Striiv's Pocket Personal Trainer - Here's Our Review...

Getting in shape is no easy task--at least not on your own.  Enter in the Striiv Pocket Personal Trainer, a handheld device that tracks and motivates people to stay active through a variety of digital challenges, games, and other applications.  Design-wise, it resembles the BodyMedia FIT, another fitness-tracking device, yet offers more in the way of user participation, allowing people to play games or do challenges--something that hasn't been offered before in fitness-tracking devices.  This makes it a highly appealing device for fitness novices and athletes alike.

What is Striiv Pocket Personal Trainer?
The Striiv Pocket Personal Trainer is a bit of a mystery--although it can certainly be compared to other fitness-tracking devices, such as the BodyMedia FIT, it's not quite like these devices.  Instead, it's more of a mix between a pedometer on steroids and an iPhone app.

Here's how it works: After charging it up via USB device, the Striiv Pocket Personal Trainer works immediately to track your fitness progress, which, for this device, is mainly walking.  If you want to track your progress doing other activities, say weightlifting or running, you're out of luck here--Striiv considers walking to be the best method of exercise, and therefore only concerns itself with that activity.  So, in this case, Striiv does tend to resemble an amped-up pedometer.

Where it differs from traditional pedometers is the number of motivational tools it contains, however, accessible through its touch screen.  With just a touch of your finger, Striiv will allow you to access multiple walking challenges or games that motivate you to walk more to beat them; in turn, walking more offers you more rewards, both digitally and physically.  For instance, it may reward certain challenges with digital achievements, which are stored in the Striiv device for later accessibility.  You also have the option of donating to certain charities when you walk more, with the costs covered by Striiv and its corporate partners.

Overall, I was pleased by its simplicity of this personal training device.  This device can be fitted on your belt or on a keychain; using the device is as simple as flicking your fingers over the touch screen.  The motivational tools are also invaluable, and the challenges and games itself may be enough to motivate people to get off the couch and start walking.

Issues with Striiv Pocket Personal Trainer

After reviewing the device, I found few problems--likewise, few customers reported any abnormalities or malfunctions while using the device.  As it stands, the Striiv Pocket Personal Trainer is a nearly flawless device.  My only criticism is that it's focused so intensely on walking as the best way to exercise.  I understand why Striiv thinks this way--walking is a very easy exercise nearly everyone can do--but this really limits the scope of people this device could appeal to.  

In the future, I would recommend changes such as allowing it to track multiple types of exercise, such as weightlifting or running.

What the Customers are Saying

Overall, customers seem to really love this product; it's received nearly perfect reviews on both Amazon.com and Best Buy.  "I really like my new Striiv," says one Amazon.com customer.  "It's pretty discrete (I can wear it on my waist and it's hidden by all but the tightest of my tee shirts), it's comfortable, and it seems pretty accurate."

Other customers also love the games and features that come with the Striiv device.  

"It is jam packed with features and even a few games," says a customer.  "It really gets you motivated to do your best and it's very easy to get started with it right out of the box."

However, some customers complained it malfunctioned or stopped working, but Striiv quickly replaced these devices.

Verdict

Overall, as a fitness device, Striiv is an excellent product--if your main exercise is walking.  Recommendation: Buy it to motivate yourself to exercise, if the need is there.