CES 2013: Fitbit launches Flex wristband tracker, takes on Nike+ FuelBand and Jawbone Up

One of our favourite fitness tracking companies, Fitbit, has launched a wristband tracking gadget at CES 2013 this week called Flex, which is set to add to its already impressive portfolio of fitness devices and compete with the likes of Nike’s Fuelband and Jawbone’s Up bracelet.

The Flex is similar to its competitors in that it collects data about how many steps you’ve taken, your quality of sleep, the calories you’ve burned and a range of other metrics, which are all then fed to a dedicated app instead of being displayed on a screen like the company’s other gadgets. However, the Flex is unique in that it’s able to sync data wirelessly via Bluetooth 4.0 – Nike’s Fuelband uses Bluetooth 2.1 and Jawbone doesn’t have Bluetooth capability at all. It’s also set to be much cheaper than its other rivals as well, retailing for under $100 in the US.

The step towards a wristband-style gadget certainly makes sense for a company that’s already proving to be a key player in the health and fitness tracking arena and may have been overshadowed by similar offerings in the past.

[Via Venture Beat]