Microsoft's LinkedIn boosted subscription revenue by 8 per cent after arming its sales team with artificial intelligence software that not only predicts clients at risk of cancelling, but also explains how it arrived at its conclusion.

The system, introduced last July and described in a LinkedIn blog post, marks a breakthrough in getting AI to show its work in a helpful way.

While AI scientists have no problem designing systems that make accurate predictions on all sorts of business outcomes, they are discovering that to make those tools more effective for human operators, the AI may need to explain itself through another algorithm.

The emerging field of Explainable AI, or XAI, has spurred big investment in Silicon Valley as start-ups and cloud companies compete to make opaque software more understandable. It has also stoked discussion in Washington and Brussels where regulators want to ensure automated decision-making is done fairly and transparently.

AI technology can perpetuate societal biases like those around race, gender and culture. Some AI scientists view explanations as a crucial part of mitigating those problematic outcomes.

US consumer protection regulators including the Federal Trade Commission have warned over the past two years that AI that is not explainable could be investigated. The EU next year could pass the Artificial Intelligence Act, a set of comprehensive requirements including that users be able to interpret automated predictions.

Proponents of explainable AI say it has helped increase the effectiveness of its application in fields such as health care and sales. Google Cloud sells explainable AI services that, for instance, tell clients trying to sharpen their systems which pixels, and soon, which training examples mattered most in predicting the subject of a photo.

But critics say the explanations of why AI predicted what it did are too unreliable because the technology to interpret the machines is not good enough.

LinkedIn and others developing explainable AI acknowledge that each step in the process analysing predictions, generating explanations, confirming their accuracy and making them actionable for users still has room for improvement.

But after two years of trial and error in a relatively low-stakes application, LinkedIn says its technology has yielded practical value. Its proof is the 8 per cent increase in renewal bookings during the current fiscal year above normally expected growth. LinkedIn declined to specify the benefit in dollars, but described it as sizeable.

Before, LinkedIn salespeople relied on their own intuition and some spotty automated alerts about clients' adoption of services. Now, the AI quickly handles research and analysis. Called CrystalCandle by LinkedIn, it calls out unnoticed trends and its reasoning helps salespeople hone their tactics to keep at-risk customers on board and pitch others on upgrades.

LinkedIn says explanation-based recommendations have expanded to more than 5,000 of its sales employees spanning recruiting, advertising, marketing and education offerings.

LinkedIn boosted subscription revenue by 8 per cent after offering its sales team with artificial intelligence software that explains itself. AFP

It has helped experienced salespeople by arming them with specific insights to navigate conversations with prospects. Its also helped new salespeople dive in right away, said Parvez Ahammad, LinkedIn's director of machine learning and head of data science applied research.

In 2020, LinkedIn had first provided predictions without explanations. A score with about 80 per cent accuracy indicates the likelihood a client soon due for renewal will upgrade, hold steady or cancel.

Salespeople were not fully won over. The team selling LinkedIn's Talent Solutions recruiting and hiring software were unclear on how to adapt their strategy, especially when the odds of a client not renewing were no better than a coin toss.

Last July, they started seeing a short, auto-generated paragraph that highlights the factors influencing the score.

For instance, the AI decided a customer was likely to upgrade because the company grew by 240 workers over the past year and candidates had become 146 per cent more responsive in the past month.

In addition, an index that measures a client's overall success with LinkedIn recruiting tools surged 25 per cent in the last three months.

I view interpretability as ultimately enabling a conversation between machines and humans

Been Kim, AI researcher at Google

Based on the explanations, sales representatives now direct clients to training, support and services that improve their experience and keep them spending, said Lekha Doshi, LinkedIn's vice president of global operations.

But some AI experts question whether explanations are necessary. They could even do harm, engendering a false sense of security in AI or prompting design sacrifices that make predictions less accurate, researchers say.

Fei-Fei Li, co-director of Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence, said people use products such as Tylenol and Google Maps whose inner workings are not neatly understood. In such cases, rigorous testing and monitoring have dispelled most doubts about their efficacy.

Similarly, AI systems overall could be deemed fair even if individual decisions are inscrutable, said Daniel Roy, an associate professor of statistics at the University of Toronto.

LinkedIn says an algorithm's integrity cannot be evaluated without understanding its thinking.

It also maintains that tools like its CrystalCandle could help AI users in other fields. Doctors could learn why AI predicts someone is more at risk of a disease or people could be told why AI recommended they be denied a credit card.

The hope is that explanations reveal whether a system aligns with concepts and values one wants to promote, said Been Kim, an AI researcher at Google.

I view interpretability as ultimately enabling a conversation between machines and humans, she said.

Updated: April 09, 2022, 4:30 AM

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Here's how AI is explaining itself to people - The National

In Ho Chi Minh City, on April 6, 2022, Digiworld Corporation - "DGW" held the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in 2022.

2021 was a year of many challenges and really difficult for everyone. However, our Vietnam has been still resilient "both apply social distancing to fight against the pandemic and 3-on-the-spot measure to do business". This has helped the economy recover somewhat and recorded an estimated GDP growth rate of 2.58% over the same period.

