Fitbit’s first foray into fashion: $130 Alta wearable launches next month

Fitbit unveiled its first try at a fashionable wearable today: the Alta, a $130 fitness band that’s set to launch in March.

The company fittingly debuted the device in Soho, at a press event inside the Trump Soho hotel, advertising it as “Fitbit’s most fashionable tracker yet” and offering to help visitors create their own “athleisure look.”

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After going hands-on with the device, the term “athleisure” pretty much sums it up; the Alta remains firmly fitness-first, not fashion-first — Fitbit is a fitness company, after all. And the Alta looks like a Fitbit — it’s clearly a sibling of the now-aging Fitbit Charge (the device we’re told the Alta will eventually replace) — but Alta’s profile is slim, the custom wristbands look and feel like premium bands, and the gold unit (which I spent time with, but isn’t launching in March) is reminiscent of jewelry.

Here’s what it looks like.

The Alta is available for pre-order today and will launch next month. This is the gold unit with a standard black band.

Like all Fitbits, the Alta features a long battery life (up to five days per charge).

Below: This is the more premium, pink leather band with the gold tracker — Fitbit calls the tracker unit a “pebble” internally, not to be confused with the Pebble smartwatch. The bands are swappable and start at $30. Leather bands cost $60 and steel bangles cost $100.

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This isn’t a groundbreaking release as much as it’s a nice example of what Fitbit does best; it’s a simple tracker, this time with a less invasive design, that does what it’s supposed to do and doesn’t look overly techie or geeky. Stay tuned for our review of the device.