The concept has been around for years (and even embellished by Dick Tracy in the 1940’s), and a variety of different “Smart Watch” products are finally starting to enter the market –and the media– in full force.
With all of the hype, are you looking to jump on the Smart Watch bandwagon? Some things to consider:
1. First the Worst, Second the Best….
Pro: The Cool Factor. It’s new. You can be a Smart Watch Hipster (like myself, buying a Pebble Watch as soon as they were available). The Pebble is great because it is an independent company that created a product to work on multiple Operating Systems and also is open for any developers to create apps.
Con: The first run of anything is bound to be plagued with issues and be limited in capabilities. Pebble has experienced this firsthand with software and hardware problems. I have experienced my watch constantly falling out of sync and, disconnecting, sporadically not registering alerts, and a lack of storage space limits what I can use on it (all issues I’m sure that will be fixed in the later models).
2. Convenience
Pro: If you are in a meeting and need to see who texted or use some basic Bluetooth capability without pulling out your phone, you can do it!
Con: Now you have another thing to distract you, buzzing on your wrist with every alert.
3. Battery Life
Pro: Life is longer than a phone, for some. The Pebble Watch lasts almost a week on a single charge. SONY’s new Smart Watch is more like three or four days.
Con: It’s just one more thing to remember to plug in, and the watches that have all of the most impressive features last about a day with regular use. The new Samsung Smart Watch will suck its battery dry in only one day, if you use all of the features.
4. It’s a Watch, Too
Pro: No longer will you have to pull out your cellphone to check the time!
Con: You could just get a watch to do the same thing, of course.
5. The Apple Factor
Pro: There are Smart Watches that ‘work’ with the iPhone but…
Cons: For the 55 Million+ iPhone users in the U.S. alone, there is not an option that “just works”, syncing and functioning perfectly with the iOSX platform.
So even though I’m wearing one, I think it is time to WAIT on getting a Smart Watch. Like a new toy, it will be fun to play with and you can show it off, but after a few weeks, that “new car smell” goes away and the new model that works better will be on the horizon.
Have you given in and purchased a Smart Watch like I did? Tell us what you think in the comments below:
Thanks for taking five with ArlandCom.
The post Five Smart Watch Pros and Cons appeared first on Arland Communications.
About the Author
Dave Arland is a 22-year veteran of the consumer electronics industry, working now to promote digital satellite services and broadcast mobile TV. He played a key role in the introduction of HDTV, mp3 audio, and electronic books. He runs Arland Communications, a full-service Public Relations & Communications agency from offices in Carmel, Indiana.
