What a world we live in. Lidl, my favourite discount supermarket from Germany, currently sell bathroom scales that upload 'diagnostic' data via USB to one's computer. And, get this - for just thirteen pounds and ninety-nine pence.
But is it any good? I've got no idea, I've just used it once. However I won't let that, nor my complete lack of knowledge in health, fitness or sports science, get in the way of writing a blog post.
So, without further ado, here's a couple of pictures and some accompanying words.
On the right we have the catchily named Sanitas SBF 48 scales. And on the left you can see my poorly hydrated hand (my body being just 49.8% water) holding my borked-by-Windows-8.1-update, Dell Latitude 10, displaying my vital stats.
You may have noticed that the (supplied) USB cable connecting the two is rather on the short side. It is. Thankfully I have a tablet and not a desktop, so it's not really a problem for me.
Eagle-eyed readers may have also noticed how bad my diagnosis was. For those who didn't, here's a screengrab:
The prognosis is not good, but that's no great surprise to those who know me. Ignore the dial in the lower right corner, that's just for those who happened to have a compatible heart rate monitor.
Over time, the HealthCoach software will be able to chart my progress - it obviously can't do that now as I've only used the scales once. Here's hoping it will be the kick-up-the-arse I need to help turn around my body's current dire state.
Summary
The Good: It's £14, give or take a penny. It looks nice. The software has dials and pretty colours. There are presets for ten users
The Bad: You have to sign up for a (free) account just to download the HealthCoach software. Setting the scales and setting up the software isn't intuitive. Uploading data takes ages and the software complains of errors each time (yeah I used it once, but I also set it up for two other family members)
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