In 2018, Fitbit launched Ace, a portable tracker for children. On Wednesday, it is expanding the line with Ace LTE, a device aimed at the same demographic that borrows heavily from its smartwatch Versa. The Google-owned wearable company is targeting the 7+ audience with this product, focusing on Wii-style motion control games, as well as location sharing and messaging for parents.
Instead of offering the same pure metrics that the company uses to motivate its older users, the main thrust of the product is a far more literal version of gamification. The watch has a variety of 3D games that unlock more play time as more kids move.
Whether you’re a chicken in a bathtub racing through space or fishing for a blob of fish at Smokey Lake,” writes Fitbit, “Ace LTE keeps kids moving. The best part is that the Fitbit Arcade is updated with new games every few months, so it never gets boring.”
It’s not the worst way to get kids to touch the proverbial grass, and frankly makes me miss the bygone days of Wiimotes and Microsoft Kinects. Almost as much as I miss Tamagotchi. The once powerful electronic pets are back in the spirit here in the form of eejies. Similar to the game element, the customizable animals “feed” on the movement.
When the activities are completed, the children will receive “arcade tickets” in a Chuck E. Cheese-style self-sufficiency, which will allow them to buy new clothes and furniture for their eejie. Fitbit’s approach to accessories is far more capitalist. The company offers six different bands that include DLC, including various settings.
While the Ace LTE is indeed designed to motivate children to exercise more, the payouts end as soon as a certain threshold is reached to keep children from overdoing it. Fitbit quickly notes, “We’ve worked with leading, independent experts in child psychology, public health, privacy, and digital well-being to make Fitbit Ace LTE fun, safe, and helpful.”
That’s the kind of stuff the company really needs to tackle upfront, as the notion of a fitness tracker built by a data vacuum tech giant understandably raises all sorts of red flags for people. The degree to which everyone feels comfortable sticking a Google device on their children’s wrist is undoubtedly very different.
Fitbit points out that the location is only shared through the app on a parent/guardian’s device, while the location data disappears automatically after a day. Meanwhile, activity data can only be stored for up to 35 days, after which it will also be deleted. Meanwhile, adding friends on the Ace LTE must be done in person and with the consent of the guardian. As the name suggests, the device is available in a cellular version, so it does not rely on a tethered device to function /synchronize. It’s available to pre-order for Wednesday.
