Planning to buy a smart watch, fitness tracker? Maybe you should read this first

Phones that double as twoway radios braceletwatches that track your every move shoes that are almost sentient in terms of their ability to guide you to your destination mdash no this isnt a Dick Tracy strip or an episode from The Jetsons but real devices that can help you to get fitter get more productive sleep better help you juggle between work and play and keep you safe Welcome to the world of wearable technology where devices monitor you and communicate with other devices in a bid to improve your quality of lifeThe term wearable tech is somewhat nebulous mdash depending on how you look at it However the definition has been recently updated to include devices that use smart sensors and a web connection usually with the help of Bluetooth to connect wirelessly to your smartphone As per data released by the International Data Corporation wearable technology has been welcomed with open arms by Indian users mdash 25 million units were shipped in 2016 alone with most purchased devices coming from the under50 segmentYet these devices come with their drawbacks where detractors point to high costs poor manufacturing standards weak battery life privacy concerns and the hype that makes it easy to lose perspective about whether the device is meant for you or not Eight city readers play reviewers and share more about the devices that they swear bySafety trackersDivya Punjabi 52 Culture Custodian at a playschool chainSafety is a growing concern for children especially in light of recent events Being able to track your child is especially important and devices like the Hug Smartwatch let you do that You can tell if your child is at home at school or at the creche Being aware of where your children are at all times is especially important in todays times However parents must understand that monitoring has its limits mdashit is equally important to educate children to protect themselvesProductivity enhancersMihir Manker 37 founder of brand consulting companyPebble Time appealed to me because I was seeking to reduce the number of instances I looked at my phones screen I liked that it lets me know who is calling and who has messagedSince I am less distracted by my phone it has made me more productive It also has great battery life Since I was not too keen on fitness tracking or health monitoring the change in focus after Pebble was acquired by FitBit has reduced its appeal I also liked its affordability Features such as notifications from specific numbers or callers could be enabled which would enhance its usabilitySmartwatchesPriyanka Desai 29 consultantI am addicted to the Apple Watch Series 3 I no longer miss calls or messages Ive used it to book cabs and flights for surfing the web and answering emails for recording my steps in a day for reminding myself to drink enough water and for deepbreathing exercises Its akin to wearing a virtual assistant My lone observation is that if it sported a stylish and functional design more women would be hooked to itNavid Dave 24 IT professionalI like that my Fossil Smartwatch looks like an ordinary watch and complements my office wardrobe It allows me to check who is calling or messaging me without reaching for my phone The watch also has the ability to sense when I am exercising The downside though is that I cannot answer calls on the watch and must eventually pull out my phone The watch also has poor battery life mdash it has to be charged every day Since it uses Bluetooth to connect with your phone it also drains your phones battery I use the phone when I remember to charge itFitness trackersBedarshi Saha 29 marketing professionalI bought my Goqii on an offer from my bank which brought down the price of the device considerably and also gave me the added incentive of credit card points if I completed 70000 steps in a week I like the apps personalised coaching sessions which can be availed through the phone app and online It serves as motivation to get fitI have been using my Goqii for nearly 10 months now However the coaching is free for only six months and is a paid feature after that I did not renew the coaching since I find that it doesnt give you the kind of personal attention that an actual trainer would give you All in all Goqii works better as a way to get more from your exercise routine mdash whether in terms of punctuality intensity or insightsSalonee Sanghvi Doshi 29 food bloggerI was apprehensive about spending too much money on a device that I would have to wear continuously which made the Mi Band priced under 1000 perfect for me I was surprised by how comfortable it is It does a pretty good job of tracking my steps and I like the sleep monitoring feature although Im not too sure about its accuracy it is I have been using my Mi band for almost a year nowSiddesh Jain 26entrepreneurI bought my FitBit Charge 2 last February I like its Nudge feature which reminds you to take 250 steps every hour It also has a Calm feature that reminds you to deeply inhale and exhale which in turn reduces stress I use the device to track my exercises I feed my goals into the device check how much progress I am making and also measure my calorie intake and expenditure It has helped me gain weight which was my aim I bought the FitBit on sale the price can otherwise be a little inhibitiveSushma Iyer 33counselling psychologistThe TomTom helps me track my steps and monitor my heart rate while I am on the move It also assesses my body composition in terms of fat and muscle percentage which is quite a useful feature I am very happy with the device and also the companys customer care The strap of my device broke twice and the company replaced it within a day They informed me that the issue was with the material of the strap which could not tolerate the humid weather conditions in India I liked that fact that the company was upfront and honest about their productCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking 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