You’ll have to forgive the lead photo. The Balance is really tough to shoot in a convention center environment. The top of the scale is extremely glossy — and it’s also a bit of a fingerprint magnet.

I managed to do a bit better on the ground, though Polar was quick to point out that the scale can’t really get a good reading on a carpeted floor. Also, the Bluetooth was pretty sketchy in such a high density environment. Still, I got the point.

The Polar Balance is a smart scale that communicates with the company’s line of fitness bands. You can also connect it directly to a smartphone, but they’re quick to point out that that’s really besides the point. The idea is to connect to the watch, which then connects to the phone.

Seems like an extra step, but what you get is that secret sauce combination of fitness tracking and weight metrics, so the system can go to work recommending courses of action to help you get the weight down.

It’s also a lot of information. Frankly, I’m a bit wary of a product that maps my weight over the course of weeks and months. On the other hand, getting a bit of help setting weight loss goals doesn’t seem like such a bad thing.