Digiworld did too, with the spirit of constantly learning, always ready to explore and turn challenges into opportunities, in recent 2021, Digiworld recorded impressive business records. In the whole year of 2021, Digiworld achieved total net revenue of VND 20,972 billion and profit after tax of VND 657 billion, up 67% and 146% respectively compared to last year. With such business performance, the Company achieved 137% of the revenue plan and 219% of the annual profit plan according to the business plan - VND 15,200 billion in revenue and VND 300 billion in profit.

In 2022, Digiworld's Board of Directors has approved a resolution on a business plan with revenue of VND 26,300 billion and a profit of VND 800 billion - an increase of 25% and 22% respectively compared to the performance in 2021. In which, the segment occupying the largest proportion is still mobile phones, followed by laptops, office equipment and consumer goods.

And in order to achieve the set business plan, Digiworld's team is united towards a guiding principle throughout 2022, in line with the company's spirit and development direction: "The universe is open, ready to explore". With this principle, firstly, Digiworld wants to affirm that with its rich development and real combat experience for 25 years, Digiworld will continue in mind of a pioneer, leading and exploring the market, finding potential product segments to become more diversified in business lines.

Besides, with the continuous development trend of Vietnam's economy, Digiworld believes that not only ICT, IoT but also Home Appliances and many other fields will also have more potential and more opportunities. And when the enterprise has prepared in advance, accumulated experiences during the business process, the opportunities are wide open, the enterprise must always further learn, receive and listen to forge its capacity, continue to pioneer, explore and lead the market.

In addition, the role and responsibility of the Board of Directors (BOD) are even greater in building strategies and sustainable development for Digiworld. The company has gradually applied good practices such as establishing specialized subcommittees to support Board of Directors activities in a more effective manner such as Audit Committee, Investment and Development Subcommittee, Salary and Bonus Subcommittee. According to the plan, Digiworld also continues to improve corporate governance according to international standards, and at the same time enhance the role of risk management and control in financial management, accounting, auditing as well as the transparency in the company's operation, the role of independent members of the Board of Directors.

Recently, Digiworld has also announced the plan to pay dividends in 2021 in cash at the rate of 10% (1 stock receives VND 1,000) and the plan to issue stocks from owner's equity at the right exercise rate at 80% (i.e. Receive 80 new stocks per 100 stocks). The expected implementation time is quarter II of 2022.

In addition to taking care of the interests of shareholders, Digiworld also understands that good business begins with developing a good organization, facilitating the development and bringing the best benefits to employees. Therefore, at the General Meeting of Shareholders, Digiworld presented a plan to issue shares under the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) for employees in 2022. The maximum quantity is 2.5% of outstanding stocks - equivalent to 2.2 million ESOP stocks at the price of VND 10,000/stock.

During the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders 2022, Digiworld also announced the revenue estimate of the first quarter of 2022. Specifically, in the first quarter of 2022, Digiworld's revenue is estimated at VND 7000 billion and profit after tax of VND 210 billion, up 40% and 96% compared to the same period in the first quarter of 2021. In addition, there is information about Digiworld's new product line, namely Home Appliances, Digiworld and partner Whirlpool have just officially opened the first sales training center for employees in Vietnam. This will be not only a display place but also a place for Digiworld and Whirlpool to train sales staff, help the sales staff to best understand the products from features, utilities, usage and superiority to be able to provide the most useful advice to customers.

In late 2021, Digiworld and Whirlpool signed a strategic cooperation agreement, Digiworld became a comprehensive market developer for Whirlpool's household electrical products. Next, Digiworld also had a new partner - TCT, with this event, Digiworld has officially become the distributor of 2 brands Alcatel and TCL. And most recently, Microsoft has officially become a strategic partner of Digiworld with the ESD electronic key product. These are the clearest proofs that Digiworld is constantly looking for new business opportunities, expanding its product lines and business fields to always achieve and exceed the 25% compound annual growth rate as committed with Shareholders, consistent to the spirit of Digiworld "The universe is open, ready to explore" in 2022.

And besides constantly expanding its business activities both horizontally and vertically, Digiworld also has pursued the sustainable development goal by always focusing on the fields of economy, environment and society based on the company's 3C development strategy, including: Human - Base - Opportunity. In which, "Human" is the most important factor, the fulcrum to develop opportunities in business; "Base" is a strong financial base with clear management process; "Opportunity" is to seize new opportunities for Digiworld brand to appear and dominate the market. With this 3C strategy and Digiworld's achievements for the past years when following this direction, Digiworld believes that this strategy will create a solid foundation to realize Digiworld's orientations in the coming years.

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Digiworld : POST-PANDEMIC EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES, DIGIWORLD IS READY TO EXPLOIT ALL POTENTIALS ON THE PATH OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TO CONQUER THE...

Most people understand the power of the internet and what it means as a growth tool for their business. So why, despite so many knowing what an advantage a great internet presence can be, are so many websites terrible?

