Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band With Always-on Display, 1-Year Battery Life Launched in India

Garmin, a name traditionally associated with the field of navigation and GPS devices, has launched a fitness band in India, called the Vivofit. Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band is now available exclusively via online retailer Flipkart at Rs. 9,990.

Vivofit comes with a curved display that always stays on, and shows steps, the countdown to your personalised goal, calories, distance, date, or the time of day, depending upon what you select by pressing the lone button. Unlike other fitness bands that come with rechargeable batteries that last a few days, Vivofit is powered by watch-like user-replaceable batteries that last over one year, according to the company's claim.

Garmin says the Vivofit Fitness Band is compatible with all Android and iOS devices that support Bluetooth 4.0 or above, giving the product another advantage over some competing products that talk only to a handful of smartphones.

Vivofit learns users' current activity level, and then assigns an attainable daily goal. As milestones are met, the band will adjust the goal for the next day. Vivofit also comes with an inactivity tracker - a red move bar appears on the display after one hour of inactivity and builds when users have been sitting too long. Walking for a few minutes will reset the move bar.

Setting the sleep mode when going to bed allows Vivofit to also monitor the quality of rest you are getting. The Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band is water-resistant (50 metres), as well as being compatible with ANT+ heart rate monitors for fitness activities.

Users can wirelessly sync Garmin Fitness Band with Garmin Connect, a free online fitness community with currently over four billion miles uploaded by users. At Garmin Connect, users can track their progress using reports and graphical representations, including their total sleep hours, as well as periods of movement and restful sleep. Users can also join online challenges with other Vivofit users or start their own competitions with friends to compete for virtual badges and bragging rights.

Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band is available via Flipkart in black and slate colours. Users can change the colour of the band, by using one of the multi-coloured fitness bands sold separately (minus the tracker module that forms the heart of the system). A pack of 3 coloured bands (purple, teal, and blue) will set users back by Rs. 1,990.