Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes and is not meant to diagnose or treat any specific illness or disease. Please get in touch with your medical professional for personalized advice.
I’ve been a fan of Withings for a while now. I’ve had their Sleep Tracking Mat for a few years now and only remember it’s there when the power goes out and I hear it recalibrating when the power comes back on. I also have the Body+ scale and it was invaluable to me while on my weight loss journey a couple of years ago. It’s no surprise that the new devices they sent me to check out would impress me and add to my goal of being in control of my health and knowing my numbers without having to head to a doctor.
Withings Health App
Price: Free
Where: iOS App Store and Google Play Store
Before I get into anything about my favorite Withings products, let’s talk about the app they sync up with.
Withings’ Health App, called “Health Mate” is an all-in-one dashboard for all your health recording.
Adding devices is pretty simple; they walk you through everything from setup to first reading. Withings supports syncing their app with other health apps, including Apple’s Health app and MyFitnessPal (you need MyFitnessPal to log food).
Your dashboard will give you all your stats in one place and then you can check them out individually to see full reports that you can share with your doctor. You can pull a report based on the app’s recommended time frame or your own and before you send it off, you can see what they are sending, all right in the app.
Something that those who use IFTTT might find interesting is that you can sync your Health Mate app with applets in IFTTT to get even more stats.
Enough about the app. Time to get to the tech!
Withings ScanWatch
Price: $299
Where: Amazon
Withings brings accurate simplicity to the smartwatch scene. The ScanWatch is about as simple as you will find in a smartwatch right now, with the ability to track your activity, tell you your heart rate, on-demand oxygen saturation, and sleep patterns. Bonus features include waterproof up to 50 meters and a GPS monitor, all in a classic sleek design. The only thing that indicates it’s a smartwatch is the small black LED screen that sits nicely on the face of the watch.
You can swap the included band with any standard-size watch band to personalize it. As far as battery life goes, you only need to charge it once every 30 days with normal use, plus you get 20 days of power reserve mode.
While simple in nature, this app is not for someone who can’t use both apps and understands how to get the LED screen to the right spot for a measurement. If I had to put a user rating on this one, it’s for a user with a little above-average capability.
Withings BPM Connect – Digital Blood Pressure Cuff & Heart Rate Monitor
Price: $129
Where: Amazon
In the age of Telehealth, sometimes you need to get accurate readings to your doctor without worrying about where you’re going to get them. The other day I was doing a cholesterol test from home and the testing lab required I put in my blood pressure before I could submit my blood sample. I had to drive to my local pharmacy to use their free blood pressure machine shoved in the back corner. Having my own blood pressure cuff at home means I don’t have to do that again and worry about who else has shoved their arm in that cuff.
This also syncs with the Withings app so that you can see all your results in one place. You don’t need the app to see your results because they appear on the device’s screen.
Withings Thermo – Contactless Smart Thermometer, Digital Thermometer
Price: $99
Where: Amazon
Withings brings Star Trek into the home with their Thermo – contactless smart thermometer. When my husband was sick and I whipped this out instead of our Kinsa smart thermometer, he freaked and sent a picture to his friend. The idea that something he watched as a kid as science fiction was now in his hands was something that just made him all giddy. With 16 infrared sensors, this thermometer gives accurate readings without requiring contact with the skin.
Thanks to the Withings app, up to eight people can share and sync their data with their smartphones. While I’m okay with charging devices to save on disposable batteries, I like that this holds a 2-year charge with two AAA batteries because I don’t want to worry about charging it first when I need it. And you don’t need the app to see your results because they show up on the device’s screen along with the option to tell it what user you want the reading associated with.
Disclaimer: GeekDad was given review samples.
