Fitbit - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Thursday, May 28

  Lenovo smartphone lets users interact with projected images...Google tipped to overhaul payments scheme...FCC will clamp down on spam texts...and more tech news.

• Legal trouble in wearables business: Jawbone sues Fitbit

  The intense rivalry in the wearables market has spilled over into court with Jawbone accusing rival Fitbit of "systematically plundering" its employees, trade secrets and intellectual property.

• The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Friday, May 8

  Robotic surgeon gets hacked...NSA data dragnet broke the law...Tesla has a hit...and more tech news.

• Fitbit's IPO filing shows a strong pulse

  Fitbit, the maker of wearable activity trackers, has filed to go public and revealed some strong sales numbers in its pitch.

• Tablet sales drop 20 per cent as wearables rise

  Australian tablet sales dropped by 20 per cent in 2014, impacted by increased demand for the iPhone 6, larger screen Android smartphones and wearable devices such as the Fitbit, said analyst firm Telsyte.
  

• Insurance company now offers discounts -- if you let it track your Fitbit

  Could 15 minutes of exercise save you 15% on your life insurance? If you sign up with John Hancock, it could.

• Why I don’t have to buy an Apple Watch

  The time is coming for each of us to decide – do we buy this new Apple Watch or not?

• For counting steps, smartphone apps do as well as fitness trackers

  You don't need to splurge on a fitness tracking device to record how much you've walked, because smartphone fitness apps do the job just as well, and sometimes better.

• Google, Facebook, Apple spent record amounts on lobbying in 2014

  The tech industry's most influential companies spent record amounts of money on federal lobbying in 2014 despite a general drop in lobbying by most tech companies. The spending was often directed at areas away from the central business of technology, and it indicates how diverse and powerful major tech companies are becoming.

• Two Surprises in Fitbit's New Charge Fitness Tracker

  At long last, Fitbit released its successor to the ill-fated Force. The Fitbit Charge ($130) is a solid product, especially if you're already a member of the Fitbit camp. Charge and Fitbit's iOS and Android apps, also surprised me in two notable ways -- one of which has me considering some lifestyle changes.

• 5 Ways Digital Health Startups Can Break From the Pack

  Now's a good time to be a healthcare startup. Investors have poured between $3 billion and $5 billion into the digital health market so far in 2014, according to Rock Health and StartUp Health. (The two groups track funding differently, which is why there's such a discrepancy.) Meanwhile, Accenture expects the digital health market to reach $6.5 billion by 2017.

• Senator wants curbs placed on fitness data use

  Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to investigate the data gathering and sharing practices of makers of personal fitness devices and applications.

• Cool Stuff at CE Week New York

  OK, kids, strap in for this post - we're going to move quickly here. Start off by watching the video above to see a bunch of new gadgets that we saw this week at the CE Week New York event (in New York City, natch).

• SLIDESHOW: Wearables get the sexy runway treatment in California

  Who says you have to sacrifice on looks if you're into wearable tech?

• Fitbit sued over rashes experienced by bracelet wearers

  Fitbit, a startup that makes wearable devices for activity tracking, is being sued following reports that users of its Force device developed skin rashes.