Wearables have been a hot tech topic. If CES 2014 were any indication, competition in the wearable technology space is gaining traction.
While popular products like the Pebble Smartwatch and Samsung's line of Gear wearables are key players in the market, a number of other companies are looking set to enter the space, each offering their own distinct take on what you should be wearing.
Razer Nabu
Peripherals group Razer has made its foray in the wearables market by unveiling the Nabu smartband with dual OLED screens – one designed to be viewed at a glance and the other for privacy.
The setup offers a discrete screen on the outer side of your arm which displays notification icons intended to be read as messages on the larger, private screen on your arm's inner side. The objective is to take away from the glaring displays and give users a means to view their notifications in a more personal manner.
The Nabu acts in part like a fitness band, capable of counting steps walked, stairs climbed and tracking sleep, but includes smartwatch-like notifications for phone calls, emails and texts. While the Nabu hasn't hit the shelves just yet, the Developer Preview went on sale for US$49, so while no doubt the consumer version will cost more, Razer has a real opportunity to undercut some of its fitness wearables competitors.
Motorola Moto 360
When Google announced in March its plans for Android Wear – a platform designed specifically with wearables in mind – Motorola was quick to follow with its plans to introduce the Moto 360 smartwatch running the new platform.
While it wasn't the only manufacturer to announce its plans for Android Wear, the sheer design and aesthetics are what separate this device from others on the market.
This smartwatch doesn't look all that much like a smartwatch at all. For starters it's rounded and may be tweaked to display realistic analogue watch faces, so as to conceal your inner geek in certain environments.
Running Android Wear means the watch will let you perform various voice commands or interact via its touchscreen. Notifications are designed to be "glanceable", using a simplified cards format a'la Google Now.
The Moto 360 is scheduled for a summer release in the US, which means we may see it headed our way later this year.
Omate TrueSmart
Crowdfunded projects have had a sizable impact on the state of wearables. If not for Kickstarter backers, Pebble would likely not exist today – at least in its current form – so it's no wonder that same interest has helped fund products like the Omate TrueSmart.
The TrueSmart truly differs from most other wearables out there in that it can be used as a standalone device without the need for Bluetooth pairing as it features a built-in SIM slot. This means the TrueSmart can run in place of your smartphone if you desire. It can make phone calls, send texts, emails, browse the web and download apps from the Play Store, providing a wall-to-wall Android 4.2.2 smartphone experience on your wrist.
The TrueSmart has a 1.54-inch 240x240 IPS TFT display with sapphire glass coating and has a dual-core 1.3GHz ARM chip, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage expandable via micro SD, and a 600mAh li-ion battery.
The best part is it doesn't break the bank, with pre-orders for the retail version fetching US$299 for a 3G 2100MHz model compatible with Australian network bands.
Neptune Pine
Another product of crowdfunding is the Neptune Pine. Much like the Omate TrueSmart, it seeks to provide the option to ditch their smartphones for a standalone device.
With a 2.4-inch 320x240 QVGA display, it's one of the most in-your-face smartwatches available, but where it comes off as clunky and large it makes up for in screen real estate, ideal for those who have trouble interacting with small display buttons and keys.
Powering the device is a dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip clocked at 1.2GHz, 512MB of RAM, a massive 810mAh li-po battery and Android 4.1 JellyBean. The Pine is available in 8/16/32/64GB configurations, though the latter two come with hefty price add-ons.
Neptune are taking pre-orders with a standard 8GB NFC model or 16GB variant setting customers back US$335. The device is expected to ship in July 2014 and the GSM variant supports all major Australian network bands.
Smarty Ring
If you aren't tempted by smartwatches, the Smarty Ring is another discrete wearable tech option.
Also backed by crowdfunding, this product is designed to be fashionable and not as garish and obvious as most smartwatches. It's waterproof and tested to be allergy free.
Smarty Ring is interoperable with iOS and Android and by way of a small scrollable LED display provides the time and other clock functions, shows outstanding notifications like calls, SMS and emails as well as social media updates. It may also act as a remote control for accepting or rejecting incoming calls, triggering your smartphone's camera and controlling music.
The main perceived downside of Smarty Ring is its price. It'll set buyers back US$175, with discounts when bought in bulk. Is that price justifiable when a pebble smartwatch costs roughly the same? This product does however show that ultra-compact wearable tech is possible.
-1.jpg&w=100&c=1&s=0)
.png&w=100&c=1&s=0)
