Smart wearable devices.. Keep track of what you do

Overview:

      Wearable technology was just a dream about a decade ago. But, today we see a plethora of wearable devices like smart bands/watches, google lens, VR technology etc. These wearable devices can do a range of tricks for us including heart rate monitoring to sleep tracking. Further more, the smart watches allow you to manage phone activities to a good bit of extent. In this post, I'll be writing about the smart wearable devices specially on bands/watches; its origin, functionalities available and to what extent are they really useful to us.

Samsung gear S2

 

Idea of smart watches/bands:

      Smart bands are essentially activity trackers that keep track of your basic activities like: sleeping, number of steps, heart rate, calories burnt by doing an activity, etc. On the other hand, a smart watch can basically work as your temporary smartphone. Now let us look into them one by one:

Smart bands:

smart band

      Also called as activity trackers or fitness trackers is a handy device to keep track of your fitness goals. They are compact, light weight and therefore easily manageable. The arrival of fitness trackers was due to the technological advancements in the late 20th century and the early 21st century. The blooming smartphone app industry and the technological innovations both added to the birth of smart portable fitness trackers.
     One of the early fitness trackers were wrist watch sized bicycle computers that monitored speed, distance and duration of cycling; these were available by the early 1990's. Dating earlier to that, the wearable heart rate monitors for athletes was introduced in 1981. Wearable fitness trackers that we use today take their roots from 2000's. Early versions of Fitbit(2009) were waist worn and the designs have since modified to occupy wrist and arms. Some of the main functionalities in smart bands are:

• Smart bands use Pedometer to keep track of steps.
• Additionally they use accelerometer and altimeter to calculate mileage, graph overall physical activity, calculate calories burnt, calculate sleep quality by the means of fitness tracker apps.
• They also may include silent alarms
• It also includes heart rate monitoring sensors to keep track of heart rate. 
• It helps you set daily goals on burning calories which proves to be very helpful.

Smart Watches:

        A smart watch is technically a mini computer on your wrist. It has an active touch screen with either LED or LCD backlit technology. They also accommodate peripheral devices such as a camera to carry out video calls. The ancestors of smart watches were digital watches which debuted in 1972, manufactured by Hamilton Watch Company named as "Pulsar". Ever since then, smart watches have been developing at a rapid rate. With the introduction of personal computers in the 1980s, Seiko began to develop computers in the form of watches. The Data 2000 watch (1983) came with an external keyboard for data-entry!

        Smart watches these days use a smart phone based OS (Android/IOS/Custom company OS) and incorporate many features as that of a smartphone. Some of the predominant features that make the smart watches distinct are:

• They use GPS tracking unit because of which historical data of your usage and your health stats are saved. 
• They are also helpful in navigation as watches these days come with an interactive screen with the ability to download applications in to it.
• They employ Bluetooth technology to connect to earphones and thus act as a mini entertainment system/controller.
• They make way for managing calls, reply to sms, some devices even allow you to execute video calls.
• Higher end smart watches allow for even seamless game plays.
• Smart watches allow you to customize watch dials by allowing you to set themes there by giving a premium look.
• Apart from basic fitness tracking as in the trackers, the watches allow you to set laps while running and make way to carry out different activities such as sprinting, cycling, jumping, etc
• Since they have an interactive display, the graphs from fitness tracking can be directly viewed on your wrist.

 How really useful are smart watches/bands

       A wise way would be to know the lengths and bounds of a smart watch/band and then opt to use it; else, it would work no more than an ordinary time piece. If used with proper knowledge on the smart watch and your health goals; the watch/band will certainly prove handy. I personally use a fitness tracker and whenever I complete daily goals on number of steps covered, I feel motivated to aim higher the next day.
       Apart from that, it can also be used to change bad sleeping habits by constantly monitoring sleep activity. If you're a sporty person and desire only to keep track of your developments in fitness goals then your best bet would be a fitness tracker because, they cost a lot lesser than smart watches, they are light weight and won't get in the way of your daily activities. In addition to that they also do a decent job at detailing you with the daily stats of your calories using the apps designed by the respective fitness tracker companies.
      Now, if you are a professional who needs to attend a lot of calls, likes to use smartphones hands free and mainly, have a higher budget; then a smart watch would be a better pick for you because, it helps you manage all your phone activities including texting and is able to track your fitness at the same time. Furthermore, smart watches for children also help the parents to keep tabs on them to make sure that they are safe and sound. It also aids them to find children in case they ever wander off being too curious. 😉