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Anyone got a recommendation for fitness wearables where you can opt out of having to sign up with an account, and can export data out of it in open/standard for

Anyone got a recommendation for fitness wearables where you can opt out of having to sign up with an account, and can export data out of it in open/standard formats?

jeroenhd 4y ago
I'm not aware of any major brands that offer account free service. The problem is that a smart device like this is not worth much without some kind of app ecosystem, app stores generally demand accounts, and browsing app stores from a watch is not exactly ideal. As far as I know, Tizen smart watches can function well on their own after setting up the account once and I believe cloud synchronization is even optional. However, Tizen for smart watches is a dead end, with Samsung getting back to Android Wearable. There's PineTime (https://www.pine64.org/pinetime/ https://www.pine64.org/pinetime/), which is very barebones but open source. Popular firmware, such as InfiniTime (https://github.com/InfiniTimeOrg/InfiniTime https://github.com/InfiniTimeOrg/InfiniTime) can also be flashed onto several smart watches available on your favourite Chinese import stores (for example: https://github.com/StarGate01/p8b-infinitime https://github.com/StarGate01/p8b-infinitime for the Colmi P8).
- SturgeonsLaw 4y ago
  PineTime looks like a fantastic product and if it supported GPS it would probably be the one that I purchase. I've also seen this one mentioned in my research but would love to hear from anyone who's used it: https://banglejs.com/ https://banglejs.com/ Thanks for the InfiniTime links, I'll check that out.
  - m-p-3 3y ago
    I own a BangleJS2. I don't use the fitness features but it works quite well on Android with GadgetBridge, a pricacy-focused smartwatch management app, and the OS and apps are all open-source. It was a bit rough around the edge when it came out, but so far it's been quite stable. I even made some PR fix some annoyances. You can check all the available apps here, there should be something that will monitor which fitness activities you want, and the data can easily be exported from Gadgetbridge https://banglejs.com/apps/ https://banglejs.com/apps/
  - tweetle_beetle 3y ago
    I own a Bangle.js 2 and really wanted to like it. I have a pretty high tolerance for awkward workarounds to maintain a moral high ground, but it just was no fun. The touchscreen tended not to respond as expected - it seemed to regularly, but not always, have an input offset of around 20% of the screen. My first one's button broke despite minimal use due to the above - only really wore it as a novelty (it was replaced to be fair). The app ecosystem requires attention to stop different apps intefering with each other. The Gadgetbridge connection wasn't especially reliable for me. Etc. I finally gave up when I found the tiny magnets which hold the charger on to the watch had fallen out and were lost when I went to charge it one day.
colordrops 4y ago
Checkout GadgetBridge and their list of supported devices. It runs completely offline. There is differing level of support so make sure to read the details. The mi bands are cheap option that works pretty well. I've got a Skagen (really a fossil) hybrid that works with GadgetBridge, but doesn't support sleep tracking unless you use Skagen's app. But I disabled network access for their app and it works perfectly fine. Would be nice if someone wrote a sleep analysis plugin for GadgetBridge for devices like this that don't do the analysis on the hardware. Pretty happy with the device nonetheless.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
jbj 4y ago
I am pretty sure you can use the sports tracking functions in garmin without an account, if not, at least without connecting the watch to a phone. You just need to connect with usb to copy the activity file (.fit) which can be converted to tsv. regarding the passive tracking I dont have a clue
- gnicholas 4y ago
  Really? I recently got a forerunner 265 and it definitely didn’t give the impression that was possible. The battery life is also nowhere near the advertised length (13 days). Most disappointing is that their support people say to expect about 60% of that, which is what I’m getting. That said, this will likely be the replacement for my Pebble. Battery life over 6 days, buttons to control music playback, and an English-first UI (amazfit falls down here).
  - denimnerd42 4y ago
    I have an older model but I definitely can download the fit files over usb and using the garmin provided information/sdk to write programs to read the files. or just convert to tsv/csv using their provided utilities. if you can't use usb, you may be able to use bluetooth.
  - gregoryl 4y ago
    Your 265 can be mounted as a usb drive, as can pretty any Garmin device for maybe 10+ years.
    - gnicholas 4y ago
      On a Mac, it requires some utility made for reading Android devices. It doesn't pop up as a drive when plugged in. Can the device receive notifications from my iPhone without an account? That's one of the main reasons I use the device.
      - goosedragons 3y ago
        Yeah, because Apple doesn't support MTP at all. On OSs that do they just pop up. I think to get notifications it has to use the app.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
exabrial 4y ago
Garmin I’m fairly certain you can do everything ‘locally’ over usb and a laptop. I think Connect requires an account though
bbbbbr 4y ago
