Fitbit announces its first smartwatch — Ionic. It is a highly personalized smartwatch that Fitbit claims to track the wearer's health and fitness status with unseen-before depth. This is made possible by Fitbit's new SpO2 sensor.
Aside from the variety of apps from the Fitbit App Gallery, the smartwatch also contains basic core features like 4+ day battery life (depending on usage), sleep and activity tracking, and cross-platform compatibility. Made of aluminum and plastic, it is also claimed to be waterproof for up to 50 meters.
The Ionic launches worldwide on Oct. 1 at a $299.95 retail price. The Fitbit software development kit (SDK) has already been made available for developers to create apps for the device.
According a press release, the Ionic carries features such as training with a Fitbit coach, where an on-device fitness coach personalizes workouts according to the user's feedback. There is also a running companion that tracks one's movement using Fitbit's "industry-leading" Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) access.
Since the device is waterproof, it is also possible to track lap times, duration, and calories burned during swimming. Fitbit also boasts of its improved heart rate monitoring technology with PurePulse®, Fitbit's new heart tracking system that checks heartrate, measures calorie burns, and shows real-time heart zones, making for a more accurate data output. There is also the Fitbit Pay™, Ionic's payment system using only the smartwatch.
There are other features that Fitbit will include in the Ionic after the official launch. Such include monitoring sleep apnea and audio coaching sessions. Also, since the SDK has been made public, developers are now open to expand Ionic's capabilities even more.
The Fitbit Ionic is available in different color combinations. The classic accessory combinations, which include blue gray band with silver gray tracker, charcoal with smoke gray tracker, and slate blue with burnt orange tracker.
