Fitbug's Orb Fitness Monitor Targets Fitbit, Jawbone, Nike

Activity trackers are it this year. Like many of its kind, a company called Fitbug is competing with Fitbit's One, Jawbone's Up and Nike's FuelBand with its new Orb activity tracker. Fitbug's Orb is a much cheaper $50 gadget that basically does everything the aforementioned trackers do, albeit it offers more flexibility with its modular design and support for iOS and Android smartphones. The Orb is a tiny little button device that can be slipped into various types of Fitbug accessory depending on where you'd like to wear it, like a rubber wristband, belt clip, lanyard and even a magnetic bra mount. It uses a motion sensors to keep track of your daily activity like tracking how many steps you've taken, distances traveled, how many calories you've burned. And it even doubles as a sleep monitor tracking your sleeping patterns and how well you've slept at night.

Fitbug's Orb features Bluetooth 4.0 in order to wirelessly connect with your iOS or Android smartphone and transfer data in real-time. Much like Fitbit's Zip, the Orb uses a button cell battery to draw its power. Only thing missing is an on-board display. Instead you'll have to rely on the Orb's app to see your data or tell time. Fitbug plans to release its wireless fitness monitor in the spring.