Heena Sharma Blog

  Google has completed its USD 2.1 billion acquisition of fitness-gadget maker Fitbit, a deal that could help the internet company grow even stronger while US government regulators pursue an antitrust case aimed at undermining its power. Thursday's completion of the acquisition comes 14 months after Google announced a deal that immediately raised alarms. Google makes most of its money by selling ads based on information it collects about its billions of users' interests and whereabouts. Privacy watchdogs feared it might exploit Fitbit to peer even deeper into people's lives. But Google wound up entering a series of commitments in Europe and other parts of the world pledging it won't use the health and fitness data from Fitbit's 29 million users to sell more ads. It insists it is more interested in adding Fitbit to its expanding arsenal of internet-connected products, which include smartphones, laptops, speakers, cameras and thermostats. Read More

  Wearables brand Fitbit has introduced an advanced smartwatch called the Fitbit Sense, which comes with electrodermal activity (EDA) to measure daily stress and comes with a heart rate tracker, electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor and skin temperature sensors. The company also introduced Versa 3 and Inspire 2 wearables. All three wearables will be available globally starting late September and will arrive in India in the festive season, according to the company. Fitbit Sense is priced at Rs 34,999 while the Fitbit Versa will cost Rs 26,499. The Fitbit Inspire 2 fitness band is priced at Rs 10,999. "Our new products and services are our most innovative yet, coupling our most advanced sensor technology and algorithms to unlock more information about our bodies and our health so you can be in control," said James Park, co-founder and CEO, Fitbit. Read More

The Fitbit on your wrist not only counts your steps and minutes of sleep, it can also help tell if you’re coming down with the flu — and warn health authorities to get ready to help. A study in the United States has found that heart rate and sleep data from wearable fitness tracker watches can predict and alert public health officials to real-time outbreaks of flu more accurately than current surveillance methods. The study used data from more than 47,000 Fitbit users in five US states. The results, published in The Lancet Digital Health journal, showed that by using Fitbit data, state-wide predictions of flu outbreaks were improved and accelerated. The World Health Organization estimates that as many as 6,50,000 people worldwide die of respiratory diseases linked to seasonal flu each year. Traditional surveillance reporting takes up to three weeks, meaning response measures — such as deploying vaccines or anti-virals and advising patients to stay at home — can often lag.

Fitbit has announced two new smartwatches and a new paid premium subscription service for personalised guidance and coaching. The fitness wearable maker will bring a high-end smartwatch in Versa 2, low-cost smartwatch Aria Air and Fitbit Premium from second week of September. The price of Versa 2 starts from Rs 20,999 while Aria Air will cost Rs 4,999. Fitbit Premium will start rolling out in September 2019 at Rs 819 per month or Rs 6,999 per year. Fitbit Versa 2 The Fitbit Versa 2 is the upgraded version of Fitbit Versa with swimproof design and sleep tracking features such as Sleep Score and smart wake. Versa 2 also features on-device microphone, which enables built-in Alexa, along with a Spotify app. The smartwatch comes with up to 5 days of battery back up. Versa 2 also includes automatic activity tracking, 24/7 heart rate tracking, over 15 goal-based exercise modes, connected GPS and water resistance up to 50 meters. It is also powered by a faster processor com