UPDATED 00:53 EDT / JANUARY 06 2016

NEWS

Fitbit shares tank on news of new Blaze fitness tracker come smartwatch| #CES2016

Fitbit Inc. launched its take on the smartwatch, the Fitbit Blaze, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) currently underway in Las Vegas. The Blaze is the first Fitbit to come with a touchscreen color display, but sadly its looks lack the sophistication of Apple and Android smartwatches and rather than look like the next big thing it looks slightly dated.

Fitbit investors did not seem too happy about the latest offering from the San Francisco-based company either, with Fitbit’s shares dropping by 18 percent following the announcement.

Here is a look at what the Fitbit Blaze has to offer the fitness-focused consumers out there.

Fitbit Blaze aesthetics

The Fitbit Blaze is not a unibody watch design, but rather consists of an octagonal face and stainless steel casing that can pop out of and into a variety of frames and bands. The Blaze is Fitbit’s first device with an LCD color, touchscreen display.

The standard Blaze device has an elastomer band, but consumers can also pop their Blaze into a leather or a metal band, at an additional cost.

Fitbit Blaze specs and features

The Fitbit Blaze allows you to receive notifications on the device like calls, texts, calendar alerts and a call rejection feature, but unlike other smartwatches on the market, it does not offer third-party apps.

The Blaze will track your daily steps, sleep, calories burned, and a variety of different types of exercises. The native FitStar app that runs on the Blaze will offer guided workouts while you can continue to share all your workout data to your desktop, Android, iOS, or Windows smartphone.

As the Blaze only has ‘Connected GPS’ and does not have built-in GPS you will need to carry your smartphone with you when you are out for a run if you want accurate data regarding distance, pace and route traveled.

The good news is that the battery will last up to five days, which trumps other smartwatches with estimated battery lives of one to two days, but is on par with the fitness trackers on the market.

The Blaze has optical heart rate sensors, a feature that should give more accurate readings. During the day the Blaze will take a heart rate reading every five seconds while during workout sessions it will get a reading every second.

Fitbit Blaze price and release date

You can preorder a Blaze on the Fitbit website for $199 with Classic band colors coming in a range of Black, Blue or Plum. Preorders will ship in March 2016.

Additional bands and accessories will be available at a later date, including a Luxe leather band for $100 and a Luxe metal band for $130.

Fitbit had a really good 2015, but with its latest offering not getting the praise that it would have hoped for we will have to wait and see whether it has a repeat performance in 2016.

Check out the Fitbit Blaze in the video below:

Image via Fitbit

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