When it comes to activity trackers, there’s one name that gets thrown around a lot and that’s Fitbit. Fitbits are arguably some of the most popular activity trackers out there and for good reason. This post however isn’t about Fitbit. It’s about Misfit and how their latest Shine 2 activity and sleep tracking device just might be a much better device than most activity trackers in its price range. The Misfit Shine 2 seems to offer more bang for the buck along with more features and placement options than any other tracker.
1. The Shine 2 looks unbelievably attractive.
Most activity trackers look rather bland and boring. They either look like cheap rubber wrist bands or a version of that with a generic screen slapped on. Not the Misfit Shine 2. The main unit almost looks like a piece of jewelry that resembles nothing else on the market today. It doesn’t have a screen on it, but has 12 embedded LED lights that surprisingly convey a lot of information at a glance.
Unlike other activity trackers, the Misfit Shine 2 is also made of some pretty high end materials. Most of the body is made of aircraft grade aluminum along with glass reinforced polycarbonate. This isn’t a cheapy plastic or rubber tracker.
Since the Misfit Shine 2 doesn’t look like your normal activity tracker, it can look just as great being worn out at a fancy dinner as it does at the gym. That brings me to the next point.
2. It’s modular.
Whereas most activity trackers only allow for wrist placement, the Misfit Shine 2 allows for much more flexibility. Out of the box, the unit comes with a band which attaches to the Shine 2 so you can wear it around your wrist. What it also comes with is a clip that allows you to attach the Shine 2 to your shirt, your shoe, and your pocket if you don’t feel like wearing it on your wrist. This could be when you’re all dressed up for a night on the town but still want to track your activity without looking like you are.
Speaking of which, there are also a ton of accessories you can buy that allows you to wear the Shine 2 as a necklace, or to attach it to much nicer, more elegant looking bands.
3. It has a 6-month battery life.
How many of you have walked out of the house only to discover that your activity tracker is out of juice? I know I have. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve gone out with a dead tracker because I’ve forgotten to charge it the night before. You don’t have that problem with the Misfit Shine 2.
The Misfit Shine 2 uses a replaceable coin cell battery that can last up to 6 months. What that means is that you don’t have to worry about a dead tracker. The Misfit app can track how much battery is left so you’ll have plenty of time to swap it when the time comes.
4. Misfit Link app is bonkers.
This is one thing that really separates the Misfit Shine 2 from the competition and it’s that ability to use it as something other than an activity tracker, and I don’t mean the fact that it also tells time.
If you download the optional Misfit Link app, you’re able to program your Shine 2 to do things many other activity trackers can not. For instance, you can set a triple tap action on the Shine 2 to locate your iPhone if you misplaced it somewhere in your house. You can also set your Shine 2 as a remote selfie button, a music controller, and other actions that the app allows for.
5. The Shine 2 can link with Apple Health.
The one thing that really irks me about the Fitbit platform is that it will not sync to Apple Health. Fitbit wants it to be its own platform in which other apps want to sync their data to it. That’s fine and dandy, but I’m sure there are lots of you out there now utilizing Apple Health to collect all your activity data. If so, Fitbit isn’t for you. You know what is though, the Misfit Shine 2. The Misfit app can export data to Apple Health such as steps taken and sleep patterns. If you’re feeling a bit more creative, you can even connect it to IFTTT platform where it can export data in even more creative ways.
6. Misfit Move keeps you motivated.
While the point of activity tracers is to keep you motivated, there does come a point where even wearing the tracker doesn’t get you moving. That’s where Misfit Move comes in. You can set the Shine 2 tracker to vibrate in set intervals to remind you that it’s time to move around.
Also, because of the 12 LED lights, the Misfit Shine 2 can keep you updated on your progress with a tap. The lights light up depending on the percentage of your goal you’ve completed and that’s helpful if you just want a quick glance at it without having to open up the app to view your stats. Again, its another way to keep you motivated and on track to completing your daily goals.
7. Notifications so you never miss a call or text.
While not necessary for an activity tracker, it sure is handy to have a device that can notify you when you get calls or texts. I know for me when I’m at work, I don’t have my phone on my all the time and sometimes leave it at my desk if I’m up and around getting stuff done. It’s nice to know when I get a call or text and I can either rush to my desk to check it or just be reminded that I missed it. It’s also really handy when you have to place your phone on silent and can quietly be notified as well.
8. Sleep tracking is automatic.
This is the case with a lot of the newer, more expensive trackers, but the Misfit Shine 2 can automatically detect when you’re going to sleep and start tracking as soon as your head hits your pillow. As an added bonus, you can set the Shine 2 to vibrate in the morning to gently wake you at a specific time.
Final Thoughts
I really dig the Misfit Shine 2. In my opinion, it’s a lot nicer looking than a lot of the activity trackers out there and I love that you have to option to wear it in different ways. Even if you don’t want to wear it with the wrist band or clip, it’s easy to throw it in your pocket and the Misfit Shine 2 will still track what you’re doing.
The Misfit app is also very feature rich and does everything you want in an activity tracker. It tracks sleep, what exercises you do, food intake, calories burned, and even a log of your weight. On top of that, like I said above, it can sync with Apple Health. As a pretty cool bonus, if you download the Misfit Link app, you can make your Misfit Shine 2 do all sorts of neat things like becoming a music remote, a selfie button, or even as a means of finding your iPhone if you misplaced it somewhere in range.
All of this makes the Misfit Shine 2 infinity more flexible and feature rich that many of the other activity trackers in its price range.
The Misfit Shine 2 is available in both carbon black and rose gold.
