WEARABLE TECH

Some wearables look like watches, and may even tell time, but they track everything from your fi tness to your Facebook. Check them out for the fi tness fanatic or the social butterfl y on your holiday list.

Polar M400

A running watch and daily activity monitor, the Polar M400 is like having a personal trainer running alongside telling you how long you have left and how you’re doing. And when you’re not running, cycling or tracking another activity, the M400 will keep tabs and let you know when it’s time to get moving. It’s GPS- enabled and links via Bluetooth to your iPhone as well as an optional heart rate monitor. It tracks running, cycling and other activities, including sleep. The M400 is water- resistant and comes in black or white. It sells for $ 210 or $ 260 for the version that includes a heartrate sensor.polarm400.com.

Runtastic Orbit

The Runtastic Orbit can be used as a stand- alone device or link to an app on your smartphone to track steps and distance, as well as calories burned and your sleep. It’s waterproof to 100 metres and meant to be worn 24- 7, giving you a constant reminder of your fi tness and activity goals. It comes with two wristbands and also a clip, so you can wear it on your wrist or attach it to your clothes. The apps are available for both iOS and Android devices. $ 120. Check it out at runtastic. com.

Cogito Classic

I really like the look of this smartwatch, although it’s fairly hefty. The watch face just about covers my entire wrist, which is great for viewing but certainly not delicate. The Classic also comes with a purple or white wristband and with the choice of green, silver and white borders. I also like the fact that, unlike other smartwatches, it doesn’t have to constantly be charged — it runs on a button- cell battery that lasts for months. You can wear it in the shower or at the beach and you can program it to alert you to notifi - cations, whether it’s an email, text message or an alert from your social networks. $ 180. cogitowatch. com.

LG G Watch

This smartwatch runs on Google’s Android Wear and it’s compatible with Android devices running Android 4.3 and higher. An always- on display, the screen is a bright 4.1 centimetres and it’s voiceactivated. For the healthconscious, it has a built- in pedometer to measure your steps, a countdown timer and a stopwatch. It off ers up practical notifi cations, like the weather or the time of your upcoming fl ight, and it delivers updates and alerts from your Android apps. $ 250. lg. com.

Samsung Gear 2 and Samsung Gear Live

The Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch is a step up in design compared to its predecessor and adds a heart- rate monitor and fi tness tracking. It has a limited app selection and a fairly high price at $ 330. The Samsung Gear Live, at $ 220 and running Android Wear, will track calories, distance, steps and your sleep and while it doesn’t have all the functions of the Gear 2, it will give you notifi cations from your phone and social apps and is probably the better bet. samsung. ca.

Fitbit Charge

The new Fitbit charge is another device meant to be worn 24- 7, tracking your activity, including steps, distance, calories burned and elevation — a three- metre elevation counts for one fl ight of stairs. It displays the stats right on your wrist, you don’t have to check the smartphone app to see them. $ 140. fi tbit. com.