The five trackers used in the study.
A new study from the American Council on Exercise (ACE) looked at five popular consumer activity trackers and evaluated them for accuracy. The study found that five devices -- Nike+ FuelBand, Fitbit Ultra, Jawbone UP, BodyMedia FitCore and Adidas MiCoach -- all tracked steps relatively accurately, but many were less accurate when it comes to tracking...
According to a recent report from the NPD Group, San Francisco-based Fitbit shipped 67 percent of all activity tracking devices in 2013. The company's devices also accounted for 77 percent of the "full body activity trackers" shipped during the five weeks leading up to Christmas. That's up from about 60 percent for 2012's holiday season, according to Fitbit. NPD also estimated that the digital...
Fitbit is getting ready to release yet another fitness device, the Fitbit Force, according to a report from The Verge. This new device builds on the Fitbit Flex and will be the more expensive option when launched. The rumored device has a built in altimeter to measure altitude, which would improve its stair climber metric. The device also has watch functionality.
This was the second big...
Rewards badges from Zamzee
The Health Resources and Services Administration at HHS is working on a new texting initiative, based on the successful public health texting initiative Text4Baby, called TXT4Tots. The department is soliciting via the Federal Registry for ways to distribute their library of text messages designed to promote wellness, nutrition and exercise for parents of children under...
At the CES event in Las Vegas this week, Fitbit unveiled a new Bluetooth Smart-enabled, wrist-worn activity tracker, called Fitbit Flex. Like most of Fitbit's other trackers, the Flex also promises to help users track their sleep health if worn at night. All of Fitbit's previous activity trackers were intended to be worn clipped on to clothing or tucked into users' pockets. The Flex, which is...
This week San Francisco-based Fitbit launched two new activity tracking devices: the Fitbit Zip and the Fitbit One, which both connect directly to smartphones via Bluetooth Smart. Legacy Fitbit devices only uploaded information to the Fitbit portal and app when the wearer was nearby a wireless-enabled hub that plugged into the user's computer via USB, and the new Fitbit devices offer this too for...
For the first time ever, Nike has made available an API that lets developers build apps that work with its fitness offerings. While the API is only available in a limited beta for developers participating in a hackathon at the SXSWi event in Austin, Texas, this week, the move is likely to lead to wider availability in the near future.
According to a report over at TechCrunch, Nike made the API...
Fitbit, which offers the Fitbit Ultra activity monior and the Aria WiFi Smart Scale, announced its third round of funding: $12 million from existing investors. Foundry Group, True Ventures, SoftTech VC and Felicis Ventures all participated in the round.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, Fitbit unveiled the Aria WiFi scale, its first product offering outside of...
Fitbit unveiled its first product outside of wearable activity monitors this week at CES: the Aria WiFi Smart Scale, a connected weight scale similar to Withings' WiFi scale offering. The Aria scale measures weight, body fat percentage, as well as BMI and uploads the data via the user's home WiFi network to Fitbit's online portal. The device is expected to launch in late April and will retail for...
Fitbit launched its second generation fitness tracking device, called Fitbit Ultra, which features new metrics and wireless features. The company also announced the launch of its first iPhone app. These are the first new product launches since the company debuted its flagship offering back in 2009.
Like the original Fitbit device, the Ultra is a wireless-enabled, fitness and calorie tracking...
