Last summer, Fitbit officially broke out of the fitness band game and into the smartwatch arena with the Fitbit Ionic. At the time, we called it a “wearable that blends the impressive fitness tracking ecosystem of its Blaze with a host of modern smartwatch capabilities” including a dedicated app store, NFC tap-to-pay transactions, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi compatibility.
Now Fitbit is back at it again with the release of its Fitbit Ionic: Adidas edition, which will arrive on Monday, March 19 for $330 and is available for pre-order. Intended to help runners reach their peak performance, this smartwatch promises a “unique Adidas coaching experience” that may just improve our complaint about the original Ionic — that its app offerings left quite a bit to be desired.
Key to this new Ionic model will be the Adidas train app, which boasts six on-screen workouts all aimed at bettering your running performance. All six of the workouts will provide users with detailed, step-by-step coaching to help runners through a series of movements. After all, form is key, and the Adidas app is here to ensure that you’re staying safe and performing at your best. Because the app will be synced to the smartwatch, you will be able to complete your workouts anywhere at any time, even without your phone.
Included in the six workouts are the five-minute Dynamic Warm-up, which increases your core temperature and prepares your body for work; the 10-minute Power Pace, which promises to train your body to be more elastic, forceful, and efficient; the Metabolic workout, which takes 15 minutes to increase your speed and boost your metabolism; the five-minute Run Activation to improve your hip, core, and shoulder stability; the 10-minute Strong Strides to build strength throughout your run; and finally, a Post Run Stretch for proper recovery, alongside a fast and simple cool-down stretch for five minutes.
In addition to the app integration, the Fitbit Ionic: Adidas edition also boasts a two-toned sport band that promises to be breathable in either Ink Blue or Ice Gray. The case of the smartwatch itself is offered in Silver Gray, along with a unique Adidas clock face. Of course, the watch otherwise features everything that the original Ionic did, including its five-day battery life, impressive GPS features, and access to more than 400 apps and clock faces in the Fitbit App Gallery.
Updated March 13: Fitbit Ionic: Adidas edition is now available for pre-order.
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.