CES 2013: Devices Compete to be Your Wearable Fitness Gadget - East Idaho News

CES 2013: Devices Compete to be Your Wearable Fitness Gadget

  Published at

ht fitbit flex 4 colors bracelets jt 130106 wblog?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1357577081235FitBit(LAS VEGAS) — Just when you thought the fitness gadget war had hit its peak, gadgets that pair with your phone to track your steps and fitness activity have journalists and industry insiders at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show abuzz.

FitBit, which recently came out with its new Zip and One fitness trackers, has announced a new version that you can wear on your wrist. Similar to the Jawbone Up or the Nike Fuelband, the Flex looks like a high-tech bracelet; it comes in different sizes and five colors.

It tracks your steps, distance, calories burned and sleep quality and then pairs with your iPhone or Android wirelessly via Bluetooth 4.0. You just download the app for the iPhone and select Android phones (Samsung Galaxy S 3 and Note) and see all the data on the fly.

The Jawbone Up has to be plugged into the phone and the FuelBand uses Bluetooth 2.0, which drains the battery faster. There are LEDs on the band to tell you how close you are to your goal, but there is no display to show more details like the other FitBits or the new Withings Smart Activity Tracker.

Withings’ new tracker, which looks a lot like FitBit’s One, tracks many of the same things: steps taken, distance covered, calories burned and quality of sleep. But it also now adds pulse measurement and strides run. Similar to the Flex, it pairs with your phone via Bluetooth Smart to the Withings Health Mate App to give you all the data, though you can see some of it on the small LED screen. The app is available for iPhone and Android.

The FitBit Flex costs $99.95 and will be available this spring. The Withings says it plans to announce pricing and availability at a later date.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION