2021

This past year we’ve endured sickness, loss, increased stress and changes with sleep, diet and exercise. As a result, we’ve been forced to become stronger and more resilient. But strength has taken on a new meaning for most, and being strong in today’s world is more than what we can lift or how fast we can run. It’s also what the mind and body can handle. 

As our approach to strength evolves, we’re introducing Fitbit Charge 5, our most advanced health and fitness tracker, to help keep a pulse on your fitness, stress, heart health, sleep and overall wellbeing – all in a thinner, sleek design. With a brighter, color touchscreen and up to seven days of battery life (varies with use), Charge 5 delivers the convenience features you need to focus on what’s most important.

And, with six months of Fitbit Premium included,¹you’ll get deeper insights, actionable guidance and a range of more than 500 workouts,  mindfulness and nutrition sessions to empower you to do what’s best for your body each day. 

Sweat the smart way

With Fitbit Premium’s new Daily Readiness experience, coming soon to Charge 5, as well as Sense, Versa 3, Versa 2, Luxe and Inspire 2 devices, you can understand if your body is ready for a  workout or if you should prioritize recovery instead. Each morning, you’ll receive a score based on your fitness fatigue (activity), heart rate variability (HRV) and recent sleep. You’ll also get an analysis of what impacted your score, and suggestions like a recommended target Active Zone Minutes goal, along with Premium content to help you make the best decisions for your body. Charge 5 also includes built-in GPS, 20 exercise modes, automatic exercise recognition and an estimate of your V02 max. Plus, with Premium, you can access more than 200 workouts from certified trainers and popular brands like Daily Burn, barre3, obé and new high energy workouts from LES MILLS.

Reduce your stress and relax your mind

During 2020, a record-high 40% of adults said they experienced a lot of stress. To help you better manage stress, Charge 5 is our first tracker to include an EDA sensor, which measures your body’s response to stress through tiny changes in the sweat glands on your fingers. We first launched EDA last fall with Fitbit Sense and have found 70% of users reduced their heart rate during a two-minute EDA Scan session, showing these tools can help reduce stress.² 

With Charge 5 you also get a Stress Management Score in the Fitbit app, so you can see each morning if you’re mentally ready to take on more challenges, or if you need to recharge. With Premium, you get access to more than 300 meditation and mindfulness sessions from brands and experts, like Ten Percent Happier and Mindful Method by Deepak Chopra to help you manage your stress. We are also announcing a partnership with Calm, the #1 App for Sleep, Meditation and Relaxation, which will soon provide Premium members with access to Calm content.³

Deep dive into your holistic health 

We’re also helping you prioritize your heart health. Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the world’s most common heart rhythm condition, and since launching the ECG app on Sense, users have taken more than four million assessments. The ECG app will be available soon on Charge 5,⁴ bringing a critical tool to more people at a more approachable price. Charge 5 also tracks your heart rate 24/7 and provides notifications when you are above or below your personal ranges, and while many factors can affect your heart rate, a high or low heart rate may be an indication of a heart condition that requires medical attention. 

In addition to managing your heart health, Charge 5 provides a holistic view of other key wellness metrics via the Health Metrics dashboard in the Fitbit app, including breathing rate, skin temperature variation and SpO2.⁵ With Premium, you can also track long-term trends and personal ranges.

And because sleep is also critical to your wellbeing, you’ll continue to receive industry-leading sleep tools like daily Sleep Score, Sleep Stages and SmartWake alarms. Premium members also receive a deeper analysis and guidance to improve sleep quality. 

Designed for convenience, performance and comfort

Beyond health and wellness support, Charge 5 delivers the convenience features you need. With the swipe of a finger, view your stats, make contactless payments, receive/send notifications from/to your smartphone (quick replies with Android only), and choose from 20 colorful clock faces to customize what information you want to see most. 

