Fitbit Alta
Fitbit, the world's largest wearable
manufacturer by units sold, has just announced its first fashion-oriented
fitness tracker. Called Fitbit Alta, the new device is already available for
pre-order at the price of US$ 129, which is exactly what the company currently
asks for the FitBit Charge, a tracker which the Alta appears to replace.
Right off the bat, one of the main
differences between the old Fitbit Charge and the new Alta is the design. Like
many other Fitbit trackers, the Charge adopts bright colors and rubbery bands
for an overall more playful look. In contrast, the Alta also comes with
optional leather (US$ 59) and metal (US$ 99) bands.
Sure, the FitBit Alta also comes with a
few colored plastic band options, but those who want to disguise their fitness
tracker into a bracelet can now do so with the FitBit Charge.
Another major change that Fitbit Alta
brings compared to the Charge is the inclusion of a full OLED touchscreen that
users can tap to get information such as the time, the activity progress, and
the call alerts. The Charge also came with an OLED panel, but the scrolling was
done through a dedicated hardware button.
While useful, the touchscreen will take
a slight toll on the battery life; the Alta is listed with a five-day battery
life, a downgrade compared to the Charge's autonomy of seven to ten days on a
charge. Speaking of notifications, the Alta can receive notifications such as
text and calendar alerts from a paired iPhone, Windows Phone or Android
smartphone. Furthermore, the tracker will also send out Apple Watch-like
inactivity alerts, kindly suggesting a step goal to avoid sedentarism.
Another neat upgrade is FitBit's new smart
tracking feature, which the Alta uses to automatically detect when the user has
started an exercise. While not earth-shattering, these are notable features
that the Charge didn't have.
While the leather and metal band options
will surely be appreciated by the fashion crowd, it remains to be seen if the
FitBit Alta will actually be commercially successful with this customer
segment.