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Fitbit Announces 'Surge' Fitness 'Super Watch', Two New Activity Trackers
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Totally disagree with this statement. The Fitbit app will still be there just like MFP, iHealth, etc. Health just lets you see your data in one place.
From Cook's interview with the Wall Street Journal yesterday:
"We think people are going to use it so much you will end up charging it daily."
That seems like a definitive answer there. Maybe you can charge it in the morning after you wake up but before you head off to work if it charges really quickly.
And I still do not want any device on my wrist.
The Fitbit site has few details on their products - nothing about the built-in(?) micro SD card / chip (music?), material used to make the wristband, wristband colors, type of charging cable (micro USB?), type of battery.
If I want to know my heart rate, I can hold my fingers or thumb to my wrist or to my heart.
The Fitbit site has few details on their products - nothing about the built-in(?) micro SD card / chip (music?), material used to make the wristband, wristband colors, type of charging cable (micro USB?), type of battery.
If I want to know my heart rate, I can hold my fingers or thumb to my wrist or to my heart.
Can someone explain this whole waterproofing thing to me? I see that the Charge is rated to 1 ATM ( or ~10 meters) I would have thought that would be fine for swimming and such, but from what i've read devices rated bellow 5 ATM should not even be used in showers or baths
It means that it can go up to a meter but theres still a chance that water can get inside it. Its a pretty dumb rating, but you can still get water splashed on it or have it on when you are sweating.
When i had my force i accidently wore it into the hot tub and it was probably a foot or two under for about 10 seconds before i realized it was in the water and i took it out. Many times i accidently wore it into the shower and got lucky.
Except that is huge. I really don't use activity trackers for time and that watch seems to show limited information. It may be good for some people that like watches.
Don't be a fool. The Apple Watch has a massive flaw and that is battery longevity which they never bothered to mention in the keynote or website, hoping to hide the truth. This is what Apple seems to do: they unveil a product, leave a few details out hoping no one would notice, hunker down, and cross fingers to fix a feature until the last minute.
Remember the iOS 8 fiasco that they couldn't get right?
Check this article out: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-it-took-to-make-the-apple-watch-2014-10
It took Apple THREE years to make this product. THREE years. And yet, they couldn't get the battery down right. If Tim said they were going to get the product done right, it should be done right the FIRST time, not the next iteration after another. Do you think they're going to solve the battery longevity issue within three months prior to product release? I doubt it.
Therefore, other smart watch makers especially the Fitbit and Pebble in that niche industry solved the battery issue by simplifying the design and OS/UI. They were able to pull it off.
Why couldn't Apple?
One would be a fool to buy a smart watch that has less than 12 hours battery length, only to charge it overnight without having to wear it for sleep tracking it.
I would not blow off $349 for a watch that will last less than a day.
The Fitbit Surge is sexy. This product looks like a winner and might succeed in pulling me away from Nike's Fuelband. I was hoping for a kick ass device from Apple but they decided to pursue the fashion market instead of the fitness market. That's fine but this "man" will never wear that metro sexual watch. It's way too fancy and I would destroy it in a week while working in the garage and the gym.
My Nike Fuelband has been smashed against concrete walls, scraped against metal shelves, lost in a swimming pool, hit with a baseball bat, squashed while playing football with my son, chewed on by my puppy and the darn thing just keeps on working. Sure, the band is chewed up and there would be no way I could sell it used but it's delivered on it's promise and held up to a **** load of abuse. If the Fitbit devices can stand up to my demanding usage patterns I will definitely give them a shot.
The Apple Watch is for people that care more about fashion and trends then a device that kicks ass in it's functionality. It's too damn fancy and too androgynous. Give me a device that looks masculine and not like something designed for Ziggy Stardust.
My Nike Fuelband has been smashed against concrete walls, scraped against metal shelves, lost in a swimming pool, hit with a baseball bat, squashed while playing football with my son, chewed on by my puppy and the darn thing just keeps on working. Sure, the band is chewed up and there would be no way I could sell it used but it's delivered on it's promise and held up to a **** load of abuse. If the Fitbit devices can stand up to my demanding usage patterns I will definitely give them a shot.
