Google/Fitbit has simply introduced the brand new Fitbit Ace LTE children exercise tracker. This new mannequin takes their present cheap $79 Fitbit Ace 3 exercise tracker, as much as a full-blown smartwatch stage machine, primarily based completely on the Google Pixel Watch 2. Other than the title, this factor is completely totally different – each much more superior and likewise much more succesful. However in fact, with elevated calls for comes decreased battery lifeXXX. Nonetheless, how and what Google/Fitbit is aiming for right here is unquestionably attention-grabbing, and value concerning. As you’ll see, the objective isn’t display screen time – however truly the alternative.
In fact, Fitbit isn’t the one participant out there. On the name-brand stage, they’ve received Garmin with their Garmin Bounce LTE tracker, after which arguably extra importantly, they’ve received a gazillion different no-name children exercise trackers on the market. These are sometimes from telecom firms, or generic manufacturers targeted extra on being a child location tracker, than an exercise tracker. Nonetheless, they’re the first competitors of each firms.
In my case, I do have a unit for take a look at, but it surely’s ready for me in America once I get there subsequent week. Sadly, the Fitbit Ace LTE is just obtainable within the US, and gained’t initially activate in Europe (therefore, my review-starting concern). Thus, my full in-depth assessment will come down the street, as soon as it’s each (my) kids-tested and LTE-tested. As a dad or mum of three younger daughters who has subjected them to testing different child exercise trackers for evaluations, I’m concerned about their suggestions.
Till then, I had an attention-grabbing chat with the parents behind it, together with numerous geeky technical particulars I believed had been attention-grabbing.
Display screen First however Not Display screen Time:
Fitbit’s product supervisor stated they needed this to be the “Tesla of children smartwatches”, together with each the appears to be like but additionally that it’ll get “new and thrilling options over time”. So, let’s dive into {that a} bit.
As one can see from the imagery, that is now not an inexpensive $79 Fitbit revamped for youths. As a substitute, this new unit prices $229 plus a seemingly steep $10/month (or $120/yr) subscription charge. However greater than that, it’s additionally received a relatively huge display screen on it, slightly than the small LCD discovered on the earlier Fitbit Ace trackers. That display screen is definitely a Google Pixel 2 display screen, as your complete internals are additionally a Google Pixel 2 watch.
However Google/Fitbit says that the person interface that you simply or your child makes use of is something however Google’s Put on OS. As a substitute, it’s a totally customized expertise from the bottom up, particularly noting that it’s “Not an grownup product that’s been locked down for youngsters”, however slightly, constructed completely from scratch for youths.
When the product supervisor liable for the Fitbit Ace LTE began explaining the idea, they stated it was a tool targeted on children and gaming, my abdomen turned. In spite of everything – isn’t your complete level of an exercise tracker to get children *OFF* screens? However, as they continued by explaining the machine, it grew to become clear that the display screen was the carrot – and to be able to truly use stated display screen, you bought suckered into doing exercise.
The Fitbit ACE LTE has primarily the next core options:
– Each day exercise monitoring with simply 4 metrics: Mild Exercise, Reasonable/Vigorous Exercise, Steps, and Flooring
– LTE connectivity, together with indoor location with Google Maps help
– GPS internally for monitoring location together with LTE
– An ‘arcade’ of fitness-first video games that launch quarterly with new video games
– Focused at ages 7 to 11 years previous, however
– Voice calling (together with the flexibility to pair to headphones)
– Textual content messaging
– Capability to setup designed household/associates for contacts
– Capability for youths to setup/pair to kid-aged associates throughout the video games (need to be in-person to pair)
When requested about whether or not it might help music onboard, they chuckled a bit, and stated it’s not “at present” a function, however that they “have an thrilling roadmap of issues to return” and that it’s an “thrilling thought”.
Notably on the above checklist, they aren’t exhibiting coronary heart fee or energy. That is roughly inline with what different firms have executed from a coronary heart fee standpoint, in that children coronary heart charges are a bit loopy in comparison with adults and monitoring them doesn’t are inclined to have a ton of worth. As a substitute, motion tends to be extra helpful. Likewise, they didn’t wish to present energy, as they don’t need children pigeon-holed down the calorie counting sport at this age.
Now, the primary driving function of this watch is the gamification of every little thing. Fitbit/Google was very clear it is a gaming-forward machine, however on the similar time, additionally clear that it was gate-kept by having to do exercise to get factors. Particularly, they needed to encourage “interval-based gaming”. To that finish, the unit has an arcade with 6 video games built-in. The corporate says every quarter they’l launch new video games, which in addition they stated is included in your subscription value. You may see one sport beneath, Smokey Lake:
On this sport, the kid should use bodily actions akin to casting a line for fishing. However the idea is analogous in different video games. With a view to get one other ‘transfer’ or unlock one other facet of the sport, the kid is informed to go off and do one thing. That could possibly be doing 5 minutes of leaping jacks, full 3,000 steps, and so forth. Thus, the utmost time interval the kid can play in any other case is just 2-3 minute earlier than they’re informed to go do extra exercise for some time.
They famous in addition they have meditation video games too, so it’s not essentially all about tiring the youngsters out. Nonetheless, as Google famous, “the one foreign money on this sport is exercise and motion”. Additionally, whereas we’re at foreign money, Fitbit/Google said quite a few instances that the unit may have “No advertisements full cease, not now, not ever.”
Likewise, from a privateness standpoint, Fitbit famous that Google isn’t leveraging any information from the machine for promoting both. Additional, Google purges all location information inside 24hrs from their system, in addition to all exercise monitoring information after 35 days from Google’ methods (thus, apparently historic step monitoring isn’t potential past that).
In any case, the following kid-focused function is is Ejjies, that are merely pronounced “e-gee”, as a result of apparently Google needed to take advantage of impossibly Googleable and spellable factor ever. These are roughly akin to tomadachi that you simply bear in mind from your personal childhood. You may ‘buy’ issues for it, by way of motion and exercise. This consists of constructing out rooms, garments for it, and so forth.
Inside this, there’s the flexibility for youths to have associates digitally within the app, however they’ll solely be executed in-person. That means, two children need to bodily pair their gadgets collectively in-person, with parental approval, to be able to develop into associates. As a dad or mum, I admire this.
The entire dad or mum options are tracked in a dedicate app, together with the situation of the kid. Notably, although, there isn’t any kind of geofencing choice to mechanically get alerts when a toddler leaves a sure zone. I discover this arguably one of the helpful options of the Garmin Bounce LTE tracker that we largely use, as I get alerts when the youngsters go away faculty, arrive at after-school care, get residence, and so on…
Youngsters can talk by way of dwell calling (by way of LTE or WiFi), in addition to textual content messages and voice messages. On the dad or mum aspect, that is solely executed throughout the devoted Fitbit Ace app on iOS and Android. That means, children can’t ship or obtain textual content messages to common cellphone numbers, solely throughout the app. Mother and father can add trusted contacts to the app for communications, however these trusted contacts can’t see the situation of the kid.
In the case of faculty time, the watch is locked all the way down to disabling video games and notifications, however they’ll name/messages if they should. Additional, exercise built-up throughout faculty time will likely be counted ahead for accessing the video games after faculty.
Curiously, with regards to objectives, the machine does have an exercise objective idea, nonetheless, streaks can proceed if a toddler is sick and misses a day. How a lot and what counts in the direction of a streak is a bit fuzzy in the intervening time, however Google stated they didn’t wish to discourage children for having a damaged streak just because they received sick.
Lastly, it’s price noting that the unit doesn’t “at present” do sleep monitoring. I observe the “at present” aspect of issues as a result of they stated the phrase and famous that “it’s a function we’re contemplating providing sooner or later”. Nonetheless, at this time the Fitbit Ace LTE truly rewards you for *not* sleeping with it. Particularly, Fitbit famous they don’t actually need children distracted by the screens, and truly reward children for placing it on the charger at evening (by way of in-watch rewards). I admire this, as that is one space we initially struggled with our youngsters and the Garmin Bounce tracker, as a result of you may’t set a special night-time lock (totally different than the school-time lock). Ultimately, our youngsters shifted to simply taking it off and charging at evening, in order to not have bedtime distractions.
Costs, Specs and Extra:
Let’s simply undergo a quick-hit checklist of worth stuff, not worth stuff, and anything I couldn’t match into the above.
– Value is $229, in two colours: Delicate & Spicy. Spicy is the brighter one.
– Subscription value is $9.99/month (or $120/yr), inclusive of the LTE value
– Annual subscribers get a free further band ($34.99 usually)
– Early adopters get the annual subscription value for $60 as a substitute of $120, if earlier than August thirty first, 2024
– Machine is completely a Pixel Watch 2 internally, together with WiFi/GPS
– Google Pockets funds coming (NFC funds), however not at launch, in a future software program replace
– Machine may have a “3 yr+ help program” on deliberate software program, with updates each 3 months for brand new video games
– Battery life is 16hrs on a single cost
– Charging time is 11hrs in half-hour, or 100% in 70 minutes
– Particularly designed and examined to undergo the washer
– LTE solely within the US, can use WiFi elsewhere
– WiFi Constructed-in (802.11 b/g/n WiFi 2.4Ghz)
– Requires Android 11 or iOS 15
– Show is Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Colour OLED with 333ppi
– Water-resistant to 50m/5ATM
– Constructed-in Microphone & Speaker
– Contains Accelerometer, Optical HR sensor, Altimeter, Magnetometer, Ambient Mild Sensor, and Gyroscope
The bands are attention-grabbing in that they unlock extra options throughout the video games, and extra characters. Whereas the bands do value cash, children can swap bands (even for just a few seconds) to unlock these options on their watches. That means in case your children buddy has a special band, they’ll briefly join the bands to every others gadgets, after which they’ll completely get entry to the characters of that specific bands. The bands are $34.99.
From an availability standpoint, the items are on pre-order by way of Amazon and Google Retailer till June 4th. Nevertheless, in the event you dwell close to a bodily Google Retailer, they’ll have some on-hand from at present for fast buy.
As famous, I’ll begin diving into the testing of this subsequent week once I journey to the US for a whirlwind slate of conferences. After that, I’ll let me children dive into what they suppose (in addition to whether or not or not I feel the advantages of the activity-driven arcade outweigh any added display screen time).
Thanks for studying, and keep tuned for the complete in-depth assessment!
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