Here's Why The New Fitbit Flex Is One Of The Best Wearable Fitness Trackers Around

It's January, and that means a lot of you are trying to maintain that New Year's resolution to stay fit and drop a few pounds.

If you're one of the many seasonal fitness junkies, we found a gadget that may just help you stick to your guns.

Fitbit, a company dedicated to helping integrate fitness technology into our lives, announced its newest device, the Fitbit Flex, at the Consumer Electronics show last week.

The Fitbit Flex is a small wristband that you wear all the time and it tracks your steps, distance traveled, calories burned, and how much sleep you get.

The device is water and sweat resistant, so users can wear it anywhere. Coupled with the sleep cycle meter, a silent alarm that gently vibrates users awake so it doesn't disturb your partner, the Fitbit Flex is a pretty versatile device.

"The idea behind the Flex is that makes fitness a part of your everyday lifestyle," Fitbit's marketing manager Lindsay Cook told us at CES last week.

While the Fitbit Flex doesn't have a watch face like the Nike FuelBand or other wearable fitness devices, Fitbit users can pair the Flex with smartphones (Android or iPhone) via Bluetooth and use an app to set goals and monitor progress.

The Fitbit Flex has five indicator lights on the outside of the device. Users set a goal such as walking 10,000 steps in a day and the Flex will light up to show your progress against that goal.

"Because everyone always has their phone with them at all times, users can easily access stats on the go," Cook said.

We asked Cook what the difference between the Flex and products like the Jawbone Up or Nike Fuel Band. While she declined to compare she said, "The great thing about the new wristband product is that its a really unforgettable design. It's always with you. We think that people are more comfortable wearing something on their wrist and the Flex opens us up to a new market."

The new Fitbit Flex retails for $99.95 and is available now for pre-order. It will ship in the spring in five different colors. The company is considering selling accessory bands to change colors but it is still working on pricing for that.

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