Somatics

WiThings Blood Pressure Monitor

Blood pressure tracking

I’ve been using the Withings (same manufacturer as the previously reviewed Withings Wi-Fi Scale) Blood Pressure Monitor for several weeks now and find it better than other monitors I’ve been using for years.

There are three aspects of the monitor that I prefer over other monitors. The cuff is amazingly easy to put on your arm. It has a stiff plastic or metal curved piece that holds the cuff in place on your arm while you wrap the arm band around your arm. It’s the first cuff I’ve used that is easily placed single-handed and shipped with a cuff large enough for my arm without needing to purchase a larger cuff.

The air inflation and sensors are in a small tube on the cuff itself and are battery powered, forms a nice handle to aid positioning on your arm. No tubing to manage and worry about the cat puncturing. No outlet connections needed.

The iOS software is easier to use than other monitors. Plug-in the monitor, the app auto-launches and press start. Offers options to run repeated readings and then average them together. Keeps track of all your readings and provides charts without having to do data entry. Data can be exported to many formats.

The monitor has two downsides. The first is cost. At $129 it’s double many of the common upper-arm monitors. However, it’s worth it to me because it’s so much easier for me to use that I’m better about taking my daily measurements. The second problem is that it is iOS only. The monitor will only plug into an iOS device to work. This isn’t a wi-fi device like the Withings scale. The single cable on the device is an iPod connector cable. Works with iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad.

The software currently does not work with the cuff plugged in on a device running the beta iOS 5 firmware from Apple. I’m running it with an old iPod Touch for readings. The software works on iOS 5 without the cuff so I can still see my results on my other iOS devices.

-- Kevin van Haaren 07/19/11

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