ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Fitbit Ace LTE is a youngsters’ smartwatch and health tracker with a proprietary knowledge plan. It prices $230, and the Ace Cross LTE knowledge plan prices $10 a month, or $120 yearly.
- The Fitbit Ace contains a wealthy, kid-friendly platform that’s straightforward to navigate. Additionally, the month-to-month payment is cheap, particularly at 50% off for the annual plan by way of August.
- Nonetheless, the watch would not characteristic sleep-tracking insights or help for receiving photos or voice messages. Dad and mom additionally do not get a telephone quantity with the information plan.
Google lately launched the brand new Fitbit Ace LTE, a youngsters’ smartwatch that gamifies bodily exercise to encourage motion in trade for playtime on the system. The good factor about it’s that Google would not skimp on the options; it is a good smartwatch by itself, so you’ll be able to presumably belief it to solely get higher in time, as evidenced by the upcoming updates.
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The brand new Fitbit Ace LTE options a big 41mm by 45mm Gorilla Glass watch face, which appears big for a youngsters’ smartwatch however is definitely simply the best dimension. All of the video games are supposed to be performed on the watch itself, so the additional display actual property is quickly appreciated as quickly as you work together with it.
For comparability, I have been testing the Xplora XGO3 for over a yr now. It is a $130 youngsters’ smartwatch that additionally requires a month-to-month knowledge subscription and gamifies bodily exercise. Nonetheless, the Xplora XGO3 provides youngsters digital cash in trade for steps taken, which they’ll trade for video games on a telephone or pill. Whereas it is also very restricted in what youngsters can write — there isn’t any keyboard within the messaging app — it has fewer options than the Fitbit Ace LTE.
Fitbit Ace app for grownups
The Fitbit Ace LTE seems extra like a grownup smartwatch than one for teenagers, but it surely would not embrace a telephone quantity with the Ace Cross. As an alternative, the watch requires the dad and mom to make use of the Fitbit Ace app on their iOS or Android smartphone, which provides them full entry to their youngsters’ smartwatch settings, location, knowledge plan, messaging, calling, and extra.
The Fitbit Ace app lets dad and mom see their youngsters’ current exercise damaged down into “gentle” and “lively” classes and their steps taken. There is no approach to observe sleep, which is without doubt one of the options I would wish to see. The app additionally would not present coronary heart price knowledge, though it screens it to trace motion and discern from gentle and lively train. I do not thoughts the dearth of coronary heart price knowledge in the course of the day, because it varies by age, which might result in false alerts, however I would wish to see it included with sleep monitoring.
Youngsters cannot message anybody they need as a result of the watch has no telephone quantity connected to the information plan. Solely accepted customers over 13 with the Fitbit Ace app can message the child carrying the Fitbit Ace LTE smartwatch. Dad and mom may also add emergency contacts that may be reached when the watch is about to highschool mode, a approach to keep away from distractions throughout a predetermined time.
The watch lets youngsters name and ship textual content and voice messages, however dad and mom cannot ship voice messages, which is a minor inconvenience I would like to see corrected. The messages additionally do not help stickers or photographs, so you’ll be able to’t ship your child a cute photograph of their pet or a humorous sticker. Whereas youngsters and accepted contacts can ship emojis, they appear tiny within the cell app and on the watch.
Google additionally plans so as to add Google Wallet to the Fitbit Ace LTE, letting youngsters use the watch at checkout with tap-to-pay. I can already think about my daughter asking me to place her birthday reward card cash in her pockets so she will be able to try herself at shops.
Utilizing the Fitbit Ace LTE
This smartwatch is so feature-rich that I made a decision to interrupt down the most important ones based mostly on my child’s expertise utilizing every one:
‘Noodles’ or exercise rings
The Fitbit Ace LTE contains a pedometer and coronary heart price sensor to trace steps taken, gentle bodily exercise, and lively train. Youngsters carrying the smartwatch begin every day with a Transfer Aim displayed on their display as a Noodle, much like an Apple Watch’s Exercise Rings or Put on OS health tracker.
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Like most options on the Fitbit Ace LTE, Noodles are customizable. Youngsters can select their most popular Noodle and see an animation when it transforms to an upgraded model after they full their day by day transfer aim. For instance, it may be a cartoon snake getting nearer to a leaf bug because the day progresses. When the Transfer Aim is reached, the snake eats the bug and adjustments coloration because it ‘dies,’ seemingly poisoned.
Fitbit Arcade video games
Video games on the Fitbit Ace LTE are unlocked as the child carrying it reaches train objectives, with new options accessible as the child strikes extra. The watch options video games performed by way of bodily exercise, like fishing and golf, which require arm actions. My child notably beloved the fishing recreation Smokey Lake, which has new places the place she will be able to attempt catching totally different fish. Nonetheless, these places are an X variety of steps away, unlockable provided that she completes the set variety of steps.
The Fitbit Ace LTE solely works with the Fitbit Ace Cross, so you’ll be able to’t bypass the subscription to make use of the smartwatch. The Fitbit Ace Cross, paid month-to-month or yearly, provides the wearable entry to calls, messaging, GPS location, and video games. The video games are a part of Fitbit Arcade, accessible solely with the information plan and up to date virtually day by day. These video games haven’t got in-game purchases or have to be downloaded; they solely grow to be accessible when the kid does bodily exercise.
There are presently six video games within the Fitbit Arcade, with extra coming quickly.
‘Eejies’ or avatars
Every watch has an Eejie, an avatar that youngsters can customise and make content material by reaching transfer objectives. Eejies reside in a home in Bit Valley that youngsters can embellish, unlocking rooms as they progress to totally different ranges. Consider an Eejie as a modern-day Tamagotchi (with out the hatching or dying).
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If dad and mom enable it on the Fitbit Ace app, youngsters can buddy one another in Bit Valley when two or extra Fitbit Ace LTE customers are close by, together with siblings. Their Eejies can work together in Bit Valley however cannot message or name one another.
Interchangeable wristbands
Google sells totally different wristbands in polyester yarn and sports activities finishes. However in contrast to different smartwatches, every band unlocks a brand new Noodle, ranges up their Eejie’s home, and has new decor and outfits for his or her Eejie. The bands every have a theme, just like the Unusual Arcade, Moovin, Spooky Pugs, Glitterbomb Skate, Camp Nightmare, and Courtside. The totally different wristbands solely add to the watch expertise, so youngsters do not lose their Eejie or any progress they made earlier than switching bands.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
I am not able to get my second-grader a telephone. I simply know she’ll overlook it someplace, or certainly one of us will overlook to cost it, rendering it ineffective. The Fitbit Ace LTE is the right system to present youngsters management over their day, join them to accepted contacts, and observe their location when wanted.
This summer season, the smartwatch gave me some actionable perception into my child’s exercise stage. When she went to day camp, her day by day bodily exercise doubled and generally tripled that of the times she stayed house. As her dad or mum, this motivated me to get all of them transferring extra in the course of the summer season when it is easy to fall right into a routine of screens and snacks.
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After testing it for a couple of weeks, I discovered that the Fitbit Ace LTE is the one youngsters’ smartwatch I might wholeheartedly advocate to folks with youngsters between the ages of 6 and 14 who can learn and navigate a touchscreen. It is a easy platform, futureproofed by Google in a means that justifies its worth and succeeds in getting youngsters transferring.
The Fitbit Ace LTE does have a couple of areas it might enhance, however they are often remedied with future software program updates, and finally, the professionals outweigh the cons.