Garmin watches work well with the desktop sports tracking program MyTourBook. I've never had to activate a Garmin watch or register it online in order to use it. Not connecting it to Garmin Services and apps may limit access to 3rd party apps, or at least make it harder to load them load though. (I haven't researched side loading since base features are fine for me). MyTourBook supports FIT/GPX/TCX/etc, has maps, calendars, charts and activity classification. It's built with Java so can run at least on Windows and Linux. There may be other good programs now, but as of a couple years ago it appeared to be among the better options. It's open source (and they were supportive of PRs for improving Garmin import). https://mytourbook.sourceforge.io/mytourbook/index.php https://mytourbook.sourceforge.io/mytourbook/index.php Edit: It's also not limited to Garmin devices. There is support for formats from Suunto, Polar and some other companies. https://mytourbook.sourceforge.io/mytourbook/index.php/documentation/get-tours/import-get-tours-supported-formats https://mytourbook.sourceforge.io/mytourbook/index.php/docum... Edit 2: This is with syncing over USB btw.
- hackernewds 4y ago
  > This is with syncing over USB btw. Nevermind it is not worth the trouble, vs handing in anonymized data with a temp email
  - ornornor 3y ago
    Right, anonymized data that shares your vitals 24/7 (which are fairly unique) and location data which totally cannot infer your home and work locations. You’re deluded if you believe this can truly be anonymized and stay anonymized.
    - capableweb 3y ago
      Depends on the device I'm guessing. AFAIK, not all Garmin devices log location 24/7, but only when explicit activities have been started.
      - saltcured 3y ago
asdfman123 4y ago
I know my COROS Pace allows for data export, but you probably need an account.
- rr808 4y ago
  Yeah I have the same watch. The app isn't in the Google Play store, you have to download it straight from the company. Given that its half Chinese company it really isn't going to be better than Garmin.
- Aldipower 4y ago
  You need an account for that. As a bonus you download your files from the Alibaba Cloud fronted by Cloudfare. Garmin gives you local usb drive access to their devices.
denimnerd42 4y ago
you can download the files from the garmin using usb and the format of the activity files is documented publicly. There's an SDK and some utilities to convert to csv/tsv too.
tcbawo 4y ago
I used to buy Garmin fitness bands, but they seem to have been discontinued. Among other things, I wore them overnight and use them as an alarm clock. Having a charge that lasts 7+ days is such a huge benefit imho. Does anyone have any other recommendations? I currently have a Fitbit, but I would also prefer a model that didn’t have an associated cloud account.
- nradov 4y ago
  Most current Garmin watches have 7+ days of battery life depending on how much you use the GPS.
  - tcbawo 4y ago
    I would prefer wearing a lightweight band overnight. I wish Garmin still made the Vivo* models
    - lloeki 3y ago
      I wear a Forerunner 735xt, time for anecdata! It may be bigger than a band but it's surprisingly small and very light to the feel, I barely notice the difference with the Fitbit Charge HR 2 I owned before. Major reason why I'm not upgrading to a Fenix of something like that. Plus up to 15 days on battery when not using GPS, much more if I disable continuous HR.
    - neogodless 3y ago
      Personal preference but I find the Venu so light that it does not bother me for sleep the way my Fossil Explorist did (which also never had enough battery to do overnight tracking!)
Aldipower 4y ago
I am always using Garmin devices locally as an USB drive. You can access all your workouts, planned structured workouts, routes, calender via the USB drive. This is why I am still with Garmin. I did not find any other manufacturer providing this. In fact I always upload my executed workout .fit files directly from the watch into Tredict. The planning and analysis software I am using.
NoboruWataya 3y ago
I haven't tried one as I am currently happy with my Garmin vívoactive 3, but the BangleJS 2 looks very interesting: https://banglejs.com/ https://banglejs.com/
LelouBil 3y ago
Look at the supported wearables for GadgetBridge https://codeberg.org/Freeyourgadget/Gadgetbridge https://codeberg.org/Freeyourgadget/Gadgetbridge FOSS, doesn't have network permissions, can export data or interface with other apps
- wkat4242 3y ago
  +1 for this. It makes my Amazfit watch from a privacy nightmare into a great cheap privacy conscious watch. I just wish it could export SpO2 values and update the AGPS almanac. Because of this a GPS lock takes very long.
  - sam_lowry_ 3y ago
    Late Amazfit watches require online signup in a quite cumbersome way in order to pair.
- Ruthalas 3y ago
  I can also vouch for Gadgetbridge being a great option. I use it with a MiBand 6.
distantsounds 3y ago
We had one. It was called Pebble. And then they kickstarted a watch for 3 million and decided to sell themselves to fitbit instead.
- krono 3y ago
  They never shipped out my Pebble Time 2 before the project (and company, for that matter) got shelved. Something I'm still sad about even today. No other smartwatch released before or since has even come close to Pebble's Pebbles. Kickstarter page is still up: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/getpebble/pebble-2-time-2-and-core-an-entirely-new-3g-ultra https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/getpebble/pebble-2-time...
folli 3y ago
Only tangentially related, but let me plug my new project https://cubetrek.com https://cubetrek.com, a Strava alternative for viewing and managing your GPS tracks. As discussed in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35671245 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35671245
pox2v 3y ago
You may check also goldencheetah https://www.goldencheetah.org/ https://www.goldencheetah.org/. It is open source app for offline use.Have tons of features.

