Smartwatches: Ready for Primetime?

But why now? Smartwatches are nothing new; Microsoft, for one, tested the waters with the ill-fated SPOT device in 2003. It and other smartwatch options over the years were interesting, but they didn't really provide enough functionality to keep us hooked. The SPOT, for example, provided weather, traffic, stock news, and personal calendar data. Big whoop. These days, it seems like every device can do that.
An April report from IDC estimated that it's early days for smart wearables and that we won't see a real explosion in the market until 2016. Though the wearables market will hit about 19.2 million units in 2014, that will be largely driven by fitness-focused devices from the likes of Fitbit or Jawbone. "Smart accessories, such as the Pebble smartwatch, Samsung Galaxy Gear, and the Sony SmartWatch, will also take a giant step forward, but their value proposition has yet to be completely clarified," IDC analysts wrote.
Smartwatch shipments alone landed at around 2 million for 2013, according to February data from Strategy Analytics, with Android-based gadgets dominating the market at 61 percent, driven in large part by the Galaxy Gear.
So what is out there? Samsung is already back for round two with its Tizen-based Gear 2 lineup. But when it comes to stylish and affordable smartwatches, PCMag's pick for the best device on the market is the Pebble Smartwatch, and its pricier, more suave older brother, the Pebble Steel.

For years, the smartwatch has been a popular accessory for Hollywood heroes, something Samsung capitalized on in itsmarketing campaign for last year's Galaxy Gear. But although that device got off to a slow start, it helped usher in a new era of wearables, an emerging market that has seen smartphone functionality move from the palm of our hands to eyeglasses, belt clips, and wristbands.

A good deal of the chatter about wearables has focused on Google Glass, but the search giant's high-tech currently cost $1,500. Google's Android Wear operating system for smartwatches, however, will likely bear more immediate fruit, as gadget giants like LG and Motorola line up to show off devices running the OS later this year.

In the decade since the SPOT, we've seen a smartphone revolution, network upgrades to 3G and then 4G LTE, an exploding app ecosystem, advances in touch screens, and a cultural shift that makes many of us feel the need to be glued to our devices 24-7. But why hold your phone when you can have its most useful services strapped to your wrist for instant access? That's the conclusion that Samsung, Motorola, LG, Sony, Pebble, Qualcomm—and maybe Apple?—hope you'll reach as you ponder your next electronics purchase. But should you buy? Let's see if they're worth your hard-earned cash.

The Smartwatch's 'Early Days'

"Android currently has several challengers in the smartwatch space, like Firefox and Pebble OS, but none of them are a major threat at this stage because of their relatively limited ecosystems and modest retail presence," Strategy Analytics Senior Analyst Woody Oh said. "Android's main risk to its smartwatch dominance in the future will come from Apple iOS, Microsoft, and perhaps Tizen or COS. These four brands have the potential scale or marketing power to offer a credible alternative to Google's popular platform."

In fact, shortly after that report was released, Samsung unveiled its Tizen-based follow-ups to the Galaxy Gear: the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo $199.99 at Amazon. As PCMag's Sascha Segan explained at the time, "Tizen was widely seen as a backstop for Samsung in case Google's control over Android became too suffocating." And perhaps Samsung found Android on the Galaxy Gear to be "too heavy, cumbersome, and power-consuming," Segan speculated after some hands-on time with the new Gear smartwatches.

Rumors about an iOS-based smartwatch, meanwhile, have been making the rounds for ages. But Apple has yet to pull the trigger. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that he finds the wearables market "incredibly interesting," but Cupertino has otherwise been characteristically coy when it comes to discussing actual product roadmaps. The closest we've come to any sort of comment is Cook's assertion during a recent earnings call that "it means much more to us to get it right than to be first."

In what could be perceived as a dig at top rival Samsung and the Galaxy Gear, Cook said that he has seen "so many examples out in the marketplace [where] the objective has been to be first. But customers don't care about that. They want insanely great, insanely great, and that's what we want to deliver."

At this point, nothing on the market would likely be described as "insanely great." Advances have been made, but challenges remain, including the need to connect to a smartphone. For now, most smartwatches are an extension of your mobile device. You can glance at your wrist for text messages or app alerts when your hands are full or when it's not appropriate to pull out your smartphone, change the music playing in your earphones, or silence an incoming call. But it might not be worth paying $200 or more for a wrist-based device just so you don't have to dig your phone out of your pocket or the bottom of your purse.

Pebbles and Gears and Toqs, Oh My!

Pebble made headlines for banking $10 million on Kickstarter, and although many hardware projects have had trouble getting off the ground after a crowdfunding windfall, Pebble has been the exception. As of January, it had sold 300,000 of its $150 Pebble Smartwatches, and it has since added the $249 Pebble Steel andlaunched an app store.

"The first Pebble succeeded by finding a nexus of features and simplicity that helped manage the digital deluge of everyday life. But the inaugural effort was not without its flaws; namely a chintzy plastic design that made it feel more tech-toy than versatile daily driver," Eugene Kim wrote in his PCMag review of the Steel, which we found "addresses those complaints in a big way with its solid steel design, glass screen, and much tighter build quality."

The Pebble is compatible with Android and iOS devices via accompanying apps that push notifications and let you access stripped-down versions of favorite apps like Foursquare, Yelp, or ESPN.

Sony has a similar device with its sleek SmartWatch 2 $144.00 at Amazon, but the device is limited to Android and it lacks call functionality. Qualcomm is also selling a limited number of Toq smartwatches (above) $225.27 at Amazon that sync with Android smartphones and offer multiple-day battery life and Mirasol display technology.