Fitbit

2014-12-27T09:59:16Z

CaptainStack: /* Fitbit Charge HR */ Less advertising sounding wording.

{{Infobox company
| name = Fitbit Inc.
| logo = [[File:Fitbit logo.jpg|150px]]
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]] [[startup company|startup]]
| foundation = [[San Francisco, California]], [[United States]] ({{Start date|2007|10}})<ref name=crunchbase>{{cite web |title=Fitbit Company Profile |url=http://www.crunchbase.com/company/fitbit |work=CrunchBase |publisher=[[TechCrunch]] |accessdate=September 17, 2009}}</ref>
| founder = James Park<br />Eric Friedman
| location_city = San Francisco, CA
| location_country = USA
| area_served = USA
| key_people = James Park, CEO<br />Eric Friedman, CTO
| industry = [[Consumer electronics]]
| products = Fitbit Tracker
| homepage = [http://www.fitbit.com www.fitbit.com]
| footnotes =
}}

'''Fitbit Inc.''' is a company headquartered in [[San Francisco, California]], [[United States]]. Founded and managed by James Park and Eric Friedman, the company is known for its products of the same name, which are [[activity tracker]]s, [[wireless]]-enabled [[wearable device]]s that measure data such as the [[Pedometer|number of steps walked]], quality of [[sleep]], and other personal metrics. The first of these was the '''Fitbit Tracker'''.

==Fitbit Tracker==
[[File:Fitbit Ultra - teal.jpg|thumb|Fitbit Ultra activity tracker in teal clipped to pocket]]
The Fitbit Tracker uses a three-dimensional [[accelerometer]], similar to that in the [[Wii Remote]], to sense user movement. The Tracker measures steps taken, and combines it with user data to calculate distance walked, calories burned, floors climbed, and activity duration and intensity. It uses an [[Organic light-emitting diode|OLED display]] to display this and other information such as the battery level. It also measures sleep quality by tracking periods of restlessness, how long it takes the wearer to fall asleep, and how long they are actually asleep.

A [[wireless]] base station is included to receive data from the Tracker and also charge its battery. When connected to a computer the base station will upload data to the Fitbit website, where a number of features are available: seeing an overview of physical activity, setting and tracking goals, keeping food and activity logs, and interacting with friends. Use of the website is free.

The Fitbit Classic tracked only steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned, activity intensity, and sleep. It was designed to be a small black and teal device that could be clipped discreetly onto clothing and worn 24/7.

September 9, 2008,<ref>{{cite web |first=Kate |last=Greene |title=Self Surveillance |url=http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/21361/page1/ |work=Technology Review |publisher=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |date=September 10, 2008 |accessdate=September 19, 2009}}</ref> at [[TechCrunch50]] during the "Mobile" session. Fitbit received positive reactions during its panel from experts like [[Rafe Needleman]], [[Tim O'Reilly]], and [[Evan Williams (Internet entrepreneur)|Evan Williams]] who cited its wearability, price point, and lack of subscription fees.

=== Fitbit Ultra ===

A new hardware upgrade was announced on October 3, 2011,<ref>http://blog.fitbit.com/?p=522</ref> called the '''Fitbit Ultra'''. The new features included:
* an [[altimeter]] that measures elevation gain in terms of floors, with one floor roughly equivalent to ten feet.
* a digital clock visible on the device’s display
* a [[stopwatch]] that can be used to time activities
* randomized “Chatter” messages show when the Ultra is moved after sitting idle for a while, and there’s a custom field to write in a personal “Greeting”.
* new colors (plum or blue, as opposed to the original teal)

The Fitbit Ultra is powered by a small [[Lithium polymer battery]].<ref>https://www.takeitapart.com/guide/11</ref>

=== Fitbit One ===

Announced on September 17, 2012, the '''Fitbit One''' is an update to the Fitbit Ultra that uses a more vivid digital display, has a separate clip and a separate charging cable and wireless sync [[dongle]].<ref name="Co.Design article about new One">{{cite web|last=Wilson|first=Mark|title=Fitbit’s Newest Gadget: 24/7 Fitness Tracking Meets 24/7 App Syncing|url=http://www.fastcodesign.com/1670906/fitbits-newest-gadget-247-fitness-tracking-meets-247-app-syncing#1|publisher=Co.Design by Fast Company|accessdate=26 January 2013}}</ref> The Fitbit One and the Fitbit Zip were the first wireless activity trackers to sync using Bluetooth 4.0 or [[Bluetooth SMART]] technology. The wireless syncing is currently available on newer iOS and Android devices such as the iPhone 4S and higher, iPad 3rd generation, iPod touch 5th generation, Samsung Galaxy Note II and higher, Samsung Galaxy S III and higher, LG G2, HTC One, Moto X, and Nexus 4 or higher.<ref name="fitbit.com">http://www.fitbit.com/devices</ref> Fitbit One can record several daily activities, including but not limited to, number of steps taken, distance travelled on foot, number of floors climbed, calories burned, vigorously active minutes, sleep efficiency, delicate movements during sleep, number of wake-ups during sleep, etc.