Anyone got a recommendation for fitness wearables where you can opt out of having to sign up with an account, and can export data out of it in open/standard formats?

jeroenhd 4y ago

I'm not aware of any major brands that offer account free service. The problem is that a smart device like this is not worth much without some kind of app ecosystem, app stores generally demand accounts, and browsing app stores from a watch is not exactly ideal. As far as I know, Tizen smart watches can function well on their own after setting up the account once and I believe cloud synchronization is even optional. However, Tizen for smart watches is a dead end, with Samsung getting back to Android Wearable. There's PineTime (https://www.pine64.org/pinetime/ https://www.pine64.org/pinetime/), which is very barebones but open source. Popular firmware, such as InfiniTime (https://github.com/InfiniTimeOrg/InfiniTime https://github.com/InfiniTimeOrg/InfiniTime) can also be flashed onto several smart watches available on your favourite Chinese import stores (for example: https://github.com/StarGate01/p8b-infinitime https://github.com/StarGate01/p8b-infinitime for the Colmi P8).

SturgeonsLaw 4y ago
PineTime looks like a fantastic product and if it supported GPS it would probably be the one that I purchase. I've also seen this one mentioned in my research but would love to hear from anyone who's used it: https://banglejs.com/ https://banglejs.com/ Thanks for the InfiniTime links, I'll check that out.
- m-p-3 3y ago
  I own a BangleJS2. I don't use the fitness features but it works quite well on Android with GadgetBridge, a pricacy-focused smartwatch management app, and the OS and apps are all open-source. It was a bit rough around the edge when it came out, but so far it's been quite stable. I even made some PR fix some annoyances. You can check all the available apps here, there should be something that will monitor which fitness activities you want, and the data can easily be exported from Gadgetbridge https://banglejs.com/apps/ https://banglejs.com/apps/
- tweetle_beetle 3y ago
  I own a Bangle.js 2 and really wanted to like it. I have a pretty high tolerance for awkward workarounds to maintain a moral high ground, but it just was no fun. The touchscreen tended not to respond as expected - it seemed to regularly, but not always, have an input offset of around 20% of the screen. My first one's button broke despite minimal use due to the above - only really wore it as a novelty (it was replaced to be fair). The app ecosystem requires attention to stop different apps intefering with each other. The Gadgetbridge connection wasn't especially reliable for me. Etc. I finally gave up when I found the tiny magnets which hold the charger on to the watch had fallen out and were lost when I went to charge it one day.

