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Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

cnbc.com

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Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#581

Post by mateuszf »

jyrkesh wrote: post #444
falcolas wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A large established and (based on personal connections) loyal fan base is a failure? Growth is not everything. Growth isn’t even really sustainable over a long enough time span, and Fitbit’s been around awhile.

I've gone through two Fitbits and I'll never buy one again. Horrible customer service, horrible build quality, band just kept breaking under REALLY light usage, and they refused to replace it the 2nd time because I was out of warranty (even though it was a replacement band that lasted So yeah, I'm with others below, I'm looking at everything else. Just bought a Withings on a whim, and I'm really happy with it so far.…

I was searching for Withings in the comments, and this is the only occurence. I also played with various fitness and smartwatches, but the only one I really like and stick with is Withings Steel HR.

Battery lasts a month, it's water resistant, shows me notifications, tracks steps and sleep and looks good at the same time! Also costs less than a "real" smartwatch. What a bargain to me. If only it had NFC payments it would be perfect.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#582

Post by aaron_m04 »

clairity wrote: post #479
cletus wrote: post #325

Oof. Goodbye Fitbit. Or, rather, welcome to the world where you're a pawn in internal politics. You may think you have a product but you don't. If your product survives (as in, Google didn't buy you just for the team), your product schedule will have to survive the interests of every other PA/team in Google. - You think you have software to run your products? Ha. The Android team will have a different opinion. - Even…

> “I actually agree with other commenters: Google just doesn't know what it's about anymore. It has no overriding vision.” it’s pretty apparent to me that after google finally got over wanting to be facebook, google now wants to be apple. and they’re desperately trying not to be microsoft, even though that’s what they mostly are. in the beginning, google had a unique identity (quirky & clever) and vision (organize th…

> and they’re desperately trying not to be microsoft, even though that’s what they mostly are.

Mostly because Microsoft became more like Google in recent years. :P

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#583

Post by qubex »

avocado4 wrote: post #562
hugi wrote: post #550

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except in China where it will simply be: Fit -> We know where you are -> We're gonna make you into mush with tanks. Thanks for the help, Google.

Google is banned in China along with almost all other US & European tech.

Google (the search engine) may well be ‘banned’ (but you’d be surprised how pedestrian it is to obtain and use a VPN connection... even since the purported ‘crackdown’... I was there recently) but the technology Google provides, in the form of Android and various backends and doodads, very much ‘owns’ the market there.

I don’t (really) believe that a glorified pedometer such as the FitBit will infringe on people’s privacy and security against a state actor such as the PRC any more than their cellphone already does.

So yeah... but... nah.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#585

Post by qubex »

antisthenes wrote: post #463
hugi wrote: post #446

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nah, what they want is me, ie. my data. I'm throwing away that fitbit (Google Personal information gathering device) and deleting my account. I'm informed enough to make that decision. Unfortunately thousands of users that just got sold out are not. Fuck Google.

We live in fast times. In a little less than a decade the perception of Google went from 'Best search on the internet' and 'Do no evil' to 'Fuck Google' and 'Delete your accounts with them'; and 'their search has gotten exponentially worse' No skin in the game from me (I only use Gmail for non-essential shopping), just an observation. Personally, I think it's great. I'm proud to stand with the vocal minority against…

Same as Microsoft, really: first they were one of the plucky little companies* “sticking it” to the likes of Big Blue and AT&T, then they themselves fell victim to their own success and became embodied in Gates Of Borg on Slashdot, then they missed the boat on Mobile and failed to Embrace, Extend, Extinguish the Internet and ended up on the downward stroke, so now they’re cool again... while the Googles and Apples that opposed them and grew ascendant in their various ways are now the Great Evils that draw our ire.

My guess for the next great Satan? One of the notable, useful, quirky little “meta”/“web-glue” outfits such as IFTTT or somebody like that. Or a Fintech. Or some other company that somehow insinuates itself into our daily lives, holding our rickety digital lifestyles together, and eventually becomes as indispensable as mortar is to a brick building.

*Other notable examples being, in no specific order: Intel, DEC, Symbolics, Commodore, and yes, Apple.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#586

Post by klohto »

MereInterest wrote: post #380
kccqzy wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm under the impression that health data is not uploaded to iCloud or backed up by iCloud backup. What makes you think otherwise?

From https://www.apple.com/ios/health/ > Your health data stays up to date across all your devices automatically using iCloud, where it is encrypted while in transit and at rest. Apps that access HealthKit are required to have a privacy policy, so be sure to review these policies before providing apps with access to your health and fitness data. That it is uploaded and capable of being shared with apps implies that A…

That is for iOS and not the watchOS. All health data is stored on the device and Apple does not have access to it.

It doesn't even have the means to decrypt it.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#587

Post by klohto »

deadmutex wrote: post #326
klohto wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> have yet to find a manufacturer that takes privacy seriously What's wrong with Apple then?

You need an iPhone. The square design might not appeal to everyone

That wasn't the point of the original comment at all, this is your personal projection.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#588

Post by autoexec »

muro wrote: post #546
impendia wrote: post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I find this whole "they're selling your data" trope to be trite and just annoying at this point. Do you believe it to be mistaken ? Or true, but not worth caring about?

From Google's privacy policy: We don’t share information that personally identifies you with advertisers, such as your name or email, unless you ask us to

The problem isn't just their sharing the data (although you'd be naive to assume that the data they collect isn't being turned over to at least the US government) it's the collecting and storing of that data itself that is problematic. The fact that they're using that data to manipulate us via advertising isn't much better.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#589

Post by SquishyPanda23 »

cletus wrote: post #325

Oof. Goodbye Fitbit. Or, rather, welcome to the world where you're a pawn in internal politics. You may think you have a product but you don't. If your product survives (as in, Google didn't buy you just for the team), your product schedule will have to survive the interests of every other PA/team in Google. - You think you have software to run your products? Ha. The Android team will have a different opinion. - Even…

> [language/framework du jour].

Is this an accurate description of Google? I thought they used the same 4-5 languages they've used since the beginning of time, maybe minus perl and plus kotlin.

Re: Google Buys Fitbit for $2.1B

#590

Post by B1FF_PSUVM »

itfrombit wrote: post #474
peonicles wrote: post #369

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to google for what "^H" meant. Found an interesting answer and backstory: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/386870.html

I used to joke that I was going to have "stty erase ^H" etched on my gravestone. It's probably been 25+ years since I've last needed to type that, but I can still hammer it out crazy fast. Sadly, that muscle memory is taking up neurons that'll never be used for anything else.

> taking up neurons

As long as they're not being used to hold "celebrity" biographies ...

(Sometimes I'm sad I even remember some names ... There's only so much crap one should be asked to take in to live in society ...)

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