Fitbit Alta HR Combines Smartwatch Features With Activity Tracking

The wearables market has split into activity trackers and smartwatches. On the smartwatch side, the Apple Watch reigns supreme. But when it comes to activity trackers, it’s Fitbit that dominates all others. Fitbit’s new consumer wearable is called the Fitbit Alta HR. The wearable, which is exceedingly thin, comes with a variety of health-tracking features, including the ability to monitor heart rate, analyze calorie burn and suggest new exercise activities. It also comes with up to seven days of battery life and can alert users to calls, text messages, and calendar events. It reminds users to keep moving and integrates with a smartphone app that tracks activity and encourages users to improve their health. The Fitbit Alta HR is one of the most feature-packed wearables Fitbit has released to date.

The Fitbit Alta HR is designed with active people in mind. It constantly analyzes the wearer’s movements and uses health data to track calorie burn. It’s also small enough to not detract from a workout and its bands are designed to be sweat-resistant.

While the Fitbit Alta HR is designed for exercise first, it also comes with some smartwatch features that could make it a useful tool for those who want to combine the features of an activity tracker and a smartwatch. The device will tell the time, of course, but it also has a touchscreen that allows users to interact with different apps. Since it can integrate with a smartphone, it’s capable of keeping users in contact with others.

The Fitbit Alta HR doesn’t slouch on battery life. In fact, according to Fitbit, the device should last up to seven days on a single charge during normal use and recharging is fairly quick.

The Fitbit Alta HR ships with support for the company’s PurePulse technology. The feature uses sensors that can analyze the user’s heart rate without requiring them to strap something on their chests. It alerts users when they’ve hit an optimal heart rate for exercise and fat burn.

In addition to heart rate analysis, the Fitbit Alta HR comes with several health-monitoring tools. For instance, it can measure a person’s calorie burn to determine whether a workout is helping the user achieve exercise goals. It can also measure whether a person is keeping active enough and recommends daily steps to maximize health. It can even recognize which exercise activities a person is engaging in and logs data accordingly.

Fitbit’s Alta HR is also working while users are sleeping. It can automatically track the user’s sleep duration and consistency and wakes users up at the optimal time. It also measures heart rate during sleep, so users can get a sense of when they were most rested.

Notifications are built-in the Fitbit Alta HR. So, when users are getting a call on their smartphones, the Alta HR lets them know who is calling. The device will also alert users to text messages and upcoming events on their calendar.

Without the software support Fitbit offers, the Alta HR wouldn’t be nearly as useful. So, users are encouraged to download the free Fitbit companion app with the Alta HR. It acts as the hub to track heart rates, sleep, and other health measures. It’s available from Apple’s App Store and Google Play, among other marketplaces.

Fitbit’s Alta HR will synchronize with handsets running iOS, Android, and Windows. However, some older devices might not be supported, so Fitbit says that it’s compatible with more than 200 smartphones and tablets running those operating systems.

The Fitbit Alta HR starts at $150 and is available now for pre-order. The device lets users choose from several watchband colors for that price, but those who want special edition watchbands will pay $180 for the wearable. Those who preorder now will get the device in mid-April.