The other day I took a look at the Bose SoundLink Mini II that Verizon had sent over as an example of ways to get more functionality out of your mobile phone. Well, today I’m taking a look at the second product. This time around it’s the new Fitbit Blaze. I’ve taken a look at fitness bands in the past, but not from Fitbit. Fitbit is by far the most popular fitness band manufacture, so I’m excited to see what they do to set themselves apart from everyone else. Not the mention the Blaze looks to be a bit of a departure on their part as well. So let’s dive in and see what it is all about.
Product Name: Fitbit Blaze
Review Samples Provided by: Verizon
Written by: Wes
Pictures by: Wes
Amazon Links: Fitbit Blaze
Specifications | |
Sensors & Components |
-3-axis accelerometer -Optical heart rate monitor -Altimeter -Ambient light sensor -Vibration motor |
Display |
-Touch screen -Color LCD |
Battery and Power |
-Battery life: lasts up to 5 days -Battery type: Lithium-polymer -Charge time: One to two hours -Radio transceiver: Bluetooth 4.0 |
Memory |
-Tracks 7 days of detailed motion data – minute by minute -Tracks daily totals for past 30 days -Stores heart rate data at 1 second intervals during exercise tracking and at 5 second intervals all other times |
Environmental Requirements |
-Operating temperature: 14 degrees to 140 degrees F -Maximum operating altitude: 28,000 feet |
Syncing |
-Fitbit Blaze syncs automatically and wirelessly to 200+ leading iOS, Android and Windows devices using Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology. -Syncing range: 20 feet -Notifications: Text and call via Bluetooth 4.0 -Music control: via Bluetooth Classic -Syncing to mobile devices requires Bluetooth and Internet connection -Syncs with Windows Vista and later, Mac OS X 10.6 and up, iPhone 4S and later, iPad 3 gen. and later, and leading Android and Windows devices |
In The Box |
-Fitbit® Blaze™ Fitness Smartwatch -Charging Cable |
Packaging
The Fitbit Blaze comes in a much smaller box. The box has a photo of the Blaze on the front along with a short list of its key features. Also, because the watch is available in two sizes they do have a size sticker on the front, in our case, it’s a large. Around on the side of the box, they have another photo of the Blaze, but this time with it showing that it can show your heart rate while also running a stopwatch. On the back of the box all of the features listed on the front are now listed again, only this time they have short descriptions under them. They also show off the Fitbit software down at the bottom.
The box opens up really easy once you break the seal due to the magnetic front panel. When opened up we have the watch up top in the formed plastic and then a small box with the charging dock inside. You also get a safety and warranty book and a small getting started paper.
Photos and Features
Most of my fitness band experience has been with the Razer Nabu and the Nabu Watch so I was a little surprised that the charger for the Fitbit Blaze is this weird clamshell. Basically, you have to pop the Blaze out of the armband and then you can put it in this charger. The charger has four contacts for data transfer and charging. You then have to lock it down for the contacts to touch. I really feel like this design could be improved on. For example, if they turned the Blaze 90 degrees in this charger then put cutouts on the left and right of the top door you could actually charge the Blaze with it still in the band. That for me would be huge, it’s not THAT hard to pull out each time but it would improve the overall experience.
So with the Fitbit Blaze out we can see that the Blaze is focused on being a lot more like a watch than the older designs that have that fitness band look. This is a great thing because a fitness band might not look to bad when you are out running, but the Blaze actually looks professional enough to wear to a meeting or out on a date. The Blaze has other bands available from Fitbit and can also be found in other places as well. You can get bright and colorful, or even jump on Etsy and find really fancy handmade bands as well. Basically, you can make it fit your style. That said I actually like the stock band, its rubber and has the same texture on the outside that other Fitbit devices have. The Blaze is held in the band with an aluminum frame. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of when people were using iPod Nanos as watches, only it fits better.
Below is a better look at the band with its Fitbit exclusive texture. While it is available in two different sized, they also have a lot of adjustment in the band as well. Take that Razer Nabu!
The back of the Blaze has the four contact points just like the charging dock. The raised portion has a sensor and two greens LED lights that flash. This is how the Blaze tracks your heartbeat.