Across every industry, in businesses of all sizes, there's this one piece of universal feedback: "My website just doesn't work to produce results." Results typically mean calls, sales, a form being filled out, something that moves a customer along. Websiteshould act like 24/7 salespeople for businesses. They should be revenue-producing assets. They should be something businesses areproud of.

Reality is, despite the best efforts of well-intentioned designers, developers, marketers, and advertisers, more often than not a website simply doesn't do what it should be doing. And if that conundrum is frustrating for the business owner, it's just as frustrating for the professional who provides a service around the website, whether that's the designer, SEO, marketer, or copywriter.

Websites fail to produce results because they fail to communicate

There's a simple reason why most websites fail to produce results, no matter how many times they're tweaked, redesigned, redeveloped, rewritten, or enhanced, and it's because at its core, a website is really meant as one thing and one thing only: It's a tool for communication.

Somewhere along the way, it was forgotten that the internet at large is a massive infrastructure that connects people together. It's been forgotten that websites are a tool to enable that communication, and the fundamental reason that they fail is because they communicate extremely poorly.

Think about it: In-person sales, word of mouth, and face-to-face communication works so well because it's fundamentally people talking to people. Your website is trying to do the same thing at scale, except it doesn't have the advantage of a human brain to communicate with.

Sites can only convey messages as well as we program them to. Which for most people means writingand, if you're really fancy, how color enhances the written message. Once you think about your website as a tool for communication, as a way to connect people with people and not just as a business flier, it all of a sudden it makes sense why things aren't working out.

Reading your website out loud is a great way to test how it communicates

Need to test whether your website is communicating well? Just read it out loud to someone. Odds are, it sounds terrible, because somewhere along the way it was written copying some other company's writing on its website, because it was assumed that "they must be doing it right, so let's emulate success."

Large corporations have the benefit of large sales teams. Their websites are meant to be more overall brand-building and less specific towardhelping a customer make a buying decision (that's what the salespeople are for). Small and midsizebusinesses, meanwhile, don't often have the luxury of manpower, so to copy that kind of verbiage and communication is to take away what the strongest superpower of a small business is: personal connection and unique appeal to specific target markets.

Before you've fixed your site'scommunication problem, nothing else matters, because, while enhancements are important, they're just that: enhancements. And fixing enhancements doesn't solve the core problem.

Fortunately, the more you've learned about sales in your business, the easier this problem is to solve, because this process is much the same as training a new salesperson to pitch your product or service. The only difference is that while you can spot a struggling salesperson learning the ropes, it's much more difficult to see what's working and what's not working online without diving into analytics and data.

Think of your website as a salesperson who needs training

Rather than thinking about fixing your website from a technical standpoint, or just assuming that somehow the internet doesn't work for you, instead think of it as like a salesperson you need to train to communicate better.

If all you started with was simply recording your sales pitch and creating very conversational writing for your website, answering the questions your customers really ask the most, addressing their concerns, and focusing on what's in it for them rather than features or how great you and your company are, you'd find that youget more results, more consistently, and with less expense than any other method.

If the above sounds familiar, it's because it's what works in direct sales, phone sales, customer service, and just about anything else business related, because it's inherently all people talking to people. The only difference is the medium of communication.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

See the original post:
Why Your Website Doesn't Work, and What to Do About It - Inc.

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 8, 2022 / Reaching your health fitness goals can sometimes be challenging without the right mindset, technology, and tools. The team at Shift Token is aware of this challenge; as such, they designed a system, the ShiftFit App, to offer fitness enthusiasts the necessary tools needed to reach their fitness goals.

Regardless of your fitness goals, ShiftFit will let you track your calories and nutritional intake with ease. The app comes with customized and actionable tips to help you reach your fitness goals.

Shift Technology

The project is at the forefront of the most innovative technologies, giving big centralized brands a run for their money. The team has a simple task - to leverage cutting-edge technologies to create products that will be accessible for all community members. The products will extend beyond artificial intelligence to wearable and other accessories to help keep you fit and comfortable.

The project will also use technology to change the way data is collected and used. By joining the bandwagon, you will be able to decide how your data is being used.

ShiftFit By Shift Token

Shift Token intends to revolutionize the health and fitness industries by developing a state-of-the-art app known as ShiftFit. With the ShiftFit App, users will be able to keep track of their fitness goals and know exactly when to increase or decrease the pace. The app will enable you to easily earn tokens by completing daily, weekly, and monthly challenges.

You will also be able to track your nutrition intake and calories. Plus, there are recommended workout programs to help you achieve your fitness goals. In the coming weeks, the team will create its own gym centers and employ professionals to help you easily achieve your fitness goals.

Shift Token Strength

Shift Token is a smart technology-anchored project aiming to refine the crypto space with the importation of health and fitness into the ecosystem. Shift Token brings the following possibilities:

Story continues

Empowering community members to be in control of their health and fitness through the ShiftFit App.

Rewarding token holders and other community members for reaching or achieving their fitness goals.

