When Fitbit invited me to a demo of the Ace LTE, its new tracker for teenagers, I didn’t anticipate a lot. The earlier Ace trackers had been pared-down Fitbit bands that didn’t do a lot and lacked GPS. Different smartwatches for teenagers are typically boxy, glorified GPS trackers, designed to enchantment extra to folks than youngsters. However the Ace LTE? This can be a youngsters smartwatch that feels prefer it may truly be enjoyable to put on. I type of want there have been one thing prefer it for adults.
The $229.95 Ace LTE has a squarish case that’s paying homage to the Fitbit Versa. The principle distinction is that the supplies are extra applicable for teenagers. (Suppose plastic and Corning Gorilla Glass as an alternative of sapphire crystal and titanium.) There’s additionally an elective bumper for additional sturdiness. Nonetheless, should you flip it the other way up, the sensor array seems to be almost equivalent to the Pixel Watch 2. A neat perk is that when you’ve got a Pixel Watch 2, this makes use of the identical charger.
The Ace LTE’s entire schtick is train ought to be a type of play. In reality, it’s extra like a sport console strapped to your wrist than a conventional smartwatch. As an alternative of apps, the watch comes with a bunch of preloaded video video games. The idea is as an alternative of interval coaching, the place you sprinkle bits of high-intensity struggling right into a exercise, the Ace LTE employs interval gaming. As soon as they’ve performed a certain quantity, youngsters are prompted so as to add to their step rely to earn extra enjoying time.
There’s additionally an Eejie, a Tamagotchi-like buddy who lives within the Ace LTE. This, too, is a bit like Animal Crossing in you could purchase an Eejie in-game objects, rooms, garments, and different equipment. However as an alternative of microtransactions utilizing real-life cash, it’s a must to purchase these objects utilizing arcade tickets. These, in flip, can solely be received by making progress on every day objectives or by enjoying video games.
Every Ace LTE band can also be a collectible. As soon as popped on, a band unlocks new outfits for the Eejie, unique collectibles, and a themed noodle — the animated ring that represents your every day progress. Extra bands value $35 and have their very own themes. The thought is that children can commerce bands to get objects, a lot in the way in which us historic nerds traded POG slammers and Pokémon playing cards.
I received to strive two video games: Smokey Lake and Pollo 13. The previous is a fishing sport that jogged my memory of the way you gather fish in Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. It entails viewing your digital atmosphere, casting your arm out to catch a fish, and pulling it again to reel it in. Pollo 13 was a Mario Kart-esque sport the place you play as a rooster racing in a tub, accumulating eggs to get powers. You race by tilting your arm, and the purpose is to finest your archnemesis, Kim. (I don’t know what Kim did, however she ate my mud.) After enjoying a little bit of each, I used to be prompted to take round 500 steps so I might play extra.
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However the gaming is just one facet of the Ace LTE. The opposite is to assist youngsters keep related to their dad and mom. Whereas earlier Fitbit Ace units didn’t have GPS monitoring, this one comes with LTE in-built. That permits calling, messaging, and site sharing. The dangerous information is getting these options requires a $9.99 month-to-month or $120 annual subscription to the Ace Go knowledge plan. The excellent news is you don’t should undergo a provider, nor does a child want their very own telephone.
All the pieces is managed by way of the Fitbit Ace companion app, which works on each iOS and Android. The app is the place dad and mom can set trusted contacts, ship and obtain messages, view their baby’s real-time location, and monitor how their baby is doing with regard to their exercise objectives. There’s additionally a college time mode, which disables gaming throughout faculty hours. Later this 12 months, Fitbit says that it’ll additionally add Faucet to Pay.
Children smartwatches at all times elevate an additional query of privateness. Fitbit instructed me on the demo that solely dad and mom can entry location knowledge, which is deleted after 24 hours. Exercise knowledge is deleted after 35 days and won’t be used for Google advertisements. The Ace LTE additionally won’t embrace third-party apps or advertisements. In fact, that is what Google, which owns Fitbit, says upfront. For those who’re frightened in regards to the wonderful print, involved dad and mom must also have a look at the Fitbit Ace privateness coverage.
We’ll have to check the Ace LTE to see how effectively it really works — each as a method of encouraging youngsters to maneuver extra and as a software for fogeys. That mentioned, this can be a important replace to the Ace lineup and one of many extra enjoyable approaches to a smartwatch for teenagers that we’ve seen shortly.
The Fitbit Ace LTE is on the market beginning on June fifth for $229.95, with an Ace Go priced at $9.99 month-to-month or $119.99 yearly. Annual subscribers get an additional collectible band, and those that purchase it by August thirty first will get 50 % off the subscription value.