Google to acquire Fitbit

[steelyman]

There’s an announcement today that Google is acquiring Fitbit. Interesting to me as a wearer of a Fitbit Versa for a little over a year now. I can’t say I’m thrilled about this as a consumer (I have no direct investment in either company).

I’ve been thinking of replacing my Versa with an Ionic (for GPS) but may go more carefully on that.

I saw this on the CNBC app and would normally post a link/snippet but can’t seem to get that working lately.

 

[tmm99]

I am a wearer of a Fitbit Alta HR and I can see Google wanting this. I really like my Fitbit.

 

[zinger1457]

Why do you think it's a bad thing for Fitbit? Passed on the Fitbit a couple years ago based mainly on the reviews, Google certainly has the money to invest in the product and make some improvements.

 

[steelyman]

Why do you think it's a bad thing for Fitbit? Passed on the Fitbit a couple years ago based mainly on the reviews, Google certainly has the money to invest in the product and make some improvements.

You’re right about Google resources for research, improvements, etc. Support could use a boost too (something more than, in the case of Versa at least, “reboot”).

My concern is about privacy I guess. The same concern would apply to Apple Health. More and more, personal information gets tied to specific IDs maintained by big tech giants.

I like my Fitbit also (enough to have bypassed the Apple Watch). It does have a fuzzy idea of what a “floor” is but apart from that it’s good for my needs.

 

[MRG]

You’re right about Google resources for research, improvements, etc. Support could use a boost too (something more than, in the case of Versa at least, “reboot”).

My concern is about privacy I guess. The same concern would apply to Apple Health. More and more, personal information gets tied to specific IDs maintained by big tech giants.

I like my Fitbit also (enough to have bypassed the Apple Watch). It does have a fuzzy idea of what a “floor” is but apart from that it’s good for my needs.

Well I don't disagree with the value of data but.... I'd much rather have Google involved than say Blue Cross Blue Shield. The devil I know is evil not sure the one I don't is any worse.

 

[steelyman]

Well I don't disagree with the value of data but.... I'd much rather have Google involved than say Blue Cross Blue Shield. The devil I know is evil not sure the one I don't is any worse.

Totally agree. Insurance companies’ pitches to “help you out” by doing something to monitor you (driving, wellness and so on) are a big red flag.

 

[Chuckanut]

I've been de-Googling for a while.

I'ts interesting that this just came up. I got a mailer from Costco that has several nice deals on Fitbits. But, I think I will find another device that does not call home. Right now I have a $10 pedometer I keep in my pocket that records steps and distance. No connectivity other than my fingers and eyes.

 

[AZflowers]

Here's a link

https://www.pcmag.com/news/371590/report-google-wants-to-buy-fitbit
Google's appetite is perplexing.

 

[Katsmeow]

This is interesting. I was a longtime Fitbit user but jumped to Apple Watch a little over a year ago. Lately, I've considered getting a Fitbit Inspire HR and wearing it on my other wrist.

To me where Fitbit has excelled more than Apple Watch is on the fitness side. As a smartwatch, the Apple Watch is way better (well, it is if in you have an iPhone). I love my Apple Watch for all kinds of things that aren't fitness related and can't imagine giving it up.

But -- from the fitness standpoint the Apple Watch has had lots of problems. The Fitbit measures your heart rate more continuously. You can see your Fitbit data on a big desktop screen if you choose. You can export a lot of detailed data. The Fitbit calorie burn information is way, way, way more accurate for me than the Apple Watch. So, I have considered wearing a Fitbit just for the activity part.

What is interesting to me is whether Google will embrace the fitness aspects of Fitbit and keep extending them or whether Google will jettison them for more smart watch related features which aren't that compelling to someone with an iPhone....

 

[steelyman]

Google's appetite is perplexing.

Thanks for posting that link. Despite companies’ stated policies, I’m never really sure how information collected is actually used.

