Impressions after almost two weeks

[jresnick]

I purchased the Ionic on the day it went on sale.  I have lived with it for almost two weeks and am very conflicted on whether I am going to keep it.  I came from owning a Pebble Time.  There are several base line things a supposed smart watch should do that the Ionic simply doesn't:

1.  You should at the very least be able to reply to texts with canned messages.

2.  The screen should automatically light up when a text or phone call comes in.  This may not seem like a big deal but the screen does not come on 50% of the time when I raise my wrist; really annoying.

3.  The device could have had a speaker and the ability to dictate answers to texts just like the Pebble Time did (why did they buy their assets if they weren't going to leverage them)

4.  Your events/appointments should come up as a banner on the bottom of the screen just like they did on the Pebble Time.

5.  Complete lack of great apps at launch which is really disappointing.

On the positive side, the Ionic is very light and comfortable to wear all the time.  The multi day use without charging is probably its greatest feature.  Fitbit advertising the Ionic as a smart watch is farily misleading as there is little about it that is "smart".  Still not sure why they didn't incorporate some of the greatest features of the Pebble Time.

I'm fairly certain that firmware and software updates can fix some of these problems. I have been toying with taking it back and getting an Apple Watch 3, but the reality of having to charge it every night seems more annoying than the annoying aspects of the Ionic.  I also found the Apple Watch to be heavier than the Ionic and not that comfortable to wear.  I have the rest of today to decide if I want to take the Ionic back.

[raceQs]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

You have to remember that this is only the apps available at launch as I’m sure more companies will get on board with Fitbit and crest apps.

Look at the new iPhone software there has already been 3 updates in the space of just under 3 weeks.

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As a developer, abandoned by Pebble and now deployed on Garmin, we are always looking for additional platforms to host our sailing app , but we will defer any move to Fitbit until the developer's tools are more mature, No device simulator, only a web-based IDE with no source control and limited documentation are high on our list of shortcomings.

[jresnick]

The main issue being discussed here is whether or not the Ionic can be called and/or acts like a "real" smartwatch, which it doesn't.

[SunsetRunner]

Of course it does. It has apps and an NFC payment. Surely that “acts” as a smart watch?

I agree the content just isn’t there yet. Like everything though it will take time and I for one believe Fitbit will get there

[SunsetRunner]

Lucky for us in Europe (not as much for you in the US it appears), it's mostly marketed as a fitness and sports watch over here. (At least in German speaking countries.)

I see it as an excellent evolution and successor of the Fitbit Surge.

It is rather unfortunate, that "smartwatch" bears so much (and so wildly differing) meaning and that the Ionic is marketed as a smartwatch. Given the abysmal battery lifetime of most smartwatches and the lack of a clear meaning in terms of required features, any smartwatch would have to be a beta product or at least only for early adopters and gadget fans. A product I use all day that doesn't survive without additional charging (any AW) is not really useable for me... and for those that are not super-technology-inclined, I'd guess they'd feel the same.

I'm sure there'll be yet another kickstarter project for all those that want a fully feature-packed watch that either works for a few hours or weights 10 ounces... but the reality is: batteries aren't light and embedded development and optimization done right costs a lot of money.

Fitbit has always been great in terms of usability of their accompanying app and the products itself for sports tracking... I just think it may be premature to call any watch a smartwatch given current feature-sets and battery runtimes.

(... but we don't have a working warp drive either yet, so that's ok.)

[Nobblytanner]

Yes - I'm in the same boat, but have finally made the decision to send the Ionic back tomorrow.

After many days of sync and notification problems, these seem to have finally been resolved. And like you, I'm coming from the Pebble family, and miss some features from there.

But the killer for me has been two problems that won't go away, and are not going away in the near future because they are hardware issues:

1. HRM - simply is not accurate. I've been split testing it with my Garmin, and it confirms just how wildly inaccurate it is (except for RHR which is close to spot on). Heart rate monitoring was supposed to be one of the reasons to buy Ionic over Apple W3, so this is a big disappointment for me, especially as I train for half marathons, and need the data about which zone I'm in.
2. Battery life - is great, until you start running with the GPS switched on. Then, it drains dramatically fast, and with the GPS on the main screen, you have no way of seeing the battery monitor, so all of a sudden it conks out. Again, battery was the killer feature of Ionic, but it turns out that it only really works as advertised if you're using Ionic as a step counter, not as a GPS tracker. That's crap, and it's unlikely to change thru' software updates.

