Steve Litchfield

There's something of a myth in the world of losing weight and getting fit - it all comes down, for many advisors, to simply 'doing more steps'. So targets of 10,000 steps a day etc. Now take this with a pinch of salt, since I'm not a doctor, but plodding along at (say) 2mph for 10,000 steps will burn off less calories (and thus weight) than you might think. Meanwhile, the most cardinal body functions, heart and lungs, won't see much extra action and you won't get significantly fitter. Apple (and other smartwatch makers) know this, of course. Which is why, looking at the fitness rings that their gadgets and software put out, the 'exercise' ring hardly triggers when you walk for a solid 90 minutes and put on those 10,000 steps.  A real world data point here: I've been out walking the dog with friends for an hour, and between wrestling with leads and dogs who want to chase squirrels(!), I feel significantly whacked by the end. Worn out, in fact. And yes...

Despite the much-publicised failures of Android Wear and the equally publicised successes of the Apple Watch series, the smartwatch/wearables world is still exploding - almost everyone seems to be experimenting with some form of band or watch - and I'm no different. Although I'm more a smartphone guy, I've tried a number of wrist options. The Fitbit Versa got very close to my perfect wearable (I reviewed it here ) but ultimately the tension of a band on my wrist wasn't something I could stand for multiple days at a time unless there was a single huge benefit. The arrival of the Zepp E , made by Huami, also makers of the Amazfit range, presented quite a benefit though: Compatible with any Android or iOS phone (so many other accessories are limited to a particular platform, manufacturer or version) A built-in SpO2 (oxygen saturation) sensor (now matched by the top end Apple Watch in the last week or so, and a few others, mind you) Sleep quality monitoring (also tied into...

You can tell that summer's here (at last) in the UK. The kids are coming home from school talking about fun things which involve fresh air rather than batteries and plug-in cartridges. The latest craze in the playground seems to be the Lolo Ball , referred to by my daughter as a 'Space Hopper'. But it's not, the SH was a big ball with horns that you held onto. The Lolo Ball (also called Pogo Ball or even Moon Ball) is something you grip between your ankles. Sounds improbable, but it's great fun for youngsters. Just be prepared to plaster up some chafed ankles....! Skipping's also apparently 'in' this year, but hey, when was it not ?