Sometimes it’s good (I think?). For example, Fitbit’s sleep tracking and analysis is a big plus for me. One thing it provides is a comparison between your data and an aggregate from others in your gender/age group. At the consumer presentation level that seems pretty harmless.

 

[ziggy29]

Well I don't disagree with the value of data but.... I'd much rather have Google involved than say Blue Cross Blue Shield. The devil I know is evil not sure the one I don't is any worse.

Maybe. But I also know that I prefer my wolves to be in wolves' clothing so I know where I stand. I'd rather not have them in sheep's clothing pretending to be benign so I let my guard down.

Let's just let Google, Amazon and Apple own everything and be done with it.

 

[W2R]

I have a Fitbit One that I bought back in 2013, and it was great but I have not used it for a long time. It is sitting on my bedside table, but has not been charged up for years.

Now that I am mostly recovered from knee surgery, I thought I might want to record my steps again.

Still, as a genuine crabby old lady ("Get off my lawn!"), I just don't think that how many steps I take each day is any of Google's business.

Actually I am thinking of getting a conventional pedometer instead, and recording the day's steps into an Excel file at bedtime each night.

 

[AZflowers]

Maybe. But I also know that I prefer my wolves to be in wolves' clothing so I know where I stand. I'd rather not have them in sheep's clothing pretending to be benign so I let my guard down.

Let's just let Google, Amazon and Apple own everything and be done with it.

Yes. And my reservation concerns the very personal data recorded by our Fitbits; heart rate, calories burned, activity level, and gps location. Unless there's little to no greed at Google, that info will certainly be gathered and sold. And then, to add to their overflowing pot, soon we will see adds or be required to pay if we don't want them. I'm thinking of how watching Youtube has changed from a few years back. Now it cost 12.00 per month to avoid ads while watching a video. Maybe an overreaction, but I'm disappointed.

 

[ziggy29]

Yes. And my reservation concerns the very personal data recorded by our Fitbits; heart rate, calories burned, activity level, and gps location. Unless there's little to no greed at Google, that info will certainly be gathered and sold. And then, to add to their overflowing pot, soon we will see adds or be required to pay if we don't want them. I'm thinking of how watching Youtube has changed from a few years back. Now it cost 12.00 per month to avoid ads while watching a video. Maybe an overreaction, but I'm disappointed.

I've requested deletion of my account. I'll still use mine to track myself and as a watch, I just won't upload my personal stats to the Google Hive.

You can bet insurance companies and maybe even some employers would love to have access to these data.

 

[FIYes]

I was a Fitbit user for years. I finally got so frustrated with the on again off again notifications from my Versa that I switched to Samsung. I have been much happier with my Samsung Smartwatch. Maybe Google will improve Fitbit.based on my experience, it certainly needs improvement.

At any rate, Google or not, I won’t be going back to Fitbit anytime soon.

 

[audreyh1]

It seems to me that smaller companies kind of disappear when swallowed by much larger ones. Culture clash ensues. The principals get their big payoff and eventually bail. Fitbit has a big base, so I expect the product will continue to sell, but I really wonder how seamless a future path there is for them.

 

[jimbee]

I have a Fitbit One that I bought back in 2013, and it was great but I have not used it for a long time. It is sitting on my bedside table, but has not been charged up for years.

Now that I am mostly recovered from knee surgery, I thought I might want to record my steps again.

Still, as a genuine crabby old lady ("Get off my lawn!"), I just don't think that how many steps I take each day is any of Google's business.

Actually I am thinking of getting a conventional pedometer instead, and recording the day's steps into an Excel file at bedtime each night.

If you just want a step counter, this one is ok. $15 at Amazon, my wife likes it. https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HJ-321-Tri-Axis-Alvita-Pedometer/dp/B007ZWIJR2

 

[Chuckanut]

I have one similar to Jimbee, perhaps one step down. It’s simple light weight and counts my steps. I think I paid $11 for it on Amazon.

