Review - Misfit Shine fitness band gets an app for Windows Phone 8.1

Misfit Shine (misfitwearables.com) is a new and modern smart device used to measure daily activity, like running, walking, sleeping and more. Like Fitbit, your scores are synced to the cloud where your phone acts as a conduit for record keeping, goal setting, and social interaction.

Today, the official Misfit Shine app is available for Windows Phone 8.1, joining iOS and Android. Due to the availability of Bluetooth 4.0 LE and the new APIs for developers, Misfit can get their app on Microsoft's mobile OS.

I have been using both the hardware and software for a few days now and this is all you need to know.

Misfit Shine hardware

Before getting into the app, let us talk about the Shine hardware. At its core, Shine is a metallic, circular device about the size of a small wafer. Shine comes in a variety of colors, including Black, Grey, Champagne, Coca-Cola red, Coral, Storm and Topaz (in photos for this article, I am using Storm).

Shine itself is modular, so that it can pop in an included wrist strap, fitted into a more formal leather strap, worn as a pendant, or clipped to your body. Because of this, Shine is more versatile than a wrist-strapped smart device, as cyclists can clip it to their sock to record their activity while biking.

To reveal your stats you just double tap on the face of the Shine. Subtle LED lights illuminate dots to show you your activity level. After the activity level, Shine goes into a clock mode to show the time, which can be tricky to discern due to no numbers on the face, but it becomes easier with frequent use.

Shine is also waterproof up to 50 meters. You can wear it in the shower; you can use it while swimming.

One other thing: the battery does not need recharging as it takes a replaceable coin Lithium Battery. Although this adds costs in the longrun (the batteries are about $1.50 each), it is easier than losing and buying another Fitbit sync/charge cable ($25). Battery life is hard to discern due to its longevity, but Misfit claims "up to six months" for each battery.

Overall, the hardware of the Misfit Shine is stylish, slimmer, and it requires less maintenance than Fitbit (that needs frequent charging, and some of their products are not waterproof).

Retail price is $90 and it is available on Amazon.com and Best Buy.

Misfit Shine software

The app released today is similar to other sync apps available. Misfit Shine lets you create an account, login, set goals, change units and more.

Likewise, you can sync your Shine to the device to reveal steps, calories burned, distance and your points (out of 1000). A graph reveals your activity throughout the day.

The bottom of the app has sections for Activity, Sleep, Weight, and Social, while the menu reveals Settings, Refresh and Sync options.

Overall, the app design looks great with a minimalist, Modern look and all black background. It contrasts with the iOS version, but runs parallel for function and should keep Windows Phone fashionistas happy.

I have been running Shine for the last few days (I recently dropped a hint on Instagram) and overall, I am impressed with the hardware. The software for Windows Phone though feels a little early for release, as we did have some synchronizing and stability issues using devices with Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1. However, we are told that forthcoming updates are a high priority to get the Misfit Shine app to where it needs to be. Users for now may experience some issues, but look for patches in the next 48 hours.

The takeaway

The Misfit Shine fit band is worth looking at if you are interested in an activity monitor. Shine is more conservative in counted steps when compared to Fitbit although both fall in the same range. More importantly, the convenience of not having to recharge, the ability to use it swimming, or attaching it to your sock makes it intriguing and unique. Likewise, the design is very modern invoking Sci-Fi feelings and response when presenting it to others (the colors are very striking).

We are confident in the app catching up to its iOS and Android counterparts in the very near future, but either way, it is great to see another fitness band coming to Windows Phone in an official capacity.

• Download the Misfit app; Windows Phone 8.1 only