Creating transparency, active community, and sustainable leadership.

Bringing cutting-edge technology and tools to the health and fitness industries.

Buy Shift Tokens In Six Steps

The officially recognized channel to purchase Shift Tokens when launched is through the Uniswap platform. Follow these six steps to purchase Shift Tokens:

Create an ETH account on any of these wallets: Trust Wallet, Coinbase, or MetaMask.

Purchase and transfer ETH to the wallet address.

Visit Uniswap and connect the ETH wallet to the platform.

Add the Shift Tokens contract address on Uniswap.

Set the slippage tolerance to between 10-15%

Swap the ETH in your wallet for Shift Tokens.

Earn Cryptos By Keeping Fit

While the crypto world may be vast and unimaginable, earning cryptos can be done via ShiftFit App. Users can earn cryptos once you are able to reach your fitness goals using the app.

Here is how to safely do that - launch ShiftFit and lock in your fitness goals within the app. For instance, if your fitness goal is to lose X weight in X number of days or to complete 40,000 steps over a certain amount of days, you can lock in the appropriate figures.

Once you lock in your fitness goals, you will start to earn Shift Tokens, paid through the ShiftFit App. Users can also earn more Shift Tokens by participating in daily, weekly, and monthly fitness challenges.

About Shift Token

Shift Token is a 100% community-driven platform that empowers members to take control of their health and wellness. Shift Token promotes everything relating to health and fitness, while giving users the opportunity to earn cryptos.

Conceptualized as a smart technology, Shift Token aims to import health and fitness into the crypto space and give members the leverage to earn money while keeping fit. Whether you are looking to keep fit or your fitness goal is to shed some weights, Shift Token is here to help you.

Shift Token is not the ordinary crypto project, it's a way of life. The ShiftFit App encompasses innovative utilities needed to drive user adoption on a massive scale. The app provides step tracking, calorie counting, in app rewards, and in app coaching. It also encapsulates every aspect of your wealth accumulation and weight loss journey.

Social Media Handles:

Telegram:https://t.me/TheofficialShiftTokenTwitter:https://twitter.com/shift_tokenInstagram:https://instagram.com/shifttokenYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXdbcxXgAOjUe8cpHudkO6w

Contact Info:

Organization: Shift TokenName: Shift TokenEmail: hello@shift-token.comWebsite: https://www.shift-token.com/

SOURCE: Shift Token

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/696761/Shift-Token-To-Set-Standards-For-Crypto-Fitness-And-Health-Sectors

Read the original post:
Shift Token To Set Standards For Crypto, Fitness, And Health Sectors - Yahoo Finance

Ativafit

Summer is just around the corner, which means your outdoor workouts may be moving back inside because of the heat. So right now's a good time to take advantage of Amazon's one-day sale on Ativafit home exercise equipment. Whether you're just looking to shake the rust off with some light yoga, or kick into high gear with some HIIT workouts, you'll find the equipment you need for less. These deals are only available until 11:59 p.m. PT (2:59 a.m. ET) tonight, so be sure to get your orders in before then.

This sale covers a variety of compact home exercise equipment so you can get in tons of different workouts without a ton of clutter. If you're hoping to build some muscle, you could snag this adjustable dumbbell for $89, down $42 from the original price. It allows for seven different weight settings that you can switch between in just seconds. Or, if you're looking to shed some pounds with some at-home cardio, you could pick up this stationary bike that can track your distance, speed, time and heart-rate, and folds up when not in use for simple storage. It's on sale today for just $128, or $32 off the original price. And if you're working from home, this under-desk elliptical can help you get a workout in while you work, and it's on sale for $95, down $46 from the original price.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Start Your Summer Fitness Routine Early With Up to 46% Off Ativafit Exercise Gear - CNET

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, April 6

The Special Olympics Bharat will organise an health fitness camp for special athletes to mark Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav on April 7. The event will be held at the Sain Das Senior Secondary School, Patel Chowk. Dental health checks and nutrition screening of all participants will be held on the occasion. Notably, the camp will see participation of only those with mental disabilities not physical.

Due to the Covid pandemic, no mass event for special athletes was held in the district and this will be the first event in past two years.

Of the 1,000 specially abled people who have been registered for the Jalandhar event, 650 are from Jalandhar district, 250 from Hoshiarpur and 150 from Kapurthala. Similar events will be held in Ludhiana and Amritsar.

Manish Aggrawal, convenor-cum-secretary, District Special Olympics Association, Jalandhar, said, Being a pan-India event, a target of 75,000 specially abled persons had been set across the country for which 1 lakh people have already been registered. The event is being held in 75 cities. Health check ups for specially abled with intellectual disabilities will be held. There will also be an attempt to set a world record. Aggarwal said: We will be able to screen the fitness of potential special athletes in the camp.

