Hottest 100 Christmas gadget guide
Christmas is not just a time for giving, but a time for gadgets. This is a compilation of the best technology from 2014 for you to wrap up for others, or yourself. Part 6: Smartwatches
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Christmas is a not just a time for giving, but a time for gadgets. The Hottest 100 Christmas gadget guide compiles the best technology of 2014 for you to wrap up for others, or yourself. In the sixth chapter, Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson and Rod Chester turn their attention to your wrist, and the smartwatches and running watches that could wrap around it.
SMARTWATCHES
Samsung Gear S
The most feature-packed smartwatch to date will keep users occupied. Samsung’s newly launched Gear S features a 2-inch screen but keeps it wearable by curving it around the user’s wrist. The Gear S tracks a user’s steps, sleep, and heart rate, features a microphone and speaker for taking calls, and even has a UV sensor to rate the sun’s rays. The larger screen displays notifications and fitness tracking in more detail, and even features a usable keyboard for composing messages.
Samsung
$449
samsung.com/au
- Pros
- — Large, curved screen for easy reading
- — New apps deliver news, shopping, and a keyboard to its screen
- — Measures steps, heart rate, location and UV rating
- Cons
- — Large body takes up wrist real estate
- — No camera
- — Only connects to selected Samsung smartphones
Moto 360
The competition for best-looking smartwatch has been comprehensively won. Motorola has created an iconic gadget in the Moto 360 thanks to its round face, precisely machined metal body, and high quality leather band. The dust and waterproof device connects to Google Android smartphones (v4.3 and above) and delivers notifications, plus it will record your steps and heart rate.
Motorola
$329
moto360.motorola.com
- Pros
- — Most attractive smartwatch yet
- — Wireless charger makes an excellent bedside dock
- — Heart-rate sensor for fitness
- Cons
- — Battery needs charging daily, or more often
- — “Flat tyre” beneath the screen detracts from appearance
- — 1.1cm thick form may not suit all wrists
Sony SmartWatch 3
Some phone makers are only just boarding the smartwatch bandwagon but Sony delivers its third this Christmas. The SmartWatch 3 is powered by Google’s Android Wear software and features a 1.6-inch touchscreen, 4GB storage, a comfortable rubber band, and waterproof body. In addition to delivering notifications from a connected smartphone, the SmartWatch 3 offers an accelerometer, compass, gyroscope and GPS to record your activity and track it too.
Sony
$299
sony.com.au
- Pros
- — Clear 1.6-inch touchscreen
- — Plenty of fitness-tracking sensors
- — Waterproof body
- Cons
- — Not as attractive as some
- — No heart-rate monitor
- — Less than premium build
LG G Watch R
Its round shape and traditional appearance will draw interest, but the real star of LG’s second smartwatch is its screen. The 1.3-inch P-OLED, or Plastic Organic Light Emitting Diode, screen is easy to read in all light as it is brighter than you would expect on any smartwatch. Virtual watchfaces also offer smart standby modes that can be easily read but use less power, and LG also throws in a heart-rate monitor, wireless charger, and water-resistance.
LG
$359
lg.com.au
- Pros
- — Traditional design makes it stand out
- — P-OLED screen is easy to read, and impressively bright
- — Good battery management delivers more than a day of use
- Cons
- — Watch band feels cheap and tough to manoeuvre
- — Large, masculine design may not suit all wrists
- — Plastic body feels less premium than Moto 360
Pebble Steel
The second coming of the original smartwatch is a much slicker, more attractive device, yet it still offers up to a week of use between charges. The Pebble Steel comes in a slimmer, metal body and arrives with a leather wrist strap, with a metal band now sold separately. It’s water-resistant to 50m, will deliver notifications from Apple and Google smartphones, and a Pebble app store makes finding the right clock face easier.
Pebble
$US199
getpebble.com
- Pros
- — Works with Apple iOS and Google Android phones
- — Five to seven-day battery life
- — E-paper screen can be read in all lights
- Cons
- — Basic black-and-white screen
- — No voice commands or camera
- — Inaccurate step tracker
RUNNING WATCHES
Suunto Ambit3 Peak
Whether you’re into mountaineering, alpine skiing, swimming, hiking or cycling, Suunto’s latest flagship watch has a mode to record your efforts. The feature-packed fitness watch comes with a chest strap for monitoring the user’s heart rate, a GPS chip to record location, and it can be paired with an Apple app to deliver phone notifications to its screen.
Suunto
$650
suunto.com
- Pros
- — Offers modes for many activities, from triathlon to hiking
- — Measures altitude and barometric pressure
- — Tracks location via GPS for up to 50 hours
- Cons
- — 89g, 1.8cm thick form
- — Accompanying app only available for Apple devices now
- — Can only record heart rate via chest strap
Garmin Forerunner 220
If you’re shopping for a running watch, this should be at the top of your shortlist. It’s waterproof to 50m, has a built-in accelerometer that tracks your pace on a treadmill, and lasts for 10 hours of training between charges, or six weeks without GPS use. You can pair it to your smartphone using the excellent Garmin app to let your family track your run as it happens. Load your interval training programs through the Garmin website and the Forerunner 220 can guide you through a speed session.
Garmin
$329
garmin.com/au
- Pros
- — Bluetooth connectivity to excellent app
- — Live-tracking
- — Program your own workouts
- Cons
- — No notifications
- — Only tracks running, not cycling or swimming
- — No built-in heart rate monitor
TomTom Multi-Sport Cardio
TomTom has improved last year’s model by adding a more secure band and built-in heart-rate monitor that eliminates the need to wear a chest band. Pitched at triathletes, this watch will track running pace, laps while swimming and, with an accessory, calculate bike speed and cadence. The display is clear and simple, making it easy to monitor performance during a workout. The TomTom app is limited but this watch will let you export data into popular third-party apps to analyse your performance.
TomTom
$399
tomtom.com/en_au
- Pros
- — Multisport
- — Built-in heart rate monitor
- — Works with third-party apps
- Cons
- — Poor statistics in run history
- — Native app needs more features
- — Limited personalisation with display
Magellan Echo Fit
Magellan’s running watch solution stands out from the pack because it works as a companion to a smartphone app rather than a replacement for it. You pair it to your smartphone and it uses the phone’s GPS to track your performance. This won’t suit runners who don’t carry a phone with them but it does offer an alternative to a GPS watch, particularly for those who want to continue using the fitness app they already love.
Magellan
$149
magellangps.com.au
- Pros
- — Long battery life
- — Works with third-party apps
- — Pairs with smartphones
- Cons
- — Not intuitive
- — No GPS so you need to carry your smartphone
- — Feature list depends on which third-party app you use
Adidas Fit Smart
Rather than make yet another GPS running watch, Adidas treads a different path. It’s a wrist-based heart-rate monitor that uses an accelerometer to estimate pace and distance. It’s also novel in form, with a silicon cover over an LCD matrix display. It is pitched at those who want to be able to assess fitness through their heart rate during exercise with an app to coach workouts.
Adidas
$250
adidas.com.au
- Pros
- — Monitors heart rate
- — Provides training feedback
- — Links with smartphone
- Cons
- — Expensive
- — Not intuitive
- — No GPS
Hottest 100 Christmas gadget guide
CHRISTMAS is not just a time for giving, but a time for gadgets. We've compiled the best technology from 2014 for you to wrap up for others, or yourself. Part 1: Cameras
Hottest 100 Christmas gadget guide
Christmas is not just a time for giving, but a time for gadgets. This is a compilation of the best technology from 2014 for you to wrap up for others, or yourself.