With the Fitbit Ace LTE, Google is stepping outside of the boundaries by fusing an activity tracker with a game system. As a "first-of-its-kind connected smartwatch that transforms exercise into play and safely helps kids lead more active, independent lives," the business is marketing this device. Imagine it essentially as a Nintendo Switch with a few safety and connection features included, down to an activity tracker for kids ages 7 and higher.
The primary goal is to encourage children to move about in return for advancement in the onboard games of the Ace LTE. However, there are also fundamental technologies that let parents and other reliable contacts to maintain communication with the user. Adults may load the new Fitbit Ace app on iOS or Android to track exercise progress, control playback time, and make and receive calls and texts. Kids may enter or dictate text messages, choose an emoji, or utilize the touchscreen keyboard and microphone on the watch itself.
Hardware-wise, The Fitbit Ace LTE Is Essentially A Pixel Watch 2
The Fitbit Ace LTE is rather snappy since it makes use of a condensed form of the Pixel Watch 2's hardware. The kid-friendly tracker differs significantly from the other model in that it has five ATMs of water resistance, but it also has Gorilla Glass 3 on its cover. With every Ace LTE, Google does supply a protective cover, however it doesn't add much weight.
Other notable variations include the Fitbit Ace LTE's "squircle" OLED (square with rounded sides) and its two sizable buttons located on the right side, in contrast to the circular face of the Pixel Watch 2. Additionally, the latter's range is much smaller and has "technology built in," according to Anil Sabharwal, vice president of product management at Google. This is simply a fancy way of saying that every attachment has its own set of content and that the Ace LTE knows when to change in a fresh strap.
These bands are referred to by the firm as "Cartridges"—yet another indication that the Fitbit Ace LTE is a gaming console clone. An animation showcasing all of the newly acquired supplementary content will appear when you snap a new one on. They come with fresh backdrops and accessories for your "eejie," a Tamagotchi-like pet. In addition, interchangeable bands add distinctive, cartoon-like strips known as Noodles that circle the watch's display every day, tracking the wearer's progress toward daily objectives and resembling Apple's activity rings.
I wanted to get the hardware out of the way, so I'm dancing around the Fitbit Ace LTE's key selling point. The notion of a wearable gaming device is the most intriguing one here. The home screen of the Ace LTE seems rather standard. The time is shown with the Noodle activity ring around it, and the quantity of points earned is indicated in a little text toward the bottom.
This page has a set of daily quests that Sabharwal referred to as a "playlist" on the left. Similar to other iOS or Android games, there are many objectives to meet in a certain amount of time to make sure you're playing, and reaching these milestones earns you prizes.
Eejie: Less Adorable Than A Tamagotchi
The majority of these prizes are items you may use to customize the home screen on the right of your virtual pet. These are referred to by Google as "eejies," a term that has no real meaning. In a room full of engineers, they heard out the letters "I," "J," and "I" and reasoned, "Sure, why not?" (No, neither do those letters really represent anything.)
Google states that Eejies are adaptable animals that thrive on everyday action; the more children accomplish their movement objectives, the healthier and happier their Eejie becomes. Each youngster may trade their arcade tickets for new clothes or furnishings for their eejies after completing their daily tasks and earning them (or when a new watch strap is inserted).
The eejies are meant to be "customizable creatures," but instead of looking like animals, they resemble youngsters. In some styling combinations, they even have the appearance of moody teens. When playing with these eejie, don't anticipate a charming Pikachu or Digimon—they are two-legged creatures with heads, limbs, and necks. Though maybe the intended audience enjoys feeding and playing with an odd avatar of themselves, I'd like something nicer.
Emoji messages may be sent via eejie to one other when many Ace LTE wearers get together. Naturally, the amount of enjoyment that entails depends on how many of your child's peers own Ace LTEs.
Using Fitbit Ace LTE For Gaming
That social element apart, the Ace LTE can still be a lot of fun. Fitbit Arcade, a brand-new game collection created especially for this device, is housed there. I've only played approximately six of the games in the collection so far, which include a racer that resembles Mario Kart, a fishing simulator, and a room escape game.