Ten percent thinner than its predecessor, Charge 5 has an aerodynamic design and is optimized for performance and engineered for a seamless fit. With a new AMOLED color display, Charge 5 is our first tracker with an always-on display option for added convenience to see your stats or while training. The display is also two-times brighter than its predecessor making it easy to see your stats on sunny days. You can also switch up your look at any time, choosing from lightweight silicone infinity bands, breathable sport bands, plush nylon hook and loop bands. and hand-crafted premium Horween leather bands. 

Charge 5 is available for $179.95 (USD), which includes a six-month Premium membership (for new or returning customers). Beginning today, pre-order Charge 5 online at Fitbit.com and select global retailers, with worldwide availability this fall. 

[1] For new and returning Premium members only. T&Cs apply. Premium content may not be available in all locales and may be in English only. 

[2] Based on aggregated and anonymous global data from 10,000 Fitbit Sense users who were 18+ from Dec. 2020 – Jan. 2021.

[3] Calm content only available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, and Korean.

[4] The Fitbit ECG app will be available soon on Charge 5 in select countries. Not intended for use by people under 22 years old. See fitbit.com/ecg for additional details.

[5] The Health Metrics dashboard is not available in select markets and not intended for medical purposes. 

At Fitbit, the way we think about fitness has evolved and expanded beyond mere physical strength. Today, many of us are far more eager to understand our wellness holistically, versus how many burpees we can do in a minute or comparing how much weight we can bench press. Sure, being physically strong is one depiction of strength, but this past year in particular has taught us that we need to be strong in other areas as well. Taking care of ourselves means knowing when to push ourselves to go to the next level, while also having the strength to know when to rest. 

With this in mind, we will soon be launching several new features and tools in Fitbit Premium,¹ along with the advanced insights and personalized, actionable guidance you already receive as a member, to help you reach your holistic health goals. When paired with any Fitbit device, including our new Charge 5, you’ll get a deeper analysis of your data to help you workout smarter, manage your stress, sleep better and eat well. 

Coming soon to Premium is our new Daily Readiness Score, which will use insights from your body via your Fitbit device, including your activity, heart rate variability (HRV) and recent sleep, to help you assess when you’re ready to push yourself physically — in other words, if you should workout or prioritize recovery.² By wearing your Fitbit device daily (including while you sleep), you’ll receive a personalized score each morning along with details on what impacted it, with suggestions like a recommended activity level and Premium content to help you make the best decisions for your body and make your workouts more efficient. 

Daily Readiness is built on research that proves taking time to recover can generate stronger results in the long run versus pushing yourself all the time. Pushing yourself too hard could lead to overtraining or injury and can impact your mood, sleep, appetite and weight. Over time, the guidance you will get can help you build a smarter routine that is more in tune with your body. Daily Readiness will be available in the Fitbit app for Premium members with Fitbit Sense, Versa 3, Versa 2, Charge 5, Luxe and Inspire 2 devices.

How Daily Readiness Score works

These three components are measured against your baseline, and will continue to adapt and become more personalized overtime as your fitness level changes:

Activity (fitness-fatigue):By tracking your heart rate 24/7 from your wrist, we measure the impact of daily activity on your body. Every effort counts – from running a 10K to chasing after your kids. Depending on how hard you pushed yourself recently, your activity level will fluctuate and personalize your score based on your normal exertion levels. An intense boot camp session might be a challenge for you, but a relatively easy outing for someone else. To make the most of your experience, we recommend getting at least 30 minutes of Active Zone Minutes (AZM) with activities that get your heart rate up, three times a week. 

HRV:Calculated during your deep sleep, HRV is a great measure of recovery. A higher HRV is better, meaning your body can easily transition from rest to activity, and back. Sometimes stress, overexertion or onset of an illness can lower your HRV and impact your readiness to exercise.

Sleep:Poor sleep over a few nights can make you feel fatigued today, since sleep has a cumulative effect on your body. That is why we factor in your sleep over the past several nights, not just the previous night.

A high score means your body is ready for action, while a low score indicates you should prioritize recovery. We optimize our algorithm to promote fitness improvement while minimizing fatigue. Your score is also accompanied by suggestions and associated Premium content — all in one place, delivered at the start of each day, just for you.

