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Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

reuters.com

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Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#51

Post by unlinked_dll »

drcode wrote: post #15

I'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…

Biofeedback has immensely improved my ability to cope with anxiety without needing medication for panic attacks. It helps me spot them as they come on, "snap" my brain out of it, and gives me something to focus on while doing breathing/mindfulness exercises to prevent the worst symptoms from manifesting and requiring more action.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#52

Post by pfranz »

atlasunshrugged wrote: post #4

I'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

Ugh... I get how Google's acquisition would make sense, but why does every company have to do everything? I know it's because of walled gardens and "integration" but it really sucks if you really like Fitbit because of some niche feature you're compelled to buy into the whole ecosystem.

After watching what happened to Nest I don't see how any current owner would be excited. I saw a newer, lower priced version released and being forced over to Google services. They used the brand and likely the team to develop more products, but none of them seem very compelling. They're all fairly identical to products other companies make.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#53

Post by throwaway5752 »

yalogin wrote: post #10

I somehow don't see the fit. Pardon the pun. Their watches though popular are completely self sustained, as in not connected devices. No link to the phone, cannot install Android on them most likely. So they are buying it purely for their experience making watches and not for their products. Also, I wonder how much Google will want to invest in devices that are not connected to their ecosystem and might neglect exist…

Foothold into wearables market with established brand, manufacturing footprint, and presumably some expertise in regulatory environment. If they can pair with Pixels and stream back raw data, I hear that Google is pretty good with data analysis. Wearables + cloud is in early innings. Apple Watch afib detection is a shiny trinket but, at least to my understand has negligible clinical value in and of itself.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#54

Post by jvagner »

drcode wrote: post #15

I'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…

In addition to working in tech, I'm also a certified personal trainer (I got it to volunteer train youth at a YMCA, and have kept at it because I work with a small number of people who are trying to enact transformation in various parts of their health & wellness).

I got an Amazfit Bip (super cheap, with GPS and HRM). I lift (heavy, 5/3/1 style) and trail run.

In short: steps are usually an indication of the aggregate of other things in your life. I leave my goal setting at 8K steps/day. On a 3-4 mile run day, I get it out of the way first thing. Some gym days are good for about 2000 steps.

On other days, I find that I am near the end of the day and I've literally managed all of 500 steps (working at the desk).

I do have more awareness of my distribution of steps/activity throughout the day. If I hit my 8K steps by 7am and have 9K steps at dinner, I know I was pretty sedentary all day.

I like to see 4000 steps at lunch, and 4000 steps at dinner, etc. Getting steps also gets me off the couch if I'm having a lazy day, gets the dog longer dog walks because I see an indicator of what I could give to her, etc etc.

With a busy schedule, hitting 8K steps EVERY SINGLE DAY takes work at least a few days each week. Sometimes my girlfriend needs another 2000 steps for her day, so I go with her too. It's a plus and we get that extra intentional time together. I personally welcome the quantified nudge, and it keeps me and my family out of the ditches of laziness and that lead to more gym, runs, hikes, etc.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#55

Post by braythwayt »

whydoyoucare wrote: post #31
spidermango wrote: post #11

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

And let's be clear that by "healthcare providers," we mean insurance companies.

And by "timely advice," we mean notifications that you need to shop for new insurance, because they've detected that you have become a riskier bet and are dropping your coverage.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#56

Post by sushid »

drcode wrote: post #15

I'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…

Have you tried it? I do (or did until a month ago when it got stole at a gym locker room). I have the break alert set so I get a few hundred steps in at least once an hour and I do walk to work once a week or so if my step average has been lower than I’d like during the weekday. I definitely walk more due to my Fitbit. For now I’m checking my phone which is suboptimal.

And you don’t stare at it while working out. You might look at it to see if you’re above or below your target HR if you’re doing long distance running or if you’re doing HIIT. If you’re just trying to get your ass into the gym then yes it’s not that important but if you want to improve your time then it’s great.

I do admit it did give me “sleep anxiety” if my time to fall asleep was a bit longer than usual. The other con was it was a bit bulky so my sleeves would get caught often.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#58

Post by hobo_mark »

atlasunshrugged wrote: post #6
MaximumMadness wrote: post #3

Every person I've talked to over at Fitbit (pre-this news) has been down on the company. Sounds like they've had trouble effectively scaling software/new hardware to the level of success that the initial device had. While this could easily be another money sink for Google as they attempt to figure out some sort of Android wearable, it also has the potential to be an Instagram level-acquisition. Non-Apple wearables se…

Something definitely has been off at Fitbit - I had their first device and then after swearing off smartwatches got a new Fitbit for Christmas. 10 months later I'm on my 3rd watch from them - the first one stopped taking a charge after a few months, the second one the screen went out in a week or two. I'm hoping the third time is the charm

Meanwhile my Pebble2 still holds a charge for a week after years or careless daily use...

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#60

Post by AgloeDreams »

yalogin wrote: post #10

I somehow don't see the fit. Pardon the pun. Their watches though popular are completely self sustained, as in not connected devices. No link to the phone, cannot install Android on them most likely. So they are buying it purely for their experience making watches and not for their products. Also, I wonder how much Google will want to invest in devices that are not connected to their ecosystem and might neglect exist…

You are weirdly offbase. Their most popular product, the Versa, is a connected smartwatch.

It is absolutely about the brand. Fitbit sells like hotcakes despite that their product is remarkably bad compared to others. (The versa is rather badly rated.)

The story here is Google buying them, throwing WearOS on them/a google watch with Fitbit branding, and EOLing the entire Fitbit lineup.

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