I started off playing the fishing game Smoky Lake during Google's briefing. I gave a brief introduction before throwing my arm out and tapping on the outline of a fish in the water. I waited for the Ace LTE to buzz before snagging my wrist. I swiped through to see further details about previous captures after being informed that I had captured a puffer fish. This capture netted me five arcade tokens.
I excitedly gave it another go and caught what they claimed to be the "biggest pineapple gillfish" that day. The Ace LTE I was wearing had also caught a "blob fish" and a "ramen squid," and pressing an icon in the top left corner displayed my collection of captured items.
After that, I engaged in a round of Pollo 13, a racing game in which I took on the role of a chicken in a bathtub facing off against my fiercest adversary in an interstellar space battle. I steered there by tilting my wrist in all directions, either to maintain my car on course or to veer in order to gather objects that would accelerate me. My previous Mario Kart experience and my overall lack of driving talent in real life led me to believe that I would do poorly in this game and finish last. With grace, Sabharwal told me that this was the worst outcome they had seen all day.
I didn't get a chance to play any of the other games that were loaded, such as Sproutlings, Jelly Jam, or Galaxy Rangers, but my favorite kind of game, room escape games, piqued my interest the most.
However, Google does not want to promote compulsive or addictive gaming on the Ace LTE. "We aim to prevent children from overexercising. We don't want them to believe that they are on a streak and that everything ends if they skip a day. stated Sabharwal.
Consequently, each game's progression is based on motivating the wearer to reach mobility objectives in order to continue on to new levels. You'll be reminded to get up and walk around every two to three minutes. For example, you will be informed that you are out of bait at Smokey Lake and will need to trek several hundred feet to the bait store. You may do this by taking many steps or by engaging in any activity that satisfies comparable criteria. Playin on the notion of "interval-based training," Google is referring to this as "interval-based gaming." The manufacturer estimates that each user will complete the 60 to 90 minutes of daily needed exercise that are advised by the World Health Organization after around five to ten sessions.
Although the concept of using activity as game money isn't particularly new, Google is exercising caution in this regard. The business claims that in addition to attempting to prevent addiction—which is a genuine worry for the target age group—it developed the Ace LTE “responsibly from the ground up” by collaborating with “experts in child psychology, public health, privacy, and digital wellbeing.” The statement went on to say that the gadget was "built with privacy in mind, front and center" and that the location or activity data of a kid would only ever be seen to parents via their applications. Whereas activity data is erased after a maximum of 35 days, location data is erased after 24 hours. Additionally, Google said that “no third-party apps or ads are on the device.”
Although tracking exercise is the primary objective at launch, the Ace LTE may also measure sleep and other health-related variables to be used toward objectives. The Ace LTE's dashboard, which resembled Today, and movement reminders looked a lot like those of other Fitbit trackers. From my limited experience, however, it was difficult to really investigate and contrast.
Even while some of the games were undoubtedly entertaining and I appreciate the concept of the Ace LTE, I still have some concerns. The gadget I put on felt warm, which worried me, but Sabharwal clarified that it was probably because the demo units had been charging intermittently throughout the day. The large bezels around the screen bothered me, albeit they didn't significantly detract from my experience. The sporadic slowness I experienced while waiting for games to load or to return to the home screen did appear to be more of an issue. It will probably take a thorough investigation to determine if the delays observed were caused by early software or whether the final retail devices would have a similar situation.
The Fitbit Ace LTE will be delivered on June 5 and is now available for pre-order on Amazon or the Google Store for $230. The Ace Pass subscription, which costs an additional $10 per month, gives you access to Fitbit Arcade, LTE connectivity (via Google's Fi), and frequent content upgrades. Upon purchasing an annual membership, you will get a collectible Ace Band (six will be available at launch). Additionally, the yearly charge will be lowered by 50% from now until August 31st, making it around $5 per month.
