Gadgetory

Fitbit is still trying things around smartwatches it's really kind of cute what do you mean still trying things the Fitbit Versa is only the second SmartWatch that Fitbit has released and it's going up in the mass market with this one this isn't for fitness freaks or SmartWatch nerds this is just for regular people who want a smart Fitness watch that product already exists and it's called Apple watch which is great if you have an iPhone but if not this is the watch you need to look at this is the new Fitbit Versa it joins the Fitbit ionic which came out last year and this is supposed to be a little more accessible what does that even mean with one it's less expensive than the ionic the ionic costs $270 where's this cost $200 incidentally that's also less than that Apple watch Series one you've got over there that's true an entry-level Apple watch does started around two hundred and fifty dollars or more $250 or more but that's because it's a well made SmartWatch it's made with durable aluminum and has this nice Retina display and in my opinion it just has this universal design that appeals to lots of different people so does this that's because that looks like an Apple watch that's not true I mean it's got these carved edges here and it has an LCD display yeah and you can see the bezels if you look really closely it doesn't have a digital crown and it's just light and it lies flat I mean compared to the Versa the Apple watches bulges on our wrists this is just better sure is the biggest difference is between these two smart watches are software and compatibility unlike Apple watch if it works with iPhones Android phones even Windows Phone yep those three users are still out there but fitbit's operating system isn't really optimized for certain things you're not in the way that Apple's watch os's like what like responding to messages I mean on Apple watch I can respond using an emoji or a shortcut response or I can scribble on it and since this has a microphone built-in I can even use my voice to respond yeah but that's not all entirely fitbit's fault it has a lot to do with the way iOS works or really the way Apple works and Fitbit says that shortcut responses for Android users are coming to the Versa watch into the future so that's something yeah winter without quick responses on Android with that thing I still just don't like the way that handles notifications the text is really tiny so it's hard to see multimedia messages don't come through on the watch oh did I mention that Fitbit redesigned its SmartWatch interface so that it's even easier to see your health and fitness stats right on the watch also there are more than 550 apps and watch faces I remember when the App Store had fewer than a thousand apps but anyone who's considering any Fitbit is likely looking at it for health and fitness I mean yes it's a SmartWatch but Fitbit is first and foremost a digital health company and this tracks a lot of stuff it doesn't G PS neither does your watch only Apple watch Series 2 or later have built-in GPS and those get pretty expensive what Fitbit does track are your steps your calories burned your stairs climbed your heartrate your distance traveled based on accelerometer data Apple watch tracks all of that - like all of it sleep this Apple watch track sleep no yeah I mean that depends on if you trust the accuracy of consumer sleep trackers and the Fitbit first it also tracks very specific exercises like running or weightlifting or spinning or yoga and it gives you your cardio score which is basically your vo2 max it has built in coaching oh and it has an app called relax that reminds you to breathe you know this is it's funny because Apple watch tracks all of those same exercises and has an app called wait for it breathe this is uncanny well I'm going on day four with this and I've only charged it once what's your battery life like look I don't know how to break this to you but recent data showed that Apple is now the market leader in wearables not Fitbit and regardless of how you feel about wearables in general there's good reason for that Apple has figured out a way to add value for iOS users with this watch which is not an easy thing to do when you're talking about a tiny wrist computer that doesn't run apps very well a lot of people find closing the rings really motivating for health and fitness and in general it's just a great little device for notifications right if you have an iPhone which is a big if I mean a lot of people don't want to be locked into an ecosystem we've talked about this before and yet they still want a decent SmartWatch one-nut tracks fitness okay Fitbit needs a win I'm aware of that the company has had its fair share of struggles but based on using this I think there's a chance that the fifth at versa could be the mass-market SmartWatch that ends up appealing to a lot of people both because of its price point and its compatibility are you doing oh it's time to stand doesn't your watch do that to where we're leaving yep both of us we're kind of a package deal but we need to we need to say thank you to everybody everybody thank you for watching Lauren's out