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Fitbit is now officially part of Google

blog.fitbit.com

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Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#71

Post by dkersten »

Vermeulen wrote: post #15

I don't understand the fear of Google from FitBit users in these comments. Google has a clear user agreement with how they use your data, including not selling it - and they rely on users trusting them. I'd rather my data be with one of the tech giants than a unprofitable start up

Not selling it doesn't matter to me because the company that I'm afraid of ending up with my data -- ie the company I don't want others to sell their data to -- is Google itself.

You have to ask yourself, why don't we want companies to sell our data in the first place? What's wrong with a third party having it? Its out of fear of them abusing that data. So then you have to ask yourself, what counts as abuse? To me, its any time a company uses the data against me, in order to make me spend money or buy products. This is EXACTLY what Google does with my data. They use it to find out what the best adverts to serve me are, that give the highest likelihood that I will click on them and buy something. Given the amount of garbage adverts they have, I do not trust Google for a second: I've seen plenty of Google and Youtube adverts for outright scams, exploitative garbage like Raid Shadow Legends, have heard reports of malware being served, etc. As long as Google happily serve these adverts on their network (and they don't even respond to reporting the adverts, as plenty of HN submissions have shown), I don't believe they can be trusted, in general and certainly not with my data.

Therefore, I do not want Google to have any data on me and that's why I am against this and other acquisitions.

Besides just the data, its also Googles record for shutting down services they buy and their non-existent customer support.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#72

Post by eberkund »

freedomben wrote: post #61
aboringusername wrote: post #42

One thing that confuses me is why this data needs to be stored within the internet at all. Why can't I have an entirely offline driven system? Data stays local, no ability to upload it online at all, and all processing is done without ever needing the internet. That's a key criteria if I ever was thinking of getting a smart wearable, I'm not going to generate even more data that can be profited from and potentially u…

Arguing for jail, aka literally locking a human being in a cage, for any non-violent offense, let-alone getting hacked because your employees mad a mistake, is mindblowing to me. I'm as irritated as you at data leaks from negligence, but jail? I thought jail was not supposed to be for "punishment" but rather to protect the public from someone too dangerous to allow free, and even then it should mainly target "rehabil…

Are you against jail-time for all non-violent white collar crimes or just negligence in the realm of technology companies?

Please don't assume that anyone with a different view hasn't considered the significance of their position.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#73

Post by akmarinov »

brlewis wrote: post #68
petercooper wrote: post #28

What is a good lightweight 24/7 heart rate and sleep tracker that's not a Fitbit? I have an Apple Watch but the Fitbit's sleep tracking is way better and I keep it on for days (whereas I charge my Apple Watch overnight). I am super happy with my Fitbit but given Google I assume it will be "sunset" within a year or two so I want to switch early.

> I am super happy with my Fitbit but given Google I assume it will be "sunset" within a year or two I work for Fitbit. I don't speak for Fitbit, but now that the deal is closed I can share my own opinions and ask my own questions. What makes you think Google wants Apple to have the only good smart watch? That would be the main effect of sunsetting Fitbit. Nest still exists after their 2014 acquisition by Google, and…

They have a very clear history of buying companies, carving out what they need from it and reselling it (Boston Dynamics, Motorola, HTC, etc).

Chances are that Fitbit won't be around 2-3 years from now, hence no real reason to invest in a product from them now.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#75

Post by akmarinov »

Well, RIP FitBit's Health API, that'll probably be rolled into Google Fit.

As a mobile developer, when we do any Health integration, the topmost platforms by usage are Apple Health and Fitbit, followed by Samsung Health and lastly Google Fit.

This easily lets them catapult in second place.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#76

Post by LibertyBeta »

petercooper wrote: post #55
LibertyBeta wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Garmin Forerunner 45/245 might fit that bill. I'm wearing one right now and only notice it because its riding up on my wrist from my sweater. And as a bit of a metric nerd the Garmin data exports rock. Oh, and I haven't charged it in over a week.

After having seen how difficult it is to get an Oura in the UK, I might investigate this first - thanks!

Sure thing! The forerunner 45s is the cheaper option in the forerunner lineup, BUT it doesn't have standard lugs.

There is also the Venu and Vivoactive lines with touch screens, but their battery isn't nearly as good as anything in forerunner's camp.

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#77

Post by Majestic121 »

brlewis wrote: post #68
petercooper wrote: post #28

What is a good lightweight 24/7 heart rate and sleep tracker that's not a Fitbit? I have an Apple Watch but the Fitbit's sleep tracking is way better and I keep it on for days (whereas I charge my Apple Watch overnight). I am super happy with my Fitbit but given Google I assume it will be "sunset" within a year or two so I want to switch early.

> I am super happy with my Fitbit but given Google I assume it will be "sunset" within a year or two I work for Fitbit. I don't speak for Fitbit, but now that the deal is closed I can share my own opinions and ask my own questions. What makes you think Google wants Apple to have the only good smart watch? That would be the main effect of sunsetting Fitbit. Nest still exists after their 2014 acquisition by Google, and…

> That would be the main effect of sunsetting Fitbit.

That's very debatable, considering the smartwatches from Samsung, Fossil, Garmin...

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#78

Post by [deleted] »

Vermeulen wrote: post #15

I don't understand the fear of Google from FitBit users in these comments. Google has a clear user agreement with how they use your data, including not selling it - and they rely on users trusting them. I'd rather my data be with one of the tech giants than a unprofitable start up

[deleted]

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#79

Post by brlewis »

akmarinov wrote: post #73
brlewis wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I am super happy with my Fitbit but given Google I assume it will be "sunset" within a year or two I work for Fitbit. I don't speak for Fitbit, but now that the deal is closed I can share my own opinions and ask my own questions. What makes you think Google wants Apple to have the only good smart watch? That would be the main effect of sunsetting Fitbit. Nest still exists after their 2014 acquisition by Google, and…

They have a very clear history of buying companies, carving out what they need from it and reselling it (Boston Dynamics, Motorola, HTC, etc). Chances are that Fitbit won't be around 2-3 years from now, hence no real reason to invest in a product from them now.

Like everyone who has an account on HN, I'm aware that there are companies acquired by Google that no longer exist. But some -- Android, youtube, Nest, etc. -- still exist. What makes you think Fitbit will fall in the former category? Random probability?

Re: Fitbit is now officially part of Google

#80

Post by brmgb »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #26
brmgb wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wear OS needs work but it's not garbage. Given enough RAM it's usable. The Fossil Gen 5 for example is somewhat fine. The issue is more with Qualcomm releasing garbage CPU. Google releasing a watch would help in the same way the Nexus line helped with phones. What WearOS needs is man power and an easier time getting the fix they need in the Android tree. It's not however a lost cause. With the improved activity monit…

> Given enough RAM This is the problem. A smartwatch should not be burning a lot of RAM. It has a battery the size of a dime, it should be doing very little with processor or memory. Wear OS is too bloated to the task.

> A smartwatch should not be burning a lot of RAM.

Then again, the Gen 5 has 1Go and works fine. That's the same amount than an Apple watch serie 4/5.

> It has a battery the size of a dime, it should be doing very little with processor or memory.

Wear OS is far from perfect but that's more on the Snapdragon 3100. Samsung and Apple CPU are far better but they don't sell them.

It's very much a chicken and egg situation. Qualcomm doesn't invest because there is not market and there is no market because poor CPUs lead to products which are not competitive. Google could have unlocked the situation but I guess they were wainting for the Fitbit acquisition to go through before going back to wearables.

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