Garmin Vivofit fitness band available exclusively on Flipkart Rs 9,990

Garmin, known to build navigation devices, now ventures into the wearables market. Garmin has launched Vivofit fitness band that will be available exclusively via Flipkart  for a price of  Rs 9,990. As an introductory offer, first 500 customers can take home three colourful bands in purple, teal and blue worth Rs 1,990.

Garmin has been present in the navigation systems and auto accessories market, but has stayed away from entering personal technology market, which it now does with the Vivofit. Just like most of the smart bands available in the market, Vivofit counts steps, calories, distance, and lets you set personalised goals. Its curved display also shows date and  time. The wearable is also capable of tracking your sleep patterns.  Interestingly, it comes fitted with watch-like user-replaceable batteries that last over one year.

Offering compatibility with both Android and iOS, but requires Bluetooth 4.0 or above. The band is water resistant up to 50 meters. It is designed to learn the user’s activity level and assigns a daily goal. As user achieves the target, the band automatically sets target for the next day. It also alerts users in case they’ve been lethargic and inactive.

The band wirelessly syncs with Garmin Connect that is a free online fitness community. Users can track their progress at Garmin Connect and display reports in the form of graphical representations. Users can compete with others in the community and join online challenges.

Garmin’s biggest competition would be the fitness bands from LG, Sony and Samsung. The latter of the trio is the most expensive and **also has to be bought separately**, while LG and Sony have bundled their **fitness tracker with the Xperia Z2** and **LG G3.**