Work out smarter 

Depending on what your fitness goals are and what your body needs, as a Premium member you get access to more than 200 audio and video workouts that you can play on your phone or play to your TV at anytime, anywhere — from certified trainers and popular brands like Aaptiv, barre3,Daily Burn, obé, Physique 57andPOPSUGAR. 

On days when you get a high Daily Readiness Score, we will help motivate you to seize the day with a personalized AZM target paired with suggested Premium workouts. We are adding 25 new high-energy workouts from premier global fitness brand LES MILLS to our library to provide even more options for these days. Popularized in more than 21,000 gyms around the globe, LES MILLS is synonymous with high-energy and science-backed programs that can help you maximize results, presented by some of the world’s leading instructors. Workouts like BODYPUMP, BODYATTACK, BODYCOMBAT and more will transport you into a group workout and can help you get your heart pumping to meet your daily target.

Guidance to help you manage stress 

But it’s not just about being physically fit: Mental strength is a major component of overall health. Get more out of our Stress Management Score by seeing a breakdown of how your responsiveness, exertion balance and sleep patterns impact your physiological stress and overall health, along with more than 300 mindfulness sessions from wellness experts Aaptiv, Aura, Breethe, Mindful Method by Deepak Chopra and Ten Percent Happier to help you take control of your emotional and physical health. 

To further support your wellness and mental health, we are also partnering with Calm, the #1 App for Sleep, Meditation and Relaxation, which will soon provide Premium members with access to 30 pieces of Calm content in seven languages.³ Charge 5 and Sense users can start an EDA Scan on-wrist simultaneously when completing a mindfulness session in the Fitbit app to see how their heart rate and electrodermal activity changes and impacted their stress responses. Plus, Calm and any mindfulness session completed in the Fitbit app will count towards your weekly mindfulness goal. 

All of this content can help support you on days when you have a low Daily Readiness Score. We will guide you to rest and rejuvenate with dynamic recommendations, ranging from active recovery sessions like yoga or stretching, to rest and relaxation ideas like meditation or mindfulness from our expansive Premium content library. 

As a Premium member, you will be able to use Daily Readiness along with our Stress Management and Sleep scores for  a holistic look at your health and wellness each day. Daily Readiness will serve as a powerful complement, whether you’re a fitness enthusiast looking to optimize your workouts, or you need a little extra motivation to push harder and achieve your best. By taking the time to recover instead of working out hard all the time, you can enhance your fitness while reducing your risk of injury over time. 

To help you understand your body’s signs of stress, your Stress Management Score will help you gauge if you can better handle stress and take on more challenges, or if you should take it easy and recharge. Meanwhile, your Sleep Score can help you better understand your sleep quality and how you might improve. Premium uplevels your Fitbit experience by helping you better understand your readiness to exercise, how your body responds to stress, and your sleep patterns, all with additional guidance and insights to help you achieve your health, fitness and wellness goals.  

Daily Readiness will be available soon in 18 languages to Premium members globally with compatible devices  in the Fitbit app. LES MILLS workouts are available today to all Premium users, with Calm content becoming available next month.

[1] Premium content and features may change. Content may be in English only.

[2] Daily Readiness is coming soon and requires a Fitbit Premium membership. Premium content recommendations are not available in all locales and may be in English only.

[3] Up to 30 pieces of Calm content available in English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish only.

Actor, producer, and musician, Will Smith, is joining the Fitbit family as our newest ambassador. As part of the strategic partnership, Fitbit and Will have teamed up to create exclusive content across social, Fitbit Premium, and the upcoming YouTube Originals docuseries, “Best Shape of My Life.” 

Coding is a skill that’s now part of just about every discipline — and what’s more, it’s fun for kids to learn, and easy for parents and teachers to add to lessons at home or school. As kids get ready to go back to school and Chromebooks are once again on desks at home and in the classroom, it’s a good time to boost students’ coding knowledge. At Google, we believe every student deserves the chance to explore, advance and succeed in computer science. Practical computer science skills can help students learn and create, and bring more relevance to nearly any subject, from history to literature to current events. 

