Gadget review: GOQii Life, wear it but don't lose it

GOQii Life is well-priced, light and easy to use, but needs a stronger, foolproof locking mechanism if it’s meant to be worn 24x7.

Fitness-tracking-band-GOQii-Life-could-do-with-a-better-locking-mechanism-But-it-has-some-redeeming-features

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What: GOQii Life

At a glance: Measures activity and sleep quality. Compatible with Android 4.3 and above, iOS Version 7 and above, and Windows Mobile 8.1 and above

Best price: ₹3,999 (on Amazon.in)

Rating: **

GOQii Life is a fitness-tracking device that connects to your phone via Bluetooth. But it does a lot more than just measure your activity level. In sleep mode, the band keeps a check on your sleep quality (a graph depicts the duration you were in: deep sleep, almost awake, etc). During the day, it measures the calories burnt and distance travelled. The mobile app, which syncs with the band, offers you the services of a 'personal guide' for virtual encouragement. The other motivational technique involves 'karma points': the more points you earn, the more a 'GOQii Donor Partner' gives away to a charity. The product is water-resistant, but we don't recommend you go for a swim with it. The packaging, though, encourages you to wear it 24x7.

What's good: The core fits snuggly inside the silicon band, and also pops out of the groove easily when it needs to be removed for charging. Despite being slightly chunky in design, the band itself is light. After one full charge, the core lasts for an impressive four to five days, as promised. Syncing the band to our phone via Bluetooth was also quite seamless. The mobile app isn't a battery gobbler, and the data transfer from the band to the phone is also glitch-free. When we went for a walk with the band on, the pedometer did a good job of calculating our activity and calories (at least, we thought it did).

What's not: Changing the core to Sleep Mode is slightly complicated (use your index finger and ensure maximum contact for best results, we learnt). The band tends to measure steps even while you're driving, messing up the final count. The biggest disappointment, however, is the locking mechanism — two plastic stubs fit into the stretchy silicon groves — that is certainly not suited for those who have either sweaty wrists or an active lifestyle. To our utter dismay, our band fell off our wrist on one unfortunate evening. After some research, we learnt that this is a recurring problem that several users have faced. So, fixing this should be GOQii's priority. As for the 'personal guide', it kept giving us pep talks even after being informed of the mishap.

Verdict: For ₹3,999, you get an activation code that keeps the GOQii Life (includes advance fitness tracker, personal coaches and karma points) valid and online for three months. It is well-priced, light and easy to use, but needs a stronger, foolproof locking mechanism if it's meant to be worn 24x7.