colordrops 4y ago

Checkout GadgetBridge and their list of supported devices. It runs completely offline. There is differing level of support so make sure to read the details. The mi bands are cheap option that works pretty well. I've got a Skagen (really a fossil) hybrid that works with GadgetBridge, but doesn't support sleep tracking unless you use Skagen's app. But I disabled network access for their app and it works perfectly fine. Would be nice if someone wrote a sleep analysis plugin for GadgetBridge for devices like this that don't do the analysis on the hardware. Pretty happy with the device nonetheless.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

jbj 4y ago

I am pretty sure you can use the sports tracking functions in garmin without an account, if not, at least without connecting the watch to a phone. You just need to connect with usb to copy the activity file (.fit) which can be converted to tsv. regarding the passive tracking I dont have a clue

gnicholas 4y ago
Really? I recently got a forerunner 265 and it definitely didn’t give the impression that was possible. The battery life is also nowhere near the advertised length (13 days). Most disappointing is that their support people say to expect about 60% of that, which is what I’m getting. That said, this will likely be the replacement for my Pebble. Battery life over 6 days, buttons to control music playback, and an English-first UI (amazfit falls down here).
- denimnerd42 4y ago
  I have an older model but I definitely can download the fit files over usb and using the garmin provided information/sdk to write programs to read the files. or just convert to tsv/csv using their provided utilities. if you can't use usb, you may be able to use bluetooth.
- gregoryl 4y ago
  Your 265 can be mounted as a usb drive, as can pretty any Garmin device for maybe 10+ years.
  - gnicholas 4y ago
    On a Mac, it requires some utility made for reading Android devices. It doesn't pop up as a drive when plugged in. Can the device receive notifications from my iPhone without an account? That's one of the main reasons I use the device.
    - goosedragons 3y ago
      Yeah, because Apple doesn't support MTP at all. On OSs that do they just pop up. I think to get notifications it has to use the app.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

exabrial 4y ago

Garmin I’m fairly certain you can do everything ‘locally’ over usb and a laptop. I think Connect requires an account though

bbbbbr 4y ago

Garmin watches work well with the desktop sports tracking program MyTourBook. I've never had to activate a Garmin watch or register it online in order to use it. Not connecting it to Garmin Services and apps may limit access to 3rd party apps, or at least make it harder to load them load though. (I haven't researched side loading since base features are fine for me). MyTourBook supports FIT/GPX/TCX/etc, has maps, calendars, charts and activity classification. It's built with Java so can run at least on Windows and Linux. There may be other good programs now, but as of a couple years ago it appeared to be among the better options. It's open source (and they were supportive of PRs for improving Garmin import). https://mytourbook.sourceforge.io/mytourbook/index.php https://mytourbook.sourceforge.io/mytourbook/index.php Edit: It's also not limited to Garmin devices. There is support for formats from Suunto, Polar and some other companies. https://mytourbook.sourceforge.io/mytourbook/index.php/documentation/get-tours/import-get-tours-supported-formats https://mytourbook.sourceforge.io/mytourbook/index.php/docum... Edit 2: This is with syncing over USB btw.

hackernewds 4y ago
> This is with syncing over USB btw. Nevermind it is not worth the trouble, vs handing in anonymized data with a temp email
- ornornor 3y ago
  Right, anonymized data that shares your vitals 24/7 (which are fairly unique) and location data which totally cannot infer your home and work locations. You’re deluded if you believe this can truly be anonymized and stay anonymized.
  - capableweb 3y ago
    Depends on the device I'm guessing. AFAIK, not all Garmin devices log location 24/7, but only when explicit activities have been started.
    - saltcured 3y ago

asdfman123 4y ago

I know my COROS Pace allows for data export, but you probably need an account.

