Wearables

Best Buy Pushes Back Apple Watch Series 2 Pre-Orders, Gives Buyers $50 Promo Code!

News & Features September 15, 2016

Best Buy Pushes Back Apple Watch Series 2 Pre-Orders, Gives Buyers $50 Promo Code!

When the Apple Watch Series 2 went up for pre-sale at midnight PST on September 9th, the lead-times quickly slipped from September 16th to a range of the 28th – 30th. All within one hour of being available to pre-order. That is what I got with my pre-order at 3:45AM EST. However, when Best Buy put up their pre-order availability they kept it set for September 16th throughout the day on September 9th – so I pre-ordered from Best Buy and canceled my Apple order. Pre-orders remained as ‘processing’ with an expected 9/16 release date until the night of September…

Will the Apple Watch 2 Kill Other Fitness Watches?

Editorials September 8, 2016

Will the Apple Watch 2 Kill Other Fitness Watches?

Apple had a lot of announcements yesterday, but the one that caught my attention was the new Apple Watch 2. It now includes GPS, waterproofing, and even a model cobranded with Nike, showing that Apple has the fitness market square in the crosshairs. These are all welcome improvements, but will it have an impact in the crowded fitness tracker/fitness watch market? Let’s start by eliminating one group that won’t be buying an Apple watch: the budget conscious folks have a plethora of options available to them that offer many of the same fitness benefits without the cost of the Apple…

Misfit Wearables Offers Up a Huge Sale!

Deals July 12, 2016

Misfit Wearables Offers Up a Huge Sale!

If you’ve toyed with the idea of getting a fitness tracker but didn’t want to pay a lot, or wanted to prioritize fashion, then head to Misfit’s website ASAP. They’re offering a huge summer sale, up to 50% off some of their models! The Misfit Flash is down to $14.99, and the Shine is only $39.99!

New Monowear Leather Deployment Band For Apple Watch

Reviews April 20, 2016

New Monowear Leather Deployment Band For Apple Watch

Dan and I recently did reviews of some of Monowear’s products for the Apple Watch. We were both pleased with the design and quality of their bands. They have just released a new take on band design that combines open loop and closed loop options. The new leather deployment bands retail for $89.99 and are really cool. Let’s take a look! Historically, when using a standard leather watch band, they push through the little loop and hook into whichever hole is best for your size then run through another loop to hold the access. While this style of watch band…

Is Pebble's Time Up?

News & Features March 23, 2016

Is Pebble’s Time Up?

The Verge reported on some ominous news from Pebble today; they’re apparently laying off 25% of their staff. Combine that with a competitive wearables market, and it doesn’t look great for Kickstarter’s biggest success story.

Giving Up a Smartwatch Made Me Feel Free!

Editorials January 21, 2016

Giving Up a Smartwatch Made Me Feel Free!

My wife recently challenged me to turn off my smartwatch. Instead of letting me discreetly stay connected, I was constantly reacting every time it buzzed, even if I didn’t check my phone. It was interrupting dinner, playtime with my son, and distracting me during meetings. Surprisingly, I’m not the only Gear Diary person who has disconnected from their smartwatch!

Avia Stride Activity Tracker Review

Reviews January 11, 2016

Avia Stride Activity Tracker Review

CES is now over and activity trackers and other wearables were all the rage at the show this year. With Under Armour, Casio, and others releasing devices, it looks like almost everyone has a tracker now. Avia, who I know more for sneakers than electronics even has one, and they sent me an Avia Stride; I am underwhelmed.

