As the smartphone industry took over globally for personal connectivity, smart wearables aligned becoming a multi-billion dollar industry in its own right.

Smart wearables mostly offer up similar functions delivered in varying ways. But only one is fully dedicated to you and your wellbeing. Only one is more than a smart device; Fitbit wearables.

Fitbit, a company that actually cares about their consumers, have already a quality lineup of smart health orientated wearables and have just released their Versa 2 smartwatch.

An improved version of last year’s Versa and Ionic devices, the Versa 2 is your personal trainer, coach, health adviser, wellbeing mentor and more that stays with you, uninterrupted for a full working week.

Boasting a five day battery life (I actually managed to get an entire week) the Fitbit Versa 2 seldom needs to be taken off.

With this, it means that the Versa 2 will accurately monitor your vitals, guide your fitness goals, keep your sleep stats in check (to an astounding granular-level) and act as a personal assistant for reminders and notifications, more indepth than any other smart wearable.

Not needing to remove the Versa 2 means that it keeps everything in check in real time for a longer duration retaining more accurately. No interruptions.

From the original Versa to Versa 2 the improvements are vast.

I do love the original Versa (and Ionic) but one small bugbear I had was that I did not always receive notifications from Apps on my iOS or Android device. Versa 2 does not have this problem, whatever you set to be notified on, it will, without delay or failure.

Keeping in the personal assistant space – there’s been another surprising addition that I’m totally stoked about; Alexa.

Ask anyone who has had a techie based convo with me, I’m always praising Amazon’s Alexa as an artificial intelligence assistant so in my professional and personal opinion Fitbit aligned with the right A.I.

A dedicated tactile button to the left of the 40mm high definition OLED watchface will activate Alexa.

The Fitbit Versa 2 has a built-in mic so you can ask Alexa your mind boggling questions and she will respond … albeit silently.

The Versa 2 does not have an internal speaker. This means that you cannot receive calls too well either.

The Versa 2 will notify of an incoming call – and you can swipe to answer it, but your smartphone needs to be within reach to actually speak to the human on the other end. There is also no built-in GPS.

I would’ve liked to seen both of these features as standard in this second Versa model which would make the device a stand-alone and an all-in-one.

Fitbit Versa 2 has its own Apps and can integrate with some third party ones. Connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth the Versa 2 can be controlled on your wrist with swipe menus. A big app feature for the Versa 2 is the Spotify integration. Dedicated to the music streaming service, Spotify can be controlled from your wrist excluding the need of your smartphone, if using a Bluetooth headset and near WiFi.

Fitbit have also rolled out Fitbit Pay and while this is still being undertaken by banks down under, it is another initiative by the health and wellbeing smart wearable company that cements themselves as serious players in the wearable tech marketplace.

The Fitbit App (iOS / Android) records your usage, sleeping, walking, breathing, heart health stats and beyond. Set up your own personal goals for exercise, add in your food and drink intake so that Fitbit can ascertain how your tracking as far as energy consumption. Trying to lose weight or gain it – Fitbit app will enable goals and remind you on how well you’re progressing.

Fitbit analyses to a micro level – truly making the wearable a spot on personal health assistant.

There has also been more depth added in to the sleep monitoring. Fitbit has collated data on 10.5 Billion nights of sleep. This is the largest database on sleeping habits and routines globally.

For example, New Zealander’s sleep an average of 7 hours and 56 minutes per night. This places Kiwi’s as the second highest ranking sleepers in the world.

However the stats on your Fitbit Versa 2 will record your REM, your deepest sleep, your light sleep, sleep routines, outputting how much ‘healthy’ sleep you have had.

Going for a nana nap in the afternoon for around one hour can have similar benefits as a longer night time sleep – but this is dependent on how you slept. The Fitbit Versa 2 is super ideal for those who are concerned whether they get enough rest, especially in the current world we live in where our attentions are so far spread and sleep times become shorter and shorter due to our life commitments.

If you are a restless sleeper or have trouble sleeping, Fitbit App and Versa 2 is also for you to try differing methods of falling asleep and tracking your rest (or lack of).

And for female Versa 2 owners, the app and the wearable will track ovulation and period cycles. Wanting to start a family, let Versa 2 help you with that.

At the time of the Fitbit Versa 2 release, Fitbit launched their subscription service.

For less than a healthy take-away lunch per month  you gain access to a world of like-minded Fitbit communities, user contributed trackings, routines, guides, fitness regimes and way more.

The subscription service is customised to you and similar to the free Fitbit Dashboard that you have on the Fitbit app, the paid service will offer up even more stats on your health and wellbeing, diet, goals and goal creation and sleep more detailed and comprehensive than you’d ever imagine.

I learned alot about my inner-wellbeing with the Ionic and Versa, but even more with the Versa 2.

The Fitbit Versa 2 is your companion. It’s a sleek looking, lighter than air, waterproof, smart wearable that can be customised (watch faces and straps).

For the younger to the older members of the family, friends or wider community, Versa 2 is designed for everyone and at a more than reasonable price point, undercutting all other smart wearable manufacturers.

Where other smart watch or wearable devices only give a vague and general overview, Versa 2 fully tells it like it is, in real-time.

Fitbit’s new smart wearable is designed for life. And like life itself, you do get out what you put in to it, though fair to say that with Versa 2, you get more.

The post Fitbit Versa 2 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Veterans of the smart wearables, Fitbit just announced the launch of Fitbit Versa 2, the next generation of its best-selling smartwatch, Fitbit Versa.

