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I don't know if I buy this "explanation" of why they failed, but then I don't have a good explanation. See, even if a company is "over funded", as long as they

I don't know if I buy this "explanation" of why they failed, but then I don't have a good explanation. See, even if a company is "over funded", as long as they have operating margins, they can survive forever by cutting overhead and just keep selling the product. This company had inventory. Unless you have debt. The interest payments could sink you. So it wasn't the "overfunding" that was the problem, it was the form of the funding that was the problem. $900 million in equity would have been fine. $400 million in debt was not fine. You see, I am one of the people who think this is the best tracker on the market by far because of its sleep tracking. It was an early, accurate, detailed sleep tracker. It tells you your REM sleep, and I suspect it is dead on. I stock up on the old products on clearance because they don't make them anymore.

beilabs 9y ago
> I stock up on the old products on clearance because they don't make them anymore. I often think about this when a company goes under, especially hardware focused ones. I assume it's only a matter of time that their servers will no longer accepting requests, APIs will no longer function and your device will suddenly become useless. Personally, I feel that this is a perfect use case where open source can shine by liberating locked down devices.
- projectramo 9y ago
  That is a great point. One I had buried in my subconscious. I wonder what my options are.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    For sleep tracking specifically, Apple bought Beddit. It's a strip that you lie on which may be better or worse depending upon your situation than something you wear. I have a review copy I got. It seems to work OK although I don't really get any insights from the data. Fitbit is, of course, another option.
    - hboon 9y ago
      Based on a sample size of 2, I was pretty sure that among FitBit, Jawbone, Misfit and Health mate (remember them?), Jawbone UPs provided the most accurate sleep tracking.
TheCowboy 9y ago
It also happened to be more rugged than Fitbit. I think Fitbit has caught up on the sleep tracking with their most recent models, but you still usually need to get a replacement before the warranty expires.
- brlewis 9y ago
  >you still usually need to get a replacement before the warranty expires I think you're referring to the 2015 Charge HR. Manufacturing improved with later models and there are fewer defects.
  - TheCowboy 9y ago
    Girlfriend had to replace her Charge HR 2 as well.

beilabs 9y ago

> I stock up on the old products on clearance because they don't make them anymore. I often think about this when a company goes under, especially hardware focused ones. I assume it's only a matter of time that their servers will no longer accepting requests, APIs will no longer function and your device will suddenly become useless. Personally, I feel that this is a perfect use case where open source can shine by liberating locked down devices.

projectramo 9y ago
That is a great point. One I had buried in my subconscious. I wonder what my options are.
- ghaff 9y ago
  For sleep tracking specifically, Apple bought Beddit. It's a strip that you lie on which may be better or worse depending upon your situation than something you wear. I have a review copy I got. It seems to work OK although I don't really get any insights from the data. Fitbit is, of course, another option.
  - hboon 9y ago
    Based on a sample size of 2, I was pretty sure that among FitBit, Jawbone, Misfit and Health mate (remember them?), Jawbone UPs provided the most accurate sleep tracking.

TheCowboy 9y ago

It also happened to be more rugged than Fitbit. I think Fitbit has caught up on the sleep tracking with their most recent models, but you still usually need to get a replacement before the warranty expires.

brlewis 9y ago
>you still usually need to get a replacement before the warranty expires I think you're referring to the 2015 Charge HR. Manufacturing improved with later models and there are fewer defects.
- TheCowboy 9y ago
  Girlfriend had to replace her Charge HR 2 as well.