Our world is constantly expanding with new and brilliant technology. One of the huge developments has been the smartphone and how it has thrown us into the information age. We literally have the world’s worth of information at our fingertips every day. Developers have gone even further and produced accessories for our smartphones. Enter the smartwatch. Basically, it’s like a tiny smartphone to be worn on the wrist, with only a few differences. We are going to take a closer look at the major pros and cons of the smartwatch to assist a potential buyer in making that final purchase decision.
What can a smartwatch do?
Different smartwatches have different functionalities, so it’s really important to go through all the features when making a decision. Like all regular watches, the smartwatch provides us with the time. But you can simply unlock the screen to access a whole array of other great functions. Calendar, alarms, apps, notifications, music, and surfing the web. All while syncing to the main device, the smartphone. Send messages, make calls, take pictures, or check out that media feed all from your wrist. But the smartphone can already do all of this, why would we need a watch that can do it too? Although many of the features fall across both devices, the smartwatch has some added features that the smartphone doesn’t, and these mainly focus around fitness.
This includes monitoring the heart rate, a step counter, sleep tracking, monitoring stress levels, how many laps are done in the pool, and even a GPS tracker for distance and speed while cycling or running. With improvements in technology, it won’t be long until blood pressure monitoring gets added to this list. There are watches out there that are purely sport watches. They have these functions but are not smartwatches, so get to know the difference.
Think about the convenience of all of these features in one small device on your wrist. Listen to music through Bluetooth earphones while cycling or jogging. Quickly respond to messages on the go without fumbling around to find the phone. Use the watch to locate a lost phone or keys. The applications for this device are nearly endless.
What’s the catch?
While the benefits are fantastic, this tech does have a few downsides:
The screen is really small which can make it difficult to work with, read a text, and send a reply. Images and videos displayed on such a tiny screen doesn’t allow for the best viewing experience.
Unless there is a port for its own sim card, or there is wi-fi available, the smartwatch has to be within Bluetooth distance of the phone it syncs with to keep on syncing.
Battery life can become a problem. Such a tiny device doesn’t have space for a big battery. Most of these smartwatches have to be charged every day and with major usage, it could run flat before the end of the day. Because they function with Bluetooth, this could also cause the syncing smartphone to be drained of power sooner than expected.
These devices aren’t cheap. There are some really cheap ones available, but the functionality and quality leaves them with much to be desired. Expect to pay around $1,000 for a really good smartwatch.
Conclusion
A smartwatch isn’t for everyone. But for those who are into fitness and sport, it might just be a necessity.
