Streamline Your Run with the Soleus Thrive Fitness Band

Fitness bands and activity trackers are all the rage these days. Soleus, the running products company, jumped into the game. And their Thrive fitness band could use some work.

It’s a crowded field, so if you’re going to make a fitness band, best to do it right. Soleus has done a few things right, but you’re probably better off spending your fitness band budget elsewhere. Among the things to like about this band are that it’s a fairly streamlined system to interact with, with a nice app that makes it easy to set up, sync and track your daily activities and workouts.

But there’s a long list of things they need to improve. Among them is the fact the band tries to predict when you’re hoping to look at the time by lighting up its display (which is normally dark) when you lift your wrist. Even when you put the band in sleep mode, it still lights up, which is really unfortunate and annoying at night when you’re trying to sleep.

The band also doesn’t allow users to input a workout manually; you can only track what the band allows you to, which is geared toward running and walking. If you’re on a treadmill or a stationary bike, for example, your band won’t be able to help you. Other brands let you tell the tracker what other workouts you’ve engaged in, from cycling to lifting weights; Soleus does not. Unless you’re strictly hoping to track running and walking movement, you’re better off with other devices.