The Apple Watch is for people that care more about fashion and trends then a device that kicks ass in it's functionality. It's too damn fancy and too androgynous. Give me a device that looks masculine and not like something designed for Ziggy Stardust.
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I take my watch off every night anyway so I wouldn't mind charging it at night. It's a non issue to me. Plus I think it's the best looking smartwatch as of now.
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I understand that and most people would take it off at night. But for those who are health conscious or trying to figure out their sleeping issues may need to use it overnight to track patterns.
Fitbit or other watches have value in that and can be programmed ( from what I hear ) to wake you up from sleep or a nap, the latter which would be useful.
The apple watch may be nice looking but how practical is it remains to be seen. The added features of doodles for messages is ridiculous and unnecessary.
The problem with Apple is that their products are too generalist and less on specialized focus.
Sure, if you like the FitBit app, that's fine. Do what works for you.
I prefer the food tracking in MyFitnessPal, and the sleep tracking of Sleep Cycle Alarm, and have been using both of those longer than I used FitBit. So seeing all my info at once in Health works better for me.
Fuelband Replacement
man - I wish this were true for me. I LOVE my fuelband. However, I'm on #5. Have been through 4 normals and one SE now. I'm a volleyball coach and competitive player, and that means lots of sand, sun, sunscreen and sweat. I NEVER shower/wash with it, keep it assiduously dry, and yet I have had 5 battery failures now - where the device will no longer take a charge. It's obnoxious. The form factor is perfect for me - unobtrusive and out of the way - and it tells me how well I'm doing compared to a baseline. (Don't care if NikeFuel or calories so long as it's accurate). I WISH this thing worked - and am interested to see if the Fitbit with the watch strap can take its place - if I don't get a Razer Nabu or other soon to be released competitor.
I agree with other posters that the one-day charge, no waterproofing, and large form factor are a no-go for the apple watch. That mock-up of the fuelband-shaped device with the lcd screen??? Sexy as hell. The current device? Little better than a nano with a strap.
man - I wish this were true for me. I LOVE my fuelband. However, I'm on #5. Have been through 4 normals and one SE now. I'm a volleyball coach and competitive player, and that means lots of sand, sun, sunscreen and sweat. I NEVER shower/wash with it, keep it assiduously dry, and yet I have had 5 battery failures now - where the device will no longer take a charge. It's obnoxious. The form factor is perfect for me - unobtrusive and out of the way - and it tells me how well I'm doing compared to a baseline. (Don't care if NikeFuel or calories so long as it's accurate). I WISH this thing worked - and am interested to see if the Fitbit with the watch strap can take its place - if I don't get a Razer Nabu or other soon to be released competitor.
I agree with other posters that the one-day charge, no waterproofing, and large form factor are a no-go for the apple watch. That mock-up of the fuelband-shaped device with the lcd screen??? Sexy as hell. The current device? Little better than a nano with a strap.
But what if you end up using only the Health app because it provides everything you want? Whether FitBit has a better app than, eg, Jawbone won't matter to you anymore. FitBit won't be able to convince you anymore to get a FitBit device because its app is superior and you will decide between FitBit and Jawbone solely based on the hardware.
If on the other hand, you do use the FitBit app because it is only way to use your FitBit device, you'll be biased to get a FitBit device again when you buy new hardware as you already know the app, all your past data are already in it and FitBit has the chance to further influence that decision by offering a better app (and full ecosystem).
The Health app is worthless by itself - it relies on data for other sources.
For me, I don't use the FitBit over the Jawbone because I like the app better. I use the FitBit because I like the device better. But regardless, the FitBit app is still there... I don't have to stop using it just because I want some of the data to feed into Health.
I guess it's possible that others choose a device based on the app rather than the device itself...
I still believe that keeping FitBit info out of Health is going to hurt rather than help the company.