Versa 2 delivers a new precision-crafted swimproof design, includes innovative sleep features like Sleep Score and smart wake, and is packed with even more advanced health, fitness and smart features to elevate every moment. For next-level convenience, Versa 2 debuts an on-device microphone, which enables Fitbit’s first-ever Alexa smartwatch experience, along with a Spotify app that allows users to control their music and podcasts, and Fitbit Pay on all models. Coupled with even faster performance, thousands of apps and clock faces and a brighter, crisper display with an optional always-on mode Versa 2 is your 2/47 health and wellness companion – now with 5+ days battery life, at the same price as Versa.

“At Fitbit, we believe that health belongs to everyone and that people should not be priced out of having access to devices and features that can help them improve their health. That’s why we’ve designed Versa 2 to be a premium, full-featured and easy-to-use smartwatch at an accessible price point,” said James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit. “Building on the success of our original bestselling Versa smartwatch, we believe the added value and innovation in Versa 2, with new features like Alexa, a Spotify app and advanced in-app and on-device sleep features, will bring more users into the smartwatch category, allowing them to unlock the benefits of better health.”

Sleep is critical to maintaining overall health and wellness, and when surveyed by Fitbit nearly two-thirds (64%) of participants list sleep as a very important health and fitness priority, but one-third of American adults do not get enough sleep on a regular basis.

Fitbit pioneered wearable sleep tracking more than 10 years ago, making information previously only available from a medical professional, widely accessible on the wrist. As a leader in tracked sleep, they have applied learnings from more than 10.5 billion nights of sleep tracked to innovate in this critical area of health, and the latest sleep features will not only help you better understand your sleep, but provide the features to help you improve it.

In addition to helping millions around the world better understand and improve their sleep, Fitbit continues to deliver the advanced health and fitness features that our users know and love. On Versa 2, these include: automatic activity tracking, PurePulse 24/7 heart rate tracking, 15+ goal-based exercise modes, connected GPS and water resistant up to 50 meters.

Alexa, can you help me get healthier?

Yes, Alexa can do that on Versa 2. Enabled by Fitbit’s first on-device microphone, Versa 2 is the first Fitbit smartwatch with Alexa Built-in, taking Alexa out of your home and onto your wrist to help support your active lifestyle, like starting a Fitbit Exercise on-wrist, finding the nearest gym, even learning the nutritional value of an avocado (in case you’re wondering, it’s 322). Alexa responds to voice commands on Versa 2 with discreet, silent on-screen text responses. With just a press of a button, speak into the microphone to use Alexa skills on Versa 2 for added convenience to anywhere you are. 

Alexa can also help with everyday tasks on-the-go, like setting alarms and timers, checking the local weather and news, controlling your smart home devices, and much more through the sound of your voice.

In addition to Alexa Built-in, Versa 2 comes with even more features to add convenience and ease to your day, like Fitbit Pay on all models, so you can make easy and secure wallet and phone-free payments at retailers and use to access seven transit systems worldwide, including New York MTA OMNY, TransLink in Vancouver, Transport for London (TfL), and Singapore Land Transport Authority.

Fitbit is also bringing the Spotify app experience to Versa 2, allowing Spotify Premium subscribers to control music and podcasts so you can find all-day motivation directly from your wrist. The Spotify app lets you control playback on-the-go, change playlists, like songs, and easily switch music output without skipping a beat. The ability to control Spotify adds even more music functionality to Fitbit for you to listen to your music for motivation. Additionally, Versa 2 has the ability to store and play 300+ songs from your personal music library, download Pandora stations, and add Deezer playlists.

To help simplify your life, Versa 2 offers all the essential smart features like smartphone notifications so you can view app, call, calendar and text notifications right from your wrist. If you have an Android phone, you can also use the new on-device microphone to reply to texts and notifications from the wrist. Plus, you can also choose from nearly 3,000 apps and clock faces to personalize the stats you see and access you need so everything is in one place, including the ability to choose up to five clock faces to store and switch between on the device.

Now packed with more advanced features, Versa 2 is also powered by a faster processor compared to Versa for better performance and seamless navigation. Plus, a larger AMOLED display delivers a superior experience with boosted viewability and crisper color, and enables an optional always-on display mode,26 which boasts a 2+ days battery life so you can easily check the time and see your stats during a workout without lifting your wrist or pressing a button.

Versa 2 is Fitbit’s most premium, modern smartwatch design yet. It is precision-crafted with subtle material, finish and form updates, giving the smartwatch an elevated, yet universal appeal. The watch is durable and water resistant up to 50 meters, yet lightweight and comfortable enough to wear all day and night with rounded edges and a curved case.

An anodized aluminum finish in a natural color palette gives a sophisticated, modern aesthetic to compliment any style or look and with the simplified onebutton design, Versa 2 has a sleek silhouette reminiscent of a classic timepiece. Applying design to style, Versa 2 Special Edition features a premium jacquard woven band in navy and pink with a copper rose aluminum case or smoke with a mist grey case, plus a contemporary colour-matched classic silicone band in navy and olive, respectively, for two chic styles in one. All special edition devices will also come with a free three-month trial of the Fitbit Premium membership for an elevated holistic health and fitness experience.

Versa 2 is available for presale today from select online retailers for $199.95 (USD) in black with a carbon case, petal with a copper rose aluminum case, and stone with a mist grey case; accessories range from $29.95-$99.95 (USD). In New Zealand, Versa 2 is available for $359.95 (NZD) and Special Edition is available for $399.95 (NZD) in navy and pink with a copper rose aluminum case and smoke with a mist grey case. Versa 2 will be available in stores worldwide beginning September 15th, 2019.

Two exclusive editions – emerald and plum, both with a copper rose case – will also be available this near release date, but only on Fitbits Official Website and select retailers.

The post Fitbit Launches Versa 2 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.