Fitbit announces their first Smartwatch, called Blaze
Fitbit, the well-known and market leader activity tracker company is back at CES 2016 with the release of their first Smartwatch, called the Blaze. The Blaze is more advanced than anything they've done before. It as a color touchscreen, interchangeable watch faces a slim design and tons of different strap designs. However, it doesn't support a ton of apps and has its own proprietary OS. The Blaze only has the option to pick up and decline calls, text and calendar notifications plus music controls. The rest of the watch has the features that Fitbit knows and does the best, Fitness tracking.
The Blaze has connected GPS, which uses your phone's GPS to track where you've been running. It'll know how fast your pace was and how far you've walked or ran. There is also a continuous heart rate monitor to track your heart rate while working out or to monitor your heart's health over time. Additionally, there are multi-sport modes that will give you performance stats for all kinds of activities, such as cycling, weights and even Yoga. There is a "SmartTrack" feature that automatically what kind of exercise you're doing and automatically records it on the Fitbit app. Sleep tracking is also included, and it has an alarm feature that will vibrate your wrist to wake you up.
Fitbit acquired FitStar last year, and they are bringing that functionality to the Blaze. FitStar is a personal training app that offers step-by-step workout guides right on the watch. You can get detailed animations and detailed instructions for three popular workouts, the 8-minute Warm It Up workout, the 7-minute workout and 10-minute abs. It is important to note that you don't need your phone at all to use the workouts.
According to Fitbit, it is compatible with "more than 200 Android, iOS and Windows mobile devices" the Blaze connects via Bluetooth, and the battery should last up to 5 days on a charge. The Blaze has a modular design to it, which allows the user to swap the display out for different frames, which have different band designs. The standard offering has a "high-performance" elastomer that is ideal for workouts, but there are leather and stainless steel options available. The elastomer bands come in black, blue and plum colors, whereas leather comes in black, mist grey or camel.
The Blaze is available for pre-sale at their online store, and it will cost $199.59USD. Best Buy, Amazon, Brookstone, Dicks Sporting Goods, Macy's, Sports Authority, Target and Verizon will also carry the Blaze starting February 20th. Stay Tuned to TechDependent for more CES 2016 coverage. To see all of our coverage, use the CES 2016 tags and/or categories.
Via: | Engadget |
Source: | No source given |
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