Pedometer(s) review(s)

A couple of people have been asking about how many "steps" I take when I do the walks, and suggested getting a pedometer.  Baby brother suggested that there was always an app for these types of things.  So I got a couple, and did a bit of a trial by fire with them, on a walk over to Queensborough Landing and back.

"Step Counter - Pedometer," by Leap Fitness, reported 28881 steps today (mostly to Queensborough and back, but I did do some gardening before I got around to checking it).

"Pedometer - Step Counter App," from ITO Technologies,  Inc., reported 19917.

I have no idea which, or whether either, is accurate. I like the way Leap reports better than ITO. Leap asks for your height and weight, and so probably is doing a better job in terms of measuring distance and calories burned. But then, who knows how accurate either is, with a disparity like that just in terms of reporting the number of steps. Leap is definitely *WAY* worse as a battery drain. The Leap app has drained almost half the charge from the battery in less than a single day. Further testing has revealed that the ITO app underreports distance by a fair amount. This makes its reports on steps and calories questionable. Leap overreports distance, but by a lesser amount.

I also added Google Fit to the test.  Google Fit gives me slightly *more* steps and distance than the Leap Step Counter.  I'm a little suspicious given the distance that I walked this morning.  (I suspect Leap is the most accurate of the three, but, given the variations, I'm not willing to trust anybody just yet.)  (And you will note that I'm *completely* ignoring the calorie estimates so far.)  I do like the fact that Google Fit allows me to record my weight and blood pressure, which will allow me to keep track of both on an ongoing basis.  Unfortunately, Google Fit seems to be just as much of a battery hog as Leap.

Leap does allow you to "pause" the step counting function, and that pause button, if you notice it, is on the main page.  Google Fit, on the other hand, requires that you go to your profile, go to your settings, find that "Track activity" setting, and turn it off.  Mind you, on Google Fit, once you turn it off, it stays off, and you save battery until you turn it back on again.  Leap resets to unpaused and active counting every time you turn the phone off and back on again.  Which means it starts draining the battery again ...