Welcome to Tech Corner Thursday! Today I’m going to be talking about ‘Smart Wearable’ technology. What the heck is ‘Smart Wearable’ technology? Who is it for? And why does it matter?!
Smart Wearable tech is anything you can wear that has a tiny computer in it. The Fitbit was the first product to really break this market open. Fitbit is a ‘fitness tracker’ – which basically means it is able to track all of your steps, your heart rate, and your sleep. Combined with the Fitbit app on your phone, the tech is able to get a pretty good idea of how much exercise you are getting. Having a Fitbit has been incredibly helpful for me personally. It is common that I get to about 1 PM and look at the app to realize I only have about 1,000 steps for the day and I better get my rear out for a walk now if I am going to eat that pecan pie after dinner.
Fast forward a few years and the most popular product in this category right now is the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch added a ton of functionality that products like the Fitbit never had, such as texting, calling, tap to pay, as well as the step count, heart rate, and sleep tracking the Fitbit has. Essentially, wearing an Apple Watch is like having a second phone… strapped to your wrist.
I personally have avoided the Apple Watch because I just don’t need any additional distractions in my life – and a watch that is constantly trying to give me text messages, notifications, and spam calls sounds like a nightmare. A product like the Fitbit Inspire 3 is basically like a little watch that can track my steps and keep my distractions at a minimum (and I only have to charge mine about 3 times per month).
A newer and super cool line of products are ‘Smart Rings’ – which are exactly what they sound like. Actual rings that can pair with your phone and track all your steps, your sleep, and more. I have not personally tried one, but from everything I have read, the Oura Ring is supposed to be the best right now.
Smart rings are appealing to me because they are simply just a ring. The lack of a screen means minimaI battery drain, so less time charging. I know I will be getting one of these to try soon because there are no screens on these rings at all – perfect for me wanting to avoid distractions!
The bottom line: Smart Wearable technology can be for you if you are trying to get in better shape or lose weight, if you are a fitness lover, or just love stats.
The ability to track your steps, heart rate, and sleep daily and chart your activity over days, weeks, months, and years is a really powerful tool for being a healthier person.
I can say my sleep over the last 5 years has vastly improved, and it’s mostly because every time I felt like crap in the morning, I would look at my app to see how much sleep I got. Lo’ and behold, any time I got under 7 hours I felt terrible! It may be obvious for a lot of you, but having hard data to look at can be really helpful to see health related issues more clearly.
Whatever the product you decide on, I think giving a smart wearable product a try is a good idea. I do personally recommend the Fitbit Inspire 3, just because it is simple, has a long battery life, and not expensive.
And, within the next decade, smart wearable products should be able to detect and diagnose heart attacks and other issues. So getting comfortable with how to use this technology now could save your life one day!!