Best Smart Water Bottle: H2O Pal
ICYMI we all could use more water and yet, we still struggle to drink enough. There are tricks, of course. Infused water works, until you get sick of doing separate meal prep just for your daily beverage. Actively counting your cups is a good idea, until you remember cups come in all shapes and sizes. For some, a gorgeous water bottle is incentive enough to sip more, but still others need a bottle that taps us you on the shoulder and says "hey, remember me?"
Enter the smart water bottle. These bottles take into account your personal stats like weight, age, and activity level to provide intake recommendations. And then, yes, remind you to actually drink. While the smart water bottle space is a congested, the H2O Pal is our pick for best.
BUY: H2O Pal, $99; amazon.com
The bottle, which employs an accelerometer and weight sensor to track your intake, connects to the accompanying app to provide a real-time update of your drinking habits. The app dispenses information in easy to understand graphs, shares gentle reminders in the form of phone notifications when it notes you haven’t drunk enough, and offers gamification, which adds a competitive edge. Seems like a lot of work just to get us to drink a few more glasses per day, huh? But it actually worked...and for more than just that. As an obsessive water drinker, consumption isn't as much my issue as timing. I'll drink a liter over an hour and then nothing for hours until the end of the day when I'll chug my final two liters before 10 pm. Not ideal. The H2O pal completely broke that habit with its reminders that lit up my phone screen every so often throughout the day.
Another smart bottle, the Ozmo Active ($80, amazon.com) also tracks your intake similarly, but with a less intuitive app, a opaque bottle that doesn't let you see how much you've sipped, and jarring vibration reminders. The H2O Pal, while not as sleek as another competitor, the Pryme Vessyl ($99, myvessyl.com/store), does come in two color options (I favor the black and blue to the hot pink and yellow), and prioritizes ease of use, something I appreciated while working out. The bottle's base, the actual tracker, can even be removed and easily attached to other bottles with a 3” diameter for easy transportation between home, office, and gym. But the spill-proof bottle is so ergonomic and light, you’ll want to take it with you.
Wins for: Versatility, convenience, and ease of use
Noteworthy features:
Syncs with iOS, Amazon Alexa, and Fitbit
Built in Bluetooth technology
High-grade borosilicate glass bottle
Four-month battery duration (comes with extra battery)
See the rest of InStyle's 2017 Best of Tech picks here.
