Platform exclusivity has always been something smartphone users have had to deal with. There’s little worse than hearing about a great new game, or powerful new productivity tool, only to learn that it’s not out for your OS of choice. In recent years, the situation’s gotten a bit better, especially when it comes to high profile apps, but as wearables begin to descend on the scene en masse, we’re seeing history repeat itself, and barriers are once again emerging along platform lines. Even there, we’ve witnessed some early progress, like Nike finally releasing an Android FuelBand app after two years of dragging its feet. But just like with apps before, wearables have been extra slow to find support on Windows Phone. This week, though, even that wall starts to come down, as Fitbit delivers a Windows Phone companion app.
While a wearable manufacturer bringing support to Windows Phone is a major victory for the platform, this move isn’t without its limitations. For full support, Fitbit’s app requires not just Windows Phone 8.1, but also the latest Lumia Cyan firmware. Granted, that will ultimately spell support for most WP users, but not all of them. And for the moment, availability of both software releases can be tricky to come by (though that’s sure to change).
But if you’ve got a something like a Lumia 1520 on AT&T and already have a Fitbit from your Android or iOS use, with the arrival of today’s app you’re good to go, ready to start tracking activity and monitoring fitness over time.
With rumors suggesting that Microsoft is planning a fitness-focused wearable of its own, we wouldn’t be surprised to see wearables in general start getting a lot more attention on the platform.
Source: The Verge
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