Lenovo has been on fire the last few years with some amazing consumer offerings. They’re expanding even further this year at CES, announcing 10 new devices, from YOGA tablets and laptops to ultraportables, smartphones, and even a smartwatch/fitness tracker. You can check out their full lineup at their CES 2015 site, but here are a few of my favorites!
I’ve always been a fan of Garmin products, considering them the ‘gold standard’ for running GPS watches. Their leap into fitness trackers in 2014 with the vivoFit and more recently the vivoSmart were highly successful and each is on a wrist in my household. Now they are announcing the ViVoActive Smart Fitness Watch that pretty much does it all!
I have professed my unabashed love for the Magellan Echo before, because of how it perfectly melds GPS watch capability while using your smartphone as the engine. I reviewed the Echo almost a year ago, and still use it regularly – because it just plain works. Now Magellan has introduced the follow-up Echo Fit at CES 2015!
I wrote about Wellograph when it was first announced in September, and have had one since they were first available. The rate of improvements has been incredible, so when I heard about the new stuff announced at CES, I thought ‘of course’, without surprise. The new functionality is definitely worth noting if you have considered buying a Wellograph.
The Apple Watch isn’t here yet, but Standzout is ready for early adopters with their new Bandstand. It’s an Apple Watch cradle that will let you charge the watch and two USB devices at once. There are no details yet on price or availability, but the mockup looks darn cool! Keep your eyes peeled to Standzout’s website for availability news!
Timex was the watch of my youth. From the watch that ‘took a licking and kept on ticking’ to self-winding watches to the Ironman series that brought ruggedness to the digital age, Timex has been there. Now they have expanded the Timex Ironman line with a connected fitness tracker (X20) and a slimline GPS watch (X20 GPS).
I ordered the Moto 360 with black metal band two weeks ago when it first went on sale. FedEx just dropped off the device, and at first I thought there was something wrong. The metal watch band of the Moto 360 was way (way) too small.
So you’ve placed your dinner order from your mobile device’s Domino’s Pizza app, but picking your phone or tablet up to check the status every few minutes is just so hard. No worries; leave your device lying there, and look at the Pebble Watch on your wrist, instead. Because you can. A good looking watch with an even better looking display. Mmm. Introducing Domino’s Tracker® for Pebble Watch. A photo posted by Domino’s Pizza (@dominos) on Nov 11, 2014 at 11:20am PST
Word has just come out that the Samsung Gear S smartwatch, which we have previously covered is soon to be available from all major US carriers beginning next Friday, November 7th. We know that at Sprint, “well-qualified buyers can purchase Gear S with $0 down (plus tax) and 24 monthly payments of $16 (SRP: $384; excluding taxes; service plan required).”
I’ve just returned from Berlin and a hectic week at IFA; it was my first time to attend. Perhaps because I went in with zero expectations, I left thinking the show was larger than expected, and I feel pretty comfortable saying that it was a great consumer electronics expo, and I’m glad that I was there.
In the early 80s we saw great leaps in watch technology, and I loved my Casio calculator watch. Every few years a new technology comes (remember the Fossil PalmOS Watch?), but now it seems smartwatches are here to stay. There are many approaches, but for fitness enthusiasts Timex looks to have a great angle with their Ironman One GPS+.
I got the chance to try on the just announced Samsung Gear S today, and while I love its brilliant 2″ curved Super AMOLED screen, I can’t help but wonder if it’s just a bit too big for me. Bear in mind that I usually wear a men’s full size watch, and yet I think this one swallows my wrist.
Most fitness watches share a common element – not GPS, or heart-rate, or step-tracking, or Bluetooth sync. They are pretty uniformly NOT fashion watches. They might work as ‘Geek Chic’, but no one will mistake them for a designer product. Wellograph hopes to change that, with the first wellness watch with a sapphire crystal display and a gorgeous design.
Are you still trying to figure out which smartwatch is going to get your money this fall? Samsung is hoping that you’ll consider their new Samsung Gear S, with its 2″ curved Super AMOLED display. Sure it has Bluetooth and WiFi, but it also offers a trick that none of the others have yet — its own 3G source.
Fitness watches are enjoying a very sudden surge in popularity. People are buzzing about Fitbit, and Nike Fuel, and quantifying their movements and sleep for optimal health. Magellan is entering that market with the new Echo Fit, a “smart sports watch” that uses Bluetooth to sync to various fitness apps, from Runkeeper to Strava and plenty others.
The Martian Notifier is my favorite kind of watch. Not only does it serve it’s true purpose well, telling the time, it also can notify you when you have new alerts on your phone. It’s a device that does what it’s meant to and not much more…and that’s what makes it great. You can purchase the Notifier for $129.
Just two days before my first marathon in 2012, Garmin sent me their new ForeRunner FR-10. It’s an entry-level watch with the right amount of tracking features for most casual runners and racers. I jumped at the opportunity to check out the new entry-level Garmin Garmin Forerunner FR-15 GPS and Fitness Watch!
If you’ve got a Pebble Steel, then you know that the bands that ship with it are not awesome; due to the Pebble’s odd lugs, finding replacement straps is tricky. The Pebble watch is awesome, and it deserves a better strap. I am extremely glad to have found an Etsy seller who makes a gorgeous natural leather Pebble Steel strap.
2014 has definitely turned into the year of the “wearable” and the smartwatch has been leading the pack. Android Wear is on the way and Apple has yet to announce, let along release their offering. That means there’s much more to come this year. There are already some compelling options on the market and they have a range of prices.
Strap a bit of nature onto your wrist with the Kisai Xtal Wood watch. The watch “combines a crystalline shaped natural wood case with a faceted mineral crystal lens and a cryptic yet simple to read LED time display.” I think that’s a first? There is finally a Tokyo Flash watch that doesn’t require a guide to read it! 😉
In fall 2012, Garmin introduced the FR-10 GPS Watch. I did a quick preview, took it on a marathon two days after it arrived, and then did a follow-up after several months of use. I still use the FR-10, and now Garmin has introduced the FR-15 GPS Watch, combining the FR-10 GPS and elements of the VivoFit fitness band.