close
    • chevron_right

      Google is killing most of Fitbit’s social features today

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Monday, 27 March, 2023 - 18:57 · 1 minute

    Fitbit's now-dead Challenges feature.

    Enlarge / Fitbit's now-dead Challenges feature. (credit: Sherwin Fong )

    Today's the day for Google's biggest change yet to Fitbit: It's shutting down some more features. As Google announced in February , the popular fitness gamification features, Fitbit "Challenges" and "Adventures," are being shut down today. Google is also removing the "Open Group" social networking feature.

    Getting motivated to work out is tough for some people, so Fitbit's software included a few ways to gamify fitness to keep people interested. Challenges were introduced in 2014 as a way to share and compare your step counts with friends, hopefully motivating both of you to get more exercise. The feature came with badges that could be earned for specific tasks and trophies for winning a battle. Adventures were announced in 2017 as location-specific challenges that highlighted local places that were good for exercise and hiking, like national parks and landmarks. You could tackle these areas solo at your own pace or participate in multiplayer "Adventure Races" where you could track your hiking speed or progress against other Fitbit users. This seems like something that would only get better with Google Maps integration. Oh, well.

    Adventures, Challenges, and all player-earned trophies and badges are going away today. The Fitbit community on Reddit has been furious over the feature removals, with the most popular post of the past year being a call to cancel your Fitbit Premium subscription over the changes. On Twitter, Fitbit tried celebrating the company's birthday yesterday, but nearly all the replies were about the feature shutdown and what other services people should switch to. Several users have confirmed today that the features are dead.

    Read 3 remaining paragraphs | Comments

    • chevron_right

      The best smartwatches for every type of user

      Corey Gaskin · news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Wednesday, 12 May, 2021 - 15:15 · 4 minutes

    he Garmin vivomove luxe on a user

    Enlarge / Garmin's Vivomove Luxe has premium materials like 24K gold and a hidden touch screen, achieving a high-tech, high fashion aesthetic. It's indistinguishable from a traditional watch with the screen off. (credit: Corey Gaskin / Ars Technica)

    Believe it or not, there are smartwatches worth owning other than the Apple Watch. If getting important (or not so important) notifications on your wrist in 2021 sounds appealing to you, there’s great news: Most smartwatches can do that for you now. And you have options when it comes to style, form factor, and more dedicated wearable purposes.

    There are smartwatches that emphasize style and the classic timepiece aesthetic, others that help you train for competition in specific sports, and truly everything in between. From casual exercisers to those who want every bit of data and guidance they can get, the smartwatch landscape has matured. There’s a great fit out there for us all. And recently, we revisited some of our favorite smartwatches and tested the latest releases in an effort to compile the best this landscape has to offer and help you nail down the best one for your needs.

    The short(er) version

    • The Apple Watch Series 6 is still the best all-around smartwatch available. No other wearable offers close to the app variety, ecosystem cohesiveness, and third-party support that the Apple Watch does. Battery life is just okay, and tracking could be more extensive, but the Series 6's all-around package is tough to beat. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch SE and Series 3 can save you a few bucks depending on your needs.
    • Our runner-up is the Fitbit Sense . It doesn't have the Apple Watch's extensive app support, but it offers nearly the same level of fitness hardware (ECG, blood oxygen sensors, heart rate, GPS), week-long battery life, a more in-depth companion app, and actual Android support, all in a stylish design.
    • If you can find it for less than $200, the Fitbit Versa 3 is another option we like. It has a nice combination of sleek smartwatch looks (in both software and hardware) and the requisite fitness tracking and notification capabilities we expect at that price point. There's no ECG sensor, but it should have you covered with basic to moderate health insights otherwise.
    • Garmin’s Forerunner 745 is our top runner’s watch for its deep training stats, useful yet easy-to-read analysis for all athletes, and its suite of dedicated runner’s tools. It lacks a touchscreen, but with GPS, 24/7 heart rate, all-day blood oxygen monitoring, and music storage for up to 500 songs, it's a capable companion for running, swimming, biking, and most other sports.
    • The Garmin Forerunner 45 and 245 Music are two less-expensive options worth a look for moderate runners . Those who love the 745’s approach but don’t need things like music storage, blood oxygen monitoring, or running cadence analysis can save a significant amount with a Forerunner 45. The Forerunner 245 Music, meanwhile, may be better for those who don’t need an altimeter or tracking for hikes and other outdoorsy activities but want to retain the bulk of 745's activity-tracking features.
    • Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 is the best all-around wearable for Android users , especially Samsung phone owners. (Though it supports iPhones, too.) Its classic watch styling looks good, and its rotating bezel controls are intuitive. Some of its more advanced health-tracking features require a Galaxy phone, but its software is polished, and it's still a capable fitness tracker on the whole.
    • We also have a few stylish smartwatches we like from Garmin, particularly in its Vivomove series. The Vivomove Luxe , Style , and 3/3S share elegant looks and premium materials at varying price points, making them nice pieces of jewelry that don't compromise too much on moderate fitness tracking.
    • The Garmin Lily is another smartwatch we like. It's an especially great choice for women or those with smaller wrists , taking many of its style cues from the Vivomove lineup. It requires a phone for GPS, but it delivers useful stats for all sorts of activities and notifications with a fashionable aesthetic.

