[rwp-review id=”0″]
The fitness wearable space is a competitive space with a plethora of devices already out in the market – some specialised and/or tied to an ecosystem more than others. With FitBit, Jawbone, and Gear Fit and the upcoming Apple Watch, where does the Huawei TalkBand B1 stand?
What is it?
The TalkBand B1 is an odd device. At first glance it could be brushed off as yet another wrist band, but there is more to its bulkiness than meets the eye. The band is essentially two devices in one: a basic fitness tracker and a bluetooth headset. That’s right: a headset.
Design
The wristband, as mentioned, is bulkier than other fitness bands out there and my hunch is the headset is the primary culprit. The strap is made of a textured, rubbery material that is dust proof and water-resistant, though I personally didn’t risk taking it into the shower or for a swim. There is a button on the wristband that pops up the bluetooth headset, which has its own button for pairing and for scrolling through the simple OLED display. The display is 1.4″ and monotone, which is actually a good thing for battery life, and I had no complaints from its sunlight visibility.
I found that the strap is made for smaller wrists, and mine isn’t that big compared to my male friends but there are two sizes available for you to buy. Wearing it was uncomfortable at first but eventually I got used to it and managed to sleep while wearing it. When it gets really uncomfortable however is while exercising or walking; if you’re particularly sweaty it would become annoying, though its rubber build allows you to quickly take it off, wipe it, and wear it again.
Fitness Functionality
As far as fitness tracking is concerned, it is very basic. It tracks the amount of steps you have taken, and based on that the calories. It also tracks for how long you’ve slept in case you were wearing it in bed. And that’s pretty much it.
However, if you download the app (on both iOS and android) you can gain a few extra features from the device. Adding in your height, weight, gender, and age will recalibrate the calorie calculation. You can also program it to remind you to move if you’ve been sitting idle for 30 minutes (it vibrates and the display lights up), and a particularly useful feature is programming it to wake you up at a certain time but within 10 minutes while you’re on “light sleep”. The application also gives you a basic daily summary of your activities and sleep patterns.
The problem though is the step count is inaccurate. I don’t have any other fitness band but testing it against the iPhone (which also might be inaccurate) gave me different results. One one day the TalkBand gave me 4225 steps while the iPhone gave me 5323. So I did a manual test where I took the count on each device, walked 50 steps, and took another reading, and repeated that a couple of times. The iPhone would register some 53-55 steps while the TalkBand would register 37-43 steps.
Bluetooth Functionality
Pairing the device to your phone gives it access to your contacts (with your permission), but either way it will allow you to receive phone calls via the headset. I’ve paired it with my iPhone and I have received and made phone calls (as well as FaceTime audio calls) and the sound quality was adequate but rather robotic. There is no volume adjustment so this is controlled from your phone, and with the iPhone the sound was a bit low but audible. The unit will also vibrate and display the name of the person whenever you receive a call.
The headset is comfortable for short calls but I felt that it would fall at any moment even though it was secure in my ear. My biggest complaint though is that clicking it out of the band and reorienting it to whatever ear you want took more effort than raising the phone to my ear.
Syncing, Charging, and Battery
Syncing and charging are really easy; the band syncs with the phone app whenever you launch it via bluetooth. It’s really that simple. Charging it is a real treat: the wristband does not have its own propriety cables as other fitness bands and that definitely is welcome; instead, at the end of the band is a little flap cover that houses a standard USB, and you simple plug it into any laptop or computer.
The battery life is probably the biggest surprise: I have had the unit for almost a week now on a single charge, even though I’ve made a few phone calls here and there and it was on my wrist the whole time.
Conclusion
The TalkBand B1 is an odd unit but has a few pleasant surprises up its sleeve. The universal charging is definitely welcome, as well as the ridiculously long battery life. The display, while monochrome, serves its purpose rather well. Whether this device is for you depends on your needs: the TalkBand provides basic functionality in both forms (headset and fitness tracking). For its price tag, though (roughly AED 460-499) you can get a superior headset or a superior fitness tracker. However, if you are in the market for a basic fitness tracker as well as a bluetooth headset, then the TalkBand is your unique option.
Overall, though, Huawei is on to something with the TalkBand, so if there will ever be a successor, I am sure it would be brilliant.
