Wearable devices have become an important part of the technology industry this year, with almost every manufacturer producing a smartwatch, fitness tracker, or some other form of technology designed to be worn, not carried. If you feel the need to buy a present for someone you know who wants a wearable item, here is
Electronista and
MacNN's first gift guide of the season, covering the newest expansion of mobile technology.
The first major category that needs to be covered is the smartwatch. While an IOU card promising an Apple Watch is a possibility in many cases, a few gift recipients would more likely prefer to have something they can wear straight away, rather than in a few months. Maybe an
Apple gift card instead?
A good choice covering the majority of smartphones sold would be the
Pebble and Pebble Steel smartwatches. Priced at
$100 for the polycarbonate Pebble and
$200 for the stainless steel Pebble Steel, the two watches are identical in operation, and feature water-resistant casing. Both offer a 1.26-inch 1440x168-resolution B&W e-paper display with LED backlighting, which helps give the watches a battery life of up to seven days -- far higher than many other smartwatches on the market. Connecting over Bluetooth 4.0, the Pebbles can show notifications from smartphone apps, as well as providing a limited amount of fitness tracking, and though they are limited to a row of buttons for control rather than using a touchscreen, the watches have proved themselves, continuing to sell despite increased competition.
Moving into Android Wear, the biggest release this year in the field was the
Moto 360. Starting from
$250, the round-faced smartwatch from Motorola has a 1.56-inch touch-enabled display, a TI OMAP 3 processor with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage, along with dual microphones, a pedometer, an optical heart rate monitor, and an IP67 water resistant stainless steel case. Connecting to an Android smartphone over Bluetooth 4.0, it relays glanceable notifications from compatible Android apps, can receive messages, and can perform tasks or searches using voice commands. Though its battery life is only claimed to last for one day, users have reported that software updates have improved the lifespan considerably since launch.
If an Android Wear smartwatch is wanted, but one that is slightly more disguised as a normal watch, the
LG G Watch R may be a better candidate. Priced at a more expensive
$300, it uses a circular Plastic OLED display and has similar overall functionality to the Moto 360, though with a fully-round display surrounded by a bezel which looks like it has been transplanted from a normal watch. Running a Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.2GHz with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage, it has a nine-axis gyroscope, a PPG heart rate monitor, and barometer, as well as a 410mAh battery that's much larger than the Moto 360's 320mAh version. Check out
our hands-on for more information.
On the cheaper end of the Android Wear spectrum is the
Asus ZenWatch. The recently-launched $200 device opts for a rectangular 1.6-inch AMOLED display, but manages to look stylish in its stainless steel body compared to other square-faced versions. Boasting the same specifications as the G Watch R, Asus has also managed to add NFC connectivity to the device, along with its own ZenUI Wellness app for fitness, a 'find my phone' function, the ability to use it as a remote trigger for a smartphone's camera, and it can also be used to quickly unlock a smartphone.
Maybe the person receiving the gift wants a smartwatch which is more independent than others piggybacking on a smartphone data connection. The
Samsung Gear S can be used with a smartphone to synchronize appdata over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, but it also includes its own 3G radio for a private cellular connection.
Samsung has given the Gear S a curved two-inch 360x480 Super AMOLED display backed with a dual-core 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage, and much like the others, this Tizen device can send and receive messages, display app notifications, and uses S Voice for vocal commands. It also includes a GPS, a 300mAh battery, IP67 water and dust resistance, and a heart rate monitor which can be used with Samsung's own S Health and Nike+ Running. Available via the major four carriers, the device varies in price but costs
around $350, and needs its own data plan.
If a full-blown smartwatch isn't that appealing, but fitness is a priority to the potential gift receiver, there is still a wealth of devices to serve their needs. Fitbit's
latest iteration of its trackers, the
$130 Charge includes an OLED display to show the time and basic details about the wearer's activities, as well as caller ID for incoming phone calls. Capable of tracking the number of steps, floors climbed, distance traveled, and monitoring sleep, it can connect to a smartphone over Bluetooth, and has a battery life of up to seven days on a single charge.
Jawbone recently revealed its
third generation of wrist-based tracker, in the form of the $180 Up3, set to ship later this year, but still arriving before Christmas. Using a tri-axis accelerometer, bioimpedence sensors, skin sensors, and ambient temperature sensors, it can monitor the wearer's movement and heart rate, automatically identifying specific activities and the various stages of sleep. Despite the relative expense, the extra sensors should in theory allow the Up companion app to give more accurate results and suggestions than with previous generations. Though it lacks a display to provide immediate feedback, it has an adjustable anodized aluminum frame, a seven-day battery, and is water-resistant to a depth of 32 feet.
On the budget end of the spectrum is the
Up Move, a
$50 tracker which aims to perform basic tracking of steps, sleep patterns, and activities. The diminutive tracker takes the form of a round coin which can be held inside wrist bands or a belt clip, allowing it to be attached to clothing, or worn, depending on the circumstances.
The face of the unit includes hidden LED display, which lights up when it is tapped. As with the others, it connects to a companion app, which offers feedback on its usage, suggesting bigger goals to reach in the future. Unusually, the Up Move boasts one of the best battery life periods for such a device, with the waterproof unit said to last for up to six months of use.
There is another option for people wanting a fitness tracker without resorting to a smartwatch or wearing an extra device. The
Withings Activité tips the scales at $450, but disguises its purpose well inside a Swiss-made wristwatch. Made from a stainless alloy steel with sapphire glass protection, the device has a standard watch face, along with a secondary dial showing a range between 0 and 100, one of the few visible signs that the watch is unusual.
It can track steps, activities, sleep patterns, and will be able to recognize when the wearer is swimming, with the secondary dial showing how far the wearer is from reaching a goal set in the accompanying mobile app. Offering a battery life of eight months, it also offers a vibration alarm system which can be deactivated by tapping the glass screen. At the time of writing, the initial pre-orders for the Withings Activité have sold out, but it is likely the company will have more stock available in time for the end of the year.
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