I have tried a number of fitness trackers including Jawbone (regular, not 24), FitBit Flex, Garmin VivoFit and even Microsoft Band. I think this is the best. Here's how I would compare the 4:

Jawbone - I liked the Web site, the silent alarm and the battery life, but that's about it. The biggest issue I have with many bands including this one is how bulky it is. Of course, the manual syncing also is annoying.

FitBit Flex - it has the silent alarm, automatic syncing and you forget about it during the day because it is not very bulky. But it lacks the impressive display of FitBit Charge (see below)

Garmin VivoFit - I liked the display and the lack of bulkiness, but the app was awful. You also couldn't see it at night, nor did it feature a silent alarm.

Microsoft Band - if you could jam the functionality of the Microsoft Band into the Fitbit Charge, you would have the perfect tracker. The problem, however, is that the Band is very thick and you have to flip it over to read the display. The clasp is on top and the display under your wrist. It reminded me of my 4th grade math teacher who always checked his watch by flipping it over.

FitBit Charge - looks great, silent alarm, bright display, accurate, double tap for important information. You don't notice it's on your wrist which is one of my main prerequisites for fitness trackers. One feature I think is pretty cool is the goal achievement silent alarm. So let's say you want to walk 10k steps per day. Once you do, the band buzzes and when you look at the display, you are heartily congratulated for your accomplishment. The other cool feature is if you hold the button, you tell the tracker you are in "activity" mode. A timer begins and the distance you cover is tracked. Perfect for a run.

Of the trackers out on the market November, 2014, this is the best. Soon it will be yesterday's new especially when Apple Watch redefines the wearable market. But right now, it is the most well-rounded tracker out there.

I should probably wait to write this review as I have only had the Charge for 1 day. But these are my preliminary opinions and I don't think they will change much.

I thought the Large size would be too big, but it actually fits well. I have one more hole so I could make it tighter, but I don't need it. I think the small would be a little too small for me. It does look large on my wrist (and as a woman I think everything looks huge on there) but it is smaller than some other activity trackers. I like the wristband and the readout is nice and bright, with the OLED display. I checked the time in the middle of the night and was a little blinded, but I can't say I couldn't read it haha. The strap seems to stay on really well, I like it. Still easy to get off, but I am not the tiniest bit worried it won't stay on.

I like that it has a "tap to view" feature, which I don't think was marketed much at all. You can double tap the "face" of the device and it will tell you...something. Whatever you want. I have it set to time, so when I double tap just the time and date come up. (There are also 4 different day/time displays which is nice). There is also the option to change what the button tells you, so you can change the order of what you scroll through. I have that set to steps first, then calories, then the rest. So I can tap for time and click for steps. Nice.

It says on the website that it is "water resistant up to 1ATM" which is 33 feet, but in doing some research I found out that saying "water resistant up to 1ATM" just means it's splash proof. Can't shower with it, can't swim with it. Can't do anything that involves water pressure (probably because of the button on the side). I am a little bummed I can't wear it in the shower (which means I could wear it ALMOST 24/7) but I'm not worried about washing my hands or anything, and sweating shouldn't be a problem.

The Charge also automatically detects when you go to sleep, so no more forgetting to put it into sleep mode. It seems fairly accurate, or accurate enough for me. I got in bed around 8:30 (hey I'm a teacher ok, I get tired during the week) and didn't officially decide it was bedtime until 9:04. The next morning it said I went to bed at 8:50. Good enough for me.

The alarms are the same as they were on the One (which is what I previously have and am comparing to) and I find them a nice way to wake up. No more BLARING ALARM.

It has caller ID which is a cool feature, but that's it. It's just cool. Not much functionality. You can't cancel a call or answer it or anything. I didn't expect it to answer a call (and it was never advertised as something it did) but I was holding out hope that you could cancel/hang up a call from it. Meh.

Now some cons. As a teacher, I use my hands a lot when I teach. As a MUSIC teacher, I do a lot of clapping and conducting during the day. I am wearing my One and my Charge at the same time to compare steps counted and yeah...the Charge WILL pick up hand movements like clapping and conducting as steps. Kind of a drag. I am going to wear it for at least a week and compare every day to see how big of a difference the step count is. A few hundred may not be a big deal, but if we get into more than like...a 600-800 step difference it may not be worth it, for me. But that's what happens when you get a wrist activity tracker.

All in all, I am pretty happy with it. I'm not like OH YEAH THIS IS THE BEST EVER because it's a 0 wrist pedometer. But it will do what I want until I buy something better *coughAppleWatchcough* and I think I like it more than the One. Although if the steps are too different I might return it, but that's just because I wave my hands all day like a lunatic.