===Fitbit Zip===

[[File:White Fitbit Zip.jpg|thumb|A white Fitbit Zip, showing the distance in miles covered by the wearer]]
Announced on September 17, 2012, the '''Fitbit Zip '''is roughly the size of [[Quarter (United States coin)|a quarter]] and tracks only steps taken, distance travelled, and calories burned. Compared to the other Fitbit trackers, the Zip is the first Fitbit product to include a disposable battery. It also has a lower price point than other Fitbit trackers. Similar to the Fitbit One, it is able to sync its data wirelessly to supported mobile devices, such as the iPhone 4S and higher, iPad 3rd generation, iPod touch 5th generation, Samsung Galaxy Note II and higher, Samsung Galaxy S III and higher, LG G2, HTC One, Moto X, and Nexus 4 or higher.<ref name="fitbit.com"/>

===Fitbit Flex===
[[File:Fitibit Flex.jpg|thumb|Fitibit Flex with accompanying wristband]]
In May 2013, Fitbit released the Fitbit Flex, which is a device that one wears on the wrist. It tracks movement 24 hours a day, including sleep patterns. It has a simple display of 5 LED lights which indicate the number of steps taken in a day, and it vibrates to indicate that your goal has been reached. The lights also indicate battery level. The Fitbit Flex has almost all the same sync functions as the Fitbit One and Zip. The Flex is also the most water-resistant tracker; it can be worn while showering and swimming. The Fitbit flex includes a specialized USB charger; the battery lasts 5–7 days, and it takes 1–2 hours to charge.

===Fitbit Force===

The Fitbit Force was announced on October 10, 2013. It has an OLED display<ref>{{cite web|first=Nick|title=The best activity tracker yet... The Fitbit Force reviewed|url=http://www.fitgadgetreviews.com/fitbit-force-review/}}</ref> that shows time and daily activity. The Force tracks a number of statistics in real-time, including steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, stairs climbed and active minutes throughout the day. At night, the Force tracks sleep and can wake a user silently with a vibrating alarm.

On January 13, 2014 it was reported that an unconfirmed number of Fitbit customers who have purchased the Force have complained about skin irritation after wearing the Force for extended periods of time.<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/14/fitbit-apologies-_n_4599193.html</ref> Fitbit stated on its website that the company consulted with medical professionals whose assessments are that these irritations are most likely [[allergic contact dermatitis|allergic reactions to nickel]], a component of the surgical-grade steel or the adhesives used to assemble the Fitbit Force.<ref name="ForceCEO">[CEO letter 2/20/14: https://www.fitbit.com/forcesupport]</ref> Fitbit, working with the Consumer Protection Safety Commission, recalled the Fitbit Force on February 20, 2014.<ref name="ForceCEO"/> On March 12, 2014 the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) made the recall official.<ref name="ForceRecall">[CPSC recall https://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Fitbit-Recalls-Force-Activity-Tracking-Wristband/]</ref> At that time it was revealed that The Fitbit Force had caused about 9,900 injuries.<ref name="ForceRecall"/>

===Fitbit Charge===
Announced in October 2014, the Fitbit Charge is a replacement for the Fitbit Force. It was released in November 2014 for US$130 retail. Unlike the Force, Charge's wrist band is slightly different and textured and can display caller ID information from a connected smartphone. <ref>Burns, Matt. October 27 2014 "[http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/27/fitbits-latest-activity-trackers-feature-heartheart-monitoring-smartwatch-functions/ Fitbit’s Latest Activity Trackers Feature Heart Monitoring, Smartwatch Functions]"</ref> <ref>[http://www.cio.com/article/2851913/mobile-apps/two-surprises-in-fitbits-new-charge-fitness-tracker.html Two Surprises in Fitbit's New Charge Fitness Tracker], CIO.com, November 25, 2014</ref>

===Fitbit Charge HR===
Announced in October 2014, The Charge HR is the Charge but also includes a heart-rate monitor. With this addition it brings the 7 day battery life to 5 days. It will be available sometime early 2015 for $150. <ref>Burns, Matt. October 27 2014 "[http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/27/fitbits-latest-activity-trackers-feature-heartheart-monitoring-smartwatch-functions/ Fitbit’s Latest Activity Trackers Feature Heart Monitoring, Smartwatch Functions]"</ref>

===Fitbit Surge===
Announced in October 2014, The Surge is more like a smart-watch than an activity tracker and aimed for the fitness demographic. The Surge will include a heart-rate monitor and the ability to track pace, distance, and elevation. It will be available sometime early 2015 for $250, but Fitbit held a pre-release sale in December 2014 and shipped the unit to customers immediately. <ref>Burns, Matt. October 27 2014 "[http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/27/fitbits-latest-activity-trackers-feature-heartheart-monitoring-smartwatch-functions/ Fitbit’s Latest Activity Trackers Feature Heart Monitoring, Smartwatch Functions]"</ref>

==Fitbit Aria==
In April 2012,<ref>http://gdgt.com/fitbit/</ref> Fitbit released a "Wi-Fi smart scale" called the Fitbit Aria. It recognizes users who are wearing Fitbit trackers and measures weight, body mass index ([[body mass index|BMI]]) and percentage of body fat of the user. It can keep track of eight individual users and updates information to fitbit.com automatically via Wi-Fi network.<ref>http://www.fitbit.com/product/aria</ref> The information is also updated to the mobile apps.

