INSIDER
Husband sentenced to 65 years in Fitbit murder case
Read full article: Husband sentenced to 65 years in Fitbit murder caseA Connecticut man has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for the murder of his wife in 2015 and after prosecutors say he gave statements to police that conflicted with data on her Fitbit.
All the ways a fitness tracker could help you live a healthier lifestyle
Read full article: All the ways a fitness tracker could help you live a healthier lifestyleA fitness tracker might not seem necessary to improving your health, and for some people, itโs probably a take-it-or-leave-it kind of item.
EU clears Google's $2.1B takeover of Fitbit, with conditions
Read full article: EU clears Google's $2.1B takeover of Fitbit, with conditionsEU regulators cleared Google's plan to buy fitness tracking device maker Fitbit after the company promised to silo off user data and not use it for advertising. The EU was initially worried the deal would expand Googleโs โdata advantageโ and raise barriers for rivals in the online ad industry. The Silicon Valley tech giant's commitments included a promise to silo off Fitbit user data from other Google data and not use it for advertising purposes. Google also vowed to continue giving outside health and fitness apps to access Fitbit data. โThere is a serious risk that Google will exploit Fitbit usersโ data, including sensitive health data, in several markets," said Director General Monique Goyens.
Google to buy Fitbit in $2.1 billion deal
Read full article: Google to buy Fitbit in $2.1 billion dealGoogle announced plans on Friday to acquire Fitbit, the world's leading maker of wearable fitness activity trackers. (CNN) - Google announced plans on Friday to acquire Fitbit, the world's leading maker of wearable fitness activity trackers. The deal, worth about $2.1 billion, is one of Google's largest acquisitions. Although Google makes some hardware, including Pixel phones and Nest devices, it hasn't made much headway into smartwatches and other wearable devices. The wearable fitness tracker company also said it never sells personal information and that its health and wellness data will not be used for Google ads.
Fitbit stock spikes 30% on report of Google acquisition offer
Read full article: Fitbit stock spikes 30% on report of Google acquisition offer(CNN) - Fitbit, which has been struggling to compete with Apple, may soon join forces with one of Apple's chief rivals. Fitbit's stock spiked more than 30% at one point in intraday trading following the report. The push into subscription services comes as Fitbit fights to compete in the smartwatch market. Apple is the leader in this market globally, followed by Samsung and then Fitbit, according to a recent report from Strategy Analytics. Even with the stock pop on Monday, Fitbit is still trading below $6 a share, well below its IPO price of $20 a share from 2015.
Fitbit pushes beyond hardware with new subscription service
Read full article: Fitbit pushes beyond hardware with new subscription serviceNow, it's looking to boost its business by taking a page from Apple's playbook: offering more subscription services to customers. Fitbit Premium will launch in September and costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. At a press event ahead of the launch, Fitbit CEO James Park said the subscription service is part of a "transformation" of its business model. Subscription services could help build "more predictable, recurring revenue streams," as Park told investors in the company's most recent earnings report. While it's doubling down on subscription services, Fitbit certainly isn't giving up on its hardware ambitions.