Given the astronomical prices some are willing to pay for cycling classes, juice cleanses, and meal plans, it’s no wonder that we seem to think that fitness comes at a cost (and not just in liters of sweat). But here to flout that convention is a new smartwatch that recently made its Kickstarter debut. Meet the FitOn, the smartwatch you can buy for less than $50 as an early backer on Kickstarter.
Asserting that it’s on a mission to “democratize wellness,” the FitOn team has developed a wearable that combines a timepiece with a fitness tracker with a personal health guide. Promising to be lightweight, user-friendly, and of course, supremely affordable, this watch boasts most of the same features as other gadgets. Thanks to an IP68 water resistance rating, you can take the FitOn up to 50 meters underwater, which means it’s totally fine for your morning laps or a dip in the ocean.
The watch also claims to track oxygen saturation thanks to a “high accuracy built-in sensor.” Take this with a grain of salt, though — despite its claims of being 99 percent accurate, it’s unclear as to exactly what its measurement mechanism is. Similarly, the watch is said to track heart rate variability (HRV), though many wearables have been shown to be not quite accurate enough to give meaningful data in this regard.
In any case, the FitOn has plenty of other features that still make it a good $49 purchase. For example, you can use the watch to instantly ignore calls or read text messages. You can also forego your selfie stick and just tap your watch to snap a photo. You can even use the FitOn to find your smartphone should you misplace it.
In terms of fitness tracking, the FitOn promises to detect your activity type, whether that’s swimming, hiking, or jogging. It also integrates with a number of third-party fitness apps so you can keep tabs on your exercise in whatever platform you prefer, including iOS HealthKit. Plus, FitOn’s All-Day Activity View lets you check out how many steps you’ve taken, distance traveled, calories burned, and active minutes. You can monitor your sleep and check out reports regarding your repose.
The FitOn has already raised more than five times its goal from nearly 1,000 backers. You can pre-order the smartwatch now for $49, with an estimated delivery date of December 2017.
