Google's Fitbit has announced the Ace LTE smartwatch for kids ages 7+ today. This device "transforms exercise into play, while also giving families peace of mind with reliable calling, messaging, and location sharing with parents", Google says. The Ace LTE comes with "fully immersive, interactive 3D games", each of these being built specifically for the device, using haptics, sounds, and the accelerometer. The Fitbit Arcade will update with fresh new games "every few months", the company promises.
The smartwatch recognizes and rewards
"all sorts of physical activity", including playing hide and seek,
jumping on the bed, or "having a sibling dance-off". All of this
kid-specific movement will show up in the "Noodle" activity ring that
lives on the home screen and "celebrates when kids reach their daily move
goals". The device uses a new movement algorithm for kids developed by the
Google Research team, which should better and more accurately measure kids'
physical activity throughout the day, while also encouraging and motivating
"all types of movement".
The Fitbit Ace LTE is "built with
privacy in mind, front and center", so it only shows parents a child's
location or activity data. Location data is deleted after 24 hours and activity
data is deleted after a maximum of 35 days. There are no ads and no third-party
apps, and only contacts that a parent adds can call or message the device. The
watch has "eejies", customizable creatures that feed off daily
activities, so the more kids reach their movement goals, the more healthy and
happy their eejie is. Kids earn arcade tickets to customize their eejie's look
with new outfits or deck out its home by completing daily activities and moving
through each game.
The Fitbit Ace LTE comes with six collectable
bands, each of which unlocks different items, styles, rooms, and Noodles when
attached for the first time to the watch. These bands are sold separately and
new ones will be released regularly. The Fitbit Ace LTE works with the new
Fitbit Ace app, which gives parents a way to see their child's real-time
location, or call, send, and receive text and voice messages. They can also add
trusted contacts and manage settings like School Time to eliminate distractions
during class.
"In a couple of months", the
watch will gain support for Tap to Pay so "kids have safe and easy access
to pocket money". The Ace LTE is water resistant up to 50m and has a 328
mAh battery "that lasts more than 16 hours" and recharges from zero
to full in 70 minutes, as well as a high-resolution display with Corning
Gorilla Glass 3 on top. The watch measures 41.04 x 44.89 x 13.35 mm and weighs
28g without a band. The Fitbit Ace LTE comes with the Fitbit Ace Pass data
plan, which is US$ 9.99 per month or US$ 119.99 for an annual subscription, but
that's half off if you get it by August 31. And if you do go the annual route
you'll also receive a collectable Ace Band valued at US$ 34.99 for free. The watch
itself costs US$ 229.95 and will be available exclusively from the Google Store
and Amazon on June 5.
