Fitbit fashion —

Fitbit attempts to win over fashionistas with new Alta wristband

The $129 tracker is customizable with metal, leather, and plastic bands.

Fitbit attempts to win over fashionistas with new Alta wristband

Fitbit isn't starting off 2016 slowly. The company announced the new Blaze fitness watch at CES last month, and another device is coming from the king of the activity-tracker world. Today Fitbit announced the $129 Alta, a slender activity tracker with customizable bands meant to appeal to those who don't want to be identified as "that person wearing a tracker on their wrist."

Let's examine the Alta in comparison to its price twin, the $129 Fitbit Charge. First and most important is the difference in design. While the Charge's plastic band comes in various bright colors, the Alta comes with a few colored plastic options, but you can buy $99 metal and $59 leather accessories as well. The Charge has a small digital display and companion button for scrolling through time, activity progress, and call alerts. The Alta is Fitbit's first lower-cost tracker with an OLED display that you can tap to see similar information. The Alta will also show you a few more notifications, including text and calendar alerts, which are synced from your smartphone.

In terms of what they track, the Alta and the Charge are nearly identical. They both monitor steps, workouts, and sleep, although the Alta will send you inactivity alerts. The Alta also has the Smart Track feature, which will automatically recognize when you're doing a specific activity like running, cycling, playing soccer or basketball, and more. Interestingly, the Charge lists an altimeter in its spec list, which helps it track stairs climbed, while the Alta does not. Also, the Alta has a slightly shorter battery life compared to the Charge—just five days compared to seven to 10 days—but that can likely be attributed to its full touchscreen.

Coming on the heels of the Blaze launch, the Alta is an interesting move for Fitbit. On one hand, it provides a slightly more attractive fitness tracker for those who want to wear something 24/7 that doesn't make a huge fashion statement. On the other hand, compared to other "fashionable" trackers available, Fitbit could have done better. Misfit's Swarovski Shine collection is encrusted with crystals and looks like a bracelet when paired with the right accessories, while Misfit's new Ray tracker offers a new spin on simple, elegant activity tracking. Withings' Activitè Pop is a colorful analog watch that tracks daily activity, and the Mira Band is a metal polished bracelet housing a removable display. All of these devices look more like actual bracelets, watches, and accessories than the Alta band does.

Fitbit appears to be struggling to achieve two goals: making stylish devices that appeal to the masses and making stylish devices that also fall in line with the brand's own design language. The Blaze was criticized at launch for its octagonal Apple-Watch style (and the company's stock plummeted after the announcement), but it still looks incredibly at home within the rest of the Fitbit tracker family. The company may be trying to figure out the best way to communicate its personal style with these devices, and we have yet to see how customers will respond to these new designs.

The Fitbit Alta is available for preorder now for $129.

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Channel Ars Technica