Original post:
Health fitness camp for special athletes today - The Tribune India

What if one fine day your company CEO tweets that bonus will be dispensed on the basis of the weight of the employees. Would you be excited about it?On Thursday, Nithin Kamath, founder and CEO Zerodha, made a 'healthy' announcement that those with body mass index (BMI) less than 25 will get half a month's salary as bonus.In the tweet, made through his official account, the CEO also informs about the average BMI of the team. If it goes below 24 by August, everyone in the team will receive half a month's salary as bonus. Adding more rules, the CEO says, "The lowest average BMI or the largest change in average BMI wins. The winner chooses a charity everyone else contributes to." What is BMI?

BMI or the body mass index is the value derived from the weight and height of an individual. BMIs between 20 to 25 are considered to be good for health. BMI numbers below 20 and above 25 are not considered to be healthy.

As per a study: BMI is an estimate of body fat and a good gauge of your risk for diseases that can occur with more body fat. The higher your BMI, the higher your risk for certain diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, breathing problems, and certain cancers.

Do people consider Zerodha CEOs decision healthy

Many Twitter users have compared this initiative to "The Office" show's Dunder Mifflin weight loss program.

In the fifth season of 'The Office' the Dunder Mifflin company participates in a company-wide weight loss competition. The prize was to win extra vacation days.

Many other Twitter users have criticized the CEO for taking such an initiative.

"This is serious discrimination and body shaming. There is nothing 'fun' about your program. Why should my pay or a bonus be linked to my body type? The only thing relevant is my work," says one user.

"I hope your team does not have any pregnant women or nursing mothers It is typical for women to gain weight in this phase of their life. And, in your team theyll be penalised or made to compete. Is this fair to them ?," says another user actually pointing out a very serious topic.

Read this article:
Zerodha CEO announces bonus for employees with a BMI less than 25; netizens divided over the announcement - Times of India

New Jersey, USA,-The Global Health & Fitness Software Market 2022-2028 report covers revenue, trading volume, size, value and these valuable data. The Health & Fitness Software Market Report provides an objective and impartial assessment and assessment of opportunities in the Health & Fitness Software market through a systematic market research report that includes numerous other market-related fundamental elements. Health & Fitness Software market report focuses on the major Health & Fitness Software market manufacturers, in order to study future sales, value, market share and development plans. The study classifies markets based on revenue and trading volume(if applicable) and price history, estimating scale and trend analysis, and identifying gaps and opportunities. Define, describe, and predict Health & Fitness Software markets by type, application, and region to study global and key regional market potential and benefits, opportunities and challenges, limitations, and risks.

Get | Download Sample Copy with TOC, Graphs & List of Figures@https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/download-sample/?rid=192429

The Health & Fitness Software Market Research Report study covers global and regional markets with an in-depth analysis of the overall growth prospects of the market. It also illuminates the comprehensive competitive environment of the global market with a forecast period of 2022-2030. Along with the forecast period 2022-2030, the Health & Fitness Software Market Research report provides an additional dashboard overview of key companies covering successful marketing strategies, market contributions, and recent developments in both historical and current situations. Health & Fitness Software Market Research Report is highly research-intensive driven by high R&D investment and has strong product analysis to maintain growth and ensure long-term monetization with forecast period 2022-2030.

The major players covered in Health & Fitness Software Markets:

Health & Fitness Software Market Breakdown by Type:

Health & Fitness Software Market breakdown by application:

The Health & Fitness Software market report has been separated according to separate categories, such as product type, application, end-user, and region. Each segment is evaluated on the basis of CAGR, share, and growth potential. In the regional analysis, the report highlights the prospective region, which is expected to generate opportunities in the global Health & Fitness Softwares market in the coming years. This segmental analysis will surely prove to be a useful tool for readers, stakeholders and market participants in order to get a complete picture of the global Health & Fitness Softwares market and its growth potential in the coming years.

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Health & Fitness Software Market Report Scope

Regional market analysis Health & Fitness Software can be represented as follows:

Each regional Health & Fitness Software sector is carefully studied to understand its current and future growth scenarios. This helps players to strengthen their position. Use market research to get a better perspective and understanding of the market and target audience and ensure you stay ahead of the competition.

The base of geography, the world market of Health & Fitness Software has segmented as follows:

For More Information or Query or Customization Before Buying, Visit @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/product/global-health-fitness-software-market-size-and-forecast/

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Market Research Intellect provides syndicated and customized research reports to clients from various industries and organizations in addition to the objective of delivering customized and in-depth research studies.We speak to looking logical research solutions, custom consulting, and in-severity data analysis lid a range of industries including Energy, Technology, Manufacturing and Construction, Chemicals and Materials, Food and Beverages. Etc Our research studies assist our clients to make higher data-driven decisions, admit push forecasts, capitalize coarsely with opportunities and optimize efficiency by bustling as their belt in crime to adopt accurate and indispensable mention without compromise.Having serviced on the pinnacle of 5000+ clients, we have provided expertly-behaved assert research facilities to more than 100 Global Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Dell, IBM, Shell, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Siemens, Microsoft, Sony, and Hitachi.

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Health & Fitness Software Market Size And Share 2022 Analysis By Leading Keyplayers | Mindbody, Acuity Scheduling, Perfect Gym Solutions,...

