Anything that can make life easier is always welcome. This is especially true when you’re on the road. And now, there’s many options available from a wide variety of manufacturers. So what’s your favorite wearable?
I’m personally an Apple fan. Yeah, I get their products can be overpriced. But, it’s hard to beat Apple’s product integration in my opinion. Plus their products are built to last, mostly… My MacBook Pro is 7 years old and still functions well. That’s despite me dropping it down a flight of stairs. The result of that? The case warped a little and the optical drive (which I don’t use anyway) stopped working. That being said, Apple wearables are not something I have purchased or even considered purchasing. Why? Because:
- You have to charge it daily (or every other day)
- It isn’t exactly waterproof
- You have to charge it daily (or every other day)
- It’s display shuts off
- You have to charge it daily (or every other day)
- It’s EXPENSIVE
- You have to charge it daily (or every other day)
Yeah, not having to charge it every (or every other day) is important to me. But you charge your phone every day! Yes, but if you want to use your watch as a sleep monitor, having to charge it every day kind of sucks. And while the new Apple Watch is waterproof, you do need to put it in a specific mode. Add to that the hefty price tag (and my klutziness) means I’d rather have something inexpensive I won’t feel guilty about banging around.
My Favorite Wearable
That’s why I’ve been a Pebble since their very first Kickstarter campaign. My original Kickstarter served me well, but when the Pebble 2 debuted on Kickstarter, I jumped on it. The new watch brought a slimmer form factor and enhanced capabilities.
From the very beginning Pebbles were waterproof, had a battery life of up to 7 days, and had a screen that’s always on. Ok, so a Pebble isn’t as capable as an Apple Watch or Android Watch, but it does a lot for the price. Just look at the above graphic. New to the latest version are the hear rate monitor, Health insights, and voice actions. The new Pebble 2’s also have greater customizability (OS) than the older version. Heck, even the vibration has improved. No longer is the thing loud enough for the whole room to hear! And yeah, the screen is still black and white, but you know what? It’s clearly legible in all lighting conditions.
In my opinion, that’s a lot of capabilities for an inexpensive smartwatch. How much? $130. Or you can buy the SE model without the heart rate monitor for $100. That’s a little less than half the price of the base Apple Watch 1 ($270), and way cheaper than the base Apple Watch 2 ($370). So of course, I don’t mind as much when I bang around my Pebble 2. It’s plastic construction, while not the most attractive, does make it more durable. I’ll have to be a little more careful now that Pebble 2’s screen has a Gorilla Glass cover, but I’m sure this will help with issues I had with the original Pebble’s screen getting scratched up.
Would I like an Apple Watch? Yeah, I would. But I want their technology to mature more. A longer batter life is a must, as is Pebble-level waterproofing. An always-on screen would be very welcome, too. That being said, the Pebble excels in providing me convenient time-keeping, notifications, caller-ID, calendar reminders, and even navigation direction. That’s why Pebble has always ben and continues to be my favorite wearable.
I still like the original Fitbit flex because it is the least obtrusive as I also wear a traditional watch (never have to worry about a battery or water resistance). But better yet, Fitbit integrates with multiple apps like Pact and Walgreens allowing me to earn cash and Walgreen’s Balance Rewards points without much effort.
askmrlee, I can see the reasons why you’d use a Fitbit. But, I like the Pebble because it’s a multi-tasker. A Fitbit would probably be beneficial when I do actually wear a nice watch, but I rarely do because I don’t trust myself haha. I love my watch, but it’s too expensive for my klutzy self to risk wearing daily.