Google today offered a pledge that it would not use Fitbit data for advertising if its acquisition went through. This reportedly addresses a big European demand before approving the Google-Fitbit deal.
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The Fitbit Charge 4 launched earlier this year as the brand’s most advanced fitness tracker, and now it’s getting a couple of upgrades. With its latest software update, Fitbit Charge 4 is getting smarter alarms, better GPS features, and more.
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Earlier this month, it emerged that Google’s Fitbit acquisition was facing deeper scrutiny from the EU. A new report today says that European regulators are willing to back off if Google formally pledges not to use Fitbit health data for advertising purposes.
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Back in November, Google announced that it was acquiring Fitbit and that the deal would close sometime in 2020. The purchase was immediately scrutinized amid mounting criticism of Big Tech, and the European Union could now be “gearing up for an extended investigation and may block the transaction.”
The impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has many consumers keeping their wallets shut, but that surprisingly didn’t stop the smartwatch market from growing considerably in Q1 2020. However, that Q1 2020 growth didn’t touch Google’s Wear OS or Fitbit either.
Despite being more or less essential for those with a Fitbit fitness tracker, the companion Android app has only just surpassed 50 million downloads on the Google Play Store.
In November, Google framed its acquisition of Fitbit as a way to “help more people with wearables.” However, since the deal is still pending regulatory approval, the two companies have yet to integrate or announce any joint plans. That now appears to be changing as Fitbit works on bringing Google Assistant support to its devices.
Ventilators quickly proved to be in short supply at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. To help the response, Fitbit set out to create a “high-quality, easy-to-use, and low-cost automatic” ventilator called the “Fitbit Flow.”
The Fitbit Ionic was the company’s first attempt at a smartwatch and many users are still wearing and buying the device in 2020. However, the latest updates to the Fitbit Ionic seem to be breaking many smartwatches, and users aren’t getting much help since they’re out of warranty.
With the Google acquisition still under review, Fitbit is continuing with its existing product roadmaps. The company today announced a COVID-19 study to “help determine whether Fitbit can help build an algorithm to detect COVID-19 before symptoms start.”
A month ago, Fitbit announced the Charge 4 with built-in GPS and mobile payments. The fitness tracker comes amid a Google acquisition that’s still under regulatory review. A new report today reveals that Fitbit is working on a smartwatch for kids that features 4G connectivity.
With the coronavirus having an impact on all of us in one way or another, companies around the world are all looking to do their part. And Fitbit is launching a “COVID-19 Resource Hub” into their app on Android and iOS.
In its first product launch since being acquired by Google last year, Fitbit has today launched a new fitness tracker, the Fitbit Charge 4. Here’s what you need to know.
Fitbit hasn’t released any new hardware since being acquired by Google last year, but that may soon change. We’ve been seeing more and more of the Fitbit Charge 4 in recent weeks, and now a video reveals the device will have GPS, NFC, and more.
Fitbit has recently announced that due to the growing COVID-19 coronavirus restrictions on movement, the now Google-owned company will offer free 90-day trials of its Premium packages to help you get granular with your health.
Google’s planned acquisition of Fitbit has not yet completed, and the latter company is continuing its existing product roadmap in the meantime. Yesterday, an FCC filings and retail listing revealed that Fitbit’s next device is a Charge 4, and we now have our first look.
The FCC this morning revealed that Fitbit was working on a new fitness tracker. While the filing made it clear that it’s not a smartwatch, a leak today suggests that the soon-to-be Google company is readying a Fitbit Charge 4.
Last year, Google began the process to acquire Fitbit to bolster its own fitness and hardware capabilities. While the business end of that deal is still ongoing, Fitbit appears to be moving forward with their next hardware launch, as a new fitness tracker has been listed with the FCC.
The challenges facing Google in the wearables arena won’t instantly be solved by the recent acquiring of Fitbit, but after claiming 6% of the market share in 2019, at least it now some sort of “foothold” in the wearable space.
Last year, Google announced that it had plans to acquire the popular wearable maker Fitbit, something that’s raised both hope and concern from users. This week, the European Data Protection Board is raising flags regarding Google’s Fitbit acquisition, calling it a privacy risk.
While we await what Google has in store for the recently acquired Fitbit, the fitness tracker firm has laid out plans to develop sleep apnea tracking.
Fitbit launched its first proper smartwatch in 2017. The Ionic, along with most of its recent wearables, features a dormant SpO2 sensor that can be used for blood oxygen tracking. More users are now noticing that “Estimated Oxygen Variation” is rolling out.
This month started with Google acquiring Fitbit for $2.1 billion. With the deal not expected to close until next year — baring regulatory hurdles, a new report reveals that Google’s plans for Fitbit are still shrouded.
Fitbit’s popular wearables have mostly basic software, but today the company has announced that a coming update will bring some enhancements. Arriving next month, Fitbit OS 4.1 will bring watch face management and more.
