Vivonic Fitness Planner Mini Handheld

Vivonic Fitness Planner Mini Handheld
by Vivonic

List Price: ~~$199.99~~
Our Price: $59.74
You Save: $140.25 (70%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: CE
See more digital camera details and other models

Digital product summary information

Manufacturer: Vivonic
Platform: Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98
Model: VFP1000
Product features:

Handheld with software designed to help you create a personalized fitness and nutrition program
Access exercise and calorie tracking programs through the intuitive touch-screen interface
Record your daily nutritional intake using the extensive foods database
Pedometer logs miles running or walking
Serial port for easy linking to PC

Accessories:

Digital camera reviews of Vivonic Fitness Planner Mini Handheld

Digital camera Review: Can you say "Quality control issues"?
Summary: 1 Stars

Like the reviewer from Baltimore, I was psyched to enjoy this device. Not three hours after unwrapping it, though, and it's already dead. Got all of my meals from the past week logged in (I had been keeping track on paper in anticipation of receiving the gizmo), entered in all of my personal info, hit the journal key, and...nothing. Well, not nothing. More like 10 lines of gibberish on the screen. Did a soft reset. No change. Took the batteries out, put them in. Blank screen.

So...

I called customer support (and sat on hold for 10 minutes of a non-800 long distance call before I even spoke to a rep). Did a hard reset over the phone. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Finally, rep said they'll send a new one out to me. How do I send the old one back, I asked. "Oh, we're not doing that anymore," says the rep. "We'll just send you a new one and you can toss the broken one." Get the impression that this is more than just an isolated incident?

So I'm getting a replacement device. Wonderful. And if THAT one fails, then what? Do they just keep sending me new ones every couple of days?

In the meantime, I'm back to paper and pen.

Here's some advice: For way less than what this device costs, you can pick up a discontinued Palm IIIxe from Staples.com. Get that, then order the Vivonic software for the Palm from. For LESS than the cost of the Vivonic handheld alone, you've not only got all the functionality of the Vivonic handheld device, but a Palm Pilot to boot.

Write your own review

More Vivonic Fitness Planner Mini Handheld reviews:
1

Summary of Vivonic Fitness Planner Mini Handheld

Like a personal trainer in a box, the Vivonic Fitness Planner helps you keep track of your fitness goals, workouts, and eating habits. The system works by first using Vivonic fitness software on your PC to assess your needs and goals through a series of in-depth questions. With information about your preferences, schedule, regular activities, current exercise regimen, and medical issues, you can then determine your fitness goals and how long you want the plan to last. The Vivonic software then recommends a personalized workout with computer animations to help you understand unfamiliar exercises. Download your plan from your PC to the Vivonic Fitness Planner, and you're ready to go.

The Fitness Planner allows you to access exercise and calorie tracking programs through the touch screen interface. It tracks your sets, repetitions, weights, and even seat settings (for machine-based exercises). You can also easily add your own foods into the database and view nutritional details of what you've eaten. The planner gives you weekly totals of calories consumed, grams of fat, sodium, and cholesterol. The built-in pedometer tracks your walking or running miles.

The Fitness Planner is designed for sports use with a rubber-wrapped sports grip and a belt clip. The unit runs on two AA batteries (not included) and comes with a belt clip, Vivonic PC software on CD-ROM, stylus, a serial cable connector, and a manual.