After writing an article about the negatives of the latest smartwatch trend, I figured it would be important to cover the positives! After buying my first smartwatch, the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier, I must say that I am personally quite satisfied with my purchase and I feel that many others will be as well.
The Interface
Though in my previous article, I mentioned my issues with the small screen size and awkward inputs, I must say that the applications built for this interface use it remarkably well. The bezel is often used as a scrolling wheel or, in games, as a steering wheel, which feels very natural.
While I stated my issues with the size of the screen before, the resolution of most Smartwatches is actually quite remarkable. Some will even be complemented by surprisingly good speakers for their size. The interface of the devices, while it has its issues, is quite remarkable.
A fitness tracker, among other things
Smartwatches tend to be fitness trackers with excellent added functionality. Like a Fitbit, many will be able to monitor steps, heart rate, and even create detailed reports on your sleep quality. Unlike a Fitbit, however, many will also include the functionality to text, make phone calls, and access various other facets of your phone. If you are interested in a Fitbit (or similar Fitness Tracker) for the abilities mentioned, you may want to consider spending the little extra on a more capable smartwatch.
Bluetooth Functionality
Mentioned briefly before, smartwatches are capable of interacting with the handset in rather varied ways. Beyond the basic texting and calling features, the devices will sometimes be able to give the phone your watch's location or the watch your phone's location to help you find one or the other. Further, you are able to control music, notifications, and even phone volume.
There are several apps that have an accompanying app on the watches such as Spotify, MyFitnessPal, and Samsung Health that all add additional functionality to the apps with the unique abilities of the watch. The interaction between the phone is enriched with the ability to transfer data from the watch as a pedometer, music controller, and much more.
Smartwatches, still in their relative infancy, still have many flaws. Despite this room for improvement, they have quite a lot of potential and are definitely a buy for anyone who enjoys having the latest technology.