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Some embodiments provide a wearable fitness monitoring device including a motion sensor and a photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensor. The PPG sensor includes (i) a periodic light source, (ii) a photo detector, and (iii) circuitry determining a user's heart rate from an output of the photo detector. Some

Some embodiments provide a wearable fitness monitoring device including a motion sensor and a photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensor. The PPG sensor includes (i) a periodic light source, (ii) a photo detector, and (iii) circuitry determining a user's heart rate from an output of the photo detector. Some embodiments provide methods for operating a heart rate monitor of a wearable fitness monitoring device to measure one or more characteristics of a heartbeat waveform. Some embodiments provide methods for operating the wearable fitness monitoring device in a low power state when the device determines that the device is not worn by a user. Some embodiments provide methods for operating the wearable fitness monitoring device in a normal power state when the device determines that the device is worn by a user.

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1. A method of operating a heart rate monitor of a wearable fitness monitoring device comprising a plurality of sensors including the heart rate monitor, the method comprising: (a) operating the heart rate monitor in a first mode while also operating in a second mode configured to detect near proxim

1. A method of operating a heart rate monitor of a wearable fitness monitoring device comprising a plurality of sensors including the heart rate monitor, the method comprising: (a) operating the heart rate monitor in a first mode while also operating in a second mode configured to detect near proximity of the wearable fitness monitoring device to a user's skin, wherein the first mode is configured to determine one or more characteristics of a user's heartbeat waveform when the wearable fitness monitoring device is in near proximity to the user, and wherein operating the heart rate monitor in the second mode comprises pulsing a light source in the heart rate monitor at a second mode frequency and detecting light from the light source at the second mode frequency, and operating the heart rate monitor in the first mode comprises pulsing the light source in the heart rate monitor at a first mode frequency, which is different from the second mode frequency, and detecting light from the light source at the first mode frequency;(b) from information collected in the second mode, determining that the heart rate monitor is not proximate to the user's skin; and(c) in response to determining that the heart rate monitor is not proximate to the user's skin, ending operating the heart rate monitor in the first mode, and wherein operations (b) and (c) are carried out by a processor. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the heart rate monitor comprises an optical heart rate monitor. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the heart rate monitor comprises a photoplethysmographic sensor. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the user's heartbeat waveform comprises the user's heart rate. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) comprises periodically operating the heart rate monitor in the second mode while continuously operating the heart rate monitor in the first mode. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein (a) comprises operating the heart rate monitor in the second mode occurs no more than about 50% of the time. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second mode frequency is greater than the first mode frequency. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the heart rate monitor in the second mode comprises: pulsing the light source in the heart monitor at the second mode frequency;detecting light from the light source at the second mode frequency; anddetermining whether the light detected at the second mode frequency has an intensity and/or pattern indicating that the light from the light source has interacted with the user's skin. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the pulsing the light in the second mode comprises emitting a succession of light pulses, some having variable intensity and others having constant intensity. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the heart rate monitor in the second mode comprises: emitting a succession of light pulses of variable intensity; anddetermining whether detected light corresponding to the succession of light pulses has a variable response corresponding to the variable intensity of the light pulses. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising operating the heart rate monitor in a skin characterization mode configured to determine at least one setting for operating the heart rate monitor in the first mode, wherein operating the heart rate monitor in the skin characterization mode comprises: (i) pulsing the light source in the heart monitor by emitting a succession of light pulses of variable intensity;(ii) detecting an intensity, a variation in intensity, and/or a pattern in intensity of light after the pulsed light has interacted with the user's skin; and(iii) determining a response characteristic of the user's skin from the intensity, variation in intensity, and/or pattern of intensity detected in (ii). 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using the response characteristic of the user's skin to adjust the heart rate monitor's gain and/or light emission intensity for operating in the first mode. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the response characteristic is dependent on the opacity of the user's skin. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the emitted succession of light pulses of variable intensity from (i) is used in the second mode as well as the skin characterization mode. 15. The method of claim 11, wherein operating the heart rate monitor in the skin characterization mode comprises periodically operating the heart rate monitor in the skin characterization mode while continuously operating the heart rate monitor in the first mode. