Misfit, which makes the fairly well-received Misfit Shine activity tracker, has announced it will soon begin selling a new wearable fitness device called Flash at the cut-throat price of $49.99.
The announcement comes a week after Apple debuted its new smartwatch-fitness tracker hybrid device, Apple Watch, which is priced prohibitively high for many, starting at $349. Apple's product is due out in early 2015, whereas the Misfit Flash is set to hit stores later this month.
Misfit Flash looks very similar to the first-generation Misfit Shine, like a large coin with a few lights, except with a few key differences.
First, Flash has, or rather is, an actual button. The Shine works by having you tap it and wait for LED lights to indicate what mode you have activated, which is much less precise than having an actual button to press.
Second, the Flash is made of a "soft-touch" plastic, according to the company, whereas the Shine is metallic. The third major difference difference is that the new device comes in seven colors: Coca-Cola red, fuchsia, frost (white), onyx, zest (yellow-green), wave (blue), and reef (teal).
Last, of course, is that the Flash costs about half as much as the Shine, making it one of the lowest priced fitness trackers on the market.
In just about every other way, the Shine and Flash are identical. Both are waterproof up to 30 meters, making Misfit's trackers a great option for swimmers. The Flash, like the Shine, runs on a coin-cell battery, similar to traditionally watches, so it never has to be charged. With both devices, you'll need the companion mobile app to view your data: tracks steps taken, calories burned, distance walked, sleep quality and sleep time, and overall activity, which includes swimming and cycling (though it doesn't include detailed metrics for those last two). Both iOS and Android are supported.
As for form factor, one of the unique characteristics of the Misfit Shine, and now seen here in the Flash as well, is that you can choose how to wear it. It comes with a few simple accessories that let you wrap it around your wrist, like a watch, clip it to your clothes, or even fasten it to your keys as a keychain.
Shine enthusiasts will be happy to hear that yoga and dance will soon be supported as activities in the app. That update is due out soon.
Flash is available to pre-order at misfit.com/flash, and will be sold at Best Buy, Target, Amazon, and Walmart in October.
For more advice on fitness trackers, see PCMag's buying guide and roundup of the best fitness trackers on the market.