By Rohan Ramaswamy

A Smartwatch is exactly what the title says. It provides the basic functions of a smartphone, on a watch. A basic Smartwatch allows you to make or receive calls, check the weather, get emails, access the calendar, and much more. It is suggested that 2013 may be the ‘year of the Smartwatch’ since most of us have switch to smartphones running Android, iOS or Windows Phone OS, which are compatible with smart watches. So without further ado, here are my picks of the best Smartwatches released in 2013:

4. Samsung Galaxy Gear

You may be surprised to see the Samsung Galaxy Gear at the last position, however, the Smartwatch failed to impress. The galaxy gear is made out of premium brushed metal and has a black rubber strap which makes it an attractive watch whilst being comfortable. It is also is available in multiple colours. The watch connects with your Note 3 via Bluetooth.

The good:

1. A high density AMOLED screen
2. Good battery life
3. Camera
4. Available in a variety of colours.

The Galaxy Gear falls short in the following aspects:

1. It lacks apps, the only thing it’s really useful for is seeing incoming calls
2. It isn’t waterproof and is very fragile
3. It currently only works with the Note 3
4. It costs more than any other Smartwatch(₹21,000))

3. Sony Smartwatch

This Apple Ipod nano sized watch draws attention to itself with its sleek and stylish design. It’s lightweight and very portable. The watchstraps are available in a wide variety of colours.

Pros:

1. It’s is compatible with almost all Android phones
2. Has a large array of features and functions
3. Good and strong Bluetooth connectivity
4. Sleek design

Cons:

1. No compatibility with iOS or Windows Phone.
2. Needs an active connection with phone, even to keep time.
3. Display is too dim to be read in sunlight
4. Poor battery performance

2. Sony Smartwatch 2

Sony did bring significant improvements over its previous Smartwatch, without a radical increase in price. A few improvements include revamped waterproof deign with IP certification, NFC, etc. However, clearly not enough improvements to make it the best.

Pros:

1. Unlike other watches all the data such as email and other updates is displayed in real time
2. Waterproof
3. Stylish, with a classy, minimalistic design
4. NFC

Cons:

1. Unimpressive screen, seems washed out in comparison to its competitors.
2. Difficult to setup on non-Xperia phones.
3. Barely a day’s battery life
4. No iOS or Windows Phone support

1. Pebble/ Pebble Steel

The Pebble is a Smartwatch which featured on Kickstarter and one of the first to feature an e-paper display, similar to those found on the Amazon Kindle. Being one the few to be as functional as fashionable the Pebble and the upgraded metal body with gorilla glass Pebble steel are one of the best Smartwatches that you can currently but in the market.

Pros:

1. Good-looking, built with the best of materials
2. Waterproof up to 5ATM
3. Has an e-paper display, which is viewable even in sunlight and remains on all the time.
4. Large number of apps and compatible with iOS and Android

Cons:

1. Can only hold 8 apps at a time
2. Highly variable battery life
3. No touchscreen
4. No colour display