RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The special edition Steph Curry Fitbit Air with a sweat-wicking band was a good way to introduce Google’s screenless Whoop competitor, but the newly announced Google Fitbit Air Special Edition Pokémon Sleep model that connects to the Pokémon Sleep app is way more fun.
Google didn't just swap the woven band for a "Sleepy Blue" colorway with a sleeping Pikachu and call it a day. In addition to functioning like a regular health and fitness wearable, complete with support for the Google Health Coach, the Pokémon Sleep Fitbit Air lets you catch Pokémon with each quality sleep you get. Okay, "catching" is more like "attracting" pocket monsters to be around your Snorlax in the app.
According to Google, you attract more Pokémon to appear around Snorlax when you get more "Drowsy Power," which is calculated from your sleep score based on your logged sleep duration within the Google Health app for Android or the Apple Health app for iOS. Google also says you can "research their sleeping styles to complete your Sleep Style Dex and befriend new helper Pokémon to your team."
Will this make me, a grown-ass adult, any more likely to improve my awful sleep score? Maaaaaybe. I will admit that I was hoping for more Pokémon-specific features, but I need to see how the Fitbit Air actually integrates with the app first. I could see a lot of younger kids being more excited to gamify their sleep, though. Slap Pokémon on anything, like a Polaroid camera , and they'll play ball. Pokémon anything is basically a license to print money.
Preorders for the Fitbit Air Special Edition Pokémon Sleep start today, Aug. 27, on Google's official store, and Target orders will ship starting on Sept. 15. Google didn't share pricing prior to the announcement, but for your reference, a regular Fitbit Air costs $99.99 and the Steph Curry version is $129.99. Each wearable also comes with a 3-month trial for Google Health Premium, after which the service costs $9.99 per month.
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