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Consumer Reports backs Fitbit accuracy despite lawsuit
Given that there's a lawsuit over the accuracy of Fitbit trackers' heart rate monitors, you might be wondering how trustworthy those wearables really are. Should you buy a chest strap if you need to track your BPM? Not necessarily, if you ask Consumer Reports. It just retested both the Charge HR and Surge under more stringent conditions (additional arm locations and higher-impact workouts), and it found that both were effectively as accurate as a chest-based heart rate monitor. The only significant deviation was when using the Charge HR in particularly intense workouts, and even that could be fixed by wearing the wristband on the forearm.
Fitbit Surge and Charge HR automatically detect and log exercises
Just in time to entice holiday shoppers, Fibit is updating its Surge and Charge HR fitness trackers with a handful of new features. First, a SmartTrack feature automatically recognizes exercises during your workouts and records them in the Fitbit app along with details on duration, calories burned and heart rate. SmartTrack can determine if you're on the elliptical, outdoor biking, running, walking or doing one of a few aerobic workouts (Zumba, cardio-kickboxing , dance, etc.). It can also detect if you're playing sports like tennis, basketball and soccer. You can personalize the activity recognition too, telling the tech which movements you want logged as exercise and how long you want to be moving before it starts to track them. By default, you'll need to be in motion at least 15 minutes before the recording starts. When it comes to heart-rate tracking, the two wearables are getting improved PurePulse performance for those more intense workout sessions. By using Exercise Mode on the Charge HR and multi-sport modes on the Surge, the gadgets will provide a better "experience" during and after those high-energy activities like Zumba.
Fitbit Surge update delivers running alerts and improves battery life
During his time with the Fitbit Surge, our own Terrence O'Brien was quite pleased with the wearable's tracking abilities. Thanks to a software update, the device aims to get even better. Fitbit is giving Surge users running alerts that'll keep you informed of time and distance marks, helping with pacing and overall training goals. The company has also improved battery life, so you can go a bit longer between charges when keeping tabs on running, hiking, biking and more. There's also a new timer/stopwatch tool when workouts require carefully timed intervals. Even with the new features, the Surge is still a tough sell at $250, especially in a space that's crowded with GPS-packing entries from Garmin, TomTom and others.
Daily Roundup: Fitbit Surge review, VAIO's first smartphone and more!
Get caught up on all of today's news in the Daily Roundup. Find out what we think of the new Fitbit Surge, learn about VAIO's first smartphone and get the details on when USB-C will come to new Android phones. Head past the break for all this and more.
Fitbit Surge review: a top-notch tracker with a flawed design
Confession time: I'm a bit of a wannabe when it comes to self-quantification. The idea of counting every step I take, every calorie I eat, every day I don't have a cigarette and every minute I lie in bed restlessly tossing and turning sounds great. I want to be able to look at my life as a series of easy-to-understand numbers that I can act upon to improve myself. And every time I review a new wearable or fitness tracker I think, "This'll be the one to make it stick." The latest in the long line of would-be life-changers is the $250 Fitbit Surge. The combination of GPS running watch, step counter and sleep tracker appeals not only to the number nerd in me, but also to the semi-serious runner as well. It also appeals to the "someone trying to cut down on the clutter in their life" part of me. Why do I need a separate pedometer, GPS running watch and a regular watch? But the big question is: Can the Surge lock me into not just an ecosystem, but also a system of life-tracking and life-changing habits?
Fitbit's CEO explains why his company isn't making a smartwatch
International CES may as well be called the International Smartwatch Show. There are so many wearables on display here, I've had trouble keeping track of them all. And yet, there's one company that in theory should be making a smartwatch, but isn't. That would be Fitbit, whose name is about as synonymous with "fitness tracker" as "Kleenex" is with tissues. Though the company recently released the Surge, a GPS-enabled sports band, CEO and founder James Park insists he'll never build a smartwatch, per se. He also won't be coating his fitness trackers in tacky Swarovski crystals, but really, anyone with good sense should know not to do that. Check out the video below to see my full interview with Mr. Park and to hear what's next for the company (hint: It involves a lot of data scientists).
Fitbit announces three new activity trackers, including a GPS watch
The last year has been a bit rough for Fitbit. The biggest thorn in its side has obviously been the allergic reactions to, and the subsequent recall of, its Force fitness tracker. Despite having spent the better part of 2014 without its flagship model on store shelves, the company still holds a lead over its competitors in market share. And now it's hoping to extend that lead with an all-out assault on the activity tracking market. Today the company is announcing not one, but three new devices that are set to be released over the next several months.
Fitbit's new wearable looks like a watch, crams in GPS and a heart rate monitor
It's been a while since we've seen a new Fitbit product, but according to a leak obtained at The Verge, that's because the company's been working on something a little special. The Fitbit Surge is a "fitness superwatch" that houses two must-haves for serious running types: GPS tracking and a heart-rate monitor. Crucially this would mean the wearable can monitor your activity without having to haul around your smartphone. (The likes of the Galaxy Note 4 or iPhone 6 Plus aren't all that well-suited to a jog in the park). The leaked marketing materials also suggest it will priced at $249 and will still be able to monitor all the less intense calorie burning done on stairs and your commute to work. Borrowing from the smartwatch category, the Surge is also promising smart notifications for calls and texts, as well as music controls. According to The Verge, the watch is rumored to launch in three colors (black, slate and tangerine) in the next few weeks, likely alongside the pair of more lightweight Charge fitness trackers - also leaked in marketing materials. C'mon guys, tighten up that security. We've reached out to Fitbit for more.