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a motion detecting sensor. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the motion detecting sensor comprises an accelerometer, a magnetometer, an altimeter, a GPS detector, or a combination of any of these. 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: prior to (c), determining from information output by the motion detecting sensor that the wearable fitness monitoring device has had been still for at least a defined period; andin response to detecting that the wearable fitness monitoring device has had been still for at least the defined period, performing (c). 19. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to (a) while the first mode is not operating: (i) detecting motion of the wearable fitness monitoring device using a motion detecting sensor and/or detecting proximity of the heart rate monitor to the user' skin by operating the heart rate monitor in a third mode; and(ii) initiating operation of the first mode of the heart rate monitor when the wearable fitness monitoring device is determined to be in near proximity to the user. 20. A wearable fitness monitoring device comprising: a motion sensor configured to provide output corresponding to motion by a user wearing the fitness monitoring device;a photoplethysmographic sensor comprising (i) a periodic light source, (ii) a photo detector positioned to receive periodic light emitted by the periodic light source after interacting with a user's skin, and (iii) circuitry for determining a user's heart rate from an output of the photo detector; andcontrol logic configured to: (a) operate the photoplethysmographic sensor in a first mode while also operating in a second mode configured to detect near proximity of the wearable fitness monitoring device to a user's skin, wherein the first mode is configured to determine one or more characteristics of a user's heartbeat waveform when the wearable fitness monitoring device is in near proximity to the user, and wherein the control logic configured to operate the photoplethysmographic sensor in the second mode comprises control logic configured to pulse the light source in the photoplethysmographic sensor at a second mode frequency and detect light from the light source at the second mode frequency, and the control logic configured to operate the photoplethysmographic sensor in the second mode comprises control logic configured to operate the photoplethysmographic sensor in the first mode comprises control logic configured to pulse the light source in the heart rate monitor at a first mode frequency, which is different from the second mode frequency, and detect light from the light source at the first mode frequency;(b) from information collected in the second mode, determine that the heart rate monitor is not proximate to the user's skin; and(c) in response to determining that the heart rate monitor is not proximate to the user's skin, end operating the heart rate monitor in the first mode. 21. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 20, wherein the one or more characteristics of the user's heartbeat waveform comprises the user's heart rate. 22. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 20, wherein the control logic of (a) is configured to periodically operate the heart rate monitor in the second mode while continuously operating the heart rate monitor in the first mode. 23. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 22, wherein the control logic of (a) is configured to operate the heart rate monitor in the second mode that occurs no more than about 50% of the time. 24. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 20, wherein the second mode frequency is greater than the first mode frequency. 25. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 20, wherein the control logic configured to operate the heart rate monitor in the second mode comprises control configured to: pulse the light source in the heart monitor at the second mode frequency;detect light from the light source at the second mode frequency; anddetermine whether the light detected at the second mode frequency has an intensity and/or pattern indicating that the light from the light source has interacted with the user's skin. 26. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 25, wherein the control logic configured to pulse the light in the second mode source comprises control logic configured to emit a succession of light pulses, some having variable intensity and others having constant intensity. 27. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 20, wherein the control logic configured to operate the heart rate monitor in the second mode comprises control logic configured to: emit a succession of light pulses of variable intensity; anddetermine whether detected light corresponding to the succession of light pulses has a variable response corresponding to the variable intensity of the light pulses. 28. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 20, wherein the control logic is further configured to operate the heart rate monitor in a skin characterization mode configured to determine at least one setting for operating the heart rate monitor in the first mode, wherein the control logic configured to operate the heart rate monitor in the skin characterization mode comprises control logic to: (i) pulse the light source in the heart monitor by emitting a succession of light pulses of variable intensity;(ii) detect an intensity, a variation in intensity, and/or a pattern in intensity of light after the pulsed light has interacted with the user's skin; and(iii) determine a response characteristic of the user's skin from the intensity, variation in intensity, and/or pattern of intensity detected in (ii). 29. The wearable fitness monitoring device of claim 28, wherein the control logic is further configured to use the response characteristic of the user's skin to adjust the heart rate monitor's gain and/or light emission intensity for operating in the first mode.