On Tuesday, wearable activity trackers maker Fitbit announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas the launch of their new fitness-focused Blaze smartwatch, which seems to be aimed at beating the vastly growing competition in wearable gadgets, reported Financial Times on Tuesday.
Fitbit's stylish smartwatch will be available in the market on March at $199, which is a lot more affordable than Apple Watch's cheapest smartwatch at $350.
The Blaze smartwatch boasts of a slim design that is equipped with interchangeable frames and bands to suit every stylish person's desires. It also has a color touchscreen on a square watch face with smart notifications for various functions such as text, call and calendar alerts from a paired smartphone, and a long battery life of up to five days.
"What are the things that people use the most [on smartwatches]? It's time, notifications, health and fitness, then everything else is kind of noise," said CEO and cofounder of Fitbit, James Park. "Those are the three things we've focused on nailing in this product."
Other features include onscreen workouts from Fitbit's FitStar, continuous heart rate tracker via PurePulse, SmartTrack exercise recognition and GPS.
"Fitbit Blaze delivers a combination of innovative features that were carefully selected with intention and purpose, designed to motivate and offer a fitness experience that is more effortless and more useful with advanced guidance and coaching," added Park.
According to Gizmodo on Tuesday, the fashion-focused Fitbit Blaze smartwatch is compatible with both iOS and Android operating systems, reaching a wide range of tech-savvy users. The smartwatch comes in black, blue and plum elastomers, which will be sold separately at $30.
Leather straps will also be available at $100, while stainless steel straps will be sold at $130.
"Whereas with [Fitbit's other wristbands] Charge HR and Surge, it was really a 'one size fits all' on the look, there's going to be a heavy focus on personalization and accessories with Blaze," said Park.
The Consumer Technology Association is expecting a 12 percent increase in sales of fitness trackers this year, while smartwatch sales are forecasted to increase by a fifth.