Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale
Can these intelligent scales keep you in check any better than dumb ones?
£99 Manufacturer Fitbit, fitbit.com Measures Weight, body fat, body mass index Dimensions 5.84x3.3x31.24cm Features Wi-Fi, smartphone/online app integration, auto power on/off
Fitbit is one of the big ‘wearable’ companies, but with the Aria Smart Scale it confines your stats monitoring to indoors, thanks to its built-in Wi-Fi connectivity.
Powered by four AA batteries and sporting an LED screen and sleek glass top, it looks much like traditional bathroom scales. But turn it on and the first thing it does is connect to your wireless network.
Once the connection is made you can create a profile for yourself, which is linked to your Fitbit account. Stepping on the scales, it identifies you by name and proceeds to take your weight, body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage – useful if you’re out to build muscle rather than just lose weight.
If you own a Fitbit wearable, the Aria syncs your weight data into the accompanying iOS app, allowing you to check progress charts for weight, BMI and body fat on the fly. These scales are also smaller than Withings’ rival Wi-Fi equivalent, and feels more robust too. You can create up to eight profiles for different family members, whom the scales recognise automatically. A very intuitive and useful feature.
Unfortunately, the Aria is inaccurate on anything other than a perfectly stable, smooth surface (it gives inconsistent readings on a carpeted floor and even floorboards, for example), so bear that in mind before you buy. Tim Hardwick