I have n’t enquire for a hatful from Fitbit over the years . Really only one thing . I would like another Pebble — a gorgeous smartwatch that last for days , has a healthy selection of apps , and is n’t sized to agree the radiocarpal joint of a seven foot grandiloquent , 300 - pound football player . ultimately , I think , Fitbit might be founder me what I want .
Fitbit ’s learning of Pebble was the silver lining when it became clear that Pebble was n’t move to make it at the end of 2016 . Indie smartwatch fans werescrewedby the shutdown — their e - ink watches doom to junk bloomers once support lapsed — but there was grounds to trust that Pebble , or at least its core , could one Clarence Shepard Day Jr. grow from the dead . That ’s because Fitbit gobble up a constituent of Pebble — its IP and engineer — to smarten up its own fitness trackers and compete with Apple .
But for the last class and some alteration , Fitbit has miscarry to deport on the likely Pebble provided . Fitbit’sfirst full - featured smartwatchpost - Pebble was no Pebble . The Ionic was wretched and large and it launched without musical accompaniment from fundamental apps ( or essentially any apps , honestly ) . But today Fitbit is declare a 2d smartwatch berth - Pebble , and it warrants attending from lovesick Pebble fan and folks want a cheaper alternative to an Apple Watch .
Photo: Harrison Weber (Gizmodo)
The Versa does n’t take care much like a Fitbit and that ’s a good matter . It looks more like the veneratedPebble Time Steel . At first coup d’oeil , it is n’t quite as refined as the Apple Watch , but at $ 200 it ’s also $ 50 cheaper that Apple ’s cheapest competitor , theSeries 1 . The Versa will come with stock smartwatch features like all - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. bosom charge per unit monitoring , smartphone notifications , and an app store . It ’s sacrifice GPS support in exchange for what Fitbit predict is a firm four - plus day of bombardment biography . The lack of GPS feels like a bighearted deletion — the beauty of the latest stock of smartwatches is how they do n’t need to be tether to a phone — but if it intend a cheap watch that lasts longer it might be survivable .
At least the Versa will feature other stuff we ’ve follow to expect from both smartwatches and fitness trackers . It can store up to 300 vocal on the lookout itself , as well as duad with Pandora through your phone . There ’s also thestandard heart rateand sleep tracking that Fitbit does , and a new period of time tracker feature .
That feature film is really just a version of the multitude of flow apps you’re able to already get on your phone . you may trail your period by mark it in the calendar and let the calendar figure out the middling cycle . It ’s not a biz - changer by any means , but it ’s always been a little odd that Fitbit would be so focussed on fitness and the wellbeing of the body but brush off something that can radically alter the body of half the universe once a month .
This is a really nice looking watch!Photo: Harrison Weber (Gizmodo)
Besides launching a small spotter that will work on a wider diversity of wrist sizes , Fitbit is also offering a tolerant reach of people of colour schemes — embracing the rainbow as it has with its more traditional fitness bands . The finishes planned for the Versa — black , silver medal , and rose Au — while unimaginative , wait effective , and will be paired with a whole slew of different set styles like a Milanese Loop , woven ring , and leather ones , too . The Versa really seems flexible enough to await courteous on any radiocarpal joint .
Optimistically , the Versa is a Pebble Time Steel with more money behind it . But Fitbit wants and urgently needs mass - market ingathering ; the Pebble betray to achieve that by a rich security deposit and Fitbit ca n’t give to relinquish a smartwatch that only fitness dweeb can get behind . While Fitbit distinctly made some compromises to get this gadget out the door at a fairish damage and with comme il faut battery life , this second attempt at a smartwatch look right smart more promising and interesting than the first .
Even the software face a little more polished than the Ionic iteration of Fitbit OS . Fitbit OS is Fitbit ’s answer to the previous , and excellent , Pebble bone that provide Pebble lookout man with a great range of apps . When it launched on the Ionic we were completely unimpressed , but Fitbit claims to have put a spate of travail into improving the software and provide more app support . If Fitbit tear it off then this really could be that proper successor to the Pebble . But we wo n’t know how well the computer software has improved , or be able to test any of Fitbit ’s other claim , until the Versa launches in April .
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