While Google’s acquisition of Fitbit sits in limbo, Fitbit is today launching three new pieces of hardware. The Fitbit Sense is the company’s latest flagship smartwatch and it packs some seriously impressive health hardware to rival the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch 3.
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While there were more advanced smartwatches available, Fitbit’s Versa 2 struck a killer balance and turned out to be one of the most popular smartwatch options for Android users since its 2019 debut. Now, Fitbit Versa 3 has arrived with a similar design, but some big improvements including Google Assistant.
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As we await the close of Google’s deal with Fitbit, the company is still pumping out some new hardware. Later this year, we’re expecting some new smartwatches, and today, those have leaked offering our first look at Fitbit Versa 3 and Fitbit Sense.
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Thanks to Google Play Services, Android smartphones can recognize some accessories that need to be setup in the area such as Chromecasts, Wear OS watches, and more. Recently, though, Android devices have picked up the ability to get setup notifications for nearby Fitbit devices.
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At the start of this month, it emerged that Europe could approve the sale of Fitbit if Google pledged not to use data for ads. Last week, Google committed to that, but Europe’s regulators reportedly have new demands concerning Fitbit data and Search.
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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.
