Withings WS-50 Smart Body Analyzer, Black

I am just loving it

This was the second Smart Body Analyser I had purchased. The first one failed and began to erratically switch between metric measures and pirate measures completely at random even when it was not in use. Withings claimed this was because I was using these bathroom scales in my bathroom and steam had condensed inside the unit. My own stupid fault! Imagine using bathroom scales in a bathroom! I feel like a right clown!Before purchasing these I had also checked Withings website to see if they had any new products as I had the previous one for nearly a year. Nothing new was mentioned so I bought this pair again. Next day about 10 mins after they were delivered and opened Withings announced their new Cardio model. If I had a quid for every time this happens to me I'd be a millionaire.As to the scales, they work well the display is clear, the app is good and they are compatible with Apple HeathKit. Only criticism would be that it seemed a bit confusing how to set them up for multiple users. I never really needed this however so I didn't spend too much time on it. It has probably been addressed by now I imagine.

These scales are a few years old now but after a period of use they developed an annoying fault. They kept reverting to Kg units without any input from us. We kept resetting back to lb or St/lb but at random they switched to Kg. Then they went through a period with the screen display switching kg to lb in a loop which could only be stopped by removing the batteries. Withings support said it was hardware issue. I must say I do like the Health Mate App so rather than lose all our data I decided to purchase the Body+. This worked for 3 weeks absolutely fine then stopped displaying all the metrics on the screen display that had been set up in the App. Again I went to great lengths to try and reset the device following all the Withings Support advice. But to no avail. I gave up and returned the scales as not fit for purpose or simply faulty. Frankly to have both Withings products fail does not give me confidence in recommending them generally.

As a keen amateur runner to marathon distance I keep an eye on my weight and have two sets of scales I have purchased recently for this task. The first was the Tanita Composition Monitor which sort of worked OK in combination with my Garmin Forerunner watch but was a real faff having to link it to the watch (or to buy the expensive monitor). Another pain was the fact the rest of the family couldn't use it as there was no display so I opted to give the Withings a go.A little more to do for the setup perhaps with a link to your wifi and registration but nothing too difficult and off you go. I have linked mine to rubiTrack Pro (running app for Mac) and understand there are ways to get the data in to Garmin Connect if you wish (just search for D C Rainmaker). For the rest of the family it can be used as a basic weighing scale and works fine.Of course the other option is to use the iOS or Android App as this is where the scale comes in to its own in terms of being able to track your weight over a period of time. I use the app to set a weight target and the app will then show progress with a link to the scale so that each time you take a reading it will then, wirelessly, send the data to your phone. Trouble is with the app is that it shows the other kit you could have and I have already been swayed by this with the blood pressure monitor and feel I should, perhaps, also get the activity tracker!The scale also gives the usual, other, readings such as heart rate and body fat.Of note is the fact Withings put out firmware releases with one enabling a weather forecast! After your weight comes up you get the weather symbols as to what you can expect before you head out!A few cons to this though that have stopped me giving the full 5 x stars:Cons:Mine occasionally looses wifi connection (may be the AAA batteries are getting low)Annoyingly it seems to forget the weight type (Kg's, stones etc.,) every now and again meaning you need to change the setting via the touch sensitive button which is often not that touch-sensitiveI use mine of a tiled bathroom floor but, on occasion, you find the scale weighs heavy when you first get on. If you jump off the 4-5lbs can be seen on the scale display so you need to get on carefully and it returns the weight you expected. Perhaps this is me standing on it off centre or something...Overall it is highly recommended and the weighing scale I turn to every time I feel brave enough to jump on!

