Fitbit's smartwatch finally gets its first update
Fitbit went all-in on its new Ionic smartwatch this year. It released the gadget in October with only a few apps to its name — then proceeded to leave the brand new OS alone for almost two months without a software update.
The period of inactivity ends Tuesday. The wearable company just announced the first update for the Ionic's Fitbit OS, complete with new apps, clock faces, and more.
Most of the apps are activity-focused, as is appropriate for a gadget now being billed in an aggressive ad campaign as a smartwatch built specifically for fitness. But there are some other big lifestyle names joining the Fitbit ecosystem, too.
Big names available immediately include Phillips Hue, Yelp, Flipboard, and The New York Times. Those aren't exactly the sexiest or most useful names in the app game, but many more are expected by the end of the year, including Uber, Clue, Nest, TripAdvisor, and United Airlines. Even more additions are expected in January such as Lyft and Walgreens.
International customers will gain access to on-device offline music streaming via Deezer, but they'll have to wait until next year.
Some new programs from Fitbit's in-house R&D team will join the third-party offerings, giving users some gamified activity programs to help push engagement. The only program available at launch will be a "Pet" clock face that gives users a virtual companion to care for with their step achievements, while other apps like a Mood Log, sport-specific tennis support, and more activity incentive games are expected before the end of the year.
Fitbit Pay is also getting some improvements, adding device credit/debit selection and more banks to its network. More territories and banks are expected to be included next year.
The software update also brings almost 30 free apps and more than 80 watch faces to the App Gallery from smaller developers, which will finally give Ionic owners something to do on their wrists.
The new apps won't immediately vault the Ionic into Apple Watch territory, what with its two-year head start and pedigree, but it's a decent start — if it's not too late after the launch to make a dent, that is.
Topics Fitbit Health Smartwatches
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