Casio Announces the WSD-F10 Outdoor Watch with Android Wear

Events, News & Features January 6, 2016

Casio Announces the WSD-F10 Outdoor Watch with Android Wear

Casio is diving wrist first into the Android Wear world with their newest release, the WSD-F10 Outdoor Watch. It combines Casio’s trademark rugged designs with the power of Android Wear, perfect for those times when you need to check Facebook while at Basecamp for Mount Everest. All joking aside, Casio has thrown a lot of extra features into the WSD-10 to make it stand out in the smartwatch world. It has GPS, is water resistant to 40 meters, offers dust and shock proofing, and has a number of Casio-specific apps for outdoor activities. They also offer a time-only display to…

Polar Balance Smart Scale Adds Weight Tracking to the Polar Flow Ecosystem

Events, Health and Fitness, News & Features January 6, 2016

Polar Balance Smart Scale Adds Weight Tracking to the Polar Flow Ecosystem

Polar has been expanding their fitness portfolio beyond just heart rate monitoring, with a slew of activity trackers and GPS watches. Now they’re making the whole ecosystem even more holistic by adding weight management with the new Polar Balance scale! The Polar Balance scale is a wifi connected scale that hooks into the Polar Flow app. At only $99 it falls on the cheaper end of the connected scale options, but obviously it works best if you already have an investment in Polar via their activity tracking devices. Also, it can accommodate up to 10 profiles, so your entire rugby…

Fossil Updates Their "Q" Smartwatch Line at CES 2016

Events, News & Features January 5, 2016

Fossil Updates Their “Q” Smartwatch Line at CES 2016

After successfully launching wearables last fall, Fossil continues on the path again this year at CES with their newest addition to their collection, the Q54 Pilot. “As a brand, we are really proud and excited about the initial response to Fossil Q wearables—to date it has exceeded our expectations. Given that, we are more committed than ever to bring our design expertise as watchmakers into the wearable technology space,” said Jill Elliott-Sones, chief creative officer at Fossil. “Today at CES, we are thrilled to show off the next generation of Fossil Q wearables and look forward to introducing CES to…

Fitbit Announces the Fitbit Blaze Smartwatch!

Events, News & Features January 5, 2016

Fitbit Announces the Fitbit Blaze Smartwatch!

Fitbit is putting their mark on 2016 early, with a new device called the Fitbit Blaze. It’s a smartwatch with a full color touchscreen, but no GPS, and it will sit between the Charge HR and the Surge price-wise, at $199.95. The Blaze will be able to receive basic smartphone notifications, tracks your steps, various workouts, and heart rate, but it does not have standalone GPS; instead it uses what Fitbit calls “connected GPS”, which is just a smokescreen way to say the Blaze uses the GPS from your smartphone for outdoor distance tracking. There’s DNA from the Fitbit Flex…

Alcatel Onetouch Releases New Phones, Tablets, and even a Kid's Wearable!

Events, News & Features January 4, 2016

Alcatel Onetouch Releases New Phones, Tablets, and even a Kid’s Wearable!

Alcatel Onetouch is very busy at CES this year. They’re covering a ton of areas, from Android phones to Windows tablets and child-focused watches with safety features. Basically, whether you want a phablet or a device to keep your elementary age kiddo safe, Alcatel has a product for it. On the Android front, Alcatel has a tremendous number of new phones available in the Pixi 4 line. Do you hate the trend towards bigger and bigger phones? Alcatel has a 3.5in phone coming. Looking for a phablet? They’ve got one with a 6 inch screen. And if Android tablets are…

Original Pebble and Pebble Steel Receive the Timeline Update!

News & Features December 16, 2015

Original Pebble and Pebble Steel Receive the Timeline Update!

Pebble promised when they rolled out a new user interface that it would reach the first generation Pebble and Pebble Steel by the end of the year. They’re cutting it a bit close, but with two weeks to go they’ve finally announced that the original Pebbles could share in the new software with their Time siblings!

The Monowear Silver Ceramic Apple Watch Strap: Unexpected Femininity

Reviews December 14, 2015

The Monowear Silver Ceramic Apple Watch Strap: Unexpected Femininity

Most of the bands I’ve tried on my Apple Watch have been leather or sportier rubber styles. I’ve stayed away from the metal bands because they either looked too fussy, clunky, or masculine. The Monowear Silver Ceramic Strap is a lovely change of pace; it’s a feminine metal and ceramic combo that elevates the 38 or 42mm watch’s appearance.