For buttons, it has two buttons on one side of the device and one on the other. The single buttons are what you will use the most but the others help use some of the more in-depth functionality. The buttons, like the housing, are all aluminum.
Here is a shot of the Blaze out of its band. To remove and install the Blaze you have to take it in and out from the bottom of the band so you don’t have to worry about it coming out with activity. Really pulling it out even the correct way is tough, it fits very tight.
Performance and Software
For testing, I spent a little time with the Blaze and then I stuck it on my wife. This was mostly because frankly, I’m not nearly as active. The side benefit is that she has been using the Razer Nabu then later the Nabu watch so I was really curious what her opinion was when switching. First off the adjustable band worked wonders for us. With the Nabu, she had to use a small band and the large band didn’t even fit me, so I was happy when I found that the large Blaze fit me. Even cooler though was it even fit here, though I’m sure she would be happier with the small band. It fit comfortably and really the only comfort issue I had was just adjusting to having anything on my arm at all. The stock band did its job and even though I was worried at first that the bump on the back of the Blaze would get on my nerves, I never noticed it.
The color screen on the Blaze was a big step up from the Nabu as well. The Nabu band and watch both just had tiny single color readouts where the Blaze is just a step below being an actual smartwatch. You can keep an eye on the time within the software you can even pick from a few different home screens. The different looks functioned completely different and weren’t just recolors. The one I liked the most for its clock didn’t give on the fly access to heart rate so we ended up switching.
The biggest part of performance on a Fitbit though is the software. I mean you wear it all day, but being able to look at the data is what it is all about right? Getting started with the Blaze you have to install the app on your phone and then attach the Blaze. To do this they give you easy to use step by step instructions. I don’t think anyone is going to have an issue getting up and running.
Once you are up and running you can open up your dashboard any time of the day and keep an eye on your performance. Most of this is also on the Blaze itself but from the dashboard, you can get into long-term data and really start to get a better idea of how you are doing.
For example, with steps you can look at your step totals for each day or if you want you can click a day and actually see when you are active.
The steps and stairs are interesting, but both my wife and I couldn’t help but constantly check out the heart rate over the day. It lets you know what your resting heart rate is and then from there you can actually look at how high it goes throughout the day. You can see spikes when you are busy or when you are working out or in my case you can see the lack of any good workout.
To go with the steps, they also break things down into the total distance you walk each day. They use your stride length or GPS.
On top of the notifications, you will get on the Blaze and your phone when you break your own records or reach your daily goals. You also get an email at the end of the week breaking down your activity for the week. It does a good job showing how well you are sleeping and if you have put in any weight changes it will show that as well. You can get Fitbit scales to help with that. In this situation, it looks like a crazy amount of weight loss because it was calculating weight loss from me changing the weight from myself to my wife.
The best part about the Fitbit Blaze, and what makes it so popular is its social integration. You most likely have seen friends posting up Fitbit links. You can make a Fitbit friends list and it will show you how well your friends are doing as well. This helps promote more activity by getting friends to compete against each other. It tracks step winners and has leaderboards between friends. Personally, I don’t need anyone seeing how active or inactive I’m being, but I can see exactly how that would help promote fitness.
Overall and Final Verdict
Taking a look at both of the accessories that Verizon sent over has been interesting. As much as I did like the Bose SoundLink Mini II, it was the Fitbit Blaze that really caught my eye. It offers a great way get notifications from your mobile phone and keep an eye on the time without being rude and checking your phone constantly. More importantly, Fitbit has managed to merge what is great with Fitbits into a proper watch form factor. It doesn’t exactly have the same features as a smartwatch, but it's not far off. You end up with a high-tech watch and a smart band in one and it is comfortable and you have a wide selection of band options available as well. The software and social integration that makes all Fitbits good is still there and you also have on the fly heart rate tracking. Really the only downside I ran into when using it was the odd charging setup that could take a few tips from the smart watch industry and be much easier to charge. Beyond that the only other downside is that my wife loved the Blaze so much that once I send this one back to Verizon, I'm going to have to pick one up for here.
Live Pricing: HERE