Fitbit, a connected health and fitness company, on Thursday announced Fitbit Force, what it calls a "high-performance wireless activity and sleep-tracking wristband."
The successor of the Fitbit Flex, the Force wristband has an OLED display that provides users access to all their activity stats, supposedly 'keeping you motivated throughout the day.' Fitbit Force ($129.95) is available for order today on fitbit.com and will be available in select retailers in three-four weeks.
The Fitbit Force wristband will show users data such as: steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned, active minutes as well as floors climbed. Force also monitors users' sleep, and can wake them with a silent alarm, thereby serving as a 'sleek watch' that 'can even provide incoming call notifications' with a future firmware update.
According to the company, the Fitbit Force wristband is the only product in its category to be able to capture and display all of these stats from users' wrists, as well as wirelessly and automatically sync them to Apple and Android smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth 4.0, apart synching with a web interface. There are also 'motivational' online and mobile tools, which help users connect socially to stay motivated with notifications, badges and leaderboards.
James Park, CEO and Co-Founder of Fitbit, said at the launch: "We are continuously looking for ways to take wireless tracking devices and wearable technologies to the next level, and I feel strongly that Force, with its sophisticated design and instant and easy access to all your daily activity right on your wrist, delivers on the promise of what a next-generation activity tracker should be," said
Fitbit has outlined the biggest features and benefits of the Force wristband, below:
- OLED display screen for instant stats and time: Force accurately measures and shows steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, floors climbed and the time on an easy-to-view OLED display on the wristband
- Altimeter takes you to new heights: Force contains a state-of the-art altimeter to track how many floors or how high you climb each day
- Track active minutes to increase your burn: Along with steps, distance and calories burned, you can set a goal for daily "active minutes," which are moderate-to-high intensity cardio minutes (Center for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes/week)
- Sleep monitoring & silent wake alarm: Track sleep quality, including number of hours slept and how many times you wake or are restless; Force also has a silent wake alarm that gently vibrates to wake you and won't disturb your partner
- Bluetooth 4.0 allows wireless, automatic syncing: Force stats sync wirelessly to leading mobile phones and tablets so progress is always up to date without having to plug in; Android users simply tap the NFC-enabled Force to a phone to launch the Fitbit app
- Receive smart call notifications on your Force: With Apple iOS 7 4S and higher smartphones, you can choose to receive incoming call notifications right on your Force when your phone is nearby
- Motivational online & mobile tools: Stay motivated with notifications, badges and leaderboards; cheer, taunt and direct message your friends throughout the day - reach your goals faster with a little friendly competition
- Comfortable to wear 24/7: Designed to be comfortable and stylish, Force is also water resistant and can withstand even the sweatiest workout, so you can wear it day and night; plus, Force has a battery life of 7-10 days
- Sophisticated, advanced design: Available in two classic colors (Black and Slate), the sleek Force wristband looks good no matter what you're doing.