As we near the end of 2015, it’s time to take a look back at some of the most exciting things that happened this year, particularly in the wearable tech industry. Smartwatches and fitness trackers became, even more, popular this year and advanced quite a bit in terms of design and aesthetics. General features and support largely stayed the same.
We were introduced to the Apple Watch, second generation Moto 360, Samsung Gear S2, Pebble Time and Pebble Time Round, Huawei Watch, and many more.
But the real innovations happened elsewhere in the wearable tech industry as there were some pretty cool things that cropped up like solar-powered backpacks, a multitude of pocket chargers for mobile devices, VR equipment, and a whole host of fitness related tech.
Even though we’re big fans of the smartwatch, it doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to the rest of the wearable tech world. That’s why we’re going to take a look at some of the most notable things that happened this year. Which wearable tech devices really sparked our interest and moved the industry forward?
Fitbit Surge
The Surge is interesting because it’s Fitbit’s first true foray into the world of smartwatches. While the Surge isn’t a full-featured smartwatch like the Apple Watch or Moto 360, it does include a few similar features.
First and foremost, is the integrated GPS support which allows you to track your runs, walks or what-have-you without a connected smartphone. Next, it’s the touchscreen display and smartwatch functionality that makes it a device you’ll want to wear all the time. It can display Caller ID information, text and email notifications, and will even allow you to control music playback during your workout.
Of course, the Surge also has an optical heart rate monitor, an altimeter to measure elevation and steps climbed, and a silent alarm function that will vibrate to send you alerts or wake you up.
All of that packed into a small wrist-worn device has raised the price, but it’s reasonable at $249. You’ll certainly be paying a lot more for the Surge than Fitbit’s other models, but to many it will be worth it.
It’s most exciting because it’s nice to see a fitness tracker paired up with a smartwatch, and not just the other way around. Let’s hope Fitbit continues to expand on the Surge with future iterations and new features.
Whistle GPS Pet Tracker
We’ve seen our fair share of pet-related trackers and wearable tech over the past couple of years, but the Whistle GPS Tracker crams in a bunch of features that make it worthwhile.
At first, the thought of outfitting your furry loved one with a GPS tracker might seem a bit silly but as all dog owners understand, it’s just good to know where your pet is sometimes. Let’s not discuss what it’s like scouring the neighborhood for your dog after they’ve hopped the fence, tunneled out of your yard, or bolted out the front door. It happens.
The Whistle is a pet tracker that attaches to your dog’s collar and can be pinged at any time from your smartphone. That way, if and when your dog escapes you can simply pull up their location on your phone and head straight to them. You can also set up a geo-fenced area – which is like creating an invisible border of sorts – and the Whistle will alert you via smartphone as soon as your dog leaves the boundaries.
The Whistle also includes an ambient temperature sensor inside that will constantly measure the environment and let you know when your dog is at risk for being too hot or too cold. This is extremely useful for those occasions where a dog might spend a minute or two inside a car. You’ll know right away whether or not it’s safe to leave them.
The Whistle GPS Tracker is usually $99.95, however, it’s on sale right now for $79.95.
Gymwatch
When it comes to wearable tech, fitness trackers are a dime a dozen. They track all kinds of health and activity related information like heart rate, steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, stairs climbed, and even total activity time. Sadly, there aren’t many trackers out there that can handle the complex activities like weight lifting, working with cable machines, or even free weights.
That’s where the Gymwatch comes in handy. According to the manufacturers, it can track well over 900 different exercises for a variety of activities. What’s most promising is that the Gymwatch can detect things like range of motion, strength, muscle loads, reps, and form to coach you on improving your exercises. It’s like having a trainer beside you that constantly pushes you to your limits.
Sadly, some exercises require you to wear two sensors for the proper measurements. Since Gymwatch is $199 for one sensor and $389 for two, it can be a pricey venture.
It’s still great to see innovation in the fitness market, with a device that tracks more than just the basic data. Even if you’re not a runner, swimmer, or cardio buff then you can still get in on the wearable tech action with the Gymwatch.
Blocks Modular Smartwatch
Do you ever feel like most of the smartwatches that hit the market are just lacking the right amount of features, things you want out of a wrist-worn device? All of that can be remedied with the Blocks modular smartwatch.
It works like this. You can fully customize the device by choosing your display – round, rectangle or square – and then add extra features by purchasing and installing modules. The modules will enable things like GPS tracking, 3G or 4G mobile connectivity, a heart rate sensor, and much more.
What makes the Blocks most exciting is that you can upgrade your smartwatch over time with more advanced hardware. In other words, you don’t have to purchase a brand new device every year or two after incremental updates. You can simply purchase and install the necessary modules.
Check out the official Blocks website for more info.
Pebble Time Round
With the Pebble Time, the company finally embraced the idea of a color display instead of a monochrome black and white one. With the Pebble Time Round, they also embraced beautiful design and offered something more competitive for the rest of the smartwatch market. With devices like the Moto 360 2nd gen, LG Watch Urbane, Huawei Watch, and the Samsung Gear S2 all opting for round designs – like traditional wrist watches – the market is certainly heating up on that front.
Pebble stuck with the same experience for their new customers, and, for the most part, it still gets better battery life than anything else out there – the Pebble Time Round gets two days as opposed to the week or more from previous Pebble watches.
The Pebble Time Round will cost you $249.
Interesting Wearable Tech Gadgets That Did Not Make the List
There is some wearable tech that didn’t quite make the list yet still deserve to be discussed; honorable mentions if you will. These devices did offer something innovative in the way of features, hardware, or general usability, so don’t write them off just yet.
- Thync brain pulse device
- Samsung Gear VR headset
- Skully AR-1 motorcycle helmet with digital HUD
- The Hovding airbag for cyclists
- Birksun solar-charging backpacks