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Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

reuters.com

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Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#191

Post by skinnymuch »

drcode wrote: post #88
bluetidepro wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

It's possible that spending time on those 1500 extra steps might help. However, it takes a decent chunk of time to walk 1500 steps, and there are so many forms of exercise you could do in that same time that might be far more valuable for your health... and a lot of them actually could be a lot more fun for most people if they take some effort to discover them. I worry that these tools perform a sort of psychological…

1500 steps is 15 min. I only check HN if I’m moving around on some mobile device. That’s 15 min right there.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#192

Post by freeplay »

aries1980 wrote: post #172
mrgreenfur wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google gets fitness data attached to your profile for incredible insight into ad targeting and profiling. Seems incredibly valuable to me. The actual products themselves are a bit ancillary for google their real value is realized behind the scenes.

You can export all your data and delete your Fitbit account at any time.

"""delete"""

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#193

Post by Miraste »

jakobegger wrote: post #178
freeplay wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They already have that from your phone. If you have an android device, no explanation needed. If you use an iPhone, unless you abstain from Google products completely, they have it from maps, wifi AP MACs, etc.

Phones don't have GPS running most of the time, to conserve battery. GPS is turned on only while you use navigation apps or while tracking workouts. So even if Google tracks you all day, they mostly have coarse data. Fitbits main purpose is workout tracking, so they have a lot of precise GPS tracks. I suppose those have some value for Google.

Google's Wifi triangulation is not much less accurate than GPS, depending where you are.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#194

Post by fetus8 »

skinnymuch wrote: post #188
fetus8 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been wearing an Apple Watch since it launched in 2015. The activity tracking and workout metrics are useful for keeping track of how active I am. It's not life changing. The heart rate monitoring has been incredibly useful for me. Over the last year, I've had 2-3 instances where my heart rate got rather high while sedentary. Those moments were times when I was having panic attacks. I could feel my heart racing,…

That’s pretty crazy. Anecdotally and what I assumed was the case, everyone I’ve talked to has said the heart rate monitoring is pretty worthless. At least before the last 2 iterations. Maybe they’re better.

The first time this happened, I was wearing a Series 3 Watch, and the last time it happened, I was wearing the Series 5. It's accurate enough to know from daily wearing/monitoring, that my heart rate was irregularly elevated. That's enough for me.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#195

Post by wlesieutre »

zeta0134 wrote: post #162
sakopov wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't used Fitbit since the first iteration of the product, but why would you want Spotify on a device that tracks your fitness level?

I do not own a Fitbit, but on my older Pebble, the music integration feature allows me to play/pause the music, switch tracks (to skip that one song in the playlist I should really remember to remove), and adjust the volume. When I'm working out or doing yardwork, it's handy to have access to these things on my wristwatch rather than trying to fiddle with the phone in my pocket. It's sounds like the most minor conven…

I used to have a Pebble and being able to do music control with hardware buttons was great.

I could push those buttons through my coat sleeve while wearing gloves.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#196

Post by alttab »

zeta0134 wrote: post #162
sakopov wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I haven't used Fitbit since the first iteration of the product, but why would you want Spotify on a device that tracks your fitness level?

I do not own a Fitbit, but on my older Pebble, the music integration feature allows me to play/pause the music, switch tracks (to skip that one song in the playlist I should really remember to remove), and adjust the volume. When I'm working out or doing yardwork, it's handy to have access to these things on my wristwatch rather than trying to fiddle with the phone in my pocket. It's sounds like the most minor conven…

I'm wearing my Pebble right now. I love this thing.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#197

Post by agloeregrets »

darkwater wrote: post #139
toasterlovin wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Xiaomi, Huawei, and Huami have really taken the wearables market by storm You link to a press release. Are there actual sales numbers to back that claim up? Because all I see out in the real world are Apple watches and Fit Bits. > I hope the rumoured Pixel Wearable isn't comically expensive like its Phone counterparts. The Apple Watch Series 3 is available on apple.com for $199.

> Because all I see out in the real world are Apple watches and Fit Bits. Which world? USA? Apple Watch doesn't work outside the Apple ecosystem, and Apple doesn't own the majority of the smartphone market. Stats for Europe, 2019 https://www.gizmochina.com/2019/10/21/smart-wearables-market... Apple was pretty stable, Fitbit lost half its market share (to Garmin, looks like), the rest was more or less stable.

I think they mean in the US (which obviously is not the whole world) Here in the US the iPhone is more than 50% market share (likely much higher, if you were to count hours of use rather than just raw devices. Many mid-range android users own one simply because it’s what the company told them to buy and they “just wanted a phone” while low end android devices lack battery life.) In the wearables market in the US, Garmin exclusively sells to hardcore fitness fans. They really are a niche company, (a very profitable niche, with high selling prices). In that context, yep, all you see are Fitbits and Apple watches. Fitbit is seen as the “android” of the smart watch world, which is quite funny as wearOS has become DOA.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#198

Post by agloeregrets »

ryanmercer wrote: post #96
TeMPOraL wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't wait for my already EOL'd Pebble that was acquired by FitBit to be resurrected as a surveillance/adtech nightmare by Google.

I can't wait for my Pebble 2 I paid for via crowdfunding (shhh I know I got refunded) to get manufactured and shipped before the company decided to go out of business, not delivering the product they hyped, and sell themselves to FitBit.

Lol I have a P2 HR that I use, still think it’s the best watch they ever made.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#200

Post by insulanus »

zamalek wrote: post #141
not2b wrote: post #91

Very bad news for anyone who has a Fitbit device. Google tends to destroy any "smart" devices they acquire; first they tie it more closely to their ecosystem, too much for comfort, then they remove features, then they get bored and neglect it, then you have a brick.

If you own a Fitbit (I do), it's great news. Fitbit have done an unmatched job of destroying the device already. I was honestly considering buying a different device already. They don't support Spotify, or really any music app except the one (which I don't remember). Their subscription service provides no real value at all. Their devices track heart rate and nothing else. They simply don't innovate at all.

Oh man.

I'm definitely on both sides of the fence.

After Fitbit bought Pebble, they made the ecosystem poorer. The Pebble tech team was stronger than the team that absorbed them.

Fitbit customer service is excellent, but their warranty is bad, and their build quality seems poor.

My Fitbit Ionic (about $300) stopped working one month after the 12 month warranty ran out, and they offered me a 20% discount on my next purchase. They haven't lit up the SiO2 sensor on the Ionic after (3?) years.

Google is great at a lot of things, but how invested are they in being a supplier of a niche, always connected device that collects personal data every second of the ...

Wait a second! Things might be looking up for Fitbit devices! (But maybe not the users)

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