For many tech and fitness lovers, Fitbit is the first brand that comes to mind when you say fitness tracker. It had, in some circles, briefly achieved that level of cultural ubiquity where people referred to all fitness trackers as Fitbits. Today, were just talking about actual devices made by Fitbit, though. The best Fitbit fitness trackers and watches deliver outstanding levels of functionality, but each one has its own particular benefits. With six different modelsnot to mention multiple generations of each versionit might not be readily apparent which one makes the most sense for you.

To that end, were looking at a handful of the top options for a range of intentions. Each one has been carefully tested to verify that they are every bit as functional as they claim to be, so you can work out (or swim, or even sleep) with confidence knowing that these are truly the best Fitbits.

I selected the Fitbits through a mix of first-hand testing and reviews from real buyers. I tested these alongside fitness trackers, both from Fitbit and other leading brands, such as the Polar Ignite 2 Plus and the Garmin Venu 2 Plus. I specifically tested to determine core functionality like tracker accuracy and battery, as well as the relative ease of use.

The Fitbits that didnt make the cut were not always significantly different from those included above, but our picks usually stood out for a reason. You can choose yours knowing that these truly are the best options available right now.

Each Fitbit variety offers its own unique features and benefits, so its important to keep a few things in mind when choosing which is the best one for you. These are, for the most part, the same considerations to keep in mind when picking any fitness tracker or fitness watch.

To judge any fitness tracker, you need to know how you plan to use it. Are you looking to track your high-impact workouts or simply make sure you get your steps in? Monitor heart health or blood oxygen levels? Or maybe sleep tracking and monitoring mindfulness? Different Fitbits come with varying feature sets that will accommodate different goals. Often, more complex trackers will be larger, more complicated, and more expensive. Finding the right balance among those three factors will set you up to use your Fitbit to the fullest.

Fitbits come in many shapes and sizes, which means that some are more expensive than others. Some models cost as little as $50. Others get as high as $300. Again, you want to find a balance between feature-set and price that works for you, but its also generally important to keep your budget in mind as you shop.

While some Fitbits act as fairly basic fitness trackers, others are much more elaborate smartwatches. Which is right for you depends on whether or not you need all those smarts.

While the features offered by the various models tend to overlapmost build up from a base of 20 health and fitness metricseach individual package tailors itself to a specific set of needs or parameters. To that end, here are the best Fitbits for most people.

Why it made the cut: With its broad range of fitness tracking capabilities, smartwatch functions, and lower price, the Versa 3 is a balanced fitness watch that plays to Fitbits strengths.

Specs

Pros

Cons

For all practical purposes, the Fitbit Versa 3 can do everything that most users want from their fitness tracker. It provides info about steps, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, calories burned, and sleep tracking. Its also water-resistant down to 50 meters, in case youre a swimmer. It even buzzes to let you know when youve entered your personalized target heart rate for exercise, which it refers to as your active zone.

At the same time, the Versa 3 includes plenty of smart functions. You can use it to take calls and receive notifications from your phone. Fitbit also features its own app ecosystem thats smaller than iOS or Android, but features apps for music, payments, and more. Both the Versa 3 and more powerful Sense watch bring a lot of value to the table, but the Versa does so at a lower price, making it a slightly more accessible pick.

Why it made the cut: With its expansive suite of fitness trackers and detailed workout insights, the Charge 5 is a gym rats best friend.

Specs

Pros

Cons

If youre looking for the utmost in fitness-tracking power, the Fitbit Charge 5 delivers. With a full range of fitness and health trackers, it records all the stats you need. What really makes it stand out, however, is its workout intensity map, which leverages GPS and various physical data points to highlight when youre getting the most and least out of your workout. Between workouts, it sends guidance to maintain mindfulness and workout optimization.

Though its primarily fitness-focused, it also features a smattering of basic smart functions that allow you to manage payments, and receive calls, texts, and calendar notifications. Some of these functions only work with Android phones, however.

The one drawback to the Charge 5 is its reliance on a subscription. Like the Whoop 4.0 and other recent high-end fitness trackers, Fitbit gates off many of its most detailed workout insights unless you pay for its Premium membership. You get six months of free access to see if its worth the $9.99 a month, but you should probably decide whether or not youre even open to such an arrangement in the first place.

Why it made the cut: The Sense is a sleek, powerful smartwatch with advanced fitness tracking capabilities.

Specs

Pros

Cons

If you want a fitness tracker that really leans into smart features, the sleek Fitbit Sense delivers. With the largest suite of smart apps on any Fitbit device, as well as most of the key fitness and health tracking functions, it is the most powerful Fitbit we recommend. Most notably, the Sense includes an ECG for detecting heart health, as well as an EDA Scan app that monitors electrodermal activity and then provides a graph of how your body responds to stress. It is also the only Fitbit to come with a 6-month free trial of the guided meditation app Calm, to further support any stress management goals you might have.

Given all that, its worth noting that the Sense is the most expensive device you can get from Fitbit right now. If you want all the features, the Sense may be the best choice, but it is bigger and more expensive than the rest of the pack.

Why it made the cut: With all the essential fitness tracking capabilities, the Inspire 2 gives you the features you need at a more affordable price.

Specs

Pros

Cons

If you just need a basic fitness tracker, we think you should try the Fitbit Inspire 2. It tracks all the basicssteps, calories, heart rate, and so on. It also has some of the more advanced features from other trackers, including active zone alert, cardio fitness scores, and a daily readiness score to make sure you let your body recover between workouts.

That said, it is very much an essentialist fitness tracker. It has some smartwatch functionality, including notifications for calls, text, and social media. It also offers stress management features and menstrual health tracking. All of these features require looking at the Inspire 2s tiny screen, which isnt ideal for anything beyond the quickest of glances. This is definitely a tracker for people who actively want to avoid the smart features and stay focused on working out.

Why it made the cut: Arguably the most feature-rich fitness tracker designed specifically for kids, the Ace 3 helps keep your little one moving.

Specs

Pros

Cons

There arent too many quality fitness trackers out there designed specifically for kids, so the Fitbit Ace 3 stands out as an incredibly useful tracker. It primarily tracks steps and sleep, but can also set challenges to keep kids motivated and active. You can also set reminders to prompt children to get up, move, and stretch, or go to sleep at specific times. Its features are comparatively very limited beyond the basics, but it is water-resistant for up to 50 meters, so it is durable and can stay on in the pool.

The Ace 3 supports the Fitbit app, which features separate viewing modes for parents and kids when you activate the Family Account mode. In Parent View mode, parents can monitor their kids activity, and approve any connections in the Fitbit social community. Meanwhile, Kid View presents a child-friendly version of the fitness tracker experience, with access to stats, badges, personalized avatars, and challenges.

Prices range from $50 for the Ace 3 to as much as $300 for the Sense, depending on the most current sale prices. Weve included the current prices for each device with the recommendations above.

All of the latest generation Fitbit models boast strong water resistance in up to 50 meters of water. Theyre all great for swimming laps or playing in a pool. If youre diving, you may want to consider something a bit more durable.

Once you pair your Fitbit with your phone, it will sync periodically when the Fitbit smartphone app is open. You can manually sync in the app homepage by swiping down.

No fitness tracker is 100% accurate. They approximate your activity by sensing movement, heart rate, and other factors. You can improve your trackers accuracy by feeding it more data. Enabling GPS and entering accurate height, weight, and stride length in the app settings will lead to better results.

That said, Fitbit trackers do fare comparatively well in general testing. A 2017 study found that Fitbits tend to have a 27% median error when it comes to tracking calories burned. While that might seem like a lot, they actually outperformed almost all major competitors. There hasnt been much hard research done since then on the accuracy of Fitbits latest releases, but having compared them against other trackers that are well-regarded for their accuracyas well as good old-fashioned paper-and-pencil calorie trackingI can say that they seem to perform well.

The best Fitbit for you comes down to one of two factors: whether you want a smartwatch or a fitness tracker and your budget. The core fitness tracking features are largely consistent among most models, so you really need to think about whether you care about smartphone-related lifestyle features and the advanced fitness analytics that come with Fitbits premium subscription. Ultimately, most Fitbits are great so long as their features and your expectations are in sync.

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Best Fitbits of 2022 - Popular Science

If walking was a colour, it'd be the new black.

There's no shortage of evidence that walking is truly a wonder drug;an exercise that can shed weight, increase life spans, reduce the risk of disease, improve heart health, keep joints mobile and benefit mental health.

"You'd have to take a lot of different pills to get all those different effects that you can get from going for a walk," David Bishop, a professorial research fellow at Victoria University's Institute for Health and Sport, said.

Which is why the UK Royal College of GPs in 2018 recommended that Britons take a brisk 10-minute walk each day.

But above all, the simpleact of putting one foot in front of another "just makes you feel good", Suzanne Crane said.

The59-year-oldfrom Canberra is an outreach ambassador for parkrun.

Parkrun is a weekly, Saturday morning, five-kilometre event for runners held inparks and reserves around Australia and the world.

Despite its name, parkrunestimates between 10 and 15 per cent ofparticipants are walkers.Crane thinks there are some events where thatnumber is as high as 30 per cent.

Crane tried running, but it wasn't for her.

"I was absolutely hopeless at it," she said.

But then three ACL knee operations sealed the deal.

"I came back to parkrun by walking," she said.

"When you're injured, you lose that connection with people.But with parkrun, because you can walk it, you're still able to see your friends."

Four years ago, Crane was thrown another curve ball when she was diagnosed with the auto-immune disease, psoriatic arthritis.

She said the disease could cause considerable pain. And because she's on immunosuppressive drugs, COVID-19 has made mixing with people indoors particularly dangerous.

"It was easy to come back out of COVID and slowly get used to being around people by walking parkrun," Crane said.

