I think it's a huge mistake that Garmin doesn't play nicely with Run Keeper, Lose It, and other health and fitness apps. Be good at what you do and let others be good at what they do and allow integration with the best of breed. This is what I liked about FitBit and I'm now reconsidering going back. I like the Garmin hardware better, but they're trying to be all things to all people. There's something to be said for "better together". My whole fitness history lives on Run Keeper and my nutrition history lives on Lose It. It's a shame I can't use either with my Garmin devices.
Usually Communicator Plugin. It still works with my Edge 800. When I use my Fenix, I can upload the .gpx from it directly, but the Edge doesn't use .gpx.
I use Tapiriik.com for automatic sync GC, RK and Dropbox (it saves .gpx file there). I paid something like 5eur per year and have automatic sync without need to plug my Fenix 2 to my Mac for adding activity to RK.
I use RunKeeper with my Garmin devices (Edge 800 and Fenix 1). What problem are you having?
The OP is speaking to the integration of the fitbit step/activity tracker most similar to the vivofit by Garmin. Fitbit links to lose it and other services to pass data to/from them so a user can efficiently manage their diet and activity through various sensors and processes without duplicating effort. The nike product, jawbone, and others also do the same. It's worked for me, and motivated me even more to live healthier - the ultimate goal.
When fitbit had issues with the force, I opted to switch to the vivofit - without much (none really) checking - other than depending upon the Garmin name to be a leader in their craft. The vivofit does have some nice features, but scores zero on integration and documentation. I really hope Garmin isn't trying to monopolize things and 'do-it-all'. They do plenty of things great, but missed keeping their vivofit so closed off. $130 isn't enough to get irritated about and with the iWatch due out, we probably won't even remember Garmin tried to come up with a challenge (given Nike announced they will quit now in the space in deference to Apple launching in the future).
So if Garmin is listening (I've spent time this morning trying to find the suggestion box they told me of on the phone, but cannot find it on their site), integrating to other services with the vivofit would be a good thing. Your device is handy - but lose it has you beat in so many areas you cannot catch up fast enough before someone else eclipses you in your core area. Make your hardware the best heads up component so everyone will want it on their arm, dash, bike, boat, and plane. Open it up so experts with data and algorithms can tap into your device and grow the knowledge for the wearer/user. It makes it more valuable and distinguishes you from others with sloppy hardware (evidence - the TomTom and Magellan GPS', Fitbit, and nikon GPS module in the junk drawer and the Nuvi on my dash, the 810 on my bike, the Fenix in my camera bag, and the new vivofit on my wrist). So far the only complaints I have are related to poor software development (getting data on and off EVERY Garmin device) and releases (versions and release notes don't mean the same in Garminland as they do in the rest of the industry). A world-class company should hold themselves to a higher standard than shown in these examples. While still a decent product, they missed on some very key points.
I hear this kind of stuff all the time, and it's not at all convincing. Why do you want Garmin to "play nice", and not RunKeeper? RunKeeper, which I started using because it communicates with Withings, doesn't accept .fit files. Should I yell at them for not integrating? .fit files are what Garmin uses these days, and other sites/software accept them, so it's not impossible. Fortunately, Garmin provides software (although they've recently abandoned it) that still works and allows RunKeeper to get what they want.
Garmin is actually good at integration. Aside from a few devices (certain Forerunners, Vivofit?), they mount as disks and expose their filesystem. 5 of my 6 Garmin devices work like that. (You can sort of get my first Garmin device, the 60CSx, to work like that, but it takes some effort.) You can get whatever tracks you want off them, and send them wherever you want. The Withings Pulse that I used for 6 months, and ultimately stopped using because I learned I'm not interested in the junk numbers that step counters deliver, only synced with the Withings site. (I don't need electronic devices to motivate me.) Should I complain to Withings about that?
Yes, it'd be nice if there was a common protocol and everyone spoke it. That's not the way it is right now. Services like Tapiriik.com, mentioned above, and the one I started using a couple of weeks ago, syncmetrics, can help if you're too lazy/time limited to upload to multiple sites. DC Rainmaker did a review of a few such sites a while ago. I use syncmetrics to leap the Withings - Garmin divide and get my weight from my Withings scale onto Garmin Connect, but I still manually upload to RunKeeper. Garmin Express takes care of the Edge 800 and Fenix automatically now, but until it gained that ability I always manually uploaded to Garmin Connect.
I completely agree with you. Lose It has no claim on Garmin's turf. Closed systems create a conflict in the user's loyalty. I work on Lose It 3-4 times daily for 5 minutes or so. That's around 2 hours a week. As a running product, my 220 gets used 3 times a week and even with syncing I'm not involved with it more than 15 minutes a week. A running watch that supports Lose It creates huge loyalty, another user populations and no brand conflict.
It's really up to Lose It to approach Garmin and request a partnership.*
(*Yes, in an ideal world Garmin would also be doing the approaching, and perhaps they are. But, the known way is that the partner goes to Garmin to request API access - as we've seen recently with now half a dozen sites/apps).
Still hoping Garmin will sync with Loseit. It's by far better than MyFitnessPal in functionality and doesn't have all the ads that make me not want to use it. Garmin, I'm seeing this request in a lot of places, do you have any intention of doing this? I don't want to go back to fitbit, but right now it's a trade-off. I can either get automatic syncing for my workouts with Garmin, or automatic syncing with my calorie counter with fitbit. I'm on the fence as to whether or not to return the Garmin, having some idea that you are considering offering this sync would help.
