2014 Wearable tech, Smartwatch and Fitness Tracker Ultimate Buyer's Guide

If you're looking for tech gift ideas, the smart watch makes an excellent holiday gift for 2014 as there is now a different style of smart watch available for all ages. For this gift guide we are focusing on which type of smartwatch makes a great gift for your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, teen, and even kids.

Buying Tip - iPhone vs Android Smartwatch Compatibility



One of the most important deciding factors on what smartwatch to buy depends on what type of phone you have. Most smartwatches will require a smartphone in order to operate to their full potential. There are only a few smart watch that are compatible with iPhone iOS, while many more are available for Android phones. Let’s break it down:

iPhone Compatible Smartwatch

Apple Watch (not yet available!)

Pebble

Pebble Steel

Martian Smartwatch

Android Compatible Smartwatch

Moto 360

Asus ZenWatch

Pebble

Pebble Steel

Sony Smartwatch 3

LG Watch R

LG Watch

Samsung Gear Live

Best “Bang for your Buck” Smartwatch

iPhone or Android - Pebble

The pebble is the first and classic smartwatch, it's battle tested and has millions of users has -- great functions and apps for a great price of $99



Asus ZenWatch (Android Only)

For only $199 the Zenwatch is a new premium smartwatch that has tons of great features and a great design.



Pros:

- Stylish design

- Thin profile

- Excellent display resolution, brightness and viewing angels

- Heart rate sensor

- Compatible with any 22mm watch band

Cons:

- Clunky charger

- Poorly located power button

Most Stylish Smartwatch

Pebble Steel (iPhone / Android Compatible)

The Pebble Steel is a simple yet elegant, feature packed smartwatch that looks good on any wrist.



Price $150 - $199

Pros:

- Durable, solid steel design

- Excellent battery life - 7 days

- Fully compatible with iPhone and Android

- Fashionable, elegant and stylish

- Plenty of Apps available

Cons:

- Few band/strap options

Moto 360 (Android Only)

The Moto 360 is a stylish Android smartwatch with a sharp design, circular display, and packs plenty of features.



Price: $249 - $329

Pros:

- Stylish design, looks like a regular watch

- Lightweight and comfortable

- Heart rate tracker

- Qi Wireless charging

Cons:

- Short battery life

- Few moto 360 compatible band and straps

- Back of watch can easily crack

Fitness Watches, Trackers, Bands and Sleep Trackers

The best smartwatch for runners and sports are fitness trackers and sports bands. The best part is that they are slim, light weight, resistant and they are compatible with both iPhone and Android. Here are the best fitness bands available to purchase:

Withings Activite (iPhone Only, Android support soon)

This is the fitness smartwatch in disguise! A true premium analog watch that syncs to your iPhone via Bluetooth.



Price - $450

Pros:

- Swiss Made stainless steel

- Sapphire Glass

- 1 year battery life

- Waterproof 5atm

- Vibrate alarm

Cons:

- Expensive!

- Only has 1 feature - track steps

- Hard to replace battery

Basis Peak (Android / iPhone)

The basis peak is the one of the best fitness trackers available with excellent heart-rate sensor accuracy and sleep tracking functions.



Price - $199

Pros:

- Looks like normal sports watch

- Excellent battery life

- Comfortable to wear

- Very accurate heart rate tracking

- Industry leading sleep tracking

- Waterproof to 5ATM

Cons:

- No smartphone notifications (coming soon)

- Doesn't track distance

- Limited features

Garmin Vivosmart (Android Only)

The Garmin Vivosmart is small and sleek, and makes a great fitness tracker smartwatch combo.



Price - $170

Pros:

- Makes a great smartwatch + Fitness combo

- Excellent battery life

- Accurate fitness tracking

- Automatically adjusts daily step goals based on activity

- Reminds you to get up and walk around

Cons:

- Easily scratches

- Can't delete/archive notifications from band

- Can be uncomfortable to sleep or wear for long time

- Only works with certain Android phones

Android / iPhone - Jawbone Up24

The Jawbone is the most popular and go-to fitness band. It's simple, easy to use, slim and stylish.



Price - $79.99

Pros:

- Super slim and stylish

- 7 day battery life

- Silent vibrate alarm

Cons:

- Not waterproof

- No screen

Samsung Gear Fit (Only for Samsung phones)

The Samsung Gear Fit looks very high-tech design with many features, yet still has it's few quirks



Price - $149.99

Pros:

- Heart rate tracker

- Brilliant, curved AMOLED touch screen

Cons:

- Only works with Samsung phones!

- Can't download apps

- Hard to read texts and messages

Microsoft Band (iPhone / Android / Microsoft Phone compatible)

Microsoft band is another fitness band, but there's better ones available.



TomTom Runner Cardio

- Works on iOS, Android and Windows Phone- Heart rate tracker- Built in GPS for running- Awkward design, uncomfortable to wear- Poor battery life- Not waterproof

This is a powerful fitness watch that is perfect for runners.



Price - $400

Pros:

- Tought and durable

- Accurate heart rate monitor with zones features

- Built in GPS

- 8 Hour battery life

Cons:

- Large and bulky

- Expensive

Smartwatch for Women and Girls

Apple Watch (iPhone only - release 2015)

Even though the Apple Watch is not yet available until 2015, Apple has clearly thought about women for this product. The watch will have a small and large version, including an edition in 18k gold or rose.



Gold Moto 360 (Android only)

The Gold Moto 360 is available for purchase for $329. The slim bracelet makes a great smartwatch for women. Keep in mind the watch face itself is still fairly large and may feel large. However if you already wear a watch like a Michael Kors this would be a similar feel.



Best Smartwatch for Skinny Wrists

iPhone / Android - Pebble Steel

Android Only - Moto 360 with Slim band

Standalone Smartwatch

Samsung Gear S

This smartwatch is similar to the other Samsung Gear devices, except it has the ability of being a standalone device.



Best Smartwatch for Kids

- Dual Core 1Ghz Processor- 3G Connectivity- Internal GPS / Built-in Wifi- 512mb RAM- 4GB storage

Let's not forget the kids now, they want the smartwatch more than anyone! Besides, these are great to track your kid so that you don't forget them at the park and gives the ability for them call you easily and quickly from their wrist. Here are the 3 best smartwatch for kids available:

FiLip 2

The FiLip 2 is the newest version of the kid smartwatch from FiLip. The new version has an improved design.



Price: $99

*$10/mnth data plan required

Pros:

- Embedded GPS tracker

- 3G Connectivity for calls - 5 trusted phone numbers

- Emergency button

- Easily expand/shorten bracelet

- 2 day battery life

Cons:

- Requires data plan

- Bulky design

Jumpy

Jumpy is a kid friendly smartwatch that is currently crowd sourcing on Kickstarter.



Features:

- Connects to the parent's smartwatch to keep tabs on their child

- Supports both iOS and Android smartphones.

- Messaging tool, activity reminder and wrist controller for Bluetooth

toys.

- Detachable Core Unit

- Pre-installed educational gaming app which allow kids using JUMPY

to interact with other users of JUMPY.

Kidizoom

The VTech Kidizoom Smartwatch is rather a camera watch that also functions like a watch



Price: $59.99

Pros:

- Fun, easy to use

- Solid, durable design

- Not expensive

Cons:

- Poor battery life

- Power button hard to push