Fitbit has unveiled a new smartwatch with advanced features for those looking for a fitness-focused wearable. Among its features, the new Fitbit Sense is designed to help better manage stress and that appears to be a timely arrival, considering the additional pressures that have been placed on both the personal and work lives of people in recent months.
Founded in 2007, Fitbit is one of the leading sellers of wearables that focus now flooded with options for consumers to choose from. Indeed, many smartwatches, when combined with a smartphone health app, can offer a very similar solution to dedicated fitness trackers and products.
In spite of the greater selection, with the Fitbit Sense, the company is treading into relatively new waters. In a blog post, Fitbit says its new Sense smartwatch has features, specifically designed to measure stress, including the world's first electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor to help with stress management. Buyers also get the option to sign up for a six-month free trial of a hip, for additional health and stress monitoring services. Following the free trial, the service is charged at $9.99 per month.
Fitbit Stresses New Smartwatch Feature
The EDA sensor is paired with an app to offer s a way to assess their stress levels and manage them over time. To run a scan, the wearer puts the palm of their hand over the watch, with the Fitbit Sense then detecting the body's response to stress by measuring the electrical changes cause by skin sweat. The app also offers a daily stress management score of between one and 100 — the higher the number, the less physical signs of stress the wearer is experiencing. The score is based on three metrics: responsiveness (how much strain the body is under), exertion balance (the impact of whatever activity the is performing) and sleep patterns.
The app also includes a mindfulness tile that offers activities to help the wearer relax, such as meditation, guided breathing and yoga. It will also track these Mindful Minutes, which is the amount of time spent on these types of activities. A subscription provides more than 100 guided meditations and audio tracks to help the stay calm. Meanwhile, the reflections feature offers a way for wearers to keep track of their moods, with readings between very calm and very stressed provided, so that Fitbit Sense owners can stay aware of their emotional well-being.
Of course, stress management is hardly the only purpose of the Fitbit Sense. The smartwatch also includes a new ECG app to track a 's health rate as well as a skin-temperature sensor, and it also comes with a battery that's rated to last up to six days on a single charge. In addition, buyers have the option of pre-ordering the $329.95 smartwatch in either carbon/graphite or lunar white/soft gold, with shipping in the US due to start on September 25.
Source: Fitbit