I really like this device and I love the way it binds to the online Withings Account and links to MyFitnessPall app. The level of data is great; it's definitely geeky providing you with tables of data and numerous charts with which you can spend your time viewing rather than exercising.There are some oddities: CO2 as a measure of air quality? I can think of much better measures. And if it's going to rain you can see the umbrella and rain sign. These parameters seem somehow misplaced and don't square comfortably with the main purpose of the scales.The scales look good, the display is nice and clear and it works straight out of the box.... well almost.The user guide explains the setup procedure in the wrong order. I used Android and had already downloaded the Withings App and had already started using the app to enter weights manually from my old scales. However, the instructions on the app were OK. The scales paired with the smart phone and it was a breeze to enter the WiFi password and connect to that.Being the only user the scales identified me straight away. But you have to wait some time before a) your weight is recorded, b) your body fat is recorded and c) your pulse rate is measured. About 20-30 seconds in total, which is a bit long for modern electronics.The only difficulty encountered was with adding a 2nd user. The estimate of weight was 6lb out and the second user (created on the web interface) wasn't recognised. The online help shows the error screen - but, and this is a big BUT - doesn't tell you how to fix it. (The solution was to delete earlier weights and build up a pattern of 6 consistent weights)I mailed tech support twice with questions and had replies to both within a few days.The other thing I don't understand is the way the Withings app interfaces with MyFitness Pal to transfer steps. The graph looks gorgeous with soft pinks and oranges - but what the heck do all the numbers mean? Again, some good solid documentation would help. (Edit: Tech support have replied to my enquiry and explained the graphs).I am giving the product 4 stars since it is inseparable from the online account and the Withings app. With a real overhaul of the documentation and better online help I would have given 5 stars. The scales are expensive and I expect the product to be backed with a huge "customers matter" ethos.An investment in good documentation and online support is far better than soaking up staff time with needles inquiries. If Withings crack this then the review would have been 5 stars. Although I have focused on some negative aspects none of these are to do with the product itself - which still looks gorgeous, is so simple to use and, for once, tracks my stats seamlessly without having to use spreadsheets, pencil or paper. That is a huge benefit.Note: 25/05/2015: Since the last update on 20/05/2015, the Healthmate app has inconsistently remembered the links to both step counting and MyFitnessPal. Additionally, step counting has been erratic and the reported % completion towards the daily total is often incorrectly reported. The web interface works fine but the app (for Android at least) is buggy.Note: 06/07/2016: Since the last update I really dislike the fact that neither the scale nor the app is ANT+ compatible. I have to enter weights manually into Samsung S- Health. A VERY expensive set of scales that are almost universally incompatible with everything else. Would no longer recommend unless Withings issue a firmware update for the scales.

I was choosing between this one and Fitbit's Aria. I went with this, because of the more functions and better design.The scale was easy to setup with iPhone 6+. I think it is very accurate when measuring and the little arrows guiding you to adjust your position are very well thought. I haven't seen such functionality before.It quickly gives you the air quality info and pulse, however I found the later to be not accurate at all, as some others have pointed out. It gives me every time a heart rate of 100+ BPM when I have just woken up. My actual pulse at this time is around 60-75 BPM (measured with Qardio arm and iPhone's camera via Heart Rate app). I am removing one star for this.If I wrote this review few days ago I would have give a suggestion that the scale needs to show you the weather forecast instead of an umbrella if it's going to rain in the next 8 hours or so (which is kinda pointless). It appears Withings read my mind via wifi and this functionality is now part of the scale. It shows low/high temps with icons (sun, clouds, rain). Very useful to have this at a glance when you wake up.The scale also shows the room temp on the air quality screen. It can take a measurement when you press the circle in the centre, but you have to press it harder than I thought. I even realised this after having the scale for more than a week. Before that I thought it is not working or I misunderstood the function when read the online description prior the purchase.Design wise, this scale looks superb in black. It is very big, which is a great plus.The best thing is the app and its integration with Apple's HealthKit. I want to lose weight and find that the measurements every day give you a good overview of how things are going. Of course you can do this with regular scales and a piece of paper, but is more time consuming, and not that convenient.I love smart accessories. Finally our health is getting help from tech, not the opposite. It doesn't come cheap at this point, but I believe in future these products will become more and more accessible for everyone.