Withings Smart Body Analyzer (WS-50)

Yes, the Withings Smart Body Analyzer WS-50 ($149.95 direct) is a scale that can tweet your weight. Fortunately, that's not all this Wi-Fi connected scale can do, and that anxiety-inducing feature is disabled by default. The Smart Body Analyzer offers the same weight and body composition (lean mass, fat mass, BMI) tracking features found in the original Editors' Choice Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale, but adds heart rate and air-quality tracking. The clean tempered glass design and crisp display remain, along with the free Web interface and mobile apps for both iOS and Android. With a price drop and useful added features, the Withings Smart Body Analyzer is our new Editors' Choice for Wi-Fi-enabled scales, and would make a solid addition to any connected, health-conscious home.

Design and Setup
The Smart Body Analyzer is indistinguishable from its Wi-Fi Body Scale predecessor?and that's definitely a good thing, as the tempered glass construction with metal accents looks sleek and sophisticated. The scale is marginally larger, at 12.8 by 12.8 by 0.9 inches (HWD) versus the 12.6 by 12.6 by 0.9 inches of the original, but is still reasonably sized for small bathrooms or bedrooms. Withings includes small plastic feet that attach to the base, but I would have preferred rubber?during my testing, the scale was prone to teetering on mildly uneven surfaces with the hard plastic feet.?

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On its face is a 2.4-by-1.6-inch, 128-by-64-pixel backlit LCD, which shows measurements in big, bright, easy-to-read digits. The back houses the battery compartment for four AAA batteries (included) and you'll aslo find two capacitive buttons that you use during setup. There's no micro USB like on its predecessor; instead, setup occurs entirely on a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth.

To start the set-up process, pull the plastic tab from the battery compartment, which powers the scale up. Next you'll have to hold the Pairing button for two seconds, after which a phone icon appears on the scale's display. Then you pair with your phone like any other Bluetooth accessory. From there you'll want to download the free Withings app for iOS or Android, which will walk you through setting up an account, connecting the scale to your Wi-Fi network, and configuring items like measurement units.

Using the app or Web interface, you can add users, define body metrics, and track measurements. Up to eight people can use the same scale, and each can track their progress privately. Once users are set up, just step onto the scale and begin tracking your weight, body fat percent, body mass index (BMI), heart rate, and room air quality. All measurements are automatically logged and synced to your online account. Keep in mind, you'll have to step on the scale barefoot, and there's no way to get a full readout for non-registered users. The scale identifies users by weight, with a clever system for choosing between users with close weights?the scale will display both users and prompt you to lean left or right to select the right one. You can still step on the scale with shoes, but it will only display your weight. At the end of each measurement, the Smart Body Analyzer shows your room air temperature and carbon dioxide level. According to Withings, the air quality monitoring lets users know when to let some fresh air in, and high carbon dioxide levels can contribute to less restorative sleep. In my tests, air quality readings seemed fairly arbitrary and never approached unsafe levels.?

Tracking Your Health
Using the Smart Body Analyzer is quick and painless?simply step on and let it do its thing. Each reading takes about a minute; the scale will first show your weight, then your body fat percentage, your heart rate, and room air quality. The scale's display also shows a useful bar along the bottom of each measurement, which indicates the normal range for your age and weight, and where your current measurement falls in line. It's useful for quickly putting the numbers into context. Each measurement is then recorded and plotted along a graph, so you can easily track your progress over time. ?

The Web interface gives you a lot of information, but I found that it could be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, there are useful tips and tidbits that help you better understand the readings and how they relate to your overall health. Fat percentage, for example, might be confusing for health novices, so Withings explains the normal ranges along with tips on how to improve your numbers. The interface is a bit cluttered though, and I actually found myself using the Android app far more.

The app, which is free for iOS or Android, has a much cleaner look, and all the information is easy to digest. All important metrics are charted along line graphs, and you can adjust the time range to get more specific snapshots of your health. I also found it was easier to set goals using the apps than the Web interface. On the Web interface, the objectives are buried in an easily missed tab. On the apps, the goals are right up top, letting you see your current pace and how close you are to achieving your goal.

A Complete Picture of Health, for a Price
The Withings Smart Body Analyzer puts a wealth of useful health information at your fingertips. Tracking your weight and body composition is a great way to make sure you stay on top of your health, and knowing your resting heart rate is a useful indicator for overall fitness. The air quality measurements might be a little more than you need, as even my small bedroom in New York City never registered close to high levels of carbon dioxide. Withings dropped the price from $159 for the original Wi-Fi Scale to $149 for the Smart Body Analyzer, though it's still pretty pricey for a bathroom scale. But if you're serious about your health and want comprehensive at-home analysis, it's hard to argue with the well-designed and full-featured Smart Body Analyzer. The closest competitor is the FitBit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale, which will track your weight and body fat measurements, but lacks the more comprehensive body composition stats and heart rate monitoring you'll find with the Smart Body Analyzer.?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/bujZtG_Loms/0,2817,2417379,00.asp

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