It's likely that you've heard the hype about smartwatches and wondered what the big deal is. Are the little wrist-worn gadgets really as impressive as everyone makes them sound? Below are four smartwatch features that make them worthy of the excitement.
- Fitness
Almost every smartwatch out today has the ability to track your health. Whether it's with a pedometer that tracks your steps or a heart-rate sensor that tracks your heart rate, fitness is one of the best features of a smartwatch.
You never have to go look up how many calories you burned during the day, because your smartwatch can calculate it based on the level of activity you're doing. Some smartwatches are also able to monitor your sleeping patterns to help you get a better night's rest. It's essentially a personal trainer on your wrist.
- Notifications
Want to get your Facebook Candy Crush Saga invites even faster? No worries, your smartwatch can deliver those and even more to your wrist in just one vibration. Whether it's a tweet from your favorite person or a calendar reminder to go pick your dog up from the groomer, your smartwatch links all the information on your phone to your wrist and is able to communicate everything without the need to remove your phone from your pocket.
- Phone Calls
Speaking of removing your phone from your pocket, most smartwatches have built in microphones and speakers that allow you to make and receive phone calls right from your wrist. Sure, you get some strange looks if you're an early adopter who'd talking into a watch, but in the near future it's likely many people will be using this great feature.
- Applications
The smartwatch is still a relatively new device, so people who create apps haven't really had the chance to make watch-specific applications yet. In the near future you can anticipate a number of applications that will make life easier. For instance, Hilton Hotels is designing an app that will allow you to use your smartwatch to unlock your hotel room door. On a less practical note, you might even see smartwatch-specific games on your wrist. Flappy Bird, anyone?