Omron HJ-720IT device failed again, Time to try FitBit

My Omron HJ-720IT pedometer with USB sync to a WIndows machine has failed. This is the second one since 2008 when I first started using this. I have 2.5 years of data. The past month's data is not syncing to the Omron Windows software.

I think I am over the Omron reliability and Windows software issues. The last time this occurred was in Feb 2010 which is just over a year ago. Therefore, I plan to get FitBit and try that out. At least it supports the Mac OS X. The FitBit costs a bit more (about $99) compared to $32 for the Omron. The advantage of the FitBit is Mac support, cloud services tracking, and an API that will allow me to export data in XML or JSON format. I am not sure of the FitBit API status since their website says is coming and is currently in Beta.

At any rate, I really do need a good pedometer for tracking and monitoring my activity like I have been doing for over 6-years now using Omron pedometers. I really do like the Omron devices but they just do not seem to be built to last and do not appear to be evolving to the web, cloud, or other than Windows software. Omron has not support for Mac OS X planned and I see no evidence that they are moving to the cloud.

Fitbit on the otherhand is all about the cloud-based future. The Fitbit is the next evolution where the software is cloud-based and acceessible from any web browser. My only concern is the battery life. I think it must be re-charged on the base station every 7-days. Time to order it and make the switch and find out.

Troubleshoot VMware USB Issue

This is a good article for troubleshooting VMware USB device issues. VMware KnowledgeBase article.