Leaks show Fitbit's new smartwatch and headphones

Fibit's first 'smartwatch' coming after its acquisition of Pebble seems to have been leaked along with the company's Bluetooth headphones. Possible an updated version of its Blaze fitness tracker, which looks like a smartwatch, the render shows a squarish watch with rose gold accents and possible removeable bands. The device is said to be sporting a GPS as well as Heart Rate monitor plus NFC for payments, which are all critical features of the Apple Watch. There's also talk of an app store just for this device which will be sold for $300.

Fitbit is also targetting the popular Bluetooth headphone market with what is expected to be a $150 pair of Bluetooth headfphones. While the design isn't all that exciting or new, it could well be a prototype with the final version looking more appealing. Personally, I am interested to see some of Pebble's design and software personality make it over to Fitbit. The fitness tracking and analytics is already peerless, the smartwatch aspect, not so much. Here's hoping Fitbit can leapfrog their previous attempts at merging both.

ZTE Grand X Plus now available on Fido for $50 on 2 year plans

The ZTE Grand X Plus, a new smartphone offering advanced performance for a great price, is the first handset designed in Canada at the company’s recently opened Ottawa-based R&D Centre and is now available with Fido. 

“The Grand X Plus represents a big achievement for ZTE, our first smartphone designed by Canadians for Canadians,” said Denson Xu, CEO of ZTE Canada. “We’re very proud of its performance and exceptional value. Customers can enjoy all the benefits of a high-end smartphone at a fraction of the price.”

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Review: Mazda MX-5 (2015)

Text and photos by Don Halliwell

In the final facelift of the current generation model, the MX-5 has an aggressive stance. The grill and front treatment look fantastic, while the rounded rear-end leaves something to be desired. The bottom line, I think it looks down right mean in Black with alloy wheels to match.  

As the sun sets on the third generation Mazda MX-5, I was kindly treated to a week with one to put it through its paces. Admittedly, it’s taken me some time to put pen to paper on this review. When I was able to get behind the wheel, the weather was slightly warmer, while the trees were full of beautiful orange, red and yellow leaves. The delay has given me time to think. Several weeks later, I miss it – I can’t stop thinking about how it felt to be behind the wheel of a purpose-built sports car.  TLDR review: It’s a fun, no-nonsense roadster for all. 

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Review: Moto 360

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Motorola presents the most cohesive concept of what an Android smartwatch could be today by offering a high-degree of customization, some variety in finishes, as well as useful health tracking features. 

A progenitor of many of today’s health-trackers and smart watches, Motorola’s MotoACTV was launched in 2011 to lukewarm interest. Fast-forward to 2013 and Motorola, now in transition between Google and new owner Lenovo, has taken the Motoactvs four-year old processor and built one of the most compelling smart watch offerings around it.

Android Wear is a new fork of the Android ecosystem, one that’s very much in its infancy and while features of the new OS are limited to push notifications from Google Now as well as a handful of third party apps, the potential is huge.

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