Fitbit Blaze, Fitbit’s First Hi-Res Color Touchscreen Fitness Tracker

When it comes to wearables, Barack Obama has given the POTUS stamp of approval to the Fitbit Surge, leaving the Apple Watch out in the cold.

The Blaze also auto-tracks various aerobic activities like running, walking, tennis, basketball, soccer, and elliptical machine workouts, which means you never have to officially “start” an activity on the watch and it will record it anyway. For good reason: Fitbit users can be fanatical about the products, and it has sold more than 30 million devices worldwide to date, according to data from market research firm NPD. FitBit said it decided not to include Global Positioning System to keep the Blaze’s design sleek and slim.

Look out Apple – Fitbit is taking on the Apple Watch. But overall the Blaze looks less sophisticated than some of its connected watch competitors. The only difference is that the Blaze doesn’t come with an integrated app store. If Fitbit likes to segment its products into three categories – performance, active, and everyday wear – the new Blaze falls somewhere between the Charge HR and a performance watch. Scal took a slight dig at Apple during his remarks today, noting that “what you really need when you maximize workouts is a tool, not a toy”. While the rectangular face is clearly similar to the Apple Watch – I did a triple take when I spotted a Fitbit spokesperson wearing one – smartwatches in general are not what the company is after.

The company is calling Blaze the ‘smartest, most stylish, most motivating fitness tracker yet, ‘ and its carefully selected notifications aim to block out unnecessary information.

Additionally, the Fitbit Blaze also offers a feature called FitStar that provides users with a bunch of workout videos from professional trainers, and another feature called SmartTrack that essentially recognizes your workout automatically.

Adding the “smart” aspect of the FitBit Blaze, it includes numerous standard smartwatch features, including being able to send and receive calls and texts, receiving calendar updates and controlling music from the timepiece. Gorgeous interchangeable bands made of leather, stainless steel and high-performance elastomer are available in a modular design that allows for a great deal of versatility.

Of course, to make Fitbit’s new Blaze fitness watch compatible with the same 200+ devices as other Fitbit wearables, the company created their own OS for the device, meaning that you won’t be able to download third-party apps to the watch.

The Fitbit Blaze will cost $199, available with black, blue and plum bands and in small, large and extra large. The company also promises five days of battery life in total for the Blaze.