In 2018, Fitbit released the Ace, a wearable tracker for children. On Wednesday, it’s adding the Ace LTE to the lineup, a device aimed at the same demographic that borrows heavily from its Versa smartwatch. The Google-owned mobile device company is targeting the over-7 crowd with this one, focusing on Wii-style motion-control gaming, along with location sharing and messaging for parents.
Instead of offering the same kind of pure metrics the company uses to motivate its older users, the product’s main thrust is a much more literal version of gamification. The watch features a variety of 3D games, unlocking more playtime as more kids move.
[W]whether it’s a chicken in a bathtub running into Space or fishing for a Blob Fish in ‘Smokey Lake,’ Fitbit writes, ‘Ace LTE keeps kids moving. Best of all, Fitbit Arcade is updated with fresh new games every few months, so there’s never a dull moment.”
It’s not the worst way to try to get kids to touch the proverbial grass, and it honestly makes me nostalgic for the bygone days of Wiimotes and Microsoft Kinects. Almost as much as I miss him Tamagotchi. The once mighty electronic pets are back in spirit here, in the form of Eejies. Like the game element, customizable animals “feed” on movement.
When activities are completed, kids earn “arcade tickets,” in a Chuck E. Cheese-style autarky, that can be used to buy new clothes and furniture for their Eejie. Fitbit’s approach to accessories is much more capitalistic. The company offers six different bands, which come with DLC, including different settings.
While the Ace LTE is, indeed, designed to encourage kids to move more, the rewards end once a certain limit is reached, to prevent kids from overdoing it. Fitbit is quick to note, “We worked with leading, independent experts in child psychology, public health, privacy, and digital well-being to design Fitbit Ace LTE to be fun, safe, and useful.”
This is the kind of thing the company really needs to address upfront, as the idea of a fitness tracker made by a data-fueled tech giant understandably raises all kinds of red flags for people. The degree to which one feels comfortable strapping a Google device to their children’s wrist undoubtedly varies widely.
Fitbit notes that location is only shared through the app on a parent/guardian’s device, and location data automatically disappears after a day. Activity data, meanwhile, can only be stored for up to 35 days, after which it too is deleted. Adding friends to the Ace LTE, meanwhile, must be done in person and with guardian approval. As the name suggests, the device is available in a mobile version, so it does not rely on a connected device to function/sync. It’s up for pre-order on Wednesday for $230. There’s also a subscription service, which runs another $10 a month, or $120 for a full year — which, if my math is right, is the same rate. The mission starts on June 5th.
