Maybe what we need to do is to start considering such feature abandonment as abandonware and make it so all abandonware must be user modifiable and open source. (To me ideally, there would be a complete separation between software and hardware, aka, if the company can substitute or replace it, so must the user)

On this note, I feel it should be totally illegal to change the terms of services or user licensing agreement unilaterally and force a user to either accept the new tos (or ULA) or be forced to stop using the service.

You should have a third option being "let's keep the old terms of services"/ula

Google removes the "market" so they don't have to be forced to compete with it.

The article doesn't really explain it, but assume this is because you can't use 3rd party app stores on Fitbit devices? So to avoid opening to competition, they're removing anything that could be interpreted as a store?

By making it not install apps at all, even from them, it becomes the same as a toaster or microwave, for which nobody expects to be able to install third party apps because these are not devices that have a concept of "installing apps". Now they can claim these devices also don't have any concept of installing apps.

Fitbit was doomed the second Google bought it. It will slowly get less supported and eventually canceled. It's a shame because I liked Fitbit and I'd hate for smartwatches to end up in the duopoly we have with phones.

A great trick for Garmin watches is that they make some high end models with sapphire glass. Get one of those used and you have top of the line stuff for a reasonable price, yet the glass never scratches so it will look like new...

What I love about my Garmin is it does all it does without a subscription. I've looked at oura, whoop, and withings and they all need a subscription for full functionality. It seems Garmin bakes that cost into the device price, so you pay more up front but also get what you pay for.

My Venu 2 is awesome. Sleep, stress, body battery, vO2max, and almost any activity I do including hike, bike, snowshoe, snowboard, paddle board, disc golf. The battery lasts 5-10 days depending on how much GPS I use.

It has a few smart features but the above is more important to me.

PineTime if you don't need any super fancy features

I have withings watch and it's pretty great. I think it's less well known than a lot of other brands because they primarily make health tech (which is also good btw).

I love that the watch has a traditional dial and looks really classy rather than just looking like a piece of plastic tech. I get compliments on it all the time and nobody guesses that it's a smart watch. It has a small smart screen under the 12 that shows steps, o2 levels, and heart rate. I track sleep and workouts on it, and I think you can get call notifications on it but I don't really use that. All the info is synced to an app and if you have other devices like the scale and blood pressure cuff you can track all of it and create a report to take with you to your doctor. The company has a solid privacy policy which makes me feel better about using it.

I have a Garmin 235: it's primarily a fitness watch and secondarily a smart watch. So if you want to buy a smart watch it's not the best option. I don't know about newer options from Garmin because this that I have does everything I want.

Love my old Garmin vivoactive 2? Screen looks like shit but it's readable in any setting. It's pretty basic, use it for cycling as it talks to my chest-strap heart rate monitor.

I've got a pixel watch too, it's a typical 1st gen product. Half baked but gets the job done, battery is an all-day for me (no Sim model). It's got some scratches and blemishes all over the face, see how long it kicks around for.

If you want something very cheap, Amazfit is pretty good. No subscription models like Fitbit to access basic data, and 3rd party faces/apps are pretty easy.

They're either trying hard to sabotage the Fitbit brand, and bought it to destroy it, or they're just doing usual Google makes-no-sense random product killing. Does anyone understand why Fitbit Sense supported Google Assistant but Sense 2, released after Google bought Fitbit, only supports Amazon Alexa? For whatever reason, they're intent on making the Fitbit experience worse.

That said, they also significantly reduced the functionality of Google Assistant on all devices recently. I have no idea what they're up to.

The Fitbit app store was very bad. I wouldn't buy another Fitbit device, which is perhaps what Google wants.

3 years ago.

Love my Garmin. Got an older version and support has been great

Garmin is quite a lot more expensive, but Fitbit is just bad.

I finally replaced my pebble with a Garmin. Pleasantly surprised. I still miss voice response and proper tasker integration, but otherwise it's a solid smart watch.

Activities I only use for hiking. I don't wear a watch cycling or kayaking. Looking forward to trying the snowboarding activity though.

I bought a Garmin after having a Fitbit for many years. I must say i really prefer the Garmin, even though they are more expensive than the Fitbit. Though, if you want all functions on the Fitbit you need premium and if you include two years of that they are about the same price.

Google says that “regulatory requirements” have led to this decision, presumably referring to the EU’s Digital Markets Act or other recent legislation. The precise reason isn’t mentioned by Google.

What are those clock faces doing, Google?

WHAT. ARE. THEY. DOING?!