smartwatch

Back to school is right around the corner, so if you are one of the many students heading back to campus this year, I can imagine you are busy loading up on supplies like notepads, textbooks, pens, highlighters, and perhaps even a new laptop or tablet. While these are all essential for a productive school year, another item you may want to consider adding to your shopping list is a smartwatch. Not only are they stylish and trendy, but they will help you stay organized and on top of your studies.

There’s a new Pebble smartwatch in town and it’s quite interesting to see what Pebble has chosen as the key features of its entry-level model four years after it broke Kickstarter records as one of the most funded and most successful projects ever with 68,929 backers.

If you’re looking for a slimmer version of the Samsung Galaxy Watch, then you may want to wear the Galaxy Watch Active on your wrist.

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. 

Samsung doesn’t give up easily, it seems. The company has repeatedly tried and tried again to create a winner in the wearables category, only to achieve mixed results. The Gear Fit2 isn’t a smartwatch, but rather a fitness band that can sort of act like a smartwatch because of its large screen and litany of features.

Not all smartwatches are the same, and within the category, hybrid ones differ on the technology inside and the look and feel on the outside.

Fitbit launched a trio of new products that include two smartwatches and a fitness band, building on its health-tracking credentials.

A smartwatch that lives up to expectations was elusive for decades, but in the past few years technology has begun to catch up to the dream. The commercial success of pioneers like the Pebble helped bring smartwatches to the mainstream in 2014, Samsung’s commitment to the devices resulted in multiple generations of Gear smartwatches in a single year and Android Wear ushered in the era of round-faced models like the Moto 360. 2015 looks to be even better as app stores take off, manufacturers tweak their designs and the Apple Watch arrives.

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.

“What’s a smartwatch good for?” A lot of people have asked this question, and my answer is pretty simple: it make my life a little simpler and easier. Read on to find out why I love having a Pebble smartwatch on my wrist.