It seems that Amazon is still full ideas, even after recently introducing two new products to the Echo line. Once again, the company is improving upon the functionality of Echo by revealing today that its bringing Fitbit status updates to the device, allowing users to check on their fitness level without ever needing to look at Fitbit itself.
This is a huge departure from Fitbit's Ultra step tracker, introduced in 2011, which had limited motivational cues based on how close you were to step goal. One such cue was "Woot!" while another was "Walk?"
Now in conjunction with Alexa, the Fitbit is capable of responding to you with full sentences and you don't even have to look at it to get the answers you seek. Simply say the key words, "Alexa, ask Fitbit...." and you can find out how many steps you walked, calories you've burned, hours you've slept, water you drank and much more.
In addition, Alexa can offer comments that are sensitive to both the time of day and type of request being made. For example, on days when you've barely left the house, Alexa will tell you, "You've got to start somewhere."
"Working with Amazon and Alexa to create this new skill provides a completely new and fun way for Fitbit users to stay on top of their health and fitness goals," said Fitbit Executive VP, Interactive Tim Roberts. "Our integration with Alexa gives you hands-free access to your data, so you can find out when you walk in the door at the end of the day what your step count is in seconds, and know if you need to go on a quick walk before dinner. As we look at how this integration could evolve in the future, there is an endless world of possibilities from fitness coaching and nutrition tips, to guidance before bedtime to help you get a more restful night's sleep."
Fitbit claims it is the first wearable company to make its stats available with Alexa, which already has support for Uber, NBC News, Domino's and most recently, financial services firm Capital One. In that vein, the move to partner with Amazon was the next natural step, since it already made strides when it became the first fitness company to work with Microsoft's Cortana for voice-activated food and activity logging.
However, Roberts does note that the experience between the two digital assistants is different, since while Cortana requires you to use a phone, Alexa is hands-free.
Roberts notes that down the line, Alexa may be programmed to speak to Fitbit users in a different tone depending on their preferences. He added however, that these personalities would come with some limits.
"If the voice from Fitbit was wildly different, [veering between] a drill sergeant or a super-nice voice, that might sound really schizophrenic," says Roberts. "You can imagine something between being more pushy and a bit more supportive."
