Microsoft has been trumpeting the virtues of Universal apps for Windows 10 for a little over two years. Since its developer conference in April of last year, Microsoft has been steadily pushing a vision of write once or easily port apps across a multitude of devices. With Windows 10 poised to hit hundreds of millions of devices by the end of the year, some developers are finally taking notice.
Today, fitness tracker company Fitbit released a brand new universal app for Windows 10. While there has been a relatively updated version of the Fitbit app on Windows prior to today, Fitbit has also announced plans for the new universal app to span across Xbox One and Windows 10 Mobile. In the short two and half weeks that Windows 10 has been available, Windows users have seen a handful of apps go ‘universal’, but most only implement them on Windows 10 PCs and smartphones. Per Microsoft’s vision, Fitbit is among the first to fully embrace the utility of a using the Xbox One as well.
According to a Fitbit’s press release surfaced by Windows Central, there were a few notes from CEO and Chairman of Fitbit, James Park on the Windows 10 development.
“As we do across all platforms, we continue to design features that empower people with information and motivation to set and reach goals with engaging experiences through our mobile apps. With the new Windows 10 app, we worked closely with Microsoft to give Windows users an even easier way to access, utilize and interact with the information that matters most to them, across all their Windows devices, to further support them in their fitness journey.”
Some new noteworthy features include native Bluetooth syncing (which obfuscate that stupid Bluetooth dongle previously required to operate Fitbit’s on Windows PCs. Windows 10 users will also benefit from Live Tiles packed with more information. New larger Live Tile layouts display more metrics than before. Cortana support has also been baked into the new app. Windows 10 users can now use voice commands as another input method for tracking nutrient and fitness. The new app also adheres to the adaptive-windowing rules in Windows 10, meaning app information layout adjust responsively. Perhaps, most importantly, notifications are enabled. While notifications on the device or mobile are more ideal, receiving notifications on a tablet or PC can be just as useful to some to keep track of their progress throughout the day.
The new app can be found in the Windows Store today, with a Windows 10 Mobile app planned for later this year.
Further reading: Apps, Fitbit, Microsoft, PC, Tablet, Universal Windows App, Windows 10, Xbox, Xbox One
