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Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

reuters.com

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Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#391

Post by rubyfan »

mdorazio wrote: post #373
Datenstrom wrote: post #343

I deleted everything Google and switched to iOS a few years ago so Google would have less of my data. Now they are going to get detailed location, activity, and sleep history for all of those years anyway. You really can't win can you. I bet there is no option to download my data and nuke what they have before this happens either.

The only winning move anymore is to not play. Don’t sign up for any service that collects and stores detailed information like that. If that’s even possible these days. Unfortunately the “people who actually care about their data” market is too small to justify making something like a privacy-oriented Fitbit.

You don’t play this game. We are all pawns, you can’t choose to play or not.

You are the product and almost every organization you interact with is trying to get a piece of the action. Some of the worst offenders selling you out are your state and local governments.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#392

Post by bduerst »

criddell wrote: post #378
harikb wrote: post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't always have to be about linking everything to everything. They (Android) needs a decent watch/health device, one that Google has some control over. As it stands today, lack of 'Apple watch' support really kills their Pixel/Android sales.

They can't even get messaging right and that's way simpler. I doubt they can get health right.

No way is it simple - there are over a dozen OEMs each competing and advertising their Android phones with the co-branded messaging that they see fit.

The whole strategy behind the Pixel phone was to change the perception of the android brand as a cheap, bloatware'd device for tech dudes. Releasing a recognizable, high quality wearable line fits in with that strategy.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#393

Post by ac29 »

all_blue_chucks wrote: post #389

Fitbit bought and killed cool wearables like Pebble and Vector. If this deal goes through they will probably kill WearOS as well. Fitbit: the grim reaper of wearables.

Eh, the market is the reaper of wearables. There doesn't appear to be much of a market for non-Apple wearables (at least after the initial novelty wore off - tons of people bought fitbits and wore them for a couple weeks a few years ago). These companies are only being acquired because they failed to build a profitable market niche.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#394

Post by muststopmyths »

CydeWeys wrote: post #113
aries1980 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is not much "feature" in a Fitbit. You can't even correct simple numeric values of an exercise, such as the ran distance or the bodyfat percentage of the scale reading.

I have a Garmin fitness watch, and I mainly use it to tell the time, daily step count, and the distance/pace/heart rate/duration during runs and bike rides. I do sync the resultant recorded activities to Strava but frankly that's not very important to me. And this is enough to justify the device for me. It only cost $150 or so, lasts much longer than a year, and earns its keep in useful functionality.

I loved my Garmin for the 2-3 months I had it. Great battery life and the minimal functionality I needed in a fitness watch (GPS, heartrate, steps etc.)

It eventually irritated my skin (I had burn marks right under the light) so I had to give it up. Even with regular cleaning, I could not stop the strap itching.

The nice thing about Garmin (the company) is that they gave me a full refund even though it was well past the 30-day return. I haven't gone back to do the research on avoiding the skin issues, but I hope some day I'll be able to buy a Garmin again.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#395

Post by 0xbadcafebee »

metal13 wrote: post #380
eanzenberg wrote: post #362

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe where the data originated? So, if you are a EU citizen, but use a google device in the US on vacation, is the data generated in US bound by US-only regulations, so no GDRP?

It's...complicated: https://www.dataprotectionreport.com/2018/12/edpb-clarifies-... "The Guidelines note that the processing of personal data of EU citizens that takes place outside the EU will not trigger the GDPR so long as the processing is not a specific offer directed at individuals in the EU or to monitor their behavior in the EU." So it may be safe for google...but given it would apply to a user profile in gen…

Send a GDPR request anyway. Many companies do not track what region their users live in, or what parts of it came from what regions, etc. They get a GDPR request and they just file it in the queue for processing. All they know initially is your name and e-mail when you send in the request.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#396

Post by nradov »

harikb wrote: post #344
fragmede wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> with nicer battery life Don't discount this feature on a fitness tracker. The most recent Apple Watches are better in this respect compared to the first one, but the battery life is still measured in hours, rather than days. The UX for a Fitbit as a smartwatch is honestly horrible. The Pebble acquihire prioritized watch apps, in (what I see as) a belief that watch apps are necessary to compete with Apple. Resources…