Ionic is super comfortable, totally waterproof, and I like the crystal clear screen, making notifications easy to read, with smart use of colours. If the Wallet function ever arrives in UK, that will be useful, esp. for buying food after races when all your valuables are locked up. Not having apps onboard like MapMyRun is frustrating, esp. as the Strava Ionic app is so weak it's an embarrassment to the Strava brand.

So - it's going back tomorrow - will I miss it? A bit, but I really need to trust the data, and for HRM especially, it simply isn't accurate enough to warrant the price tag.

[bbarrera]

@SunsetRunner in my mind, all of the Fitbit devices are activity trackers. At a minimum they collect basic data about activities: duration, average HR, overly simplified HR zones, and calorie estimates. A little more data if GPS is enabled. Its not possible to import activities with GPS/HR, in my case captured on a bike computer. Garmin is much better at sports tracking, with sports-specific data and metrics. I keep hoping that Fitbit will follow, but that isn't a deal breaker for me if I can import/export more easily into Fitbit world.

I've got the original Apple Watch and usually end the day at 40%. No problem tracking sleep if I wanted to do that. Its so easy to toss it on charger, I routinely do that while in bathroom getting ready for the day or bed. The new versions typically last a day and a half even with sleep tracking. Of course AW3 is rated at 5 hours GPS so you can easily kill the battery on a long GPS tracked activity. 

@Nobblytanner by all accounts Garmin has the killer battery life - 935 has 24 hours GPS tracking. The Ionic is pretty darn good, but DCRainmaker has said that Fitbit is telling him its less 10 (reply 139 and 140) than what is officially listed in the specs. Its the opposite of Apple, they say 18 hours but people routinely go 36-48 hours. I suspect that Fitbit will tweak firmware and increase battery life, I vaguely recall the Surge got an update that increased battery during GPS use (anybody else remember that?).

I'm always looking for a reason to more fully engage with Fitbit again, so please don't take this post the wrong way. The Fitbit app is nicely laid out, and filling the green circles is fun. The emphasis on steps is annoying, because I lift weights and for cardio ride 5-10 hours a week. And the miles circle is a 'feel good' stat, because your walking stride changes. More importantly there is no circle for cycling or swimming. Hoping Fitbit's continued push into multi-sport tracking will see some welcome changes to the dashboard, and interoperability with more suitable tracking devices (bike computer) and analysis/planning platforms (TrainingPeaks and others).

[N8teGee]

@bbarrera Yes I remember the surge update to decrease GPS power consumption, did you find it actually made a difference though? As far as I can remember mine was pretty much the same after the update. 

[bbarrera]

Don't remember testing it, because I didn't really use Surge much. It was big and bulky and really bad at tracking HR on bike rides. As I've said before, no wrist HRM I've tried has been good enough. So I keep using chest strap and bike computer. And honestly the bike computer is better at everything else, and easier to see without taking one hand off handlebars.

[Julia_G]

@Nobblytanner, how long did your GPS last?  I haven't really stressed mine, but I had it with GPS on the other day for a more than 6 hour hike with no worries and no battery kicking out. (I did not have the always on screen.)

I would think yours should last 6 hours which would get you around a full marathon, probably, let alone a half.

If yours died in less than half marathon time you mightwant to have a word with Customer Support on contact.fitbit.com before deciding to return. 

(I have not tested with Always On screen, so I don't know how long that lasts -- Fotbit says "reduced battery life")

[WavyDavey]

The battery usage from screen Always On is significant, especially so if the brightness is set to Max.

From my limited experience, I wouldn't expect the battery to last beyond a short few hours. Mine took nearly a 50% hit  from about 90 minutes of weightlifting. Now I only use that setting for Intervals, which are typically not more than 30 minutes.

[SLovell]

Points 1 and 5 have merit generally.  Point 1 regarding canned responses has been a suggestions by a few folks and it would be nice to have.   Point 5 is agreed by all, but it is understood apps are now being developed so it will be interesting to see where we are regarding apps, additional clock faces, etc, come the beginning of December.  Points 2, 3, and 4 seem to be more of personal options.... and maybe those options should be allowed via the clock face chosen or otherwise.  Agreed at times when you click your wrist the clock does not show and you have to double tap or click the left side button, but would rather they figure out how to 

[SLovell]

Ditto!  Well said and on point

[KarenLeah]

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@SLovell wrote:

but it is understood apps are now being developed so it will be interesting to see where we are regarding apps, additional clock faces, etc, come the beginning of December. 

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I spoke with customer service about an hour ago. They said new apps and clock faces are slated for late winter/early spring so around February/March 2018.  

Frustrating.

[SLovell]

KarenLeah wrote

I spoke with customer service about an hour ago. They said new apps and clock faces are slated for late winter/early spring so around February/March 2018.  

