Fitbit has been hit with another lawsuit citing more severe burns as a result of battery failure in its devices. The previous lawsuit had nearly 2 million Fitbit Ionics recalled earlier this year because of 78 reported burns, some of which were second and third-degree. The new lawsuit alleges that it’s not just Ionics that have faulty batteries, but that the “same defect exists throughout all” of Fitbit’s devices.
According to the lawsuit first reported by Ars Technica, multiple reports of Fitbits burning their owners have surfaced online. Unlike the Ionic recall, the burns aren’t linked by a specific device series, but instead by the Fitbit brand itself. The report cites burns that have come from a plethora of Fitbit devices such as the Fitbit Versa, Fitbit Versa 2, Fitbit Versa Light, Fitbit Charge 4, Fitbit Ionic, Fitbit Sense, Fitbit Alta HR, Fitbit Inspire, Fitbit Inspire HR, and ironically Fitbit Blaze.
The lawsuit is looking for Google to recall even more Fitbit devices as it believes that the defect is present across the entire Fitbit brand. Given how much hardware is shared between device launches, that claim isn’t too difficult to believe. It’s still to be seen what actions Google will take following the new lawsuit, but if enough evidence is presented that Fitbits could continue doing harm, another major recall might be on the horizon.
As Fitbit’s smartwatches literally crash and burn, many have turned their eyes to Google’s next rumored smartwatch outing: the Pixel Watch. The Pixel Watch is currently Google’s worst-kept secret and many are expecting it to be announced at next week’s I/O conference. Hopefully, the announcement will shed some light on the device’s battery and settle the minds of those anxious after seeing the images of burned skin from the Fitbit report.
It’s still to be seen how much damage this new lawsuit will cause Google, so skeptical reactions to the reveal are to be expected. Despite that, the Pixel Watch could be a good step in the right direction for Google’s wearable tech following this year’s Fitbit issues.
The burn images shared are a little tough to stomach given how severe some of the injuries are, but those interested can find them in the lawsuit as posted by Ars Technica. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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.