Image from Momentum Labs

Smartwatches are great, that’s why the market is taking off. At the very least, just the idea of a wearable device that packs the same punch as a smartphone is promising. We haven’t quite seen a device hit the market that is considered the end-all-be-all of smartwatches. Will Apple be the one to launch something like that? Will it be Motorola? Samsung? Pebble?

The market is definitely evolving, which means we’ll see more and more innovation and lots of exciting new features and functionality. While the current generation of smartwatches is starting to offer fitness tracking like calories burned, real-time notification support, and even remote calling functionality there are some things that are missing.

Instead of taking time to talk about everything that smartwatches do have, we figured it’s time to change gears and talk about some things they don’t have. More specifically, let’s take a look at some stuff that would work great in future smartwatches.

Here are the top five features we would love to see in a smartwatch.

Top Five Features We Want to See in Future Smartwatch Models

Image by Fitbit

5. Advanced Health Tracking – Yes, many smartwatches already include a simple heart rate monitor. That’s not what we’re talking about, and we’re not talking about the fitness tracking support thanks to integrated sensors either. There are lots of people out there that have health issues which require constant monitoring, such as diabetes. While some of those health problems require testing with niche and proprietary equipment, it would be great if future smartwatch models offered these folks some comfort.

Just imagine testing your sodium or blood sugar levels with a watch. What if smartwatches could monitor steps or motion and alert the proper folks in the event of an emergency – like when something happens to an elderly person in care? Devices could be better equipped to test even respiratory rates, heart rate variablity and much more.

The point here is that smartwatches could include this type of functionality to really improve the lives of those affected. There’s no point in cramming the latest processor and memory tech inside if it’s not being put to good use.

4. Extended Safety – Since smartwatches are meant to be worn on the wrist – and stay there – they would be perfect for adding that extra layer of security. What do I mean exactly? They can track motion and heart rates, among several other things. In addition, most smartwatches include proprietary tech in the band or clasp. While I’m an avid supporter of custom bands – devices that allow you to swap out the bands for one of your own choosing – I would be okay with a proprietary wristband if it offered unique functionality.

For example, let’s say you’re wearing the watch and someone robs you at gunpoint, or something happens where the band is severed – it would be great if the device could automatically transmit data like location info, images or audio. The device could even place an automatic emergency call to a select set of contacts.

Of course, there are many other ways that wearable devices like smartwatches can be used to improve safety. Knowing that a small wrist-like device is going to keep me more safe and secure, would definitely push me to make a purchase – and I’m sure many of you feel the same way. Hell, smartwatches could even be used to keep an eye on your children when their outside playing, or visiting a friend or family member. Just think of the possibilities.

3. Life Blogging Support – Have you ever had those moments in life where you wish you could go back and snap a photo? I’m sure there’s at least one or two times that you wish you could have captured the special moment.

There are several wearable devices already on the market – such as the Autographer – that use device sensors and a combined camera to capture interesting moments in the owner’s life. This would definitely require a bit of ingenuity to implement in a smartwatch, including a smarter camera placement that offers decent shooting angles, but it can be done.

I’m not proposing that smartwatches should include an always-on feature. Instead, it would be great if you could turn something like this on for those moments when you just want to enjoy yourself, but still capture a few photos. Imagine scuba diving, while your watch captures shots of the scenery around you. What if you could enjoy a music concert or festival, while your smartwatch records the moment. Of course, the real benefit here would be that you can turn the functionality on when you need it, and off when you don’t.

Something like this might also warrant increased storage space on a smartwatch as 4GB probably isn’t going to cut it – depending on the image resolution.

2. Single Touch Experiences – Most people either purchase their smartwatch as a companion device or to temporarily take the place of their smartphone – but not to replace it completely. Because of the decrease in screen real estate smartwatches are definitely more frustrating to use especially if the experience isn’t tailored for it. Therefore we would love to see future smartwatches that offer a single touch experience. What does that mean exactly?

Image by Omate

Imagine walking into your favorite restaurant, club or bar and seeing a small notification appear in the top corner of your watch display. Simply tapping the notification will check you in to the location via a preferred social network. Take note that no navigating, typing, fiddling with menus or advanced interaction is required. You can simply glance at the device, check-in and then get back to the world around you. That is exactly what smartwatches should be offering, but unfortunately a lot of them do not. Many smartwatches try to mimic and port the smartphone experience – which doesn’t work when you’re downsizing the screen so much.

We’d also love to see an explosion of single-touch applications. Most users don’t want to run apps on their watch that are going to require a lot of input, because they have a smartphone handy for that. It would be excellent to be able to read email, texts and even look up addresses with a single tap. Something like this would require developers to rethink the way their apps and software functions, so it’s not going to happen overnight. That being said, we would love to see smartwatches increase the convenience of staying connected – instead of making things more frustrating.

1. True Voice Controls and Audio Feedback – Trying to get around an OS, menu or the UI on a 1.5″ display is a pain in the – well, you know what. We want to see a smartwatch that truly implements voice controls and audio feedback.

A lot of the devices currently on the market offer gimped voice controls, or shoddy support. We’re hoping this will change with Google’s Android Wear OS hitting the market soon, because Google Now is definitely the leader when it comes to responsive voice controls. Google Now isn’t perfect, but you can almost always send a text message, email or complete a web search just by talking to your smartphone. We’d like the same functionality available for our smartwatches, because it would make using them a whole lot easier.

What Feature(s) Would You Like to See in Future Smartwatch Models?

There you have it, that’s our list of the top five features we’d like to see in future smartwatches. What would you like to see added? What kind of features do you wish modern tech would offer? Feel free to share in the comments!