Why Buy A Smartwatch? All Your Apps On Your Wrist
By: Dan Crash
Tags: IoT, Smart Home, Alexa, Smartwatch, Apps

Each watch and phone/computer manufacturer seem to be making their own versions of the Smartwatch. They’re convenient, user friendly, and absolutely packed with functions.

Wristwatches were only invented just over a century ago. Having a watch which you could just glance at to tell the time was critically important to men in the trenches who previously had to dig about in their tunics to find their fob watches to see whether it was time to launch an assault or expect a barrage of artillery fire.

Since then the wristwatch has always been something of a status symbol. Rolex and Cartier made the watch a statement piece, more jewellery than a practical means of keeping track of the time, but with mobile phones the popularity of watches was beginning to wane. There was no point having a watch if you had the time, a calendar and alarm clock all available on your phone. However, the reason why the wristwatch was invented became important again. Digging around in your pockets or trying to find your phone at the bottom of your bag is inconvenient, and having all that functionality on your wrist just makes sense.

Because we use our mobile phones for so much more than just making calls it makes sense to be able to have an interface somewhere upon us that is easy to get to. So what are the benefits of having a smart watch instead of simply taking your phone out every time it beeps?

You can get all your notifications without having to keep your phone handy. If you love social media or you get a lot of texts, WhatsApps etc from friends and family it’s much easier to keep an eye on them just by looking at your watch instead of having to pull your phone out all the time. You can use different vibrations to alert you to whichever platform you’re receiving the message from too. Nokia’s old text alert tone was actually Morse code for SMS, so why not use Morse for Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, and all the others? If you’re running, at work, in a meeting or with company, or commuting you can go through your messages, see what’s important and then reply. Either reply from your watch (which is a bit fiddly as the display is, obviously, wristwatch sized) or make an informed choice to get your phone out.

Smartwatches allow you to use apps, and control Smart Home devices via your watch in exactly the same way you’d use your phone or Smart hub. Depending on the watch you buy and the apps you use you can either use general voice commands or choose the app you need with your finger and then tell it what to do via your voice. Or you can control them entirely with your fingertip. If you have Smart access control you can see who’s at the door and talk to them, unlock or just ask them to leave. You can control Smart lighting, heat and air conditioning too.

Not only can you control the environment, ie lights, heat, blinds etc. but you can control music, home AV and all your other media via you watch too. Again, either tell your watch exactly what you want it to do or find the app on the face and control using your fingertip.

If you’ve invested in Smart CCTV you can watch that from anywhere with an internet connection, so if you have a visitor while you’re out running, or a delivery while you’re busy you can just check your watch to see who’s at the door. You can also watch other media too. We wouldn’t recommend watching an entire movie on your smartwatch, but if you just want to check out trailers when you’re on the go or someone messages you with a GIF or meme you can see it in motion real quick before deciding to answer.

If you were sceptical of contactless, and I was, you’ve probably come over to see the advantages by now. And because you can use services such as Apple Pay on your phone, you can use it with your watch too. Again, no more rifling through your pockets or bag trying to find a purse or phone, just present your hand and you’re away!

Similarly with Smart locks. Using your smartwatch as a key to open your door is so much easier than finding keys in the dark or if you happen to have misplaced them, or if you’ve got your hands full and can’t reach into your pocket to grab them. Nothing could be simpler or easier than just holding your hand up by the sensor and walking right in.

We’ve mentioned using your smartwatch when exercising is convenient, but the truth is that at its core, your smart watch is everything your fitbit is and more. Because it’s a regular watch you’ll have no need to take it off and then try to remember to put on every time you exercise, you’ve already got it on, and all Smartwatches have fitness tracking technology as part of their core features. So tracking distance run or swum, heart rate, calculating calories expended is all part of the package. And because your smartwatch does so much more, you can use it to plan routs, show you a map, even tell you which way to go by vibrating one pulse for left, two for right if you need directions! So much easier and safer than running while looking at a phone screen.

The maps and directions aren’t only beneficial to runners. Cyclists can use it to plan their rout and get direction as can anyone else who regularly uses GPS or Maps to find destinations they’re unfamiliar with. If it’s not practical or safe to have your phone in front of your face while you travel, then the smartwatch is a brilliant accessory as you can keep an eye on your surroundings and take in the views as you go.

Most Smart watches need to be near your phone to operate. Some are truly independent but they need a SIM, contract, and data package of their own to operate. Those which do need to me within range of your phone to work conveniently come with a ‘Find Phone’ feature which is self-explanatory. But you can also get keyfobs to attach to your keyring so that whichever you lose, they will be quick and easy to locate every time you’re heading out of the door.