/diet tracking. The Fitbug web site is a one-stop diet and activity program for those who are able to calculate their portions.

Pedometer Size: The ActiPed is small and weighs almost nothing. My friends noticed it on my shoe, but given that I am a known walking guru, nobody questioned me wearing it around the office. It beats having a large pedometer on your waistband - unless you also want to wear one so you can see your steps throughout the day when you aren't online.

Pedometer Accuracy: The pedometer is very accurate for a continuous walk, but it counts junk steps as regular steps. You can calibrate your ActiPed for distance using a tool on the web site.

Overall: I rate the system as excellent in its ease of use, but I miss having a display when not online.