Earlier this year, Fitbit introduced its Ace 2 fitness tracker, a wearable geared for children ages 6 and older. The device can track a child’s daily activity and share that information with their parents. Just in time for summer vacation, the Fitbit Ace 2 is now available for purchase.
A followup to the original Fitbit Ace, the Ace 2 comes in two different colors, Night Sky/Neon Yellow and Watermelon/Teal, but you can change the color with replaceable bands. The silicone bands are comfortable to wear and can be adjusted to accommodate a child’s growing wrist. It is waterproof up to 50 meters, allowing kids to wear the tracker in the shower or for a dip in the pool.
Feature-wise, the Fitbit Ace 2 can track how many steps your child takes, how many minutes they are active each day, and how long they are sleeping. By glancing at the display, kids can easily see the time as well as their steps and the progress to their goal. The clock faces are customizable, including new animated options that allow kids to choose a personalized look.
Kids or parents can set goals for the daily step count and active minutes. When a goal is reached, the tracker will reward the child with a celebratory message as well as an achievement badge. There’s also bedtime reminders and wake alarms to help children maintain a healthy sleep cycle. Parents can expect the battery to last up to five days, depending on use.
To keep kids motivated to move, Fitbit created challenges that allow family members to compete in different step count competitions. Parents also can set up Reminders to Move, which will send a friendly on-screen message to encourage your kids to stay active throughout the day. Family members can send each other words of encouragement or virtual cheers throughout the day. Unlike other wearables, the Fitbit Ace 2 does not have GPS, so there is no way to track your child’s exact location.
The Ace 2 syncs to the Fitbit app, which can be installed on Android or iOS devices. Parents first must set up a family account, and then create an account for each child. The Fitbit app has a parent’s view that provides detailed information on their child’s activities, as well as control over the goal settings, friend requests, and more. There is a companion kids view within the app that allows kids to see their stats, badges, and clock face choices.
You can pre-order the Buy at Amazon now on Fitbit’s website for $70, and it will ship in June. The device is also available at select major retailers including Amazon and Best Buy.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.