Google’s new Fitbit Ace LTE wants to give your kids the freedom to exercise and play
Calling its new Fitbit Ace LTE “the smartwatch kids and parents will love”, Google wants kids to exercise and play but also give parents peace of mind with reliable calling, messaging and location sharing.
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Image source: Google.
The new Fitbit Ace LTE from Google is a “smartwatch designed to move the next generation of gamers”.
The Ace LTE comes with pre-installed immersive and interactive 3D games that are built specifically for the smartwatch such that haptics, sounds, the accelerometer and more are all used to deliver fun and engaging gameplay. And for the kids, they have a game on their wrist where the more they move, the more game time they unlock.
Google’s VP of Product, Anil Sabharwal, said in a blog post that the Fitbit Arcade updates with fresh new games every few months so children won’t get bored.
As the kids move playing hide and seek, jumping on the bed or having a sibling dance-off, the Ace LTE recognises this, and rewards physical activity. This shows up in the Fitbit’s ‘Noodle’ activity ring that lives on the homescreen and celebrates when kids reach their daily move goals.
An example of an Eejie. Image source: Google.
The motivation to keep moving doesn’t stop with games. Eejies are customisable creatures that “feed off daily activity”, meaning that the more kids reach their movement goals, the healthier and happier their eejie gets. By completing daily activities and moving through each game, kids earn arcade tickets to customise their eejie’s look with new outfits or even deck out its home in Bit Valley, the native home of the eejie.
Available in two colours, the Fitbit Ace LTE comes with six collectable bands that come with built-in technology, and work like a mini game cartridge. These bands can be used to unlock different items, styles, rooms and Noodles when attached for the first time. For example, connect the blue Courtside band to immerse the eejie in a world of basketball, or plug in the green band to meet Wally, Bit Valley’s resident Spooky Pug who loves to cosplay.
Finally, the Ace LTE is water resistant up to 50 meters and has a battery that lasts more than 16 hours.
Some of the ways a parent can keep in touch with their child. Image source: Google.
For parents, they have access to the Fitbit Ace Pass and the new Fitbit Ace app (available for both Android and iOS) and can see their child’s real-time location, call, send and receive text and voice messages, add contacts they trust, and manage settings like School Time to eliminate distractions during class. Sabharwal added that Google would be adding Tap to Pay so kids have safe and easy access to pocket money in a couple of months.
To ensure the child’s privacy, only parents are ever shown a child’s location or activity data in their app. Location data is deleted after 24 hours and activity data is deleted after a maximum of 35 days. Plus, there are no ads or third-party apps, and only contacts added by a parent can call or message the device.
Some of the games to get your kids moving. Image source: Google.
This isn’t the first kids-friendly fitness tracker from Fitbit. They’ve also had the Ace 3 and a Minion’s inspired model as well, but those didn’t come with the communications capabilities of the Ace LTE.
Pricing and availability
Some of the bands you can get. Image source: Google.
Google says that the Ace LTE can be pre-ordered today for US$229.95 exclusively at the United States Google Store or in Amazon’s online store and will be available at the Google Store and Amazon starting June 5th. It requires the Fitbit Ace Pass data plan to enable built-in LTE connectivity for calling, messaging and location sharing, as well as access to the Fitbit Arcade and to receive regular updates such as new games and Noodles.
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