Oregon Scientific Pedometer Disappoints

Earlier today I picked up an Oregon Scientific Pedometer and after taking over half an hour to figure it out, I set out with 12000 set on the counter which then counted backwards, presumably until I reach zero. Well, a friend of mine warned me about his wildly innaccurate $100 talking pedometer and I told him that mine was pretty simple and seemed to be pretty accurate for around 12 bucks. But my Sportline broke today and I thought it would be a chance for me to find one with a more resilient hinge. Really, the counter on the Sportline was still working except that you need it to STAY on your belt for the counter to work. I really didn't like the hinge breaking, which reminded me how cheap this device was and I thought about getting what you pay for. So I bought one that looked sturdier and even had a panic alarm, just in case.

My guess is that Oregon Scientific might have too many people on their design team who miss the forest for the trees or who don't keep their eye on the ball or something like that. I should have seen the handwriting on the wall when it took me so long to get through the instructions. And there is a section titled IMPORTANT FOR ACCURACY which says this:

The following conditions may cause incorrect reading of steps taken:

1) Uneven walking pace, such as walking in crowded areas or on uneven floor.

2) Frequent up and down movements, such as standing up and/or sitting down; running, jumping or ascending/descending stairs or steep slopes.

Give me a break! Human beings are going to use these devices, not robots. I am looking for a SOLUTION to the challenge of counting my steps. I can go around a track and figure out how many of my steps add up to a quarter mile (approximately - I know I'm not adjusting for metric). But what I want is the solution to my challenge or problem. If a guy followed me around with a camera and worked out through math (maybe trig?) how far I'm walking, that would be a solution. If someone used global positioning to figure it out, that would work. I doubt if I could get people to do that for free and wouldn't it be simpler to just attach something to my body to keep track of my steps which I can convert to miles? OK. But there is a catch. The device has to WORK! I don't really care about the bells and whistles. I want something that works, first and foremost. I think the Oregon Scientific people have lost sight of this with this model. That has been my experience so far. I don't know how many they sell. Maybe people don't care about accuracy. Maybe their doctor tells them to go get exercise and they can give a number to their spouse, family, and medical professional and get them off their back. Well, not me. I want to know that this pedometer or step counter is in the ballpark and as good looking as this device is, so far it's not even close. So I'll have an asterisk on today's walking distance when I record it. I don't want them to replace it with another one that works the same way, I want it to work after I spend half an hour learning how to press all the buttons correctly. I simply want it to work the first time and every time until it wears out 5000 miles from now. I'll be generous and give it a D.

Now, don't give up. Hang in there. I'll get a better device and even keep trying a bit to see if I have done something wrong to the PE828, but I don't think I have done anything wrong to cause it to be wildly innaccurate. I want the thingamajig to sit on my belt and work, just like the Sportline did before it broke.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

(Even if your pedometer breaks and you don't keep track accurately.)

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