News Byte

FitBit Now Tracks Heart-Rate Data, Through Digifit App

Fitbit, the popular fitness device that clips on to clothing and measures the wearer’s activity levels, is adding heart rate to the list of metrics it will support, through a partnership with the Digifit heart-rate app. When users are wearing the Fitbit and using Digifit’s app, they can now pull their cardio info into Fitbit’s online dashboard, and can merge it with data from Fitbit’s new Aria scale, as well.

News Byte

FitBit’s New (Non-Wearable) Device: The Wi-Fi Smart Scale

Fitbit, maker of the popular fitness device that clips onto clothing and tracks activity and sleep patterns, is attempting to set itself apart in the increasingly crowded fitness-tech market with the introduction of a new, Wi-Fi-equipped scale. The Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale measures weight, body-fat percentage and body-mass index, and wirelessly transfers the data to users’ FitBit accounts; information from the scale is also accessible through FitBit’s iPhone and Android apps. First announced at CES earlier this year, the $129.95 scale goes on sale today on Fitbit’s Web site.

Federated Media Buys Lijit Networks

A medium-sized online advertising company buys a smaller one.
Lijit Logo with border

Exclusive: Former AOLers Steve Case and Ted Leonsis Raising $400 Million Growth Equity Fund

Steve Case and Ted Leonsis are bringing their old AOL band back together once again, this time by raising a $400 million growth equity fund. The pair, the legendary top execs who rocketed AOL to the top of the Internet business in the 1990s, are now making the rounds in New York and elsewhere to pitch their new investment vehicle, sources said.

Another Yahoo SVP Departs–This Time, Techie Cheryl Ainoa

Yahoo is losing another longtime senior exec, this time Cheryl Ainoa, who has been SVP of the company’s Global Service Engineering unit. Ainoa, who was one of Yahoo’s top women executives, announced her resignation to her team earlier this week. She is apparently departing for a job at another Silicon Valley tech company.

Google’s Eric Schmidt Shows Off Movie Studio, a Tablet Video-Editing App

Speaking at Mobile World Congress, the Google executive says that contrary to critics, devices are actually improving human connections. His talk is just getting started. Click here for live coverage from Mobilized’s Ina Fried.

Finding the Scale of the Rest of the World Lacking, Early Designer Rejoins Facebook

Aaron Sittig, who left Facebook after being the company’s lead designer for five years, is now back at the mother ship, having rejoined in January with the title “product architect.”

Arianna Huffington on Her New AOL Job: "I Want to Stay Here Forever"

“I want this to be the last act of my life,” says AOL’s new content boss. CEO Tim Armstrong’s translation: It’s a “multiyear contract”

You've Got Arianna: AOL Buys Huffington Post for $315 Million in Cash and Stock, Appoints Huffington Editor in Chief

In a bold and definitive move, AOL is paying $315 million, mostly in cash, to buy the Huffington Post, one of the Web’s most prominent news and opinion sites. As part of the deal, Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington–who was derided by some when she co-founded the left-leaning site in 2005 with investor and well-known communications exec Kenneth Lerer–will become editor in chief of a new unit that has purview over all of AOL content properties. The deal was signed just this afternoon.

Is Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 the Bing of Smartphones?

When Microsoft introduced its refurbished search service called Bing two years ago–at the seventh D: All Things Digital conference, in fact–there were a lot of raised eyebrows about whether it could make any headway into a market in which it was a mere pip-squeak. And, while it has been a costly effort, few can dispute the fact that the innovative, interesting and cleverly marketed Bing is a perceptual and perhaps even actual hit for the software giant. Now, can Microsoft do the same with Windows Phone 7, which was launched yesterday?