Great now google can track my biometrics
That's the whole point, isn't it? And then sell it to healthcare providers, so you can receive timely advice! :-D
Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
31–40 of 538 posts
Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
#32I'd definitely welcome this - it seems like Google has been way behind Apple with a solid watch competitors and given they've got the rest of the ecosystem with the Pixels, Chromebooks, and headphones, bulking up their capabilities there alongside the HTC team acquisition seems logical
What headphones does Google sell?
They've got the Pixelbuds, I think the niftiest feature on them was live translation
Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
#33Oh no. First they f*cked up nest and now fitbit?
Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
#34I'd still love to hear a convincing argument from someone as to the benefits of counting steps and measuring heart rate with a wrist band- Are people feeling like they are more fit because they walked to lunch "the long way" so they can reach the 10000 step goal that Fred from accounting has set for them? Do they feel healthier because they were regularly watching their heart rate reading during their hour in the gym…
I got it primarily to track my heart rate while sleeping. It has absolutely helped retain activities that were helping or hurting my heart rate.
For working out, absolutely, if you’re trying to target a specific cardio exercise you want to your heart rate to be in a range and I have used it for that too, though usually a chest sensor which is much more accurate.
Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
#35I'd still love to hear a convincing argument from someone as to the benefits of counting steps and measuring heart rate with a wrist band- Are people feeling like they are more fit because they walked to lunch "the long way" so they can reach the 10000 step goal that Fred from accounting has set for them? Do they feel healthier because they were regularly watching their heart rate reading during their hour in the gym…
A couple times I've started to have my heart rate go out of control while not working out, and it's been a sign of not eating enough recently in my case. While not medical-device-level accurate, having a heart rate monitor on hand has been pretty helpful for monitoring that issue and my recovery from it.
I also like sleep tracking, because I don't get enough sleep, and my Fitbit helps keep track of my failure.
That being said, I bought my Fitbit as a smartwatch, not a health tracker. It was the only smartwatch that supported Windows Mobile.
Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
#36I'd still love to hear a convincing argument from someone as to the benefits of counting steps and measuring heart rate with a wrist band- Are people feeling like they are more fit because they walked to lunch "the long way" so they can reach the 10000 step goal that Fred from accounting has set for them? Do they feel healthier because they were regularly watching their heart rate reading during their hour in the gym…
> Are people feeling like they are more fit because they walked to lunch "the long way" so they can reach the 10000 step goal that Fred from accounting has set for them?
I think it would be hard to argue that it DOESN'T make you more fit? If you normally have say 500 steps in a day, and the FitBit convinces you (through gamification, visibility into the metrics, or whatever it may be) to now take 2,000 steps in a day, then it's not a "feeling like they are more fit", it will indeed make them more fit (assuming nothing else were to change). The health benefit in 2,000 steps vs 500 steps is probably pretty cut and dry.
Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m still on my g1 Applewatch. If it had as many issues as the fitbits, I sure wouldn’t buy more fitbits.
Probably received free replacements. I had 3 break down on me and only once did I have to pay shipping, coincidentally that was the last time I asked for a replacement. perhaps I am bitter. Their support was great but when it doesn't perform the basic function of syncing with my phone or desktop app, what good is it? I had software and hardware problems (band breaks easily) on all of them.
Yeah, they were good about giving me free replacements whenever I had an issue, if not I definitely wouldn't have purchased a new device. I just swapped in the new replacement screen this morning, hopefully it works for a good long while
Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
#38I would think that Google's first choice was Garmin. In my personal opinion, they have better watch products.
It was reported last month that Fitbit engaged Qatalyst for a sale. I wonder who leaked the news to Reuters, which did not mention a price: was it Qatalyst, hoping to start a bidding war?
Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
#39I'd still love to hear a convincing argument from someone as to the benefits of counting steps and measuring heart rate with a wrist band- Are people feeling like they are more fit because they walked to lunch "the long way" so they can reach the 10000 step goal that Fred from accounting has set for them? Do they feel healthier because they were regularly watching their heart rate reading during their hour in the gym…
I check my resting heart rate on a weekly basis to monitor if my Leukemia has relapsed. It's less invasive than regular blood draws.
Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
#40I'd still love to hear a convincing argument from someone as to the benefits of counting steps and measuring heart rate with a wrist band- Are people feeling like they are more fit because they walked to lunch "the long way" so they can reach the 10000 step goal that Fred from accounting has set for them? Do they feel healthier because they were regularly watching their heart rate reading during their hour in the gym…
It's not going to change your life. Not everybody is going to derive value from it, and that's okay. It's not targeted at everybody. I generally find it quite useful. When running, I can aim at a certain heart rate which keeps me consistent between workouts and gives me a way to quantify if I'm feeling a bit exhausted compared to similar workouts, giving me another data point for planning the rest of my training week. It's also a useful measure of fitness and you can easily track improving fitness with it across workouts across time. It gives me a better sense of where my heart rate is and when, which has given me a bit more confidence in what I can do. It also tracks my sleep, which can also be useful.
There are just a lot of useful, small benefits that easily justify using one. I can easily go without though, so it's not a must-have. If you don't need that kind of detail in your life, just skip the whole thing. I'll sometimes go months without wearing it.
I don't think there's a "killer app" or a "convincing" argument. Rather, either it aligns with your goals and needs or it doesn't.