Photos and Features
Most of my fitness band experience has been with the Razer Nabu and the Nabu Watch so I was a little surprised that the charger for the Fitbit Blaze is this weird clamshell. Basically, you have to pop the Blaze out of the armband and then you can put it in this charger. The charger has four contacts for data transfer and charging. You then have to lock it down for the contacts to touch. I really feel like this design could be improved on. For example, if they turned the Blaze 90 degrees in this charger then put cutouts on the left and right of the top door you could actually charge the Blaze with it still in the band. That for me would be huge, it’s not THAT hard to pull out each time but it would improve the overall experience.
So with the Fitbit Blaze out we can see that the Blaze is focused on being a lot more like a watch than the older designs that have that fitness band look. This is a great thing because a fitness band might not look to bad when you are out running, but the Blaze actually looks professional enough to wear to a meeting or out on a date. The Blaze has other bands available from Fitbit and can also be found in other places as well. You can get bright and colorful, or even jump on Etsy and find really fancy handmade bands as well. Basically, you can make it fit your style. That said I actually like the stock band, its rubber and has the same texture on the outside that other Fitbit devices have. The Blaze is held in the band with an aluminum frame. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of when people were using iPod Nanos as watches, only it fits better.
Below is a better look at the band with its Fitbit exclusive texture. While it is available in two different sized, they also have a lot of adjustment in the band as well. Take that Razer Nabu!
The back of the Blaze has the four contact points just like the charging dock. The raised portion has a sensor and two greens LED lights that flash. This is how the Blaze tracks your heartbeat.
For buttons, it has two buttons on one side of the device and one on the other. The single buttons are what you will use the most but the others help use some of the more in-depth functionality. The buttons, like the housing, are all aluminum.
Here is a shot of the Blaze out of its band. To remove and install the Blaze you have to take it in and out from the bottom of the band so you don’t have to worry about it coming out with activity. Really pulling it out even the correct way is tough, it fits very tight.