 

[zinger1457]

My concern is about privacy I guess. The same concern would apply to Apple Health. More and more, personal information gets tied to specific IDs maintained by big tech giants.

Not sure there's any type of activity monitor that would be completely 'private'. Data from my Garmin watch is sent to my phone (Android/Google), it's then pushed to the Garmin cloud, I'm sure most other brands work in a similar manner. No idea if any of that data is being collected and used, not seeing anything that would make me think it is.

 

[Momcpa]

I'm like a couple other people here. I have a pocket step-counter. Used one for quite a few years. Started when I wanted to get 9,000 to 10,000 steps per day. The last 3 or 4 years I've upped my goal to averaging 11,000 steps per day. And each year I've made that goal and surpassed it. I'm a spreadsheet person and so I have those years' daily steps entered into a spreadsheet. Even with travel days (sitting in a car/plane), sick days, etc. I've manage to AVERAGE the required number of steps per year. Of course, this means I have to go way over on some other days.

As one little pocket pedometer wears out (besides the occasional new battery), I "invest" in another $10 - $20 new model !!!!! (Big spender here!)

 

[molly312]

I agree. I have an Apple watch and was previously a Fitbit user for nearly 3 years. I love my Apple watch but ...........as a exercise device - the Fitbit was for me ....waaaaay better. I loved the computer interface and found myself faithfully working towards the "next badge". It was fun. Apple interface for fitness is B-O-R-I-N-G by comparison. I may get another Fitbit just to wear on my other wrist.

 

[steelyman]

A little more about Google’s move in health care:

”Imagine a search bar on top of your EHR (electronic health record) that needs no training," he proposed to the doctors and nurses in the room.

That would be a big deal for clinicians. Feinberg noted that his fellow doctors had become "data clerks," given all the time they spent charting, assigning billing codes and filling out fields in medical records. He didn't go as far as to say that Google would compete with some of the existing electronic health record companies, like Epic and Cerner, but he did suggest that Google could help with some of the grunt work.

Here's how he explained it: Doctors could start typing into the search bar, just as they do when the search for answers on Google, and the system would start automatically filling out responses and offering up information. He offered the example of a doctor typing in the number "87" and the system then auto-completes information on the 87-year-old patient with a history of stomach cancer.

He also noted that many doctors will use YouTube when looking for guidance on surgeries. "Your doctor, before they operate on you, they actually go to YouTube. We see that," he said, and indicated that he wanted to improve the quality of that content. "We want to continue to build information to allow caregivers to take better care of patients, but again that's scratching the surface."

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/02/goo...rg-focus-on-search-for-doctors-consumers.html

 

[W2R]

If you just want a step counter, this one is ok. $15 at Amazon, my wife likes it. https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HJ-321-Tri-Axis-Alvita-Pedometer/dp/B007ZWIJR2

I have one similar to Jimbee, perhaps one step down. It’s simple light weight and counts my steps. I think I paid $11 for it on Amazon.

I didn't see your posts before I ordered a different one! Oh well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XQL9GQH/

I paid for it entirely with rewards points from my Amazon Visa. It was $9.49 after using the digital coupon on its Amazon webpage. This pedometer does have a wristband, which I thought might help in my efforts to keep it out of the washing machine. We'll see. It arrives tomorrow.

 

[aja8888]

I didn't see your posts before I ordered a different one! Oh well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XQL9GQH/

I paid for it entirely with rewards points from my Amazon Visa. It was $9.49 after using the digital coupon on its Amazon webpage. This pedometer does have a wristband, which I thought might help in my efforts to keep it out of the washing machine. We'll see. It arrives tomorrow.

That's neat that you can unhook the unit from the band and plug it into a laptop for charging.

 

[W2R]

That's neat that you can unhook the unit from the band and plug it into a laptop for charging.

Yes, I like that.

I just hope the band doesn't break in 2 weeks. It's awfully cheap. We'll see.