Wearable technology was a major theme at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as companies were putting their latest products and innovations on display. Recently, the product category of smart watches and other wearable tech gadgets has become increasingly popular, especially among fitness enthusiasts.
While CES may have featured some future products to come later this year, there are several great options for sport smart watches and fitness trackers on the market right now. While many other options exist, we will focus on comparing three of the best options available today: the Nike+ Fuelband SE, the Pebble Watch, and the Fitbit Force.
Nike+ Fuelband SE
Nike’s latest version of its fitness gadget has been a welcomed improvement from previous versions. The Fuelband SE brings Bluetooth 4.0 to the device, a technology many of these fitness devices rely on, and improved durability, allowing you to wear the device while in the shower.
However, the biggest draw to this device is its design. The Fuelband snaps comfortably and securely around your wrist and the LED screen on the rubberized black band is elegant and futuristic. There is also a meter below the time display, lit up with colorful LED’s showing the user his or her Fuel number for the day. The Fuel number is part of Nike’s system of Fuel points, which takes into account the number of steps you have taken and the rate of your movement. It is paired with a variety of Nike apps including the Nike+ running apps and its own dedicated Fuelband app.
The idea behind the Fuel point system is to encourage and motivate users to reach goals and integrated social aspects of the Nike+ system, such as Facebook syncing, to help inspire some friendly competition among friends. One drawback to the device however is its exclusivity to iOS. If you have an Android device you are out of luck.
The Nike Fuelband SE comes in a variety of colors on the underside of the band, and costs $149.
Pebble Watch
While the Nike Fuelband is more of a dedicated fitness device, the Pebble Watch embraces the more traditional smart watch concept. Notifications from your phone are instantly pushed to the watch, health apps are available for fitness purposes, and both iOS and Android devices are supported. There are also a variety of retro clock faces to choose from and like the Fuelband, it is water resistant, allowing you to wear it in the shower.
The Pebble Watch has a very simple, minimalist design with a 1.26-inch “E-Paper” display and comes in a choice of three colors, red, black, or white. However the plastic look of the device may be a turn off for some people. The display is not a touch screen, instead using four buttons on the side of the watch for navigating the device.
As of now, the Pebble watch is better for screening notifications from your smartphone than it is for using the compatible applications. The smartwatch uses Bluetooth technology to display incoming caller ID, text messages, email, weather alerts and more. Apps also play a big role in the functionality of the smartwatch. Runners and cyclists can use Pebble apps to show their distance, speed, and pace as well as the music control app to pause or change the music on their phone.
While Pebble touts these apps and various others that can be used with the smartwatch, many are still in the works and not currently available. Another drawback when compared with other wearables on the market is the watch’s battery life, which lasts only for two days before needing a charge.
However, being launched along side the new Pebble Steel, which was just announced at CES 2014, is an official app store for the device that will be arriving by the “end of January,” according to CEO Eric Migicovsky. The company has partnered with ESPN, Pandora, Mercedes Benz, and others, launching an ecosystem of applications to add further functionality to the smartwatch.
The Pebble Steel is essentially a design upgrade, moving away from the plastic look of the older version, offering a brushed stainless steel model and a black matte model as well. It also includes a new LED indicator light when a notification is coming through.
The new Pebble Steel comes with a price increase as well, starting at $249 whereas the original Pebble is still available, costs $150, and will still be able to run the upcoming app store.
Fitbit Force
The Fitbit Force is another fitness focused wearable, with a slick bracelet like design and a bright OLED screen. While the Nike Fuelband has a circular band design and the Pebble watch mimics a traditional watch style, the Fitbit is closer to the Fuelband’s end of the spectrum with a band like design, however with a more boxlike shape compared with Nike’s curved design.
Like the Pebble, the Fitbit Force has a physical button to control what is on the screen. The device features a small but bright OLED screen, displaying the time and all of the fitness data it tracks including miles run, steps taken, and calories burned. The built in accelerometer measures how many steps the user takes and can also tell how many stairs you have climbed.
Another interesting feature is that the Fitbit can track the minutes of the day in which you are most active. One feature of the Fitbit Force that is missing in both the Pebble Watch and the Nike Fuelband SE is the ability to track the duration and quality of your sleep. As with the other devices, the Fitbit uses Bluetooth to sync wirelessly with both iOS and Android smartphones. However because it utilizes the newer Bluetooth 4.0, this wireless syncing is only available on the iPhone 4s and up and the Galaxy S3, S4, and Galaxy Note 2.
The Fitbit’s battery life is impressive for most users, outshining the Pebble Watch with 7 to 10 days of runtime. The Fitbit is also the least expensive option of the three with a price of $129.99.
Conclusion
When it comes down to it, you will have to decide what features are most important to you and what functionality you favor. If you place more of an emphasis on being able to check notifications from your smartphone at a glance and are not a big fitness enthusiast, the Pebble is probably your best bet. For someone focused more on fitness and staying active, the Fitbit Force is hard to beat. With a lower cost and a more complete feature set than the Nike Fuelband SE, it is a great choice for those looking to track all of their activity and stay motivated every day.