Nautica Smart Scale for Body Weight – BMI, Body Fat, Muscle Mass – 12 Metrics, Bluetooth App, ITO Technology, Hidden LED Display, 440lb Capacity – Body Tracker

Scale Up
Who knew that Nautica made a smart scale?Not me, to be sure, but my initial impression of this product is VERY positive.First, this is a handsome scale. The surface is glass with a sleek design. I got the “Nautica blue” color (navy, to the rest of us), and it looks great.Second, the device works well as a weight scale alone. Just step on, and large, bright blue LED’s light up with your weight and stay illuminated for a good long time. The display is easy to read.Third, download the Body Tracker app provided, and the scale now gives you instant readings of a number of body metrics, including: Body Mass Index, Body Fat, Muscle Mass, Bone Mass, Body Water, Degree of Obesity, Protein, Metabolic Age, and more.How the scale measures these statistics is a wonder, given that you don’t step on any electrodes or whatever. Apparently, sensors under the glass surface read all these vital signs.In addition, the app will track up to eight users and keep each person’s history, showing whether you are gaining or losing weight, etc. and making progress on your weight goals.It also interprets your readings, in my case noting that I’m overweight but not obese. I must take exception to the weight goal indicated, however. At my height and age, it says that I should weigh at least fifteen pounds less than I do, and I haven’t come close to that weight since college days decades ago!Getting down to that weight would cause such misery and havoc in my life style that I can’t believe that goal is desirable, much less attainable!Still, this issue isn’t a defect of the scale or app, but some quackery of persnickety doctors who probably haven’t hit their weight goals in decades either…I should add that the app was easy to download (reading the app’s name to the Google Play store on the phone rather than messing with scanning the QR code provided) and intuitive to operate.Back to the scale, it runs on two AAA batteries (provided). As I just got the scale, I can’t comment on battery life, but I’m assuming I will get months of use from a set of batteries.I will mention finally that the scale lies quite flat. I store it under the wall-mounted laundry hamper in my pre-war bathroom, and the bathroom door adjacent clears the scale easily when it’s fully open.To sum up, then, this smart scale seems a smart purchase to those looking to stay fit, provided you don’t kill yourself trying to reach what appear to be the overly ambitious (and perhaps punishing) weight goals stated in the app…PROS:* Very attractive scale.* Available in many colors and patterns.* Sleek design and glass surface.* Bright, large, easy-to-read LED weight display.* Companion app easy to use.* App provides instant reading of 12 body metrics.* App tracks metrics history for up to 8 users.* Reasonably priced.* First set of batteries included.CONS:* None that I have noticed so far.

Works as expected, but can be misleading
I’m a self-professed data geek, so the more fitness numbers I get, the happier I am. This scale is attractive, very responsive, and had no problems linking to the app. Overall , it’s easy to track a range of numbers in its proprietary app. Beyond that, I’d have to say its utility is limited. Here’s why:1. Accuracy may be questionable. As with any body fat scale, the numbers can be off by 20% or more (according to Consumer Reports and others, I haven’t tested this against professional measurements). Knowing this, I use the numbers for trends, not as hard data that says yes, I’m exactly X body fat orY muscle mass. What’s more, though, since the formulas don’t actually seem to relate (see more below), the accuracy of any single number is even less reliable.2. App is really, really basic. There are no bells and whistles, which could be a good thing for some. But all it does is show current data when you step on the scale, then there’s a history tab that shows a set length of time (I haven’t figured out any way to change the time shown). You can also have it send you a reminder to weigh in. You can link to Google Fit, but not anything else. The product description suggests it’s intended to sync with more, so maybe they’re adding them later? Note that when I downloaded the app, it had fewer than 100 (!!!) downloads, so it’s obviously very, very young.3. There’s no context for any of your data. You can tap each number for a very short explanation, which doesn’t actually help much. So can know, for example, that your “metabolic age” is “based on the basis of metabolism, weight, height, fat, muscle, etc.” Uh, what? What does this app mean by my “metabolism” and how is it figuring it? Maybe BMR? Something else? All the explanations are about that helpful.4. Data can be misleading. For example, the BMR appears to be exactly what I get by entering my weight and height into an online calculator, regardless of my bone mass, muscle rate, body fat, etc. Similarly, they give me a “standard weight” for my height that’s a full 10% lower than my current weight. Losing 10% of my weight seems likely to lead to problems, especially if I focus on lean muscle mass (which weighs more, of course). If I listen to the app, I’m either healthy (BMI, weight, body fat, muscle mass), overweight (standard weight), or obese (!!) (obesity rating). I’m completely baffled by how to square that. Since my doctor has told me my weight/health is “picture perfect, keep doing exactly what you’re doing,” I’m going to take the app’s numbers with a huge grain of salt.Note that my history tab shows my numbers are pretty much the exact same every time I weigh, no matter whether I’ve eaten, drunk anything, or been to the bathroom. The only thing that matters is whether I’m wearing clothes/shoes.Given these limitations, I’d only recommend this scale if you 1) want to do your own research to understand what the numbers (might) mean, 2) are okay using the data for trends, not accuracy, and 3) don’t want to link your data to anything other than Google Fit.