Fitbit unveiled its most advanced fitness tracker on Tuesday, a week after the company noted a significant decline in outdoor workout activity worldwide.
Fitbit's latest Charge 4 looks similar to other wearables from the company's family of devices. However, it's the first in the lineup to come with GPS tracking and a feature called "Active Zone Minutes."
The onboard GPS enables users to track your pace and distance during cycling, jogs and other outdoor excursions without being tethered to a smartphone. GPS tracking has been present in Apple Watches and other rival wearables for years.
Still, Fitbit also cooked up an all-new, personalized activity standard based on your resting heart rate and age.
The device can tell you how much time you've spent in an "active zone" that gets your heart pumping. The idea is to measure the amount of time you spend at each heart rate as you race toward a weekly goal of 150 minutes per week.
The swim-proof device costs $149. Like most wearables, it offers access to smartphone notification, sleep tracking, and access to music via Spotify.
The announcement comes on the heels of a global drop in steps taken as the coronavirus forces people to spend more time at home.
"Our mission has always been to help people around the world get healthier. In today's extraordinary times, that mission is more important than ever," said James Park, CEO and co-founder of Fitbit in a statement.
In the United States, the overall step average declined 12% in the week ending March 22, 2020, a Fitbit recent study revealed. In metro areas like New York and San Francisco, steps were down closer to 20%.
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