Fitbit
| Fitbit Inc.
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|---|---|
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| legal form | Corporation |
| ISIN | US33812L1026 |
| founding | May 1, 2007 in San Francisco |
| Seat | San Francisco |
| management | |
| Number of employees | 1,684 (2019) |
| sales | $ 1.43 billion (2019) |
| Branch | Wearable electronics |
| Website | http://www.fitbit.com/ |
| As of June 3, 2020 | |
Fitbit ( NYSE : FIT) is a US company that offers fitness trackers . The company, based in San Francisco , California , produces the electronic devices of the same name that customers can use to track and record their workouts. The simpler models are pure step counters , more expensive models can also measure other body parameters such as heart rate or sleep quality .
In early November 2019, Google announced it was taking over Fitbit for $ 2.1 billion.
Products
Fitbit offers smartwatches ( Versa , Versa Lite, Ionic ) and classic fitness trackers ( Charge , Alta , Flex , Ace and Zip ). The fitness trackers are usually worn on the wrist. Only the Zip model is attached to the body. In addition to other accessories, an intelligent WLAN scale is also offered ( Aria ).
The data recorded on the devices can be evaluated and analyzed with the Fitbit app ( Android , iOS ) and can also be synchronized with the provider's cloud .
Based on its product range, Fitbit offers numerous services ( Fitbit Premium , Fitbit Pay , Fitbit Community ).
Health aspects
Several studies attempted to determine whether the use of electronic aids helped increase the chances of success in patients who wanted to change their diet and lifestyle in order to reduce excess weight or obesity and to live healthier lives. Studies on the question of whether fitness trackers promote healthy living and weight loss have come to different conclusions. Studies with young people also came to mixed results.
accuracy
The measuring accuracy of the older devices is rather modest. The measurement error of the models Fitbit Zip and Fitbit One could be over 10%, with a reference measurement in Tretrad also showed significantly better values. Here, however, the errors of devices worn on the wrist were significantly higher than those that are worn on the hip.
Awards
Fitbit has received several technology awards for its products, including second place at TechCrunch 50 2008.
criticism
To use Fitbit devices, an account on the Fitbit website is required, which also implies consent to the relevant data protection and data collection guidelines. At times, Fitbit's privacy settings were criticized because parts of the activity data collected were public by default. The fact that the users unconsciously also disclosed information about sexual physical “activities” was more of a source of amusement (after all, calories are actually burned in the process). These data are now personal by default.
Representation of military bases
In 2013, the Pentagon distributed 2,500 Fitbit trackers to US soldiers to help fight obesity. In the Strava network, running routes in and around US bases in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq can now be seen on a heat map . If soldiers leave GPS trackers or tracking apps switched on on their smartphones while on business, this means that supply routes used by the military are also mapped. Representations of movements can also come from aid organizations. Russian bases can also be identified by Russian soldiers as carriers of the trackers. In order to reduce the resulting increase in vulnerability, it will be pointed out from January 2018 that it is better to hide the tracking from the Strava network by setting it as "private".
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Annual Report 2019. Accessed on June 3, 2020 (English).
- ↑ NYSE - Fitbit . Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- ↑ David M. Ewalt: Getting Fitbit (English) . In: Forbes , June 11, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ Rick Osterloh: Helping more people with wearables: Google to acquire Fitbit. In: blog.google. November 1, 2019, accessed November 1, 2019 .
- ↑ Gunther Eysenbach: The Impact of a Web-Based App (eBalance) in Promoting Healthy Lifestyles. Randomized Controlled Trial . In: Journal of Medical Internet Research . tape 17 , no. 3 , 2015, ISSN 1439-4456 , doi : 10.2196 / jmir.3682 , PMID 25732936 , PMC 4376125 (free full text) - (English): “We showed a positive impact of a newly developed Web-based app on lifestyle indicators during an intervention of 14 weeks. These results are promising in the app's potential to promote a healthy lifestyle, although larger and longer duration studies are needed to achieve more definitive conclusions. "
- ↑ JM Jakicic, KK Davis, RJ Rogers, WC King, MD Marcus, D. Helsel, AD Rickman, AS Wahed, SH Belle: Effect of Wearable Technology Combined With a Lifestyle Intervention on Long-term Weight Loss: The IDEA Randomized Clinical Trial . In: JAMA . tape 316 , no. 11 , September 20, 2016, ISSN 1538-3598 , p. 1161–1171 , doi : 10.1001 / jama.2016.12858 , PMID 27654602 , PMC 5480209 (free full text) - (English): “Among young adults with a BMI between 25 and less than 40, the addition of a wearable technology device to a standard behavioral intervention resulted in less weight loss over 24 months. Devices that monitor and provide feedback on physical activity may not offer an advantage over standard behavioral weight loss approaches. "
- ↑ ND Ridgers, MA McNarry, KA Mackintosh: Feasibility and Effectiveness of Using wearable activity tracker in Youth: A Systematic Review . In: JMIR mHealth and uHealth . tape 4 , no. 4 , 23 November 2016, ISSN 2291-5222 , p. e129 , doi : 10.2196 / mhealth.6540 , PMID 27881359 , PMC 5143467 (free full text) - (English): “There is a paucity of research concerning the effectiveness and feasibility of wearable activity trackers as a tool for increasing children's and adolescents' physical activity levels. While there are some preliminary data to suggest these devices may have the potential to increase activity levels through self-monitoring and goal setting in the short term, more research is needed to establish longer-term effects on behavior. "
- ↑ Does your fitness band really work? Scientists analysis tracking tech . Retrieved October 28, 2017.
- ↑ Keith M. Diaz, David J. Krupka, Melinda J. Chang, James Peacock, Yao Ma, Jeff Goldsmith, Joseph E. Schwartz, Karina W. Davidson: Fitbit®: an Accurate and Reliable Device for Wireless Physical Activity Tracking . In: International journal of cardiology . tape 185 , 2015, ISSN 0167-5273 , p. 138–140 , doi : 10.1016 / j.ijcard.2015.03.038 , PMID 25795203 , PMC 4406840 (free full text).
- ^ Yammer Takes Top Prize At TechCrunch50 . In: TechCrunch . AOL.
- ↑ CES Innovation Awards . In: International CES . Archived from the original on November 19, 2011.
- ↑ Account registration . fitbit. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
- ↑ Fitbit Blog . In: Fitbit Blog . Archived from the original on July 9, 2011.
- ↑ Jack Loftus: Dear Fitbit Users, Kudos On the 30 Minutes of "Vigorous Sexual Activity" Last Night . In: Gizmodo . Gawker Media.
- ↑ Fitness tracking helps insurgents: Pentagon distributed trackers orf.at, January 29, 2018, accessed January 29, 2018.