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Wearable tech is a massive trend in 2020. From fitness trackers to wearable speakers, he are some of the best examples of wearable technology this year.
Table of Contents
Smartwatches
Smartwatches are arguably the most well-known examples of wearable technology around the world. They can easily be integrated with smartphones using an associated app specific to them. This connectivity can allow you to use your smartwatch to communicate through your phone, such as sending or receiving a message. Modern smartwatches have almost all the features that you would expect from a smartphone. Most smartwatches also come with fitness tracking features so, you can also use them as fitness trackers.
- GPS + Cellular model lets you call, text, and get directions without your phone (Supported providers: EE, O2 and Vodafone. Apple Watch and iPhone service provider must be the same)
- Measure your blood oxygen with an all-new sensor and app
- Check your heart rhythm with the ECG app
- The Always-On Retina display is 2.5x brighter outdoors when your wrist is down
- S6 SiP is up to 20% faster than Series 5
If you are looking for a smartwatch, you will find two big smartwatch brands dominating the scene, namely Apple and Samsung. However, some other brands can give you better value for your money. A decent smartwatch will cost you around $100-$400 depending on its brand and features. Here are the best smartwatches under £1000.
Fitness Trackers
Fitness trackers are similar to smartwatches but still different. They are more focused on fitness-related features rather than smartphone or smartwatch features. However, the difference between smartwatches and fitness trackers have narrowed down in recent years. Fitness trackers have different tools you can use to track fitness measurements such as steps taken, heart rate, calories tracking, blood pressure, etc. Besides, you will find most fitness trackers also have other features that are not related to fitness.
- Get continuous, wrist-based heart rate tracking and simplified heart rate zones
- Track steps, distance, calories burned, active minutes, hourly activity and stationary time
- Automatically track your sleep quality and wake up peacefully with a silent alarm
- Automatically recognizes select activities and records them in the exercise section of the Fitbit app
- Battery life up to 7 days so you can track all day and night without needing a charge
The biggest brand in fitness trackers is Fitbit, although some other less famous brands have valuable fitness trackers as well, such as Huawei, Xiaomi and Honor. Read here about the benefits of a Fitbit. You can get a fitness tracker for as low as $25, while some others may cost you above $100.
Wearable Speakers
Technically speaking, wearable speakers are headphones. However, unlike headphones, they do not cover your ears. The speakers in wearable speakers are close to your inner ear, which can give you an experience similar to wearing headphones. There are many types of wearable speakers that you can choose from, for example, shoulder strap speakers, vest speakers or the most common type neckband speakers.
- SAFE - Listen to your favourite music whilst staying aware of your surroundings. Every-day uses include cycling, walking the dog, commuting, gaming, housework etc
- ULTRA-LIGHT - weighing just 88g you will forget you are even wearing the Sound Partner
- 14HR PLAYTIME (up to) - the Sound Partner holds enough charge to last for most of the day. With rapid re-charging in less than 2 1/2 hrs you wont be without your music for long
- HANDS-FREE CALLING - Voice Assistant compatible and with 2 built-in microphones, making calls is easy and won't slow you down
- ACCESSIBILITY - assisting those who are hard of hearing when paired with the included USB Bluetooth Transmitter, stream live audio from the TV (or other device) to up to 2 Sound Partner devices
Almost all top brand headphone manufacturers also make wearable speakers. You can choose a wearable speaker from your favourite brand or go for an unknown brand. The brand of the speaker will also set the price for it. You can get a wearable speaker between $25-$300.
Workout Earphones
If you are using your regular earphones during your workouts, then you are doing it wrong. Workout earphones have specific designs to meet your workout needs and have a design element that allows them to stick to your ear longer. On the other hand, regular earphones may not come with the same goal in mind. Some workout earphones may also come with water resistance for when you are swimming or near water.
Similar to wearable speakers, most well-known earphone brands also manufacture workout earphones. The price of these earphones will mainly depend on its brand. You can get workout earphones for as low as $25.
Oculus Quest
The Oculus Quest is a virtual reality headset created by Oculus VR, which is associated with Facebook Technologies. Oculus Quest is one of the best VR headsets you can find out there and is a significant improvement over its predecessor, the Oculus Go. Its main goal is to allow users to play virtual reality games, including top titles such as Beat Saber, Superhot VR, Robo Recall, etc. It also comes with second-generation Oculus Touch controllers.
- Keep your experience smooth and seamless, even as high-speed action unfolds around you, with a super-fast processor and high-resolution display
- Experience total immersion with 3D positional audio, hand tracking and haptic feedback, working together to make virtual worlds feel real
- Explore an expanding universe of over 250 titles across gaming, fitness, social/multiplayer and entertainment, including exclusive blockbuster releases and totally unique VR experiences
- Travel universes in blockbuster fantasies, scare yourself witless in horror adventures or collaborate with colleagues in innovative workspaces
- Come together in incredible social spaces and multiplayer arenas as you take in live events with friends and family, find your new workout crew or join quests with fellow adventurers
There Oculus Quest does get some tough competition from the Sony PlayStation VR and some other high-end brands but is still a popular choice. You can get the latest Oculus Quest 2 for about $300, although it may not be available on the official store due to high demand.
Audio Sunglasses
Another popular wearable technology is audio sunglasses. They can act as both sunglasses and earphones. Usually, you can listen to music through bone conduction, which means you hear it through vibrations in your bones. It can result in much better sound quality and lower sound leakage. Some of these audio sunglasses may also come with speakers rather than using bone conduction. Audio sunglasses are a unique technology, although, not rare.
You can get audio glasses from any well-known earphone manufacturer, although some brands have specialized the art of making audio sunglasses. Despite the advanced technology, you can get decent audio sunglasses for as low as $50.
Wireless Headsets
Wireless headsets have been an everyday wearable technology for years now. They allow you to connect to any device via Bluetooth and listen to anything you want, without worrying about cable management. If you think wireless headsets are just necessary when travelling, then that is not entirely true. Most people are getting rid of their cabled headsets in favour of wireless headsets. Wireless headsets are also very popular among gamers.
Wireless headsets aren’t much different from cabled ones. Therefore, they also come from the same manufacturers. However, some manufacturers specialize in specific wireless headsets, for example, for gaming. Similarly, there isn’t much of a price difference between wireless headsets and wired ones. Usually, they cost as low as $20 but can go up to $300 and above.
Do you have any examples of Wearable Technology? Please share your thoughts below in the comments.
You might also like to read about Smart Home Ideas and Gold wireless Beats headphones.
