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FitBit Launches First Smart Watch

FitBit Launches First Smart Watch
FitBit Launches First Smart Watch

Fitbit has a full-fledged smartwatch. But can it compete with Apple Watch?

Squared-off, metal, a slightly curved screen, the new smart watch is attempting to take on the Apple crowd, according to CNET.

Much like last year’s Blaze watch but even more so, Ionic is a gigantic push right into premium watch territory.

Fitbit has lots of fitness bands, but the Ionic costs twice the price of the Fitbit Alta HR, arguably the company’s best fitness tracker.

The Ionic is just one of Fitbit’s new products, there is also a set of wireless sport headphones, called Fitbit Flyer, that are meant to work with the Ionic watch.

But Ionic is, all at once, a sequel to the aging GPS-equipped Fitbit Surge, which Ionic replaces, and last year’s watch-like Fitbit Blaze.

This is Fitbit’s gigantic grasp at a smartwatch future, as Apple and Samsung loom with next-generation watches of their own versions.

Ionic has a lot of features, many of which have been absent on other Fitbit trackers.

First of all there is GPS like the old black-and-white Surge, but also swim-friendly 50-meter water resistance, contactless payments for international markets, onboard music storage and even a future app store.

The watch can hold up to 300 songs at a reasonable bitrate, according to the brand.

Meanwhile, the heart rate sensor has added sensitivity for possible use as a sleep apnea detector.

Embedded NFC also lurks for possible features that would let you tap the watch against a sensor, like unlocking doors perhaps.

Whether Fitbit can make all the pieces work perfectly remains to be seen, but as the market develops the firm needs to keep pace with the competition.

The Fitbit Ionic hits stores in October for $300. International pricing was not yet available, but the price roughly converts to 11.5 million Iranian rials if and when it arrives in Tehran.

 

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