FitBit Preparing $250 Smartwatch‏

FitBit is preparing three devices this year, the Charge, Charge HR and Surge. The Charge is a upgrade to the FitBit Force announced last year, which got in the news due to complaints of skin irritation.

The FitBit Surge looks to be the company’s first smartwatch, after three years of making wearable fitness bands. Even with the new smartwatch features, at its core FitBit Surge will remain a fitness product.

FitBit Surge includes GPS tracking and a heart-rate monitor – called PurePulse. FitBit will offer a collection of different stats, including calories burned, sleep tracking, heart-rate intensity and more.

Outside of fitness, FitBit Surge will offer basic notifications for phone calls and SMS text messages. Music playback will be available through the smartwatch, but users will not be able to check Twitter feed or Instagram photos, like some other smartwatches offer.

FitBit will rely heavily on the companion app for iOS and Android. This is where users will log most of the information – since the FitBit Surge lacks an actual input like Android Wear and Apple Wear, which both feature third party keyboard or other input devices.

In terms of specs and functionality, the FitBit Surge looks to be attacking the Pebble, instead of the Apple Watch and Android Wear. FitBit might look to keep away from the “smartwatch” moniker when they launch the device – since it has limited smartwatch functionality.

FitBit Surge will come in three colors: black, slate and tangerine and will cost $249 at launch.