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Brookstone puts up pre-order page for Fitbit Surge before it's been announced

Brookstone puts up pre-order page for Fitbit Surge before it's been announced

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Fitbit still hasn't gotten around to officially announcing its new $250 Surge fitness watch, but the company's retail partners are no longer waiting around. An apparent mixup has led Brookstone to prematurely publish a pre-order page for the "super watch." A friendly tipster clued us in on the mistake. And the page (still live as of this writing) confirms everything we've already told you: Surge is a fitness watch — not a smartwatch — with built-in GPS and a variety of sensors that can record your workouts and overall activity regardless of whether it's linked up to a smartphone.

Fitbit's going after runners in a big way with this device; they'll be able to look back at split times and route history thanks to the GPS, all without worrying about carrying around a phone in inclement weather. The runner demographic is one that Garmin has long catered to, so Fitbit may need to prove itself before serious athletes commit to making a switch and giving the Surge a chance.

Fitbit Brookstone 660

Brookstone confirms that the main display is in fact a touchscreen, so presumably you'll be able to swipe through your key stats (steps taken, calories burned, heart rate, etc.) throughout the day. Photos on the pre-order page offer a good sense of size and how Surge might look strapped to your wrist, and there's even a short video outlining its core features. Sadly Brookstone does nothing to answer another key question: battery life.

Keep in mind this won't be competing with Apple Watch or Android Wear in terms of overall functionality. That's not what Fitbit is going for. Surge can notify you about incoming calls or texts, but that's pretty much it. Still, if the continuous heart rate monitoring works as advertised and Surge (along with Fitbit's smartphone apps) can help push people to reach new fitness goals, there could be a decent market for this $250 wearable — whenever Fitbit finally decides to release it.

Fitbit Brookstone 2