
Apple Watch Series 3 review: The smarter smartwatch
Apple’s upgraded and LTE-ready smartwatch will impress, but it’s still very much a luxury buy rather than a must-have gadget.
Read more…Thanks to science, the computer chips that used to take up rooms in warehouses are now so tiny they have opened up a wide range of new opportunities, including the creation of wearable technology.
As the name suggests, a wearable is a piece of technology that is small enough to be worn on the body. The vast majority of wearables come in the form of smartwatches or fitness trackers, devices that are designed to monitor your activity to give you an indication of your general level of health.
These devices use an array of sensors that keep tabs on a number of different metrics, from the number of steps taken to skin temperature and heart rate, and use it to keep track of your individual fitness level over time. They typically use Bluetooth technology to connect to your smartphone, with dedicated apps offering an easy way to access key insights into your day’s activities.
For the most part, wearables are worn on the wrist and are designed to keep track of your body’s activity 24/7. By collecting this data over time, you can get greater insight into your overall health and make changes as appropriate to improve your overall fitness level.
At the very least, expect your wearable to offer accelerometers and motion sensors to track the number of steps you take. These same sensors can also be used to track how long you sleep.
Additionally, many of today’s wearables offer optical heart rate monitors which can be used to monitor how hard you exert yourself during workouts and your general heart health, as well as give an indication of REM sleep.
Almost all of today’s wearables offer Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone for reading and accessing your fitness data, while smartwatches use this connectivity to deliver notifications, receive phone calls and access digital assistants.
Waterproof designs, interchangeable bands and additional sensors are becoming increasingly common across a range of manufacturers, allowing users to customise their device and track even more information in almost any environmental situation.
Back to topWhile the individual functionality of a wearable depends on the model and design, as a general rule, wearables can track:
Most of your wearables will also be able to tell you the time. Because after all, what’s the point of a smartwatch if it can’t even tell you when you’re running late?
Back to topWearables are designed to be used for a range of sports: running, cycling, swimming, golf, skiing, snowboarding and even diving. Some devices can automatically detect when you go for a particular type of sport and give you an indication of your performance.
Even if your activity isn’t automatically recognised, you can generally begin tracking an activity manually, and then categorise it after you finish. The best trackers will even let you differentiate between gym workouts and outdoor exercise.
Back to topApple’s upgraded and LTE-ready smartwatch will impress, but it’s still very much a luxury buy rather than a must-have gadget.
Read more…Impressive battery life, activity tracking, accurate sleep monitoring plus a sleek-looking watch. The Nokia Steel is the new fitness tracker that ticks all the boxes.
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