​New Fitbit Charge to feature heart rate monitor

Two new bands incoming from fitness tracker expert
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A brand new Fitbit Charge activity tracker has surfaced on the web with a host of new features, and it seems the Californian company could be about to launch two new wearables.

The devices were spotted at the FCC, the regulatory office that signs off new tech, and appear to be an update to the Fitbit Force, the band that was pulled from the shelves due to skin irritation issues back in February.

Essential reading: Best sub £50 fitness trackers

The new Fitbit Charge appears with a standard model and an upgraded heart rate monitoring version. This would be a brand new feature for Fitbit, and echoes other manufacturers moves to master continuous heart rate monitoring from the wrist – which would spell the end of the chest strap.

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Continuous heart rate monitoring can give a real boost to the accuracy of stats, and make them a vastly improved tool for sporty types who want maximum information from their workouts.

Our verdict: Fitbit Charge review

There’s a built-in display visible in the shots that show your stats, time, or caller ID when paired with your phone. There’s also the same full sleep tracking and smart alarm features we’ve come to expect from Fitbit.

There are no clues on prices or release dates from the leaked documents, but we’d be surprised if we didn’t see them for Christmas, especially when Fitbit will be going up against the cut-price Misfit Flash.

Source: Gizmodo


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James Stables

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James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.

He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.

James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.


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