fitbug
Latest
Fitbug Orb fitness tracker priced at $50, can go up to six months between charges
The Fitbug Orb seems like a veritable shot across Fitbit's bow. This latest fitness wearable is priced at $50 and can go six months between charges, matching the Fitbit Zip's longevity and undercutting its price by $10. You aren't tied to wearing it on your wrist either, as you can place the Orb just about anywhere on your person if the white, pink or black color options don't gel with your wardrobe. What's more, it uses a personal training app called KiK (not to be confused with Kickr) to monitor your activity, and give you a push notification if you're not living up to your potential. It can even connect to MyFitnessPal if you'd rather store all your metrics be in one place. The Orb's price-point could make it the impulse buy that actually improves your well-being, unlike that cheap tablet you bought.
CES 2013: Fitbug launches the Orb, for tracking sleep and activity via iOS
Photo: Engadget Whatever you do, don't confuse the Fitbug with its similarly titled competitor, the Fitbit -- we accidentally did so at this week's CES Unveiled event, and the company's rep gave us a stern correction. In our defense, it's easy to mix the two up: They obviously sound similar, and they perform similar tasks, both tracking health and calorie consumption via a Bluetooth app. But Fitbug's new Orb unit hopes to do even more than the popular Fitbit -- not only will it track calories burned through the pedometer, but it will also measure sleep (presumably by noting when you're laying down and going inactive). The Fitbug will hook up with any iOS device, and can deliver data through a continuous stream, set data to be kicked out at certain times or follow your directions through a Push mode. The unit can be worn around the wrist, clipped on or connected to a necklace attachment. The Orb is available now from Fitbug directly, for a price of £45 (or US$73). The company has also introduced a line of Bluetooth enabled scales this week called the Fitbug Wow, that will also track your progress and share it across to a series of iPhone apps. That information can also be browsed through on the website, to mingle up with whatever data you've collected from the Orb. The scales will be out in March, and can be bought for either £70 or £100 ($114 or $163, respectively), depending on whether you buy the packaged Air activity tracker as well. Engadget has a gallery of each device here. There are already a number of solutions out there for activity tracking like this, but Fitbug is throwing its hat into the arena with a passion. We'll have to wait and see, as the year goes on, if one of these solutions can fight its way up to the top.
Fitbug launches Bluetooth-connected activity sleep tracker and scales (hands-on)
Not to be confused with a similar product, the UK-based Fitbug has unveiled a collection of new connected health gadgets here at CES. The Fitbug orb is button-sized tracker that measures calories, distance and even pace. The pedometer tech inside also monitors your sleeping pattern. Connectivity wise, it can hook up to iOS devices including the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch (5th generation), iPad (3rd and 4th generation) and the iPad Mini, while Android support will be limited to Samsung's Galaxy S III. There's three sync modes: Push, for instant updates, beaconing means you can send data at intervals throughout the day, or stream data to monitor your pace. It's Fitbug's first device to offer sleep tracking and will monitor your night-time movements like we saw on Jawbone's Up. It launches in white, black and pink and can be housed in a watch strap or its own neck pendant. It launches on Fitbug's own retail site priced at £45 ($73). The Fitbug Wow Bluetooth-enable scales will connect to a similar list of iOS devices, although there's no word on Android compatibility yet. You can monitor weight-loss (or gain) through the company's refreshed website too, and the device will launch in March priced at £70 ($114) or £100 ($163), including the company's Air activity tracker. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