Frustrating.

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Frustrating and bad for Business... Have to hope the Fitbit crew are trying to under commit and over deliver with regard to timing...  They have a chance to hit it out the park for the Xmas sales season if they can get their act together.  I shall keep cautiously optimistic  and hope we see a Firmware update as well as the addition of some key apps (e.g., Spotify...) prior to late December...
..

[Escodaiichi]

Okay, so if I decide to try this out, it will be Spring of next year. Also, with no message interactivity, I'm probably never going to try it out. Samsung Gear is looking better all the time. 

[Shadowolf]

OK folks;

I own four Pebbles (Pebble Steel/Pebble Time Steel/Pebble Round/ Pebble 2, HR) and four Apple Watches (one OG/ two series 2 and 1 series 3/LTE). I also have an Asus Zenwatch 3, two Samsung Gear S3's and one FITBIT IONIC! The Ionic bears nothing recognizable of Pebble; nothing! I feel it's my right to say what I'm about too having owned most of the leadership in smartwatches.

I've written Fitbit online and spoken with them on the phone. They've been extremely polite while refusing to acknowledge that Ionic isn't cracked up to be what they'd hoped. They gave no credit to Pebble beyond saying how sorry we're not happy campers or not all athletes... but added that Pebble is NOT going to make a "comeback"....period!

Fitbit bought all that talent and knowledge but tossed everything except SDK in the trash.

So Be It! 

If they'd used what they bought (Pebble and Vector), listened to reason, they might have eventually overtaken Apple Watch and the others but didn't!

I'm putting my Ionic in the "sock drawer" with the other not so admirable tech's. Pebble was, IS, the true KING....of smartwatches, not properly crowned! 

Hey dude, maybe you should return your Ionic and try an Apple Watch, you won't be disappointed. Battery life will improve as Apple continuously updates their products, especially the Apple Watch.

No! I am most certainly NOT an Apple employee! I wanted and still want Pebble to win the day and believe it can in the right hands. It doesn't look like Fitbit possesses the right hands.

Thanks.

(It'll surprise me if this gets printed). 

[jresnick]

Couldn't agree more.  I have now lived with the Apple Watch for one month.  The only complaint I have is that is is not as comfortable on my wrist as the Ionic was.  However, it's a small price to pay for everything else the AW does.  In addition, my Pebble Time was lighter, and much more comfortable on my wrist than the AW, and a much better product than the Ionic.

[WavyDavey]

I could not get by on the AW's battery life. I doubt they'll be able to improve it much without different hardware.. And the lack of integrated sleep tracking is odd?

[bbarrera]

AW battery life is fine, and it takes about 2 seconds to put watch next to magnetic contactless charger and start charging. Granted AW battery life allows Fitbit fans to easily dismiss AW, but really we could apply same logic to dismiss Fitbit because Garmin battery life is so much longer. Apple promotes an app ecosystem by leaving opportunities for developers, that often means things like exercise tracking are basic and sleep tracking left to 3rd party apps. More on that in last paragraph.

Fitbit requires wearing a tracker to track sleep, as far as I know. Outside the Fitbit ecosystem there are other ways to track sleep and estimated sleep stages, without wearing a tracker on your wrist. At night I prefer to take off my ring, watch, and clothes, and give my body a rest. And Fitbit's own study on sleep stages reveals its hit or miss, although news reports declared it accurate and skipped the science - 69% accuracy on 30 second estimates of 3 stages: wake-light/deep/REM, and level of agreement greater than chance ranging from poor to good. Unless we are handing out participation awards its difficult to declare "accurate" with only 69% stage estimation, with some of those estimates being "Fitbit got lucky" (chance).

My overall view: Fitbit does a good job at putting everything in a single dashboard, but in quest to simplify / dumb down its often not possible to get at details and trends. When wearing Fitbit, I always tracked my walks with another app so that I can get to details and trends. With Apple you use best-in-class apps, which provide far more details and insight than Fitbit, and the dashboard is Health app (or 3rd party apps). Thats the real difference I see between the two, based on having extensively used both Fitbit and AW for years.

[SunsetRunner]

(...) Oh how I despise fitbit’s money mongering egos for doing otherwise. They’re despicable. They should know not everyone in this world aspires to be an egotistical muscle bound gym rat full of themselves staring in mirrors at their Grecian magnificence. (...)

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Please do keep in mind: the acquisition of Pebble only ever was about the know how of their engineers and how to create an ecosystem with SDKs on new devices.

It could never have been about developing new Pebble devices or Pebble-like devices, that wouldn't have fit into Fitbit's portfolio. I doubt anything else would've been ok with the investors.