Fitbit Versa brings female health tracking and a much-improved design
The Ionic was a good, but weird foray into the smartwatch world for Fitbit, and the Versa seems like a huge step in the right direction. The Versa will also include numerous health features Fitbit introduced in previous products, like its PurePulse heart rate monitor, a virtual coach that guides wearers through exercises, various exercise modes and more. The watch's face has a softer look with rounded edges, while Fitbit will be selling new watch bands in various styles and colors similar to Apple's accessories. It's a device for serious athletes that don't mind paying a premium price to get the most top-of-the-line features.
The Versa will be available in black, light gray, and rose gold with a classic band; a Versa Special Edition comes in graphite and rose gold with a woven band.
Whereas last year's Ionic looked very much like a runner's watch, the Versa has a sleeker, polished appearance that more closely resembles the Apple Watch. Android users will get a new text message feature that allows them to send quick replies from their watches.
However, to get all of those features into a super-slim package, Fitbit sacrificed Global Positioning System. All Versa watches in Europe and Asia will come with Fitbit Pay onboard, but in the United States you'll need to get the £229.99 Special Edition Versa to get the feature.
Fitbit had me participate in a themed workout to see how the Versa holds up under real-life activity. Smartwatches have to house square displays, so a square-ish design is logical. So, it plans to add women's health-tracking tools to the Fitbit app. It said cycle tracking is continually among the top five requested features by users and that 24 per cent of women now use an app to track their cycle. After logging in with your Fitbit credentials, you're able to begin a new project.
Fitbit will also start giving users guidance for menstrual cycles, ovulation, fertility and common misconceptions. You'll be able to take all of that data to your doctor if you notice that your cycles and symptoms swing wildly from month to month.
Pre-orders start for Polestar's debut plug-in hybrid
Initially Polestar was planning a limited run of only 1,500 cars, set to be built at the brand's new facility in Chengdu, China. According to the Swedish brand, more than 7,000 people registered their interest since the reveal of the Polestar 1 last fall.
Hacked Japanese Cryptocurrency Exchange Pays Back Customers
In the after theft drill, some of the NEM tokens traced to a Japanese NEM exchange Zaif as well as to a Canadian cryptocurrency exchange.
Laine, Marchand and Malkin named NHL's three stars of the week
Only three players achieved the feat in fewer games: Wayne Gretzky (718), Mario Lemieux (719) and Brett Hull (900). He's just the 20th player to reach the milestone, and he's the only current NHLer with 600 goals on his résumé.
Once you're happy with the result, you can share your app with anyone via a private link or submit it to the Fitbit Gallery so it'll be available for public download. Fitbit's updated smartwatch software includes a new feature that helps women monitor their menstrual cycles, for instance. But Fitbit is obviously hoping that you will.
Fitbit is also rolling out a new device just for children, the $100 Fitbit Ace, which is created to encourage kids 8 and older to stay active. Privacy is also beefed up, with a new Fitbit family account feature that's compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The Ace has a five-day battery life and it tracks steps, active minutes and sleep.
The Ace is available for pre-order now at $99.95 and is expected to ship before July.
When I saw Fitbit CEO James Park wearing the Versa, I did a double take - I thought he was wearing an Apple Watch at first glance. The redesigned smartwatch is a far cry from the Ionic's angular aesthetic, which I intensely disliked. The navigation is completely different, with three buttons to Apple Watch's button-crown combo.
The most exciting thing here is what Fitbit is doing in software. Several existing apps serve similar purposes, but Fitbit wanted to make it possible for women to view this data in the same place as their other health stats. There'll be reminders to log your food intake or take medication, celebrations for hitting goals and milestones, insights into your activity, sleep summaries, social challenges and prompts to take action on your data.
Both models will be available worldwide in April 2018 through Amazon, Best Buy, Kohl's, Macy's, Target, Verizon, and Walmart. Stay tuned for a full review of the device before it launches.
Recommended News
-
13 March 2018NCBA Applauds USDA's Withdrawal of Organic Marketing Rule
OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Changes to the existing organic regulations , USDA said, could have a negative effect on real costs for producers and consumers.Kimberly Clark Corp (NYSE:KMB) Shares Sold by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership
It dived, as 64 investors sold KMB shares while 404 reduced holdings. 968,625 were reported by Ny State Common Retirement Fund. State Of Tennessee Treasury Department sold 85,500 shares as the company's stock declined 3.59% while stock markets rallied.
13 March 2018Final Fantasy VII Remake Progress Detailed in Job Listing
It seems like the developers, Square Enix, are examining programs that implement general functions and contents for the game. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a complete reconstruction of the original game being developed by Square Enix. -
13 March 2018Sathyaraj to get a 'Kattappa' wax statue at Madame Tussauds in London
The iconic character Kattappa is a loyal warlord of Mahishmati Kingdom, Sathyaraj played the iconic role of Kattappa in the film. Moreover, Baahubali: The Conclusion hit screens on April 27 and broke several box-office records.Booking Holdings Inc. (BKNG) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Buy" by Brokerages
After $1.24 actual EPS reported by Torchmark Corporation for the previous quarter, Wall Street now forecasts 17.74% EPS growth. Investors sentiment decreased to 1.03 in 2017 Q3. 1,653 were accumulated by Old Mutual Customised Solutions (Proprietary) Ltd.Has $19.80 Million Position in Raytheon (RTN)
The institutional investor owned 10,094 shares of the aerospace company's stock after selling 563 shares during the period. The aerospace company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.02 by $0.01. -
13 March 2018Thousands of Ethiopians flee country after army kills nine civilians
The asylum seekers, majority of them being women and children, began streaming into Kenya on Saturday night, KRCS said. Ethiopia has been experiencing anti-government protests since 2016, mostly in the Oromia and Amhara region.
13 March 2018WWE Raw results: Braun Strowman going to WrestleMania; Roman Reigns suspended
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter claimed there was a chance he would not even wrestle at the Show of Shows . Despite being one of the hottest Superstars in WWE , Strowman has become a WrestleMania orphan of sorts.
13 March 2018Manchester United vs Sevilla: We can win the Champions League - Mourinho
The prestigious hotel was placed on lockdown after a suspected WW2 bomb was discovered on a building site in a nearby street. -
Celgene (NASDAQ:CELG) Receiving Somewhat Favorable News Coverage, Study Finds
The firm has a market capitalization of $69,410.00, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.58. The stock of Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG) earned "Outperform" rating by RBC Capital Markets on Friday, January 29.Authorities evacuate Solano College campuses due to bomb threat
Sheriff's K-9 teams have rendered all three campuses of Solano Community College safe Monday evening, sheriff's officials said. Two calls came in regarding a non-specific bomb threat for all three campuses (Fairfield, Vacaville, and Vallejo).
13 March 2018Mourinho mocks 'worst manager' De Boer over Rashford
We don't ignore the goals we conceded, but if you ignore them for a second you would say, "OK, that's how you have to play". He plays for United many matches, he starts some comes from the bench for others.
