A powerful, versatile, and comfortable fitness tracker
Smartwatches
Hi.
This is Brian Bennett for CNET.com.
And right now, we're taking a first look at the Fitbit Flex.
Costing $99.95, the Fitbit Flex is the most recent fitness tracker to join the company's lineup of personal health devices.
While not quite as advanced as the Fitbit One, which also costs $99.95, by the way, the Flex features part and upon a much more flexible wristband-style design.
The Fitbit Flex tracks
steps you make all day long, and then uses that to calculate the calories you burn.
The flex can also record and report the length and quality of your sleep.
That's something the Fitbit One can do, too, but the Flex doesn't require a separate armband like the more clunky One.
The Fitbit Flex can't track how many stairs you climbed, though, which is a trait of the Fitbit One.
The Flex consists of a flexible, rubbery band and a tiny tracker module which sits inside.
The LED lights on the tracker
serve as the device's only indicator.
When you slip the tracker in to the band, you can see the LEDs through slim, plastic visor.
Tapping the screen once will cause the Flex to display your progress towards your daily step goal.
The greater the number of lights, the better.
You charge the Flex's battery using a bundled USB cable.
The device can also sync automatically with PCs and Mac's through a provided USB adaptor.
Even better, if you're lucky enough to own an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy S3
and Galaxy Note device, you'll be able to sync in real time with the Fitbit Android and iOS mobile apps.
Now, the device doesn't have a screen, so you can't use it as a watch like the Nike FuelBand.
Still, it's small, light, and comfortable to wear.
Plus, it's water resistant.
That means you can shower with it, take it out in the rain, wash dishes with it, whatever floats your boat.
I'm Brian Bennett for CNET.com, and this has been a first look at the Fibbit Flex fitness tracker.
Be sure to check back
soon for a full review.
