Fitbit aims to Blaze fitness trail with new smartwatch

Imagine being in Fitbit’s shoes. The wearable tech firm has been slogging away for a number of years on developing and perfecting its activity trackers. A few products in and things are finally hitting their groove; people are jumping on board the wearable bandwagon. Fitbit has established itself in the market.

Then along comes Apple with its smartwatch and suddenly it’s all about Cupertino’s efforts, and analysts are talking about Apple snapping at Fitbit’s heels.

So what’s a wearable tech firm to do? Fight fire with fire - or, in this case, the Blaze. The Fitbit Blaze is what the company says is its most stylish and motivating fitness tracker yet. It’s a smart fitness watch, but without that chunky “sports watch” feel.

The bands are interchangeable, as is the frame, so you can have one look for work and another for the gym.

“One of the first things we learned in this industry is that fitness is personal – and if something isn’t your style, you won’t wear it,” said James Park, Fitbit’s chief executive. “With Fitbit Blaze, we pushed the boundaries of what’s possible to create a beautiful, versatile device that can be customized to fit your personal style – while packing a powerful fitness punch to help you reach your goals.”

That “fitness punch” includes FitStar on-screen workouts, heart rate tracking, GPS and automatic exercise recognition.

It also delivers the notifications you need from your smartphone right to your wrist. You can accept and reject calls from your wrist, and it’s compatible with Android, iOS and Windows mobile devices.

One of its key features though is the battery life. One charge gives you enough power for up to five days, so you can track sleep and movement for longer.

The Fitbit Blaze will be available from March.