Google recently introduced Fitbit Ace LTE — “a new, first-of-its-kind connected smartwatch for kids ages 7+. Ace LTE transforms exercise into play, while also giving families peace of mind with reliable calling, messaging and location sharing with parents.” The company’s VP of Product, Anil Sabharwal, said in a blog post.
With a pitch of “movement through play” (video games), Fitbit Ace LTE brings the two ideas together by delivering fully immersive, interactive 3D games on the wrist where the more kids move, the more game time they unlock.
Each game is built specifically for the device — using haptics, sounds, the accelerometer and more and the Fitbit Arcade updates with fresh new games every few months.
Ace LTE recognizes and rewards all sorts of physical activity, whether it’s playing hide and seek, jumping on the bed or having a sibling dance-off. All of this movement shows up in Fitbit’s activity ring yet — the ‘Noodle’ — that lives on the homescreen and celebrates when kids reach their daily move goals.
Google worked with leading, independent experts in child psychology, public health, privacy and digital wellbeing to design Fitbit Ace LTE. “It’s built with privacy in mind, front and center. For example, only parents are ever shown a child’s location or activity data in their app, location data is deleted after 24 hours and activity data is deleted after a maximum of 35 days. There are no ads or third-party apps, and only contacts added by a parent can call or message the device,” Sabharwal said.
The Fitbit Ace LTE uses a new movement algorithm for kids developed by the Google Research team that better and more accurately measures kids’ physical activity throughout the day, encouraging and motivating all types of movement.