smartwatches

It may have been criticized for its antiquated design but, as always, Apple is having the last laugh. The Apple Watch has turned out to be the smartwatch to beat, not because of its looks but because of its once unique features. Now other wearable device makers are jumping on the same train and it seems like OPPO is taking more than just one page from the Apple Watch playbook, mimicking not just its key feature but also its controversial looks.

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A rugged privacy-centric smartwatch was revealed today: the Garmin Tactix Delta. This Garmin Tactix Delta smartphone was built to military standards MIL-STD-810 and rolls with a domed sapphire lens - and a "diamond-like carbon coated bezel." The key selling point here isn't the materials, but the abilities - stealth mode and a kill switch.

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Given how the Apple Watch has been making headlines for saving lives, it's no surprise that it is, pardon the pun, apple picking for those who want to capitalize on its fame or, in this case, have gotten hurt by it. Just before the year ended, Apple was hit by a lawsuit over its unlicensed use of a patent for its atrial fibrillation detection. Now it is getting slapped by an even bigger complaint for stealing trade secrets related to health monitoring on its Apple Watch.

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Given its timing, CES is often an auspicious opportunity for companies to start the year right with their best foot forward. Sometimes, it involves revealing things yet to come while other times it revolves around strengthening existing products. At CES 2020, Honor sort of did both. It showcased the MagicWatch 2, the Band 5, and the MagicBook alongside a new Band 5 Sport, the latter two slated for a global launch really soon.

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The Apple Watch, thanks to its life-saving AFib detection, has taken the lion's share of attention when it comes to the smartwatch market. That practically leaves other wearable platforms, especially Wear OS by Google, to contend for the leftovers. That doesn't mean there's no room for massive improvement, especially when it comes to battery life. That's where Suunto makes it big boast that its latest sports-centric Suunto 7 can last you at least half a day even if you leave the GPS on.

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The Apple Watch's atrial fibrillation or AFib detection definitely struck a chord in the wearables market, even if it is now the center of a patent lawsuit. Apple is naturally proud of how the feature, based on numerous testimonies, has been able to save lives. It is a matter of time before other smart wearable manufacturers catch up with it and it seems that Withings is one of the first to reach that point with its new ScanWatch hybrid smartwatch. More than just AFib detection, however, it is bringing another health feature to your wrist.

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The folks at Intellithings announced this week that their smart home system RoomMe would expand with support for Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and Samsung smartwatch support. RoomMe will also have new compatibility with a new update for two smart home hubs not on their list before - the Insteon hub and the Logitech Harmony. RoomMe is what they call a "smart home True Occupancy Automation system" that uses "patented presence sensing technology" to see if you're in the house.

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It may look dated and seem a bit overpriced but few smartwatches can make the same life-saving claims that the Apple Watch has. Apple has turned its wearable into more than just a smartphone extension and has outfitted it with features that put the wearer's health at the center. Now one of those features is at the center of litigation claiming that Apple willfully ignored that someone else already patented the much-advertised irregular heartbeat detection it added in recent Apple Watches.

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Apple has yet to solve the Apple Watch's battery life problem but, in the meantime, accessory makers are seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the need to charge the wearable on the go. Apple's own charging accessories for the Apple Watch can be big or long, depending on which one you go for. Satechi, however, is offering an almost ingenious solution that simply sticks the magnetic charging dock to the side of a MacBook or iPad Pro.

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Nostalgia is a very powerful emotion and it turns out it can be a profitable one, too. Just look at the number of retro revivals in the market and on crowdfunding platforms, especially the highly successful ones. The Moto 360 smartwatch may not be that old but, being one of if not the first Android Wear device definitely gives it a place in the annals of history. That name is now making a comeback and you can pre-order the new Moto 360 and expect it to ship in January. That is if you're totally fine that it has nothing to do with Motorola except in name.

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A collection of cheap imitations of the original Apple Watch are currently posing on Amazon as a perfect alternative to the far more expensive alternative. Brands like YAMAY, Willful, Letsfit, SKYGRAND, and ANBES make little effort to hide the fact that they're not only using lookalike UI - in some cases, they're literally selling the same devices under different brand names. Scratch that - in quite a few cases... in a CONCERNING number of cases, companies appear to be selling the same product with different brand names for different prices.

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Chinese brands have had the reputation of being copycats. Chinese phone makers have indeed been guilty of that for a time but, for the past years, they have been working hard to change their public image but, last October, Xiaomi single-handedly undid much of that. It's hard not to see the Mi Watch as a ripoff of the Apple Watch except for the fact that it didn't work with iPhones, ironic as that may sound. As of December 3 in China, however, that sweet irony no longer stands as the Mi Watch will now behave a bit like the original, at least as far as iPhone pairing goes.

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