Google to acquire Fitbit for US$2.1 billion

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Fitbit is going to be the newest brand to be taken under Google's wings. Google announced that it has "entered into a definitive agreement" to acquire Fitbit for US$2.1 billion (around CA$2.7 billion). The announcement comes days after reports are going around that Google was in talks to purchase the fitness tracker company. Fitbit will be joining Google itself, in the same way that Nest is under Google right now.

According to Rick Osterloh, Google's senior vice president for hardware, the reason they want Fitbit is to help them create wearables within the company. That they "see an opportunity to invest even more in Wear OS as well as introduce Made by Google wearable devices into the market."

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Fitbit introduces new Aria Air smart scale

Aside from launching the Versa 2, Fitbit also unveiled the Aria Air, a low-cost smart scale. It can track your weight and calculate your BMI and syncs with the Fitbit app. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and feeds all the information there. And since the Fitbit app has all your data from your different Fitbit devices, it helps you set goals, develop weight loss or gain plans, as well as check your progress over time. Combining this with the new Fitbit Premium subscription service, you get more insight about your body's health metrics and receive recommendations on how to reach your goals faster. It's set to cost $69.95, and it comes in black or white.

Source: T3 + MobileSyrup

Fitbit Versa 2 brings Amazon Alexa into the smartwatch

After getting leaked, the Fitbit Versa 2 is now official. It still looks similar to its predecessor, but it comes with some new useful features. This smartwatch/fitness tracker gets an on-device microphone for the first time, allowing you to use Amazon's Alexa voice-activated assistant. Alexa on the Versa 2 will respond to your voice commands via text-based messages, which you'll see on the display. If you were worried about it talking back loudly to you, it wouldn't happen since this device has no speakers. You can ask Alexa to do things like set alarms and timers, check local weather, news, and control smart home devices. On Android, it can even transcribe voice responses to messages. But it can't control music, or control fitness tracker options until later this year.

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Leak spills details on new Fitbit Versa 2

The Fitbit Versa 2 is coming. And if we believe the shared photos from prolific leaker @evleaks, we have an idea of what's coming. The photos show the product box of the rumoured smartwatch and highlight what we can expect. The Versa 2 is tipped to be getting Alexa built into it, putting it up against the upcoming Apple Watch and Galaxy Active2. Alexa on the Versa 2 will help with things like weather reports based on your location, being a guide for your fitness regime, control your smart home items, and answer general knowledge questions, which is pretty much what you can do with Amazon Echo speakers.

It's said to be getting over 18 exercise modes, sleep tracking, and contactless payments with Fitbit Pay support. Sleep scores and heart-rate monitoring are also included. And Fitbit promises a 4+ day battery life, which is roughly the same as its predecessor. Its built-in storage can support over 300 songs to listen to offline. Rumours suggest that Fitbit has plans to release this smartwatch on September 15, with the company making the official announcement on August 25.

Source: T3