fitbitionic
Latest
Fitbit's Adidas-branded smartwatch will cost you $330
Last year, Fitbit announced it had entered a multiyear deal with Adidas -- a partnership that would result in a new edition of the Fitbit Ionic and exclusive personal training programs to go along with it. Today, the company announces that the product of that collaboration is now available for presale. The Fitbit Ionic: Adidas edition is a running-focused smartwatch that comes with a breathable sport band, an Adidas-designed clock face inspired by race bibs and the Adidas Train app, which includes six workouts aimed at improving your running performance.
How to buy a smartwatch in 2018
The smartwatch industry's identity crisis may be coming to an end. Familiar tech brands like Motorola, Microsoft and Pebble have retired from making wearables, while others like ASUS are rumored to be giving up on the category, leaving us with a shrinking selection of devices to choose from. But fitness and fashion brands have rushed to fill the vacuum, while more specialized watches are also on the rise. This means shoppers will need to prioritize some features over others. As it turns out, there's not yet a perfect solution.
Fitbit Ionic is a great smartwatch for this new dad
Half a year back, my daughter suddenly stopped sleeping through the night, meaning that my wife and I stopped sleeping as well. No fancy bedroom gadget, or anything else, has alleviated the terrible fog that clouds our brains after an average of four hours' sleep. But there is one device that I've found myself clinging to in the last few months, something that's helping me get through the day in one piece. It's the Fitbit Ionic, and yes, I'm as surprised as you are.
Fitbit could add glucose monitors to future health-monitoring devices
Fitbit just invested over $6 million in a company called Sano that's working on a coin-sized patch that monitors blood sugar, CNBC reports. The wearables-maker already incorporates other glucose-tracking devices' data into its Ionic smartwatch, but this investment suggests that the company might be looking to more directly incorporate a monitor into its devices. "This fits into our strategy of looking beyond the device and thinking more about (health) solutions," Fitbit CEO James Park told CNBC. "I think the complete solution comes in the form of having some monitoring solution that is coupled with a display, and a wearable that can give you the interventions at the right moment."
Fitbit's first smartwatch can now make payments in the UK
Convenient contactless and mobile payment options are a dime a dozen these days, but that isn't discouraging Fitbit from throwing its keys into the bowl. After launching in the US and elsewhere during recent weeks, Fitbit Pay is now live in the UK, if not with a few catches. For starters you're going to need one of Fitbit's new £300 Ionic smartwatches, the company's first wearable that isn't geared solely towards activity tracking. Then there's the fact that at launch, it only supports Starling Bank, one of the UK's relatively new, branchless outfits that digs into your payment data to help you better manage your money from your mobile.
Fitbit Ionic review: Good fitness tracker, passable smartwatch
Fitbit's first real smartwatch was the worst kept secret in tech. After months of rumors, leaks and the acquisition of smartwatch pioneer Pebble that all but revealed the company's intentions, Fitbit presented the Ionic to the world. It was a promising debut, featuring a shiny new operating system built with Pebble's expertise. The company also unveiled its own contactless payment system meant to make running or working out without a phone feel more feasible.
Fitbit's Ionic smartwatch arrives October 1st for $300
Fitbit's Ionic, the company's first smartwatch, will be available for purchase on October 1st. The watch sports a reported five-day battery life, sleep tracking, guided workouts and music playback via Pandora or Fitbit's Music app. The Ionic is priced at $300/£300 and comes in three color combinations -- silver gray with a blue-gray band, smoke gray with a charcoal band and burnt orange with a slate blue band. You'll also be able to pick up Classic and Sport accessory bands for $30/£25 apiece or leather bands for $60/£50 each. At the same time, Fitbit is also launching its first wireless headphone set -- the Flyer -- for $130/£110. You can snag them in lunar gray or nightfall blue.
24 hours with Fitbit’s first smartwatch
The holiday season is almost upon us, but as you fantasize about the mouthwatering delicacies you're going to put in your bellies, some of you may already be getting ready to shed a few pounds. A new and improved crop of fitness-centric smartwatches will be arriving soon to make staying in shape easier, and the Fitbit Ionic may be one to consider. It's the company's first full-fledged smartwatch, and the device packs a slew of new features designed to help people follow through on their workout plans. Well, that's the promise, anyway. As the Ionic's October arrival approaches, the company has pushed out software updates to early reviewers, but the device still feels unfinished.
Fitbit’s Ionic smartwatch will help diabetics track glucose levels
Fitbit is pairing up with Dexcom, a company that creates continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices for people with diabetes. In an announcement today, the companies say that their first initiative is to bring Dexcom's monitoring device data to Fitbit's new Ionic smartwatch.
Sports brands are giving wearables another shot at success
Wearables are only as good as the apps they're compatible with. And companies making health-focused products, like smartwatches, fitness bands and even hybrids of these two, are starting to realize that. But in order to have applications that lure people to your platform, whether you're Apple, Samsung or Fitbit, often it's better if you have a hand in developing them. That's why, especially at IFA 2017, many tech firms are teaming up with brands from different industries to add a new element of usefulness to their wearables. In some cases, that often includes special-edition products created between two companies.
Fitness wearables will live or die by their apps
This week at IFA, some of the biggest players in wearables launched their latest smartwatches. From Fitbit's debut Ionic to Samsung's Gear Sport, these fitness-focused watches also run the companies' own proprietary platforms, each offering their own app selection. For them to succeed, Samsung, Fitbit and Garmin, which also unveiled a new watch at the show, must now race to stock their stores with the best apps. That's good news for smartwatches in general, because the influx of wearable apps could do for smartwatches what it did for smartphones years ago.
The smartwatch market is actually performing pretty well
While the wearables field is proving a tough space for many companies, smartwatches are apparently doing quite well. In a report from International Data Corporation on this year's second quarter earnings, sales numbers show that wearables are up 10.3 percent year over year. That number includes a small -- nearly one percent -- but notable first time drop in annual growth for basic wearables, like most Fitbit trackers, that don't run third party apps. On the other side of that, though, smartwatch growth topped 60 percent this quarter compared to the same time last year.
Fitbit Ionic smartwatch hands-on: A surprisingly well-rounded debut
After a series of reported delays and developmental challenges, Fitbit is finally ready to unveil its first smartwatch. The timing is appropriate, given that this is the tenth anniversary of the company's first tracker. The Ionic is Fitbit's most modern device to date, featuring a colorful LCD touchscreen and advanced sensors. It also serves as the launchpad for some new Fitbit services, like a fully fledged operating system called FitbitOS, contactless payment and a subscription-based custom workout guide called Fitbit Coach. The company needs the Fitbit Ionic to be successful -- its sales have slowed in recent months, and it faces a lawsuit over its use of haptic feedback. Judging from the few days I've had an early version of the Ionic, it appears to have the potential to resuscitate Fitbit's waning business.
