Wearable Technology

Are you the proud owner of an original Galaxy Gear smartwatch, but bummed out that you’re missing out on some of the cool new features of the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, like their standalone music app and S Health sleep tracking? Samsung is listening and its now offering the ability to upgrade the original Galaxy Gear’s operating system from Android to Tizen —the OS powering its latest generation of smartwatches.

It began with a Kickstarter campaign in 2012 that successfully brought in over $300K in funding from more than 1,700 backers. Since then, it has become a major competitor in the emerging smart watch market. I’m talking about the MetaWatch STRATA, and I recently had an opportunity to take one for a test drive. 

Right out of the gate, there are 3 things to really like about the LifeTrak Zone C410 fitness tracker – it tracks your activity level and gives you detailed and useful fitness information, it measures your heart rate just by touching it, and it’s one of the easiest to use fitness trackers I’ve ever tried. It does what it sets out to do and it does it so simply that anyone, even people who find fitness watches and fitness trackers complicated, can pick up and use the device within minutes. 

This stylish wearable with the retro analog look is a smartwatch in disguise that supports notifications and lets you issue voice commands to Siri or Google Now. You can also place and answer voice calls on a Martian, making it an excellent choice for those who want to keep their smartphone discretely out of sight. Look for Martian smartwatches to invade Best Buy any day now.

It’s a tricky market out there for fitness trackers.   The Nike+ FuelBand was met with much fanfare when it was released in November last year but the company has scaled back production. The Polar Loop has proven to be the go-to replacement for the FuelBand.   We compared the two products to see how they measure up.

Remember the Pebble smartwatch? The wearable with the innovative and power saving e-paper display, the CES 2013 star and Kickstarter record setter? The one that now has its own appstore and has become a market leader with over 300,000 sold? Well, the Pebble is still very cool, very cutting edge and very popular. But it’s being joined by a new edition, the Pebble Steel. If you wanted the original Pebble but thought it was maybe just a little too funky to fit in with your business look, you’ll love the Pebble Steel with its more refined stainless steel case and thin profile look. Watch for the all new Pebble Steel soon at Best Buy.  

If there was any doubt that this would be the year that smartwatches and other wearable technology hits the mainstream, look no further than Best Buy, where you’ll find best-sellers like the Pebble smartwatch alongside the latest generation of Samsung’s wearable tech –the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. Soon some new entries will be joining these: the Cookoo and Cogito. Choice is good and these new models offer a new take on the traditional smartwatch form factor as well as a more affordable option for those who want to take the plunge into wearable technology without a large investment. I just spent a week with a Cookoo smartwatch and you can read my review here.  

Buying a fitness device is the easy part…sticking to your fitness goals is the hard part! Stay on track by linking your Polar Loop with the Polar Flow mobile app for Apple and Android. This allows you to break down your activity, analyze your results and track your progress throughout the day!  

The Jawbone UP24 proves that wearable fitness tracking devices can be lightweight, fashionable and comfortable.     Synching up information is simple since the UP24 is also Bluetooth compatible.   Combined with the cheery, user-friendly UP app, you have one of the best fitness devices on the market.

Apps are amazing on so many different levels. They keep you organized when you’re frantically sprinting through your day, they entertain you when you need some downtime, and they will even be your personal trainer when you want to get healthy or lose weight.   Personal fitness apps are where Garmin comes in, and although you may have only heard of Garmin for their GPS products, they’ve recently hit the sports market with a variety of fitness bands that track your exercise data via the Garmin Connect Mobile app.