Fitbit Blaze: A Smart, Fitness Watch
The Fitbit Blaze is the company’s first major attempt at making a watch that is suited for everyday use, and is also smart. Fitbit Blaze falls somewhere between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch. It picks a little from both. It’s an idea that has been tested by other companies like Garmin.
Touch Screen Display.
In addition to the tracking activities, exercises, and heart rate that the watch offers, it also has a color touch screen. This touch screen displays workout guidance and notifications from your smartphone. Fitbit Blaze has up to five days of battery life. Its battery certainly lasts longer than smartwatches like the Apple Watch.
Rectangular Display.
The Fitbit Blaze looks pretty similar to the Apple Watch. It comes with a rectangular, Gorilla Glass-covered, 240-by-180-pixel color touch screen. That’s where the similarities end. The Blaze’s screen is smaller, while the Apple Watch Series 2 measures 1.34 or 1.53 inches diagonally. It also depends on the size you choose. The Blaze’s display is also dwarfed by a chunky black bezel. It is flanked by two large gaps between the screen and the octagonal frame.
Modular Design.
The Blaze features a modular design. The tracker portion easily pops into and out of a frame attached to the band. The main reason for this design is that you can quickly switch from a workout-friendly, sweat-resistant elastomer strap to a more stylish leather or stainless steel link band. The Blaze comes with a black, blue, or purple elastomer strap. The premium bands are sold separately as accessories. Black, camel, or gray leather bands come with stainless steel frames.
Water Resistant.
The Blaze is rated 1ATM for water resistance. This means that it’s safe from rain, splashes, and sweat. But it is not enough water-resistant for you to wear it in the pool or shower. You also won’t want to wear the leather band while working out.
Vibrant Display.
The display itself looks crisp. The colors on the display are vibrant. The Blaze is very responsive. All information appears bright and legible indoors and out, even in the sun. On the main screen you’ll find a faint battery icon in the upper left. It also shows the time of day and your active heart rate below. You can customize this screen with different watch faces. Though there is only four watch faces available currently. Depending on the face you select, you will be able to view the time of day, your steps, and continuous heart rate.
To see your calories, mileage, floors climbed, and steps taken, you just need to swipe left or right. You can adjust the display brightness to Dim, Normal, Max, or Auto by pushing the Settings button. Swiping down on the main watch face reveals a notification toggle (On or Off). It also shows music player controls. While swiping up will display a notification timeline.
Charging Fitbit Blaze.
You can find the heart rate monitoring sensors and a charging port on the back of the tracker. Despite having a wide variety of devices, Fitbit offers no compatibility between them when it comes to chargers. The Blaze comes with a box-like that acts as a charger. You have to plug it into a USB adapter or laptop. To charge the Blaze you need to open the lid, place the tracker portion inside, and close it. It takes about an hour to recharge the tracker’s lithium polymer battery, after which it’s good for about five days.
Software Updates.
Fitbit released its new software and algorithms recently. With the help of this software, you can now see your Cardio Fitness Level and use Guided Breathing sessions. Fitbit compares your heart rate data with other users of the same age and gender based on VO2 Max. It then assigns you a score. Guided Breathing gives you two to five-minute breathing exercises. These exercises help you relieve stress and get your heart rate down. Along with that, you get Fitbit’s Sleep Stages and Sleep Insights features. These features make use of the accelerometer and heart rate sensor to know whether you’re awake or in Deep, Light, or REM sleep. You can then view your 30-day averages, and see how well your sleeping habits stack up against other people your age and gender.
The Final Word.
The Fitbit Blaze has got a comfortable design; a large, readable display, with good-looking accessories. It has a solid four-day-plus battery life. The watch easily works with iPhones and Android phones. Fitbit’s first real smartwatch gets a lot of things right. That includes its comfort, features and price. But it’s not a perfect design for everyone.
Keval Padia is the founder & CEO of Nimblechapps, a fast-growing mobile app development company. The current innovation and updates of the field lures him to express his views and thoughts on certain topics.