Fitbit’s second smartwatch isn’t perfect, but it’s a step in the direction after the Ionic.
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Last year, Fitbit introduced the Ionic. The company’s first real
smart watch was a bit Of a Hail Mary and the result
of a few key acquisitions. It was also too big, too
expensive, and had very little In the way of third-party apps. This year’s Versa is the company’s first Mainstream smart watch
and it actually addresses Most of the issues with the
first-generation device. From a design perspective, the Versa takes A lot of queues from the Pebble. It’s small and it’s square
and honestly it fits A lot better on my wrist. The UI is the same as on the Ionic. It’s a simple grid with large icons. It’s not a lot to look
at but it also doesn’t Get bogged down in design choices. And, like it predecessor,
the watch is built Around fitness apps with a number Of pre-programmed exercises
and guided visual workouts. The company also added
a number of key apps To the watch’s app store
including The New York Times, Yelp, Uber, Lyft, and Nest. With a few key exceptions,
the Versa maintains Most of the Ionic’s features. There’s no onboard GPS
which means it’s not as good As a stand-alone running partner. Fitbit’s mostly done a
good job, scaling back The features that won’t appeal
as much to mainstream users Without removing too much of
the onboard functionality; While the more compact, lightweight size Makes it even more appealing
for a wider range of users. The company’s also actively
working to court even more users With the addition of
women’s health tracking In the accompanying app.
At $199, the Fitbit’s Versa Is certainly competitively priced. It’s not the best
smartwatch on the market, That distinction still belongs
to Apple, but it’s definitely A step in the right direction for Fitbit. (upbeat music)
