How about a pedometer?
 

Do a lot of walking when I travel, even when I rent a car (because you're forced to park and walk a distance to see the sights).

So used the pedometer feature of the iPod Nano 5th generation on a recent trip. It counts your steps and seems reasonably accurate and it was kind of interesting to see your steps logged and graphed on the Nike Plus web site.

Got me thinking about adding the Nike kit, which would also track the distance traveled, not just total steps. Or getting a dedicated pedometer.

Then heard about fitbit.com and their $99 tri-axial accelerometer-based pedometer. Intrigued but most of my walking is done on trips, not much at home.

Anyone else track their walking excursions when they travel?

mrs. gleff uses a GPS watch and a pedometer only when she's out of satellite range. But it gives her all kinds of complicated data that I don't really understand :)

I do steps sometimes trying for that 10,000 or more a day. I use the Ormon ones, don't remember the model number as I have to replace it (they don't handle the laundry very well :eek:) I like it as it works fine in a pocket, and it saves the last seven days resetting to zero at midnight.

They have models you can connect usb to do graphs, they have some thin as a credit card, etc.

Do you mean Omron, not Orem?

Omron has a number of models including one which comes with software to track your trips. But it's only PC software.

Fitbit is charging over 3 times as much but it has a built-in rechargeable battery and auto syncing with their web site.

Have to wonder if the premium is worth it.

Thanks, fixed it.

I have the HJ-112 usually easy to find on sale someplace for under $20

My vote for the Omron brand..relatively inexpensive and some models offer downloading to a PC

If you have an Android phone, try MyTracks. Though -- since it relies on GPS I believe -- it's not going to be very accurate on steps indoors I'd think. Also, be careful about roaming fees if you travel internationally!

Re: fitbit... I also pre-ordered one of these as a guilty indulgence. It just seemed intriguing, and at under $100 it was just barely fitting within my "aw, heck, why not try it for fun!" budget. I worry a bit about the company behind it going bust, though, since the value of it seems highly tied to its web site :(.

About the Omron: I have one of these and like it a lot (actually, I'm on my third; I lost the other two <sigh>). But I'm surprised that -- from what you suggest -- it only syncs with a PC. Bummer :(

I'll let you know what the Fitbit is like once they eventually ship it to me. It has been on order for six months (estimate at the time was shipping within 90 days) and I just received an email saying I was due to have my pre-order shipped as units became available, in January 2010. I am willing to wait as it seems to be the right unit for my needs/wants and they have been very upfront about the delays.

But if you want one, just realize there will be a wait.

Oops - I have the old-fashioned kind (analog) that just counts steps. Am I the only one who doesn't need GPS, calorie count, etc, etc? :eek:

Having said that, I just joined some fancy-schmancy health club that has a smart key to put in the treadmill, weight machines, etc, etc, that will track everything you do. Of course I'll probably need 3 times w/ the personal trainer just to figure out how to make it work ;)

Cheers.

I just wanted one that counted steps in two or three planes so I could just leave it in my pocket and get an accurate count. I never did distance, never used any of the other features, never even measured my pace to set that. The old fashioned ones were so specific as to where they had to be and which way they had to face, etc. I paid more just to have it pocketable.