Fitbit launches locally, bringing Connected Fitness to Malaysians

Fitbit, a company well known internationally for catering to the health-centric gadget lover has now officially landed in Malaysia. The brand has already been around for a bit but this is the first time they have official local presence as they make their way to more countries in the Asian region. Fitbit which started in 2007 is currently the #1 brand for wearables according to the latest figures from IDC.

The full lineup of available Fitbit activity and sleep trackers will include the Fitbit Surge, Fitbit Charge HR, Fitbit Charge, Fitbit Flex, Fitbit Zip and the Aria WiFi smart weighing scale.

For those looking for something simple to start off, the Fitbit Flex and the One pretty much function the same way but have different form factors and slightly different features. If you’re looking for more functions with greater active lifestyle, then the Charge, Charge HR and the top of the line Surge might suit your taste. The Charge gets some “Smart Watch” functions like caller ID, text notifications and the Charge HR gets additional continuous heart rate monitoring for the hardcore fitness junkies. The Surge gets more features that are encroaching the smart watch space with GPS capability and larger touch screen but in most aspects, it is closer to a Pebble than it is to an Apple Watch. To make their stand clearer, they are not calling the Surge a smart watch but instead as a Fitness Super Watch.

When it comes to heart rate sensors, fitbit prides itself of having an always on tracking. Unlike other smart watches that measures on demand or during periodic moments, the fitbit Charge HR and Surge monitors your heart rate 24/7 even while sleeping to give you a better picture of your health. Despite having to track non-stop, both products are rated to last up to 7 days on a single charge, which is better than most smart watches in the market. Furthermore, charging we are told takes just 20 minutes which is pretty quick. All fitbit products are water resistant however they are not designed for swimming or to be submerged under water.

How Fitbit is differentiating itself is their platform and user experience. Essentially Fitness is their main focus and the main star of the show is their app and fitness tracking platform. The official app is constantly updated to provide an optimal experience and there’s a gamification element that keeps you motivated by pitting yourself against your family and friends. Apart from the usual live fitness activity scoreboard, you can also engage into a short term weekend warrior challenges with your mates. If you’ve been using other apps, it integrates with 3rd party apps including Strava, RunKeeper and MyfitnessPal.

Of course there is also the widespread compatibility with popular smart phones including Android, iOS and even Windows Phone. It even supports older smart phones like the iPhone 4S and the Galaxy S3. The app that works across all the devices that pretty functions as your progress tracker and allows you to log your activities in real time. The app automatically syncs to the Aria scale too.

During its media preview this morning, its Regional Director Steve Morley has shared that the smart phone penetration and the growing interest of fitness and prompted fitbit to launch its official presence in Malaysia. Malaysian consumers can expect greater visibility in stores and they have engaged a couple of authorised retail partners to sell their products on ground.

The lineup will be priced as follows:

• Fitbit Surge RM 968 (black, blue, tangerine)
• Fitbit Charge RM 510 ( black, blue, burgundy, slate)
• Fitbit Charge HR RM 620 (black, plum, blue tangerine)
• Fitbit Flex RM 408 (black, red, tangerine, blue, teal, slate, navy, violet, lime, pink)
• Fitbit One RM 408 (black, burgundy)
• Fitbit Zip RM 205 (charcoal, magenta, blue, lime)
• Fitbit Aria RM 525 (black, white)

The devices will be available through official retailers including RadioShack, All IT Hypermarket, A One Plus, iStore, Harvey Norman and Superbuy. For more info on each of their device, you can head over to Fitbit’s product page.