By Gregg Ellman
@greggellman

Reviews of the Garmin Vivofit, Kenu Highline iPhone case and ECOXGEAR Ecoterra Boombox.

Garmin Vivofit

I had my editor test the Garmin Vivofit for 15 days since she is a fitness nut along and chases around a 2-year-old. Here is her viewpoint after testing.

I wore the Vivofit side-by-side with my year-old Fitbit Flex. There are a couple of differences: One, the battery – the Flex is rechargeable, while the Garmin takes two CR1632 batteries. Two, the Garmin has a screen to display information, while the Flex has five lights to indicate your day’s achievements. Both fitness trackers have similar band closures – and both are equally likely to be accidentally knocked off.

Compared to the Flex, the Garmin seems a bit stingy on the steps. But I think you always have to consider information like this “useful” but not absolute. The variation in my steps in the 12 days I was able to accurately compare (thanks to the battery needing to be recharged on the Flex) ranged from 2.1 percent to 13.8 percent.

Still, I prefer the Garmin to the Fitbit not only because of the battery type, but because the screen shows you the information you want to know with a quick scroll using the surface button. (Yes, there is a Fitbit with a screen, but it has been recalled for a band issue.)

Syncing is as easy as opening the app, holding the button on the device until “sync” appears and letting it do its thing. Garmin confirmed that any firmware updates will be sent automatically to the device while syncing.

Also, if you already own an ANT+ heart rate monitor, you can pair it with this device (though I didn’t try).

www.Garmin.com The Garmin Vivofit is $130 for just the band, or $170 for the tracker and a heart rate monitor.

Kenu Highline iPhone Case

The Kenu Highline is a case and leash system to keep your iPhone 5/5s attached to you at all times, preventing it from being left behind, stolen or accidentally dropped.

One end of the braided kevlar-reinforced elastic coil can attach to a belt loop, for example, and stretches more than an arm’s length up to 36 inches. Taking taking photos or talking on the phone won’t be a problem. The other end attaches to the snap-on case, a proprietary Lightning tip lock system that goes into the iPhone’s lightning port and locks into a tiny leash connector at the bottom of the back of the case.

The case itself is made of polycarbonate and has a protective rim.

The Highline is a complete system; the leash cannot be used independently with other cases.

www.Kenu.com $34.95

ECOXGEAR Ecoterra Boombox

The ECOXGEAR Ecoterra Boombox is 100 percent waterproof and combines with your media player for a perfect summer sound system.

A great thing about the Ecoterra is that it floats on its own, without additional hardware and can be temporarily submerged without interrupting play.

Just put your own media player, smartphone or whatever inside a secure compartment and attach the 3.5mm audio jack. This connects it to a pair of 3-inch forward facing speakers.

It works off of AC on land or eight AA batteries on land, sea or air, which is good for about 25 hours of use. There’s also multiple carabineer clips on the shell to attach it to most anything, helping it stay in place while floating or on land.

It measures 7.5 x 14.5 x 7.75 inches and weighs just a pound, so if you want that ’80’s feeling of carrying it around on your shoulder, go for it.

www.ecoxgear.com $149.99

Contact Gregg Ellman at greggellman@mac.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @greggellman.
2014, Gregg Ellman.