If you’re considering getting a smartwatch and have been checking out prices, you’ve seen the huge price range span. Just today, a simple search for smartwatches returned a list that I sorted by price. Smartwatches began just under $30 and climbed to well over $1,000. Just like regular wristwatches, the list included smartwatches made of solid and plated precious metals, composites, stainless steel and plastic. Like wristwatches, you will find acrylic, mineral and sapphire crystals and leather and plastic straps as well as cheap and expensive link bracelets. Like regular wristwatches, thinner smartwatches that are waterproof (versus just water resistant) generally command higher prices too.
In addition to all of the differentiating factors that regular and smartwatches share, smartwatches have their own differences. They are made to work with Android, IOS (Apple) and Samsung devices. Some work with only one type device and some work with a combination. There are some higher priced smartwatches that have embedded SIM cards and don’t even need a separate device.
Except for (more expensive) smartwatches that have their own SIM cards, a smartwatch isn’t going to do more than access the functions of my smartphone. Depending on the watch, the degree of control is different. At this end of the price range, there’s not a lot of tweaking one can do. The BIT’s software doesn’t provide the same amount of customising ability as my in-law’s Samsung smartwatch. For instance, she can set parameters to limit which app notifications come through to the watch. With the BIT, I have to turn off the notifications from the phone to keep them from coming through. It’s just one reason why her smartwatch was three times more expensive than this one.
It does the basic stuff it should like mail and text access, getting and making calls, and listening to music and podcasts. The fitness tracking abilities of the BIT smartwatch (count steps, monitor sleep, keep an activity record, etc) are about the same that I’ve been used to but it doesn’t work with the fitness tracking app I’ve been using for the last year. I’d like to be able to have the watch work with any fitness app I designate to not lose all my accumulated data.
Personally, I’m glad I didn’t shell out a lot of money for a higher end smartwatch. After a little over a week of daily wear, I backed off wearing it as much. For one thing, it doesn’t hold enough charge to wear it an entire work day without a recharge, plus charging it is cumbersome. I gave up wearing watches daily when I got my first smartphone. I’ve enjoyed them as accessories to wear on occasions I “dress up” This doesn’t cut it as an accessory. For me, it’s too big and clunky, not eye catching for the right reasons. Tag Heuer makes some very fine looking “connected” watches that are truly accessory worthy but out of my price range.
Even though I don’t love this watch, all in all, I’d have to say it’s a good, way to get insight into smartwatch functionality, without the expense of the bells, whistles and conveniences available on higher priced watches. I recommend it to anyone that’s on the fence about whether a smartwatch is or isn’t for them.
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