You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Fitbit‘s Flex activity tracker has gone up for presale in the UK, the wrist-worn exercise and sleep monitor expected to arrive on British arms at the tail-end of May. Launched in the US on Monday, the Flex – which we reviewed earlier this week – is one of the more affordable of the latest batch of trackers, undercutting Nike’s FuelBand and Jawbone’s UP.
In fact, the Flex comes in at £79.99 (in the US, it’s $99.99) complete with two sizes of wristband and a wireless dongle for your computer. Alternatively it will sync via Bluetooth 4.0 with your iOS or Android device, though you’ll currently need either a Samsung Galaxy S III or a Galaxy Note II if you’re a Google OS user.
That’s down to different implementations of Bluetooth 4.0 on Android devices, which means most of the current line-up of phones simply won’t work with the Flex. Fitbit tells us that should change in the near future, however, and at least with the USB adapter you can get your exercise data off the band whenever you’re near a computer.
We also had some issues with sleep tracking mode, with side-by-side comparisons between the Flex and the UP suggesting the Fitbit version was seriously underestimating the length of time we were asleep. Still, it’s more comfortable than the Jawbone model. Presales kick off today at Fitbit’s site and Amazon, with retail store availability from May 27.
Fitbit Flex less than three weeks away from UK is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Activity trackers are abundant right now, but none are better than the Fitbit Flex — the most wearable, best-syncing device in the scrum, with the best app to boot.
Fitbit’s freshest fitness fob, the Flex wristband, may not be the most comprehensive activity tracker on the market, but it does deliver quite a bit of bang for your buck, as we discovered during our review. The company’s latest gadget is set to compete with the Nike FuelBand and Jawbone Up, but at $100, it’s more affordable than either of them. A single Benjamin buys you step, distance, calorie and moderate-intensity cardio time tracking, with wireless Bluetooth 4.0 syncing to Android and iOS apps. It can also keep tabs on your snoozing habits, including how long and how well you sleep, offering up tips should you need to make some tweaks. There’s also a vibration alarm that’ll shake you awake without disturbing others. Fitbit Flex is available through major retailers and at the source link below — for an up-close work at how it works, be sure to check out our full review.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: Fitbit
We have truly entered the era of the quantified self. Editorials are shouting it from the rooftops, technologists are snickering “I told you so” and you, dear consumers, are just eating it up. If there’s some sort of personal metric you’d like to monitor and view in a pretty little chart, there’s a product out there to help you do it. Now, that doesn’t necessarily reflect a mature market rather than a fleeting fad. But we’ll say this: companies both big and small are offering a number of products for this growing niche and some have built their entire portfolio around a lineup of personal tracking devices. Fitbit is obviously one of those companies and, with the One, Zip and Aria WiFi scale already on the shelves, it’s got a pretty robust set of options for those looking to turn their entire lives into a collection of infographics. With the Flex, though, it truly rounds out its offerings with a wearable band in the style of the Jawbone Up and Nike FuelBand.
There are, of course, a number of differences between all of these products — not the least of which is price. At $100, the Flex undercuts its most direct competitors by at least $30. There’s also support for Bluetooth 4.0, which delivers wireless syncing on both Android and iOS. The question is, does the Flex deliver enough at that price point to make it a clear choice?
Gallery: FitBit Flex review
Filed under: Wearables
This week on the TechCrunch Gadgets Podcast we talk about the Blackberry Q10, The HTC One, and the Fitbit Flex. This time we’re joined by Matt Burns, Darrell Etherington, Chris Velazco, and a tiny thinger that won’t fit into the bracelet. Enjoy!
We invite you to enjoy our weekly podcasts every Friday at 3pm Eastern and noon Pacific.
Click here to download an MP3 of this show.
You can subscribe to the show via RSS.
Subscribe in iTunes
Intro Music by Rick Barr.
Nike may not be planning to release an Android companion app for its activity-tracking FuelBand, but rival Fitbit is eager to make sure that health-conscious Droid owners are well taken care of. To that end, the company pushed out a new version of its Fitbit Android app that finally brings Bluetooth 4.0 sync support to Samsung’s Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II.
It’s sure to be welcome news for Android-devoted owners of the Fitbit One or Fitbit Zip (the forthcoming Flex wristband is supported too), but let’s face it — wireless sync support for two smartphones may seem a little underwhelming. Still, it’s certainly a step in the right direction, especially considering just how widely those particular Samsung handsets are.
As more than a few people pointed out the other day, Android-powered devices make up a huge chunk of the global smartphone market and basically ignoring all those users like Nike has is a course of action that seems awfully silly.Even so, Fitbit’s slow rollout is rather telling — while the company has said that it will work to bring wireless syncing to more devices in the weeks and months to come, ensuring a smooth and timely sync experience doesn’t really seem to be a one-size-fits-all process.
Even Fitbit representatives acknowledge that this most recent version of the app isn’t exactly perfect. Apparently, the development team still thinks of this release as something of a beta since the sync process still takes a little longer than they would like. Sadly, my Fitbit has disappeared into the wilds of my desk drawer, so I couldn’t see how long it took for me personally, but those of you with all the prerequisite hardware may as well give it a shot.
Fitbit promised wireless syncing and, as of today, it’s finally delivered. An Android-only app update, currently live in Google Play, will now allow Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II users to transfer data wirelessly from their Zip or One Activity Trackers to the Fitbit application. The new feature, which works over Bluetooth 4.0, was previously announced at this past CES alongside news of the Flex band, and initially targeted for an end-of-January release. But that’s not all this update heralds — it also packs the ability to manage silent alarms, adds push notifications, a distance tile and additional tap-to-pair NFC functionality for use with the Flex. Unfortunately, you’ll still have to wait a bit for that lifestyle band to launch, as Fitbit’s only committed to a vague spring launch. For now, though, a small segment of existing users can enjoy this enhanced feature set.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Wireless, Software, Mobile
Via: The Verge
Source: Google Play
Fitbit, one of the more popular fitness tracking platforms, has updated its Android app with a couple of new features that users will definitely want to take advantage of. The new app now supports Bluetooth 4.0, for which wireless syncing capabilities are now possible. It’s a feature that’s still in beta mode, however, and only supports a handful of devices so far, specifically only the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II.
To get wireless syncing up and running, all you need to do is tick the “Background Sync” option in Settings. From there, you’ll no longer need your computer to sync, which is something that many developers are moving towards as we slowly transition to being a post-PC world. The improved Bluetooth support is also said to cut down on battery life a bit, something that is certainly always welcome.
Aside from the wireless syncing, the update also comes with push notifications, as well as a new distance meter on the dashboard. You now also have the ability to create and edit silent alarms. It seems like the update is a good one for Fitbit users, but again, you’ll have to have a Galaxy S III or Note II in order to update.
As for other Android device owners, we’re not sure when Fitbit will begin to support more devices with this new update, but they say that further compatibility will be “available shortly.” In the meantime, Start saying goodbye to the old ways of syncing, because soon you won’t need your computer for it any longer.
[via Android Community]
Fitbit for Android updates with Bluetooth 4.0 support and wireless sync is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
