Premium Voice Features and a New Premium Serviceįrom a short test, the Alexa connection works well, much like any other wearable with the voice assistant on it. The microphone also allows wearers to dictate messages into text form, but for now, that facet of the watch is limited to Android phone users.
What makes having the voice assistant on a Fitbit smartwatch useful is that it streamlines things like starting exercise programs and connecting with Spotify to organize playlists for working out. Alexa can still perform most of the tasks it does on an Echo smart speaker such as checking the news and weather. Instead, it pulls up visual responses to requests. While users can talk to Alexa on the Versa 2, the voice assistant cannot respond by audio as there is no speaker in the watch. Once the watch is connected to a smartphone by Bluetooth, wearers can speak into the microphone in the watch to communicate with the Alexa voice assistant integrated into the Versa 2. One of the most significant is a small microphone in the watch.
The Versa 2, as the name implies, is an upgraded version of Fitbit’s Versa smartwatch, with new features and hardware improvements. The Fitbit partnership gives Amazon access to a large potential market of mobile users for Alexa, without needing to create a watch or mobile operating system. Fitbit debuted its newest line of smart fitness devices and software this week, including the Versa 2, its first smartwatch with built with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant.