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Wearables

The world of ‘wearables’ can be scary at first. I’m talking, of course, about smart watches and fitness trackers. If you’re looking to be more informed about your health, keep on top of your fitness, or to just have the ability to play music from your wrist, you may want to consider a wearable tech product.

To clarify, a fitness tracker and a smart watch are more or less the same thing. In some cases, a fitness tracker may not be a ‘smart watch’, because it doesn’t connect with your phone or offer certain features. However, in today’s market almost all fitness trackers can probably be considered ‘smart watches’.

The most recognizable brand, particularly if you’re looking to keep track of fitness, is Fitbit. Fitbit was one of the brands responsible for bringing smart watches into the mainstream. They offer a wide variety of wearables on a full spectrum of price ranges. It’s when you venture beyond Fitbit that you can start to be intimidated when shopping for a wearable.

In general, you need to consider what you want your watch to do for you. Do you just want to keep track of your steps and sleep? Maybe you’re a regular gym goer and want to be able to keep track of calories burned or your heart rate throughout a workout. You might be somebody who wants a wearable that provides a lot of smartphone-like features and can play music directly from the watch. Maybe you specialize in swimming, hiking, running or biking. The list of potential reasons to own a smartwatch can go on and on. It’s just important that you know why you want one. That will help you pick out the right watch.

I collected some quick facts about some of the most popular models of smart watch. Each model on here is from a trusted brand and have generally been reviewed positively, so there are no worries about buying a low-quality product if you choose from this list.

Something else to look into before finalizing a purchase is the companion smartphone app for a particular watch. All wearables will ultimately connect with your phone to store and display that data that it collects in one place. Some apps, like Fitbit’s, are relatively simple and easy to understand. On the other hand, Garmin’s app takes a more detailed approach (but it may be a little more complicated for some). You can easily find overviews of a given company’s smartphone app on YouTube to get a sense of whether it works for you or not.

A smartwatch can be a big investment, so make sure to do your research before buying.