Thanks to the devices and apps below, students of all ages can be engaged while learning to code. Fortunately, there are coding apps for just about every grade and skill level. Here are our suggestions for apps and devices to check out this fall, whether you’re in a classroom or at home with learners.

Coding apps to try in the classroom and at home

Whether it’s creating a video game as an assignment in science class, or building a website for a side project (lemonade stand, anyone?), there are coding apps for the whole family and the whole class. Families can find all of these apps on the Google Play Store, and schools can find out more information on the Chromebook App Hub. 

Beginning to code

• Cloud Stop Motion (Play Store) is a fun stop-motion and animation movie creator. Cloud Stop Motion enables kids to work with animations on a zoomable, scrollable timeline. Sound effects, music, titles, credits and speech bubbles can be added before rendering to an MP4 movie. An extensive library of audio, backgrounds and styles included, this app is great for students and parents alike.

• Grasshopper(Web app) is a coding app for beginning learners that uses games to build skills with JavaScript. Learners can move up through progressively challenging levels to refine their coding prowess.

• Scratch Jr(Play Store) is tailor-made for younger learners. Scratch Jr is actually based on a programming language that teaches kids how to program by creating their own interactive stories and games. 

• Tynker Jr (Play Store) is perfect for children just learning to read. Children ages 5-7 can learn the fundamentals of coding by connecting picture blocks to move their characters.

More advanced coders

• Bloxels (Play Store, App Hub) lets anyone build a video game with their own characters and art. Game worlds are quick to build with built-in logic, triggers and actions.

• Codecademy(Play Store) Codecademy creates an engaging, flexible, and accessible way to learn to code online, making it possible for anyone to gain skills for employability and build something meaningful with technology. Access hundreds of courses in subjects like web development and data science, as well as in-demand languages like Python, CSS, and JavaScript.

• Piper Make (Play Store, App Hub) is a drag-and-drop coding platform for the Pico, the newest microcontroller board from Raspberry Pi. Using Piper’s hardware packages available online, the Piper Make portal offers new narrative-based tutorials, projects, and ways to start building and coding technology.

• Replit(Play Store, App Hub) is a simple, yet powerful online coding platform. It’s perfect for beginners, who are coding for the first time, but also scales to the needs of teachers and professional programmers with decades of experience. Replit supports all programming languages, including Python, Java, Javascript + HTML/CSS, and C/C++, and runs on every device, including Chromebooks. It combines an IDE (integrated development environment) with a debugger, built-in testing/autograding, and hosting tools to build websites and applications.

• Tynker(Play Store, App Hub) features block-based coding challenges that help learners move on to more complex skills like Python coding and advanced computer science. It even offers AP Computer Science courses.

Devices for coding, creating and anything in between

With new devices for learning anywhere or advanced use, students and families can find devices for more robust needs such as content creation and editing, coding, and running apps in virtualized environments simultaneously with large video calls. 

There’s a device for everyone in the family or classroom. This includes devices like the Lenovo 500e Gen 3, which works in both laptop and tablet mode and has a rear-facing camera and built-in stylus. It also includes the spill-resistant HP Chromebook x360 11 G4 EE, the Acer Chromebook Spin 512, or the Lenovo 300e Gen 3 with its 3:2 ratio, ideal for reading and working on Docs more comfortably, an Always Connected LTE enabled device with dual cameras. You can find all the latest in this handy guide for schools, or on chromebook.com. 

To learn more about Google’s commitment to closing equity gaps in computer science education and discover lessons, research, scholarship opportunities and more, visit our Code with Google page. Educators can also find CS resources on our website and on the Chromebook App Hub. And for more resources for families, with guidance on everything from classroom tools to screen time best practices, visit families.google.com, and sign up for Family Link for parents to help set digital ground rules on their school or personal device.