rr808 4y ago
Yeah I have the same watch. The app isn't in the Google Play store, you have to download it straight from the company. Given that its half Chinese company it really isn't going to be better than Garmin.
Aldipower 4y ago
You need an account for that. As a bonus you download your files from the Alibaba Cloud fronted by Cloudfare. Garmin gives you local usb drive access to their devices.

denimnerd42 4y ago

you can download the files from the garmin using usb and the format of the activity files is documented publicly. There's an SDK and some utilities to convert to csv/tsv too.

tcbawo 4y ago

I used to buy Garmin fitness bands, but they seem to have been discontinued. Among other things, I wore them overnight and use them as an alarm clock. Having a charge that lasts 7+ days is such a huge benefit imho. Does anyone have any other recommendations? I currently have a Fitbit, but I would also prefer a model that didn’t have an associated cloud account.

nradov 4y ago
Most current Garmin watches have 7+ days of battery life depending on how much you use the GPS.
- tcbawo 4y ago
  I would prefer wearing a lightweight band overnight. I wish Garmin still made the Vivo* models
  - lloeki 3y ago
    I wear a Forerunner 735xt, time for anecdata! It may be bigger than a band but it's surprisingly small and very light to the feel, I barely notice the difference with the Fitbit Charge HR 2 I owned before. Major reason why I'm not upgrading to a Fenix of something like that. Plus up to 15 days on battery when not using GPS, much more if I disable continuous HR.
  - neogodless 3y ago
    Personal preference but I find the Venu so light that it does not bother me for sleep the way my Fossil Explorist did (which also never had enough battery to do overnight tracking!)

Aldipower 4y ago

I am always using Garmin devices locally as an USB drive. You can access all your workouts, planned structured workouts, routes, calender via the USB drive. This is why I am still with Garmin. I did not find any other manufacturer providing this. In fact I always upload my executed workout .fit files directly from the watch into Tredict. The planning and analysis software I am using.

NoboruWataya 3y ago

I haven't tried one as I am currently happy with my Garmin vívoactive 3, but the BangleJS 2 looks very interesting: https://banglejs.com/ https://banglejs.com/

LelouBil 3y ago

Look at the supported wearables for GadgetBridge https://codeberg.org/Freeyourgadget/Gadgetbridge https://codeberg.org/Freeyourgadget/Gadgetbridge FOSS, doesn't have network permissions, can export data or interface with other apps

wkat4242 3y ago
+1 for this. It makes my Amazfit watch from a privacy nightmare into a great cheap privacy conscious watch. I just wish it could export SpO2 values and update the AGPS almanac. Because of this a GPS lock takes very long.
- sam_lowry_ 3y ago
  Late Amazfit watches require online signup in a quite cumbersome way in order to pair.
Ruthalas 3y ago
I can also vouch for Gadgetbridge being a great option. I use it with a MiBand 6.

distantsounds 3y ago

We had one. It was called Pebble. And then they kickstarted a watch for 3 million and decided to sell themselves to fitbit instead.

krono 3y ago
They never shipped out my Pebble Time 2 before the project (and company, for that matter) got shelved. Something I'm still sad about even today. No other smartwatch released before or since has even come close to Pebble's Pebbles. Kickstarter page is still up: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/getpebble/pebble-2-time-2-and-core-an-entirely-new-3g-ultra https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/getpebble/pebble-2-time...

folli 3y ago

Only tangentially related, but let me plug my new project https://cubetrek.com https://cubetrek.com, a Strava alternative for viewing and managing your GPS tracks. As discussed in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35671245 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35671245

pox2v 3y ago

You may check also goldencheetah https://www.goldencheetah.org/ https://www.goldencheetah.org/. It is open source app for offline use.Have tons of features.