A watch that needs to be charged once in a few days is actually worse than one that could use a charge every night. Charge at night is a habit that can easily be adjusted to our daily schedule. btw Apple watch does last a full day (I meant 16+ hrs) with decent use, unless you are playing music out of it all the time or obsessively checking time/calendar. Only advantage of fitbit is that some models are easier to wear…

This is just completely wrong. Garmin watches only need to be charged every few days of normal use and it's not a problem at all. Habits are irrelevant, just throw it on the charger for a few minutes when you see the battery gauge getting low.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#397

Post by robbyking »

mcv wrote: post #387

Nooo! My wife has a Fitbit and she's really happy with it. I don't want Google to kill it the way they killed Nest. That's honestly my first thought reading this. I lost my faith in Google about these sort of things.

What did Google do to Nest? I have a Nest cam and haven't noticed any difference in service.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#398

Post by nradov »

notatoad wrote: post #355
Sysreq1 wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you say, “That’s a bingo!” Google isn’t buying Fitbit to improve Fitbit, Google is acquiring a company to gain their experience in the wearables space to compete with Apple and Samsung. I suspect Google thinks AppleWatch is helping them erode the Android market share and/or preventing switchers from moving to Pixel.

>Google isn’t buying Fitbit to improve Fitbit, Google is acquiring a company to gain their experience in the wearables space I imagine they're also interested simply as a defensive move: if they don't buy fitbit, maybe samsung or apple does.

Fitbit has nothing that Samsung or Apple need (except perhaps some patents for protection for defensive litigation).

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#399

Post by Denzel »

fragmede wrote: post #286
AgloeDreams wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meanwhile try one, then try an older Apple watch, the Fitbit is straight up trash (with nicer battery life.) Fitbit UX is bad, and requires tons of interaction between the phone and watch and is remarkably hard to use, even switching watch faces requires digging multiple screens into the fitbit app and a 30+ second sync period, on the Apple watch this is known as 'swiping right' or at worst, holding down and tapping…

> with nicer battery life Don't discount this feature on a fitness tracker. The most recent Apple Watches are better in this respect compared to the first one, but the battery life is still measured in hours, rather than days. The UX for a Fitbit as a smartwatch is honestly horrible. The Pebble acquihire prioritized watch apps, in (what I see as) a belief that watch apps are necessary to compete with Apple. Resources…

Exactly this. I’ve grown tired of Fitbit’s lack of cohesive bug-free products — simple things like adjusting the volume of Bluetooth headphones were known bugs for years without progress — and I had to make a choice between jumping off the bandwagon or sticking with Fitbit.

Battery life kept me. Being able to go 4-7 days without thinking about the watch is paramount. I also don’t want to charge every night because I want to track my sleep! So Fitbit won out.

I wish they could succeed independently. They have so much love and stickiness in my friend group and we all love the simplicity of simply an advanced fitness tracker without all the weight of a full-fledged phone on your wrist. Sadly, it seems like they don’t know how to run a company effectively. Which is a shame because I really really don’t want to move to Apple or Google products or anything else in this category until they solve battery life.

Re: Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit

#400

Post by thevagrant »

muststopmyths wrote: post #394
CydeWeys wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a Garmin fitness watch, and I mainly use it to tell the time, daily step count, and the distance/pace/heart rate/duration during runs and bike rides. I do sync the resultant recorded activities to Strava but frankly that's not very important to me. And this is enough to justify the device for me. It only cost $150 or so, lasts much longer than a year, and earns its keep in useful functionality.

I loved my Garmin for the 2-3 months I had it. Great battery life and the minimal functionality I needed in a fitness watch (GPS, heartrate, steps etc.) It eventually irritated my skin (I had burn marks right under the light) so I had to give it up. Even with regular cleaning, I could not stop the strap itching. The nice thing about Garmin (the company) is that they gave me a full refund even though it was well past…

In case this helps: The higher end Garmin watches have many strap options, you can try take the supplied strap off and buy a strap made with a different material from Garmin or a third party. Also, best to take the watch off when showering, dry it completely / wipe down. Put the watch back on once you've dried off also. If your skin is super sensitive, consider taking it off sometimes at night etc.
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