Fitness Unveils “Fitbit Surge” Smartwatch, Has No Plans to Integrate HealthKit

Fitbit has today announced a new line-up of activity-tracking devices i.e the Fitbit Charge and Fitbit Charge HR wristbands and the Fitbit Surge smartwatch (via Re/Code). However, the company appears to be keeping distance from Apple following the later’s plans to remove Fitbit products from its physical retail stores earlier this month, meaning it won’t be integrating its products with Apple’s HealthKit anytime soon, CNET is reporting.

“For the past few years, we’ve been the leader in developing direct partnerships through our open API,” the company said, adding that HealthKit is “really interesting to us.” However, Fitbit is still not on board, citing HealthKit’s lack of compatibility with Google’s Android mobile operating system as its reason, something that Apple is unlikely to change.

The Fitbit Charge and Fitbit Charge HR wristbands, at $130 and $150 respectively, are being referred to as “Force reinvented” with an improved design. They both measure steps, distance traveled, calories burned and floors climbed. The HR version also packs heart rate sensors which Fitbit terms as “PurePulse”. Both devices feature OLED display, are water-resistant and Fitbit is claiming they lasts up to seven days on a charge (five days for HR model).

The third and the more expensive wearable is the $250 Fitbit Surge smartwatch. It sports a backlit LCD touchscreen display and eight different sensors i.e A tri-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, ambient light sensor, GPS and heart rate. The Surge can also cycle through the typical “smart” watch notifications like text alerts and incoming calls, provided a smartphone is in range. Expected battery life is around seven days. Fitbit’s mobile app, which works on iOS, Android and Windows, will also be updated to include heart-rate measurements from these new wearables.

The Fitbit Charge is currently available for purchase, while the Fitbit Charge HR and Fitbit Surge won’t be available until early 2015.