Fitbit’s Blaze wasn’t really a big hit when it was announced at CES a few weeks ago. In contrast to Misfit’s Ray which generally received positive feedback thanks to its jewelry-like design.
Judging by the company’s latest announcement, it seems Fitbit is taking a few pages from Misfit’s playbook with the Fitbit Alta.
Compared to the chunky Blaze, the Alta is now sporting a slimmer profile. Fortunately, Fitbit didn’t really sacrifice a lot when it chose to give the Alta a smaller form factor. For starters, the device sports the same level of activity tracking as seen in other members of the Fitbit family.
These include all-day tracking for your steps, distance covered, calories burned, hours of sleep and active minutes. Fitbit was also generous enough to include new features found in competing products such as reminders to move and a feature called SmartTrack that automatically recognizes and records your exercises for you.
Fitbit is also promising improved notifications (which include notifications for not only calls but also texts and calendar alerts) and longer battery life (up to 5 full days on a single charge).
The Fitbit Alta also allows band interchangeability, allowing users to choose the type of band to use with the device based on their style and of course preference. Types of band for the Alta include metal, leather and even specialized brands from designers such as Tory Burch.
Fitbit is now offering the Alta for pre-orders with a price tag of $129.95.