==Fitbit Mobile Apps==
In October 2011, just a few weeks after the launch of the Fitbit Ultra, Fitbit launched a native app for the [[iPhone]].<ref name="Fitbit iPhone app">http://blog.fitbit.com/?p=530</ref> In March 2012 Fitbit launched a native app for [[Android (operating system)|Android]]. Users could log their food, activities, water intake, and weight, as well as track their fitness goals throughout the day even while offline. Originally the iOS and Android apps could only retrieve data from the user's Fitbit account, rather than connecting directly to the fitness tracker, but in September 2012 the Fitbit One and Zip were announced with Bluetooth support for syncing directly with phones. When the One and Zip were released, only newer iOS devices were supported,<ref>http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/09/new-fitbits-can-sync-with-iphones-androids-via-bluetooth-4-0/</ref> but in February 2013, Fitbit released an update that would allow wireless syncing from Fitbit One and Zip devices to the Samsung Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II.<ref>http://blog.fitbit.com/finally-wireless-sync-beta-on-android/</ref> An update in May 2013 added support for the Galaxy S4,<ref>http://blog.fitbit.com/android-update-fitbit-now-syncs-to-the-galaxy-s4/</ref> and on January 6, 2014, Fitbit announced an update to the Android app adding support for many more devices including the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Moto X, HTC One, and LG G2.<ref>http://blog.fitbit.com/android-update-12-new-android-phones-now-sync-with-fitbit-trackers/</ref> On July 28, 2014, the official Windows Phone app was released.

==Fitbit website==
Fitbit offers a free website that can be used with or without the Fitbit Tracker. Users have the ability to log their food, activities, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and glucose levels to track over time. Users also have the ability to set daily and weekly goals for themselves for steps, calories burned and consumed, and distance walked.

=== App gallery===
Fitbit.com dashboard also has the ability for users to connect existing applications from other providers such as Loseit, Myfitnesspal, and many others to have cumulative data collection in one location for a more complete personal health report.

===Food plan===
Fitbit allows users to set a food plan for themselves on the website or the mobile app based on a weight goal. The food plan tool has four different intensity settings users can choose from, and gives a range of calorie consumption to aim for each day. This number updates dynamically with any activities logged on the Fitbit website or synced with the Fitbit Tracker. It also gives a projected date for reaching the weight goal which updates as the user logs their weight.

===Badges===
On August 9, 2011, Fitbit launched badges for various step and distance milestones. Step badges could be earned based on how many steps a user took in a single day, while lifetime distance badges gave users a badge based on how much distance they've logged since they started using the Fitbit Tracker. With the launch of Fitbit Ultra, they came out with new Ultra-only badges that can be earned for floor climbing, and launched new step and distance badges that anyone could earn.

==Reception==

===Awards===
Fitbit has won numerous awards, including runner-up at TechCrunch50 in 2008<ref>http://techcrunch.com/2008/09/10/yammer-takes-techcrunch50s-top-prize/</ref> and CES 2009 Innovation honoree and best in the Health & Wellness category.<ref>http://www.cesweb.org/awards/innovations/2009honorees.asp</ref>

===Privacy concerns===
Starting in June 2011, Fitbit was criticized for its website's default activity sharing settings, which made users' manually entered physical activities available for public viewing.<ref name="Fitbit blog response">http://blog.fitbit.com/?p=463</ref> All users had the option to make their physical activity information private, but some users were unaware that the information was public by default. One specific issue which technology blogs made fun of was that some users were including details about their sex lives in their daily exercise logs, and this information was by default publicly available.<ref>http://gizmodo.com/5817784/dear-fitbit-users-kudos-on-the-30-minutes-of-vigorous-sexual-activity-last-night</ref> Fitbit responded to criticism by making all such data private by default and requesting that search engines remove indexed user profile pages from their databases.<ref name="Fitbit blog response"/>

==See also==
* [[Jawbone (company)|Jawbone]]
* [[Microsoft Band]]
* [[Quantified Self]]
* [[Smart keychain]]
* [[Smartwatch]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.fitbit.com/}}

[[Category:Electronics companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Activity trackers]]
[[Category:Wireless transmitters]]
[[Category:Smart bands]]

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Fitbit