The Surge is the most feature-packed Fitbit yet, but fails to impress
Smartwatches
FItBit is calling it's latest watch a super watch.
It's part activities tracker, part GPS running watch and part smart watch.
I am Dan Graziano and this is the FitBit Surge.
This is everything you expect from a FitBit product.
It can track the steps you take, the distance you travel, calories burned floors climbed and automatically track your sleep at night.
There's GPS on board so you can see things like pace and distance while running, and it can even display notifications from your smartphone, so it's currently limited to calls and text messages.
Perhaps the most interesting feature is the optical heart rate sensor on the back of the device.
This will measure your beats per minute, all day every day which should theoretically help improve sleep tracking and estimates for your calories burned.
Now this all sounds great, but not everything is perfect.
I fount resting heart rate to be relatively accurate when compared to a polar chest strap, but things didn't go as well when I began to work out.
The Surge's ratings were usually off by around 30 beats per minute when lifting weights or running.
Speaking of running, the features are basic even among the most basic running watches out there.
There's no smart coaching, no recovery mode, auto-pause, or any other feature you would find in comparable GPS watches.
Battery life also isn't that good.
With a continuous GPS signal you could expect to get around five hours, which isn't enough time for most people to even finish a marathon.
Fitbit said that with a continuous heart rate and activity tracking, battery life is around seven days, but I found it closer to five.
The last thing that really bothered me about the Surge is that you can't wear it in the shower or while swimming.
It's only sweat and splash proof.
The Fitbit Surge is available now for $250.
For more information you can check out my full review over at Cnet.com.
I'm Dan Graziano for Cnet and that was the first look at the Fitbit Surge.
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