Fitbit’s Wearable Versa, On A Mission To Empower Women With Data

The benefits of Data on your wrist explored.

I must admit, I was sold as soon as I heard that Fitbit‘s latest wearable, the Versa, was designed to help with female health tracking. I think that I am not alone when it comes to trying to understand the connections between my period, estimated fertile window, and overall health and wellness. So I decided to investigate.

Wearable
Fitbit’s latest wearable device

Fitbit has been helping people lead healthier since 2007. Formally known as Healthy Metrics Research, Inc. the San Francisco based company prides itself on empowering its users with data, inspiration and guidance to reach their goals. So far their products have given us the kind of experiences that track and provide motivation for everyday health and fitness. Fitbit’s diverse line of innovation include Fitbit Blaze, Fitbit Charge 2, Fitbit Alta HR, Fitbit Alta, Fitbit Ace, Fitbit Flex 2, and Fitbit Zip activity trackers, as well as the Fitbit Ionic™ and now the Fitbit Versa smartwatches. Let’s not forget the less known Fitbit Flyer wireless headphones and Fitbit Aria 2™ Wi-Fi Smart Scale.

The Nuances Of The Menstrual Cycle Explored

According to a recent Fitbit survey, 80% of women do not know how many phases are in a menstrual cycle and more than 70% were unable to correctly identify the average length of a cycle. “Female health tracking will empower women with a greater understanding of their menstrual cycles in conjunction with their physical and mental health, as they start to recognize what are normal trends over time versus what could be an issue to share with their doctor,” said Dr. Katharine White, MD MPH, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University School of Medicine and Fitbit Advisor.

For the wearable company, this demonstrated a lack of awareness about women’s health. That is why they have made it easier for women to learn more about their menstrual cycle, ovulation, fertility and common misconceptions with educational content on the Fitbit blog through the Fitbit app. “The nuances of the menstrual cycle have not been as widely studied across populations as have other areas in healthcare. This exciting development by Fitbit could help potentially create one of the largest databases of menstrual health metrics in the world, providing healthcare and research professionals with an unprecedented ability to study menstrual cycles and women’s health with real-world data,” shared White.

The Benefits of Data on Your Wrist

A modern and intuitive smartwatch, the Fitbit Versa, has been created with the lightest metal and a new dashboard that simplifies how you access your health and fitness data. Providing a more simplified, intuitive and holistic view of your health and fitness data, you are able to see your daily and weekly health and fitness stats, historical activity, heart rate, and exercise summaries, action-oriented motivational messages, tips and tricks, and daily guidance – all on your wrist. More personalised over time the Versa will prompt you to take actions based on your data.

Product photography of the Versa special edition woven family

Fitness-wise, the Versa’s health and fitness features include personalised fitness guidance such as on-screen personal workouts from Fitbit Coach. Our favourite has to be the SpO2 sensor opens the potential to track important health indicators in the future, such as sleep apnea. On their latest offering, James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit shared, “As the wearables category continues to grow, Fitbit Versa fills a critical need in the market by delivering a beautifully designed, full-featured smartwatch that is easy to use at a very competitive price.”

Taking a holistic view of data, the Fitbit Versa offers personalized insights and guidance. By empowering people with data, inspiration and guidance to reach their goals, the Versa’s new personalised dashboard provides a more simplified, intuitive and holistic view of your health and fitness data. You are able to see your stats at a glance and enjoy the benefits of a wearable that becomes more personalised over time. “Versa brings consumers the advanced health and fitness feature Fitbit is known for, along with broad compatibility across mobile platforms and 4+ days battery life to provide users with a better picture of their overall health, making it stand out from any smartwatch available today,” says Park.

“Female health tracking will empower women with a greater understanding of their menstrual cycles in conjunction with their physical and mental health”

Design-wise, the wearable device’s rounded square silhouette display features a bright, colourful touchscreen and brightness up to 1,000 nits, providing the ideal format to see all of your data on your wrist. Versa also offers a variety of stylish accessories so you can change your look based on your outfit or activity. There are the Horween leather accessories, stainless steel links and metal mesh bands, the designer collection and the Fitbit Versa Special Edition that include an NFC chip to use Fitbit Pay™(only available in the US).

Fitbit Wearable devices

The Versa wearable offers a range of smart features to help you manage your day, such as notifications, music on your device, apps and clock faces you want. Also on offer is an R&D initiative that was introduced last year and is focused on accelerating innovation and driving behaviour change. I quite like the new parent app designed to help parents more easily stay on top of their baby’s schedule.

ALSO READ: Will Good on Paper Timepiece, Fitbit Ionic Smartwatch, Measure Up?

Compatible with Android, iOS and Windows devices, the Versa is available in black with a black aluminium case, grey with a silver aluminium case or peach with a rose gold aluminium case. Priced $199.95, the Fitbit Versa Special Edition, including Fitbit Pay, is available for $229.95. Accessories range from $29.95-$99.95. If you have the Fitbit Ionic, the great news is that the female health tracking is also available on these devices.

Share Your Tips & Corrections

Founding Editor in Chief at FashNerd.com | editor@fashnerd.com | Website

Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.