smartwatch

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.

At first, when my pals at Best Buy Canada gave me the Fitbit Charge HR to try out, I was kind of shocked. I mean, I’ve previously discussed my obsession with my Fitbit—I use it everyday. Am I not exercising enough for you, Best Buy? But then I realized that, as usual, my tech savvy friends are opening my eyes to another life-enhancer! And, although I love my Fitbit, I think I’m IN LOVE with the Charge HR.

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. 

The Garmin Forerunner 245 Music is a GPS fitness watch that stores 500 songs and gives you many advanced fitness and performance metrics.

Every year Google holds a conference aimed at its developer community. Every year a preview of the latest version of its Android mobile operating system is shown and sometimes there are some surprise appearances —like the public debut of Google Glass at I/O 2012. This year, a wicked fast and new-look Android was revealed (it’s “L” for now, with no sweet-themed name attached), Android Auto was announced for connected cars, Google Fit confirmed the rumours Google is interested in your health, Android Wear showed off awesome new smartwatches from LG and Samsung while Android TV is another crack at conquering your living room. Basically, the theme was Android everywhere. Here’s what you need to know from Google I/O 2014.

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.  

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.

Being wrist computers, smartwatches inherit many features from PCs and smartphones. The ability to store and play back music wirelessly via a bluetooth headset is one of these features that makes sense for active people or those who want to have their favourite tunes handy.

The ASUS ZenWatch 2 is a smartwatch that doesn't push the envelope against competitors; it keeps things simple which for some people is just what they want.

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.