Not Quite So Smart

In some ways, the word smart watch, in reference to watches such as the Pebble, Galaxy Gear and so on, is a bit of a misnomer. This is because many of these watches actually do little more than notify the wearer of incoming messages, mails and calls. To some, this may be helpful, but the fact is if you do require to answer that call or if it is an message or email that needs your immediate action, there is no way to pen a reply on your smart watch - you still need to get your phone out.

Speaking of which, these smart watches can only receive notifications only if they are within Bluetooth range, which is not very long - usually around 20 to 30 meters and drops drastically if there are obstructions, such as walls, or interference from other wireless devices, such as your Wi-Fi router. Once it is out of range, these smart watches lose a lot of their functionality as they do not have many standalone functions and can do little more than tell the time on their own, some not even that.

To this, some brands try to include standalone functions such as Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, which was the first massmarket smart watch to feature a 1.9 megapixel camera that lets you take photos and videos. Samsung’s follow up, the Gear 2 improves on that by including an in-built heart rate monitor and preinstalled fitness apps that do not require a smartphone to function. Hopefully, other smart watch makers will follow suit and improve on the standalone functionality of their offerings.

”THESE SMART WATCHES CAN ONLY RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS ONLY IF THEY ARE WITHIN BLUETOOTH RANGE, WHICH IS NOT VERY LONG - USUALLY AROUND 20 TO 30 METERS...”