Fitbit has unveiled its first smartwatch, the Fitbit Ionic, which it is calling the “ultimate health and fitness smartwatch,” with a unique, highly personalised experience. The smartwatch sports a new relative SpO2 sensor, which will be able to give deep health insights like sleep apnea, plus GPS tracking, on-device dynamic workouts, improved heart rate tracking, and water resistance up to 50 metres. The device also comes with smart features like contactless payments, on-board music, smart notifications, and a variety of popular apps and clock faces available in the Fitbit App Gallery. Ionic has a 4+ day battery life, automatic activity and sleep tracking, and cross-platform compatibility.
The device, priced at USD 299.95, is available for pre-sale on Fitbit.com and will be at retailers worldwide from October. In North America, the smartwatch will be sold at Amazon, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s, Macy’s, REI, Target and Verizon. It will come in silver gray (tracker and clasp) with a blue gray bland, in smoke gray with a charcoal band, or burnt orange with a slate blue band. There will be buckles in different colours for USD 29.95 and a Sport Band, also in various colours, for USD 29.95, plus Hand-crafted and perforated Horween leather accessories in cognac and midnight blue for USD 59.95. The Fitbit app software development kit (SDK) will be open to developers in September 2017.
Fitbit also initiated a partnership with Adidas to deliver a Fitbit Ionic special edition device and training programmes in 2018. The company also announced its new Fitbit Flyer wireless headphones and the latest Fitbit Aria 2 smart-scale.
The personalised experience includes a personal trainer with Fitbit Coach, with on-device workouts that adapt based on feedback provided on the wrist, and from next year, expert-designed running and walking Audio Coaching sessions to increase endurance, speed and form, according to the user’s schedule. There is also a running companion feature – Run Detect - that automatically tracks runs with GPS tracking (including auto-pause), a new swim exercise mode, an integrated antenna with strong access to GPS and GLONASS satellites, improvedheart rate technology (24/7) and new sensor technology with relative SpO2 sensor. This service can estimate blood oxygen levels, opening the potential for tracking important new health indicators, such as sleep apnea.
The device can store over 300 songs (2.5 GB) or connect to Pandora, with customers able to use the new Fitbit Flyer wireless headphones, or any Bluetooth device.
With Fitbit Pay, users will be able to make contactless payments. In the future, they will also be able to add US American Expresscards, as well as Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards from top issuing banks in over 10 markets across the globe, including ANZ, Banco Santander, Bank of America, Capital One, HSBC, KBC Bank Ireland, OCBC Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, UOB and US Bank, with more countries and banks planned soon.
The phone will also provide smartphone notifications, receive call, text and calendar alerts, and get notifications from social media apps installed on the user’s smartphone, such as Facebook, Gmail, Instagram, Slack or Snapchat.
The Ionic will also sport the usual Fitbit feature, such as automatically tracking steps, calories, floors climbed and sleep stages; it will see the user’s cardio fitness level (estimated VO2 Max).
Ionic runs on Fitbit OS, the company’s new operating system for smartwatches that will be regularly updated. This includes the launch of the Fitbit App Gallery, where people will be able to select apps and clock faces. The App Gallery offers a range of health and fitness apps from Fitbit like Exercise, Fitbit Coach, Relax, Timer and more, as well as popular apps designed to make life easier and more convenient when on the go. Each app is designed specifically for Ionic. Leading partner apps available on Fitbit Ionic at launch include Pandora, Starbucks Coffee Company, Strava and Weather (AccuWeather). The App Gallery will get more apps this fall, such as the Adidas All Day, Flipboard, Game Golf, Nest and Surfline, plus more apps and clock faces created by Fitbit’s developer community.
Developers interested in building for the Fitbit App Gallery will be able to use the SDK, including Web-based developer environment Fitbit Studio, from September. Fitbit has built upon the Pebble platform in order to provide developer benefits and tools, including cross-platform compatibility and an open platform for health partners. In the future, the built-in NFC chip will open the opportunity to develop apps that provide keyless and cardless access to buildings, hotels, sporting venues and transportation.
Physically, the Ionic is Fitbit’s strongest and lightest GPS watch, with an ergonomic design the company says is comfortable enough to wear all day and night. The unibody watchcase uses nano-molding technology which allows it to double as the Bluetooth and GPS antenna. This construction creates a stronger GPS signal that works in busy cities or on remote trails, with an easy to read display.
