FitBit Launches Its First SmartWatch
In A 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.
Fitbit sees the Ionic as its flagship device, and naturally the company stuffed it full of features. In addition to
a brilliant display, you'll get an updated heart rate monitor, a new SpO2 blood oxygen sensor (more on that
later), onboard GPS and NFC. That last component enables the new Fitbit Pay service, which will be
accepted anywhere Mastercard, Visa and Amex contactless payments are supported. I tried it out at a
pop-up shop the company set up and was pleased with how easy the process was. I just had to hold down
the left button until the image of the card appeared, then tap the watch face against the payment
terminal. Loading a card on the watch is slightly tedious; you'll have to open Fitbit on your phone, find the
Wallet app and enter your card number, name and address. It would be more convenient if Fitbit added
the option to use your camera to scan those details from your card, but the existing system works fine.
I tested the Ionic's onboard GPS and water resistance when I took it to the pool one evening. Fitbit uses your
location information to track laps, and this worked well during my brief test. The company's reps suggested I
set my pool's length in the app before starting, but it didn't have an option for my relatively small (20–25
meters) facility. Still, I set it to 50 yards (the lowest available setting) and quickly swam four laps. I was
pleasantly surprised when the Ionic calculated that I had clocked four and a half 20-meter laps -- quite
accurate considering I had walked about halfway back before stopping the workout.
For now, it isn't clear how Fitbit intends to integrate the SpO2 sensor data. The optical system uses a
combination of LEDs and a camera to detect your blood ox