Wearable Technology

Looking for a cool, high tech gift idea? One that can help someone live a healthier lifestyle or make them love their smartphone that much more? Look no further than wearable technology, a category of gear that’s taken off this year, finally living up to the promise of wearing a mini computer instead of carrying one.

I have to start off confessing the first thing I tested on the Jawbone UP Move was the sleep feature. Was my midday nap really that long? It felt like only half an hour. I did quickly progress to using the Jawbone UP Move to track my daily activities and it did motivate me to get off the couch.

Fitness trackers are a great tool for anyone interested in getting the most out of their workout or just adopting some healthy new habits. I’ve tested out a lot of wearable technology and used quite a few different fitness trackers, and although they all have different features that will appeal to a different type of user, the common thread I found with all of them is how incredibly motivating they are. Fitness trackers make great gifts for the holidays too, so if you’d like to choose one for yourself or pick one up to put under the tree this year, here’s a few types you can choose from.  

I’ve been fortunate enough to test out a bunch of fitness trackers and I’ve become the go-to person my friends go to for advice when they want to buy the latest and greatest fitness devices. That’s why yesterday, when Fitbit announced their newest wrist-based activity trackers, my phone was buzzing. And for good reason, because there’s a lot to be excited about. Here’s a quick look at the three new fitness trackers from Fitbit.

Using fitness trackers means I can gauge my progress, keep track of how far I’ve run, and always know how many calories I’ve burnt. Although there are a lot of great fitness trackers on the market now, I don’t always have the time to set up a new system or learn a new app. What I need in a fitness tracker are features like ‘simple’, ‘precise’, and ‘easy to use’, and that’s why I’m seriously impressed with the new Misfit Flash. It ticks all the boxes and, thanks to the app, even gives you info on your sleep patterns.

Introducing Garmin new fitness tracker the Vivosmart. The Vivosmart is a build up from Garmin’s previous activity tracker the Vivofit. I have tested my fair share of fitness bands, and the Vivosmart has all the features that other fitness bands have but with a touch screen, it has various additional features that differentiate it from others that i’ll discuss in this preview.         

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve heard of the Pebble (no pun intended). When it comes to the smartwatch category of wearable technology, Pebble is a rock star and with the Pebble Steel, this smartwatch now looks the part too. I just wrapped up a few weeks with the Pebble Steel and here’s what I think of the latest Pebble, from battery life to customization.

We all hold Kickstarter and crowdfunding in such dear light, and one of the early successes of the model was the Cookoo Smartwatch.  Unfortunately, the first watch left a few things to be desired.  A few months later, the second generation is out, adding a lot of the missing pieces from the first and more (like better water resistance) while keeping it all at an afforable price.  Come check out how this watch stacks up!

Motorola kept everyone guessing about exactly when they were going to do their official product announcements at IFA 2014, but it finally happened on Friday. That’s okay, we pretty much knew what was coming. The Moto 360 —the round-faced Android Wear smartwatch that everyone’s been talking about for the past six months— is finally official and coming to Canadian launch partner Best Buy this fall. Also announced were the next generation Motorola smartphones, the Moto X and Moto G and the tiny Moto Hint earpiece.

IFA 2014 was the location for yet more high tech announcements as Sony got in the game. Among the new products from Sony are the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact (billed as the world’s slimmest and lightest compact tablet), new smartphones led by the new Xperia Z3 flagship, a new Android Wear-powered Smartwatch 3 and the SmartBand Talk fitness tracker.