Gadgetory

the Fitbit finally gets fashionable I'm Bridget Carey this is you're seen that update today we welcome a new Fitbit into the world there are so many of these fitness tracking wristbands to choose from and the latest from Fitbit hopes to lure you in its style it's called the Alta the main screen module in the center does all the computing and you can swap out the bands in multiple colors and there's even leather and metal options for when you're feeling fancy the band's cost extra but the Maine also cost 130 dollars and for that price you don't just get an activity tracker you also get alerts when you're too lazy and you're not moving yes judgement about your life is now a feature in these things because sitting is the devil this model does not have a heartrate tracker but in exchange it promises to automatically recognize what type of activity you are doing so it knows when you're on an elliptical machine or if you're biking outdoors or doing aerobics all based on motion and that gets factored into calorie burning calculations on the app the screen also shows incoming smart phone messages it hits us stores in March in other countries soon after you can get about five days out of the ulta before it needs a recharge battery life can be a make or break feature for many people Microsoft just updated its band 2 software to improve battery life when you have GPS on for outdoor workouts the GPS power saver mode gets you four more hours of tracking because it'll check your location list frequently Microsoft also updated its health app so you can enter in your weight and track changes but isn't that a basic thing that should have been there from the start microsoft also has been busy with other apps it just acquired the popular keyboard apps Swift key which is installed on more than 300 million mobile devices they learned your typing style and offers suggestions while you type the Financial Times reports that Microsoft paid around two hundred and fifty million dollars for the technology but how about we balance all this health and productivity talk with some new games then tend to announce that its first mobile game will be launching in March for both iOS and Android it's called miitomo and all we really know so far is well it's not really a game game it's more like a social network where you talk to other friends Me's and share photos to get you hooked there are incentives the new my Nintendo Rewards program is tied into this but details on points are unclear Nintendo is releasing five mobile apps over the next year and it teased out that the next one is gonna have a well known Nintendo character does that mean Mario or Donkey Kong is coming to your phone I don't know I'll probably just get something with the dog from duck hunt that's it for this tech news update and there's more at cnet.com from our studios in New York I'm Bridget Carey laugh it up