First, here’s @shanaqui’s pitch for it, as part of their blog post announcing the new official integration :
Further discussion ensued in the Discord where @bee said this:
i like it. it’s not great for activity tracking if you want to track runs and bike rides etc. but for something that’s more kind of background like steps it is fine, although sometimes the lack of device display (i.e. you have to open up the app to see where you’re at) is a downside, especially if you’re trying to beemind it and are an edge skater. the sleep tracking, stress & recovery, and menstrual cycle metrics are A++
For me, this is a plus! I found that with a Garmin watch I was very conscious of it all the time, and constantly checking it, and it pulled me out of things I wanted to be fully present for. With the ring… yes, sometimes it’s awkward to have to grab my phone to see how I’m doing, but I mostly don’t want to be doing that much.
I definitely get the argument about the device + subscription being a bit much. I’ve found it very worth it so far, but I dislike paying for a device and then paying again to make use of it, and was e.g. very glad to get in on reMarkable just in time to get a lifetime subscription as an early adopter.
Oh, and charging-wise, I just drop mine on the charger when I go to shower, pick it up when I’ve showered and brushed my teeth, and it’s fine. It’s never needed more than that, even when for some reason I forget to do that for a day, and constantly hovers near full.
(Having the habit of putting it on the charger when it’s not on my finger has also saved me from misplacing it. The one time I didn’t put it on the charger, I promptly couldn’t find it for ages. )
I have one; I got it for the sleep tracking, and it was fine for that, but without the sub it’s basically a plastic ring. Paying in perpetuity for something I in all honesty only need occasionally (“I’m particularly tired this week, is it my sleep?”) was a deal breaker once the initial sub ended.
My pixel watch was about the same price as the oora (not even counting the discount I got) and gives me 80% of full functionality without a sub. My only complaint is it’s not as good at detecting naps, but I nap very rarely so that’s not a big issue for me. Just not worth paying the eternal premium for that extra 20% for me.
I have a version 2 which was before the subscription and got grandfathered into no subscription mode.
I use it exclusively as a sleep tracker because there it works well, at least for detecting when I fall asleep and wake up and probably also heart rate, temperature and HRV. I am more skeptical about asleep phases. I think it underestimates REM sleep and overestimates time awake but no way to test that without a lab really.
I agree that it’s too pricey. I probably wouldn’t get it again even without a subscription and I would definitely not pay for a subscription. My Garmin watch that I have anyway works well enough to get basic sleep metrics.
For the Beeminder goal, the only one that is currently relevant is the sleep time goal.
Since I’m not wearing it during the day, with these kinds of auto goals, I’m always a bit afraid that I will derail without doing anything wrong. because I try to wear it every day, but then sometimes I can’t find it or I forget to take it on a trip. And that’s not a behavior I want to punish. So testing the goal right now, but already noticed gaps and don’t know how to handle these.
Other Oura metrics I could imagine beeminding:
bedtime (more important and more controllable than sleep time)
wake up time
night heart rate (controllable long term, so a tricky one, maybe Beemind a rollling average?)
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