Wearables, specifically smartwatches and smart bands have
come a long way. And although manufacturers haven’t perfected the design of
these devices, their functionality and design have greatly improved over the
past 2 years. And in 2015, wearables are positioned to take the spotlight from
smartphones as almost every major manufacturer has announced its own wrist-worn
device.
HTC GRIP
Designed for mid-level and pro athletes, the HTC Grip comes
in three sizes – small, medium and large, although there’s a metal extender that
lets users adjust the band for a comfortable fit.
The band features a 1.8-inch PM-OLED display with a
resolution of 32x160 pixels. It also comes with built-in GPS, a battery that can
last up to 2 days (if the GPS is inactive), a soft-touch and contoured material
and IP57 certification.
As with other smart devices, the HTC grip it shows various
information to users including time, date, the weather, alarms and even music
controls. HTC plans to sell the device sometime in Q2 2015 for around $199.
Pebble Time Steel
Pebble has made a surprise move this week by announcing a
new version of its newest smartwatch at MWC. The new watch as the name suggest
is made from steel (316L stainless steel to be specific) and can be partnered
with either a leather or steel band.
The device will have almost identical specs as the basic Pebble
Time except that the metal version will have a better battery that can last
up to 10 days. The Pebble Time Steel is now available on Kickstarter for $250
(will be $300 upon retail). Moreover, early backers of the Pebble Time can
choose to upgrade to the steel version.
Acer Liquid Leap+
Acer has decided it wants to upgrade the Liquid Leap fitness
band that it announced last year at Computex
by announcing the Liquid Leap+ at Mobile World Congress.
The fitness band comes with a 1-inch OLED display that is
completely touch-operated. Acer has also equipped the new Liquid Leap+ with a
new design that allows for interchangeable straps, and the company claims the
device can last up to 5 days on a single charge.
Just like the original Liquid Leap, the device will serve
various data to users including notifications and provide users with a remote
control function for their phone’s music library.
Huawei Watch and TalkBand
B2
Huawei on the other hand has announced two wearables at MWC
this week. The first one was the TalkBand B2 which replaces the TalkBand
B1 that the company announced last year. It features a 0.73-inch PMOLED
touch screen that provides the usual bundle of notifications and fitness data.
Just like its predecessor, the TalkBand B2’s main unit can
be detached from the band and converted into a wireless headset. Huawei claims
the device can last up to 5 days on a single charge and will be available in
three different color options: black, silver and champagne.
Then there’s the Huawei Watch, a round-faced Android Wear
device that goes head to head with LG’s recently announced Watch
Urbane. The device is made from cold-forge stainless steel and can come in
different band options including leather, metal mesh and fabric, which are
interchangeable.
The Watch sports a 1.4-inch AMOLED display with a 400 x 400
pixel resolution and covered by a layer of sapphire crystal. It also has a
built-in heart rate monitor that works with the company’s own app, a 6-axis
motion tracker, a barometer, a vibration motor and a 300mAh battery (that can
last up to 2 days depending on usage).
There’s no word on availability yet for both devices, but
price has been revealed for the TalkBand B2, which will retail for around $194.