    The best smartwatch overall

    Apple Watch Series 6

    Apple-Watch-Series-6-Review-3-640x427.jpg

    (credit: Corey Gaskin / Ars Technica)

    The Apple Watch should be your first consideration when looking for a smartwatch, especially if you’re an iPhone user. If it worked standalone or with Android phones, it’d be hard not to recommend this for just about anyone looking for a smartwatch or fitness tracker. ( Maybe those needing highly specialized sport-tracking devices have better options.)

    Read 59 remaining paragraphs | Comments

    index?i=-yID1RTy_CQ:gt7DyeosBT4:V_sGLiPBpWUindex?i=-yID1RTy_CQ:gt7DyeosBT4:F7zBnMyn0Loindex?d=qj6IDK7rITsindex?d=yIl2AUoC8zA
    • chevron_right

      L’Europe valide le rachat de Fitbit en soumettant Google à des engagements sur 10 ans

      Julien Lausson · news.movim.eu / Numerama · Friday, 18 December, 2020 - 09:27

    La Commission européenne approuve le rachat de Fitbit par Google, mais impose ses conditions, notamment dans la publicité. La firme de Mountain View devra s'y soumettre au moins dix ans. [Lire la suite]

    Voitures, vélos, scooters... : la mobilité de demain se lit sur Vroom ! https://www.numerama.com/vroom/vroom//

    L'article L’Europe valide le rachat de Fitbit en soumettant Google à des engagements sur 10 ans est apparu en premier sur Numerama .

    • chevron_right

      Avec sa montre Sense, Fitbit dit pouvoir mesurer votre niveau de stress

      Julien Lausson · news.movim.eu / Numerama · Tuesday, 25 August, 2020 - 14:54

    FitBit Sense

    Les montres connectées mesurent de plus en plus d'informations sur le corps humain. Dernière avancée en date, proposée par Fitbit : le niveau de stress. C'est ce que proposerait de mesurer Sense, sa nouvelle montre intelligente. [Lire la suite]

    Voitures, vélos, scooters... : la mobilité de demain se lit sur Vroom ! https://www.numerama.com/vroom/vroom//

    L'article Avec sa montre Sense, Fitbit dit pouvoir mesurer votre niveau de stress est apparu en premier sur Numerama .

    • chevron_right

      Fitbit’s 3 new trackers want to destress you and eventually diagnose you

      Corey Gaskin · news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Tuesday, 25 August, 2020 - 13:00 · 1 minute

    Fitbit has just launched three new fitness trackers: the Inspire 2, Versa 3, and the brand-new Fitbit Sense. While they focus on the requisite tracking metrics we’ve come to expect from Fitbit, the company is also hoping they’ll further impact users’ mindfulness of stress and, eventually, recognize warning signs for COVID-19, among other illnesses.

    The Fitbit Sense retails for $330 and offers sensors for ECG (to be activated pending FDA clearance), skin temperature, and electrodermal activity (EDA) for quantifying stress levels. The Versa 3 comes in at $100 less for $230 and lacks those three sensors, while the Versa 2 still offers nearly the same features as its successor at a more amenable $180. Lastly, the Inspire 2—with its more simplistic, OLED touchscreen and better battery life—can be had for $100.

    All three trackers come with complimentary memberships for new Fitbit Premium users, which lends insight into longer health trends and offers guided workouts and even one-on-one health coaching with tailored fitness regimens and consultations. The Sense and Versa 3 only get six free months, while Inspire 2 owners get even more bang for their buck with 12 months included. Fitbit users can also opt in to the company’s study , which tracks various biological metrics in an attempt to detect COVID-19 infection before the onset of more demonstrative symptoms.

    Read 9 remaining paragraphs | Comments

    index?i=NFnECuqmzbs:dLW0b-12aUM:V_sGLiPBpWUindex?i=NFnECuqmzbs:dLW0b-12aUM:F7zBnMyn0Loindex?d=qj6IDK7rITsindex?d=yIl2AUoC8zA
    • chevron_right

      Mathias Poujol-Rost ✅ · Thursday, 21 May, 2020 - 10:25

      Contact publication

    Stopping the Google-Fitbit Merger: Your Stories Needed!