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Garmin's Vivofit 2 has custom bands for everyone, including your grandmother

At CES this year Garmin announced the new Vivofit 2 fitness tracker, but while the device itself was a minor upgrade from the original model, the real story was the style aspect. Garmin has partnered with designer Jonathan Adler for his own series of custom bands for the Vivofit 2 (like the original, it's a small pebble-sized device that can snap in and out various bands).

In person, Adler's bands are colorful and fun, and they're light enough that they don't feel like they'll be a constant nuisance on your wrist, unlike some clunkier fitness trackers. There's also a clever latching mechanism that is new on the Vivofit 2 bands. Snap the clasp into place and rotate it 90 degrees to lock it into place; even a strong tug won't pull it off.

What Garmin calls the "Style Collection" is a slightly different matter. It's supposed to give the device a premium, high-end feel using materials like stainless steel and leather. Aesthetics are certainly a matter of personal taste, but items like the steel or gold-color cuffs not only seemed impractical — they're rigid bracelets, with one size and one size only — but they also came off as garish in person. The leather bands and watch-style clasps fared somewhat better, but they were still fingerprint magnets, with only the smallest of interactions leaving a greasy smear behind.

With items like the Apple Watch already staking claims on the high end of the spectrum, it's no doubt that flashy, gaudy designs will have their place — but for my personal tastes, Adler's collection was the more engaging option.

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Garmin Vivofit Style Collection and Signature Collection hands-on images

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