The smart watch that keeps you fit as a fiddle
Ten years since the first fitness tracker, Fitbit has upped its game
Fitbit almost singlehandedly created the fitness tracker business. Ten years ago they launched a clip-on fitness tracker and almost immediately became a household name. Their products have evolved from clip-on to wrist-worn but it hasn’t all been plain sailing. Last year was a tough one for Fitbit and they’ve responded to consumer demand and competition by evolving their product to include their first fully-fledged fitness watch.
Opening the Fitbit Ionic box reveals a stylish-looking device that looks much like an Apple or Android smart watch. My watch arrived with a large strap and the box contains a spare small strap. Also, there’s a quick-start guide and a magnetic USB charging cable. The Ionic works with Android, iOS and Windows and I downloaded the free app from the App Store to get started.
The pairing process is better than I’ve experienced in the past with Fitbit and other wearable makers, and my watch paired instantly to my smartphone. Once paired, you’re ready to go and the watch will start to measure and collect your fitness data immediately.
The Ionic monitors a variety of fitness statistics. The obvious one is steps taken so you can keep an eye, and set a target of how many steps you want to take each day. However, with the Ionic’s builtin GPS, the data collected for even step tracking becomes even more useful. This means calorie burn and distance are far more reliable than simple pedometers or non-GPS trackers.
One of the most useful and informative features is the heartmonitoring feature. The Ionic is constantly monitoring your pulse, so it can always display your rest heart rate. When you’ve been walking or jogging though, it’s particularly useful to look at the Fitbit dashboard to see the peak heart rate and the average during your exercise.
As well as beats-per-minute and distance, the Ionic also provides useful feedback like calories burned and how many steps you’ve taken this hour. You can set your own targets and get prompts to get up and move if you’ve been a tad stodgy in the last hour.
Fitbit have added more features to help you create an entire fitness regime. The onscreen coaching feature I thought may be a little gimmicky, but I was wrong. It helps you get started on particular exercises. The coach shows you how, then the timer starts and it’s your turn. This interactive element works well, and is useful if the crowded gym isn’t for you.
As a smart watch, the Ionic is a good one with standard watch features. However, if you think of it as a fitness tracker first, it’s an exceptional tool for anyone interested in tracking personal fitness. Heart rate monitoring, GPS, music and personal coaching combined with the smart watch features make this a stand-out device and the best one Fitbit have made.