2014 Wearable tech, Smartwatch and Fitness Tracker Ultimate Buyer's Guide
If you're looking for tech gift ideas, the smart watch makes an excellent holiday gift for 2014 as there is now a different style of smart watch available for all ages. For this gift guide we are focusing on which type of smartwatch makes a great gift for your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, teen, and even kids.
Buying Tip - iPhone vs Android Smartwatch Compatibility
One of the most important deciding factors on what smartwatch to buy depends on what type of phone you have. Most smartwatches will require a smartphone in order to operate to their full potential. There are only a few smart watch that are compatible with iPhone iOS, while many more are available for Android phones. Let’s break it down:
iPhone Compatible Smartwatch
- Apple Watch (not yet available!)
- Pebble
- Pebble Steel
- Martian Smartwatch
Android Compatible Smartwatch
- Moto 360
- Asus ZenWatch
- Pebble
- Pebble Steel
- Sony Smartwatch 3
- LG Watch R
- LG Watch
- Samsung Gear Live
Best “Bang for your Buck” Smartwatch
iPhone or Android - Pebble
The pebble is the first and classic smartwatch, it's battle tested and has millions of users has -- great functions and apps for a great price of $99
Asus ZenWatch (Android Only)
For only $199 the Zenwatch is a new premium smartwatch that has tons of great features and a great design.
Pros:
- Stylish design
- Thin profile
- Excellent display resolution, brightness and viewing angels
- Heart rate sensor
- Compatible with any 22mm watch band
Cons:
- Clunky charger
- Poorly located power button
Most Stylish Smartwatch
Pebble Steel (iPhone / Android Compatible)
The Pebble Steel is a simple yet elegant, feature packed smartwatch that looks good on any wrist.
Price $150 - $199
Pros:
- Durable, solid steel design
- Excellent battery life - 7 days
- Fully compatible with iPhone and Android
- Fashionable, elegant and stylish
- Plenty of Apps available
Cons:
- Few band/strap options
Moto 360 (Android Only)
The Moto 360 is a stylish Android smartwatch with a sharp design, circular display, and packs plenty of features.
Price: $249 - $329
Pros:
- Stylish design, looks like a regular watch
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Heart rate tracker
- Qi Wireless charging
Cons:
- Short battery life
- Few moto 360 compatible band and straps
- Back of watch can easily crack
Fitness Watches, Trackers, Bands and Sleep Trackers
The best smartwatch for runners and sports are fitness trackers and sports bands. The best part is that they are slim, light weight, resistant and they are compatible with both iPhone and Android. Here are the best fitness bands available to purchase:
Withings Activite (iPhone Only, Android support soon)
This is the fitness smartwatch in disguise! A true premium analog watch that syncs to your iPhone via Bluetooth.
Price - $450
Pros:
- Swiss Made stainless steel
- Sapphire Glass
- 1 year battery life
- Waterproof 5atm
- Vibrate alarm
Cons:
- Expensive!
- Only has 1 feature - track steps
- Hard to replace battery
Basis Peak (Android / iPhone)
The basis peak is the one of the best fitness trackers available with excellent heart-rate sensor accuracy and sleep tracking functions.
Price - $199
Pros:
- Looks like normal sports watch
- Excellent battery life
- Comfortable to wear
- Very accurate heart rate tracking
- Industry leading sleep tracking
- Waterproof to 5ATM
Cons:
- No smartphone notifications (coming soon)
- Doesn't track distance
- Limited features
Garmin Vivosmart (Android Only)
The Garmin Vivosmart is small and sleek, and makes a great fitness tracker smartwatch combo.
Price - $170
Pros:
- Makes a great smartwatch + Fitness combo
- Excellent battery life
- Accurate fitness tracking
- Automatically adjusts daily step goals based on activity
- Reminds you to get up and walk around
Cons:
- Easily scratches
- Can't delete/archive notifications from band
- Can be uncomfortable to sleep or wear for long time
- Only works with certain Android phones
Android / iPhone - Jawbone Up24
The Jawbone is the most popular and go-to fitness band. It's simple, easy to use, slim and stylish.
Price - $79.99
Pros:
- Super slim and stylish
- 7 day battery life
- Silent vibrate alarm
Cons:
- Not waterproof
- No screen
Samsung Gear Fit (Only for Samsung phones)
The Samsung Gear Fit looks very high-tech design with many features, yet still has it's few quirks
Price - $149.99
Pros:
- Heart rate tracker
- Brilliant, curved AMOLED touch screen
Cons:
- Only works with Samsung phones!
- Can't download apps
- Hard to read texts and messages
Microsoft Band (iPhone / Android / Microsoft Phone compatible)
Microsoft band is another fitness band, but there's better ones available.
Price - $199Pros: - Works on iOS, Android and Windows Phone
- Heart rate tracker
- Built in GPS for running
Cons: - Awkward design, uncomfortable to wear
- Poor battery life
- Not waterproof
TomTom Runner Cardio
This is a powerful fitness watch that is perfect for runners.
Price - $400
Pros:
- Tought and durable
- Accurate heart rate monitor with zones features
- Built in GPS
- 8 Hour battery life
Cons:
- Large and bulky
- Expensive
Smartwatch for Women and Girls
Apple Watch (iPhone only - release 2015)
Even though the Apple Watch is not yet available until 2015, Apple has clearly thought about women for this product. The watch will have a small and large version, including an edition in 18k gold or rose.
Gold Moto 360 (Android only)
The Gold Moto 360 is available for purchase for $329. The slim bracelet makes a great smartwatch for women. Keep in mind the watch face itself is still fairly large and may feel large. However if you already wear a watch like a Michael Kors this would be a similar feel.
Best Smartwatch for Skinny Wrists
iPhone / Android - Pebble Steel
Android Only - Moto 360 with Slim band
Standalone Smartwatch
Samsung Gear S
This smartwatch is similar to the other Samsung Gear devices, except it has the ability of being a standalone device.
Price - $450Specs: - Dual Core 1Ghz Processor
- 3G Connectivity
- Internal GPS / Built-in Wifi
- 512mb RAM
- 4GB storage
Best Smartwatch for Kids
Let's not forget the kids now, they want the smartwatch more than anyone! Besides, these are great to track your kid so that you don't forget them at the park and gives the ability for them call you easily and quickly from their wrist. Here are the 3 best smartwatch for kids available:
FiLip 2
The FiLip 2 is the newest version of the kid smartwatch from FiLip. The new version has an improved design.
Price: $99
*$10/mnth data plan required
Pros:
- Embedded GPS tracker
- 3G Connectivity for calls - 5 trusted phone numbers
- Emergency button
- Easily expand/shorten bracelet
- 2 day battery life
Cons:
- Requires data plan
- Bulky design
Jumpy
Jumpy is a kid friendly smartwatch that is currently crowd sourcing on Kickstarter.
Features:
- Connects to the parent's smartwatch to keep tabs on their child
- Supports both iOS and Android smartphones.
- Messaging tool, activity reminder and wrist controller for Bluetooth
toys.
- Detachable Core Unit
- Pre-installed educational gaming app which allow kids using JUMPY
to interact with other users of JUMPY.
Kidizoom
The VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch is rather a camera watch that also functions like a watch
Price: $59.99
Pros:
- Fun, easy to use
- Solid, durable design
- Not expensive
Cons:
- Poor battery life
- Power button hard to push
