Best Wearables of 2015
The last year has definitely been the year of the wearable tech where these portable devices went from the realms of sci-fi movies to the everyday gadget category. From smartwatches to activity trackers to virtual reality headsets, this year has seen them all. Here's a look back at some of the best of the year.
SMARTWATCHES
The smartwatches have definitely been the most widely anticipated wearable device of the year and all the big names are involved in the trend. The Apple Watch was perhaps the most keenly anticipated while makers such as LG have received rave reviews of their products.
GOOD NEWS FOR MOBILE APP DEVELOPERS
So what is the benefit of the smartwatch for us ordinary people? Firstly, the smartwatch isn't just a standalone gadget – the Apple Watch, for example, works alongside your iPhone. This means there are a lot of mobile apps that work with the watch and a great deal of connectivity between the two. This proved to be good news for iOS app developers who feared they might be cut out of this new tech but in fact have a host of new opportunities with Apple Watch Development.
Plus, some of the smartwatches aren't just multi-functional – they look the part too. The LG Watch Urbane is one that gets mentions for its look, as does the Huawei Watch. Many of the watches make use of Android Wear for their apps and hardware so there is again that sense of familiarity with the smartphone.
FITNESS TRACKERS
Whether you call them fitness trackers, activity trackers or health monitors, there are plenty of these devices to pick from. If you are primarily interested in heart monitoring, the Fitbit comes in top and also has sleep monitoring, step tracking and a stopwatch facility for those workouts.
The Jawbone UP2 gets top ratings for overall great features and includes a smart alarm as well as looking great on the wrist. For running fans, the Microsoft Band is highly rated and is very comfortable to wear while it has the most impressive GPS connectivity of any of the fitness trackers.
If you aren't a fan of wrist devices, then the Moov Now straps to your leg and works with your smartphone to offer advanced training plans. As well as being able to work for swimming, it also excels at running and cycling as well as offering step tracking and sleep tracker features.
VR HEADSETS
The virtual reality headsets are straight from a sci-fi show and arrived in numbers in 2015. The HTC Valve is said to be one of the best on the market and has two 1080 x 1200 resolution screens, offering the highest resolution displays on the market. It also tracks movement using two sensors that are wall mounted.
The Oculus Rift has been put back to a quarter one release for next year but has been a hot topic all year. After a $2bn buyout from Facebook, the headset maker has partnered with Samsung to create the new headset. It has 360-degree head tracking LED's as well as high resolution screens for those elite gamers.