TEST / Fitbit Force

When your name is Fitbit and you are a successful fitness equipment manufacturer, the difficult question "What are we going to do next?" ».

Capitalizing on the success of its Flex, the designers have transposed their technology to the smartwatch sector. The Fitbit Force retains the same basic design and functionality, but adds a few new features, including a good display and an altimeter. In doing so, it also pushes the sale price to $ 130. On paper, this sounds like a recipe for success. But if you've ever purchased any of the electronic devices, you know that the theory sometimes deviates from reality. So the question isn't whether Fitbit can be successful (we know they can), it's about whether its new fitness tracker is indeed relevant. The answer may be more nuanced than you expected.


Description

The Force is like two drops of water like Flex. In fact, from a distance, you'd be hard pressed to tell the two apart - at least without the displays on. The most obvious difference is that the Force has an OLED display, not just a series of LEDs that light up to indicate progress toward a goal. The definition of the screen is not high resolution, but it does not need to be. It's large and pixelated enough to display simple icons and numbers; in addition, it is easily read in direct sunlight.

Apart from the display, the differences are quite subtle. The black plastic covering the display no longer runs down the sides; instead there is a strip of silver gray plastic which enhances the dull tone of the ensemble. On the left side of this strip is a button that scrolls through the display elements and below is the three-contact charging port. Up close, you'll also notice that the Force is a bit wider than the Flex (around 25 percent, to be precise). With a little less than 2 cm in width, it remains thin compared to wristwatches of the competition. However, people who have been using the Flex for a long time will immediately notice the difference. The band is made from the same plastic material that equips the flex, available in black and slate blue, with the same closure system which can be a little frustrating at times. It takes some effort to close the first few times you apply the Force. Unlike the Flex, you cannot remove the tracker from the bracelet and interchange the color band, it is in one piece. While you lose stylistic flexibility, the new screen doesn't take away from those waterproof properties, and we're talking about it. And, despite the additional “bulk”, it never interfered with our daily movements.

Under its hood you'll find a host of electronic components, including an accelerometer for counting steps and an altimeter for tracking down stairs. In addition you will find a vibrating motor for the silent alarm, the Bluetooth 4.0 system for wireless synchronization and a lithium-ion battery which can theoretically last up to 10 days. During the period spent with the device, we will say that the estimate is slightly pessimistic: and yes, we were able to go up to 11 days between two charges. And when it's time to plug in the Force, you can charge it to 100 percent in under two hours through your computer's USB port.

Pressing the button turns the device on and displays the time. Press again and it starts scrolling through the different information: steps taken, total distance traveled, calories burned, steps climbed, "very active periods" and your alarms. When it comes to sleep tracking, all you need to do is press and hold the button on the left side to put the Force in stopwatch mode. When you wake up, long press the key to end it. You can also use the companion app to communicate with the Force when you go to sleep and when you wake up, available with a still limited number of Android devices (or an iPhone newer than the 4s).
SOFTWARE Since the Flex came out, Fitbit has updated its apps (in a subtle way) with a new look and a few new features. The iOS and Android versions have better aesthetics, with colorful icons indicating the different metrics it tracks. It makes the interface easier to navigate. Unfortunately, while navigating the app is easy, there are still many options hidden behind several layers of menus. For example, to start tracking your sleep in the app, this is done in at least three steps: from the dashboard, you need to select the sleep tracking option, and then you need to tell it you want to "measure »Your sleep, and finally validate to start monitoring. And, although the Sleep Tracking option seems slightly improved over the Flex, the complexity of the feature makes it more of a gimmick than a real tool.

The calorie counting function is just as heavy. Although the database of food products has been slightly expanded, adding meals is still very tedious. You cannot add foods in bulk, and there is no barcode scanner to quickly pull up nutritional information for packaged or prepared foods. And, since nutritional data is limited to just calories, you can't tell what percentage of your diet is protein, fat, or carbohydrate.

Exercise tracking isn't much more effective, but it doesn't require the same level of attention or input. These 3 characteristics continue to be the weak point of the Fitbit ecosystem. Keeping track of this extra data is nice, but so impractical that you'd probably be better off ignoring these options. And, honestly, if your goal is to just focus on tracking your steps, your experience with the Force will only be that much more enjoyable. One feature that we unfortunately weren't able to test is the display of notifications by iOS 7. In the near future, a software update will allow caller information to be seen on Fitbit Force when connected to an iPhone. with the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. However, Fitbit has yet to give a final launch date. And, with only call notifications being supported, the feature is of questionable utility. After all, who still uses their phone to make calls?

The Competition
It might be hard to believe, but when the Flex came out just six months ago, it entered a much less saturated market. Today, the Flex is still for sale, along with the ONE and the Zip, and Fitbit may well be competing with itself.
Of the company's devices, the Force is the most successful. It combines all the features of the Fitbit One with the wrist convenience of the Flex. But there is even tougher competition outside. The Withings Pulse, for example, has most of the features of the Force, with smart Bluetooth, in a belt clip format for € 100. Nike's New FuelBand SE costs $ 20 more than the Flex, and relies on its "fuel points" rather than actual step count, but it plays on its strength, an extremely robust social network that Fitbit cannot compete with. . Then there's the Jawbone Up, a portable device that has found its fans thanks to its design, but has fewer features than the Force for a similar price, which puts it below.