"Walking parkrun has been brilliant for mebecause it means I can still be out there with all my friends who are runners, but alsoI'll have a whole swatheof people who are my walking friends.

"It's not only the physical, it's also the emotional like feeling connected with people."

Crane isn't alone. There are a lotof people who for reasons such as age, mobility, weight, fitness and injury aren't able to run.

For most, walking is an alternative that is just as good.

The AusPlay survey, which records trends in Australians' physical activity, shows walking is the most popular form of exercise.

And COVID really ramped up the results for women in particular.

As Professor Bishop points out, walking may not be as efficient as running in terms of calories burnt per minute, but if you measure calories burnt for distance, it's almost the same.

"You could eitherrun four or five kilometres in 30 minutes, or walk the same distance in an hour.I think whatever you do regularly is probably going to give you the most benefits," he said.

"If you can just force yourself to go for a jog once a week but then that takes all your mental effort to get that done versuswalking every single day of the week or a few days of the week,in that instance walking is going to be the better option.

"You can imagine kind of like an exponential increase going from sitting on the couch and doing nothing to walking is going to give you the biggest improvement in your health, and then you're going to get more improvements by doing more intense activities," he said.

Professor Bishop is focusing part of his research on trying to find the right level of exercise for people with dementia and Alzheimer's.

He said increasingly, health practitioners and physiologists were seeing exercise as a medicine.

"Moderate intensity or walking is a really safe entry level where anyone can do itand we know that there arereally good benefits," he said.

"And for people who are capable and don't have other contraindications, then introducing slightly higher doses of exercise is going to be beneficial."

The goal is trying to find the magic spot of just enough exercise before too much is damaging.

The sports world now talks about an inverted U: The more exercise you do, the more beneficial it becomes but there's a point where you go over the top and excessive exercise can lead to increased injuries.

That's exactly what happened to legendary Australian running coach, Nic Bideau, who's coached a myriad of Australian athletes over the decades, including Cathy Freeman, Craig Mottram and now Stewart McSweyn.

After running for an hour a day for more than 30 years, he was increasingly getting sore hips whenever he ran.

The final blow came on a bushwalk in New Zealand, when he fell on some slippery rocks and badly tore a lot of cartilage in his hip.

"It was so bad that I couldn't walk properly," Bideau said.

"I had an x-ray and a surgeontold me, 'You've got real problems with your hip there, and if you want to walk properly, you're going to need to have your hip replaced.'"

He was just 54.

For a man whose life was running, it was a bitter pill to swallow, especially when his surgeon told him that if he returned to running he'd wear out his artificial hip more quickly.

"If I had my time again,once I got to 40, I would reduce that (his running frequency) to three or four times a week," he said.

"It's a really efficient way of getting fit, running.And I loved it and got a good feeling from it, and you always feel really fit and energetic after it.

"But if I'd known this was coming, I would have stopped earlier because I really miss it."

But Bideau, not a man to do things by halves, took up walkingwithgusto.

"First thing every morning, within 10 minutes of me waking up, I'm out the door walking," he said.

"Even when I'm overseas or travelling, I still walk a minimum of an hour every morning and in the afternoon, and up to another hour again in the evening," he said.

Now62, he said he walkedabout 20 kilometresevery day.

"Often when I start, I feel really stiff and about 90 years old, but once I get back and my body's loosened up and I'm moving,I'm ready for the day," Bideau said.

"I've cleared my mind of any thoughts that had been lingering from the day before and all the plans for this day and the next day are alive and well and ready to be undertaken after that walk."

He can't lie. He says he'drather be running.

He says walking for him doesn't provide the same enjoyment, althoughit does provide many of the same benefits.

"You do have that feeling, the endorphins.You feel like you're alive and you're active and you're breathing, and you've got your day started," he said.

"Anyonecan do it if they can walk,and they can get reasonably fit."

Which is the same point Professor Bishop and Suzanne Crane are making.

You don't need to be a Nic Bideau and walk 20 kilometresa day to get a benefit from walking.You don't even need to walk 10,000 steps (a figure that was plucked out of the air as a marketing exercise in the 1960s to sell a Japanese pedometer).

Professor Bishop places more emphasis on the cumulative effect of regular walking.

"I think most people are now seeing that it's that accumulated energy expenditure that is important," he said.

"The recommendations are to try and get around about 150 minutes of activity in a week.And once you're there, that's when you can then start working a little bit on the intensity."

Crane said those looking for a place to start exercising should consider parkrun.

"It's not a race, it's about getting people out there and making them comfortable," she said.

Indeed, the average time for parkrun has been getting slower, which Crane suggests is because more people are walking the five kilometresthanpreviously.

"The benefits to the community are larger and larger from people who have medical conditions to people who have needs for social inclusion and are lonely," she said.

"You can do things that everybody else does and enjoy life. It's important to be able to be out with people."

So why not out head out for a walk?

ABC Sport is partnering withparkrunto promote the benefits of physical activity and community participation.

Excerpt from:
Walk, don't run: Why one of the simplest ways to exercise is making a comeback - ABC News