With the miniaturization of technology, com­puter chips have been crammed into the smallest devices. From micro-SD cards to card-sized computers to nano-robotics, technology is not only developing at a rapid rate but also occupying less space. Computers took up entire rooms in the past, but today they can be found computing data as your wristwatch. Since Apple’s announcement of the Apple Watch three years ago, a new genre in technol­ogy was ushered in, the Smartwatch. But with the success of the Apple Watch came com­petitors vying for a share of the market. Today there are smartwatches from different companies such a Samsung, Motorola and even smaller companies like FitBit. A host of smartwatches now flood the market, but among the rabble, here are a few that stand out.

 

 

Apple Watch Series 3

Price
Rs 55,000

 

 

 

Being one of the first companies to push smartwatches to the mainstream, Apple has not slacked on its wearable line. With constant improve­ments, the Watch Series 3 improves on its predeces­sor by leaps and bounds. An overhaul to the Series 2, the Watch Series 3 adds Cellular support, which means the Watch can function independently, well, kind of. You still need a phone for it to work, but features like taking calls, notifications and music streaming can now be performed without having to access your phone.

 

Just call out to Siri to play a song on your 4-G con­nection and it starts playing your music via integrated support for Apple Music and Beats Radio. The watch is also water-resistant and comes with loads of fitness tracking sensors like the run-cycle tracker and a heart-beat monitor. It isn’t cheap though. At almost the cost of a flagship Android phone, the Watch Series 3 is a great device, but a hard cookie to sell.

 

 

Motorola Moto 360

Price
Rs 33,000

 

Without a doubt, many smartwatch savvy readers out there are questioning my reason­ing behind featuring the Moto 360 second-gen­eration up here when it was a failure at launch. The device was riddled with problems: the battery drained too quickly, performance wasn’t smooth and the watch itself was too large for many slim wrists. I admit, the Moto 360 launch didn’t go all too well, but over the years, the company has made significant changes that have helped it evolve into a great device.

The battery-life has been vastly improved, and Goo­gle’s watchOS has also undergone severe changes, making it more robust. Yes, nothing can be done about the size of the device, but it’s still a very good-looking smartphone that mimics mechanical watches in all the good ways. It is a gem to look at but you won’t get a fitness tracker here. The Moto 360 has a heartrate monitor and various movement sensors that don’t track your activity as meticulously as the Apple Watch. Irrespective of its shortcomings as a fit­ness tracker, it still serves as an excellent smartwatch, and a good-looking one at that.