CES 2015 Roundup: The Best Wearables from Samsung, Lenovo, Garmin, Swarovski, Montblanc, and More
The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in Las Vegas this week, has revealed the best in smartwatches, smart jewelry and high-tech wearables. Nearly every fashion accessory you can image is offered with advanced electronic technologies.
Forget the limited functionality and clunky appearance of yesterday's wearables. The wearables featured at CES 2015 merge high-tech performance with high-class aesthetics. There are gadgets to track nearly anything you can think of, including your sleep and your pet, and fitness devices that keep you motivated.
Let's take a look at some of the most innovative wearable technology to debut at CES 2015:
- Lenovo Vibe Band VB10. On Monday at CES, Lenovo announced its Vibe Band VB10, the company's most recent smartwatch and fitness tracker. The device's e-ink display ensures phone notifications, social media alerts and SMS messaging is always visible, even in the sunlight. The wristband tracks steps walked, distance, calories burned and your sleep habits. It comes with Bluetooth connectivity and the battery lasts for seven days before needing a charge. What sets the Lenovo Vibe Band VB10 apart from the rest is the $89 price tag. It will be available in U.S. stores April 2015.
- Garmin Vivofit 2. Garmin debuted its newest Vivofit model, the Vivofit 2, as a personal motivator. It is a fitness tracker meant to be worn continuously as it monitors the user's activities and gives an alert when it senses the wearer needs to get exercise. Its key feature is a red bar that fills for every minute the wearer is sedentary. Once it fills completely, the Vivofit 2 sounds an alert that it is time to get active. The Vivofit 2's backlit display remains on at all times to show steps taken, calories burned and more. The Vivofit 2 will retail at $130 along with a heart rate monitor version that will cost $170.
- Montblanc e-Strap. If you like the look of a luxury wristwatch but want the technology of a digital smartwatch, Montblanc has launched the e-Strap which has a screen on the underside of the wrist strap. The leather e-Strap looks nice with a carbon fiber texture. It features a 0.9-inch 128 x 36 resolution OLED touchscreen in a casing made from carbon-coated steel. The e-Strap can track the wearer's activity as well as give screen and vibration notifications for calls, social media, messages, reminders and more via Bluetooth 4.0. Users can also control their phone's music player or camera from the e-Strap. The company claims the e-Strap battery lasts for five days. Charging can be done by the same micro-USB used to charge most Android phones. The device works with both iPhone and Android. It is shock and water resistant. It will be available in a wide selection of sizes and colors. The e-Strap has an expected retail price of $300. If purchased as part of the TimeWalker collection expect a price in the $3,400 to $8,400 range.
- Samsung Gear Circle. Samsung's contribution to the wearable jewelry market is the Gear Circle. The Gear Circle is like no other wearable device on the market. It's a pair of headphones that users wear like a necklace. The sides of the headphones have touch controls for music. The device has a magnetic lock which clasps around the wear's neck when not in use. It can be paired with a smartphone through a Bluetooth 3.0 connection to receive calls, listen to music and make voice commands, according to Samsung. The vibrate function signals the user to incoming calls and notifications. Samsung claims the 180-mAh battery can last up to 11 hours of continuous use or 300 hours on standby. It charges via microUSB and supports Wi-Fi. Pricing has not been announced. Blue and white versions of the Gear Circle will be released in October.
- Swarovski Shine. Misfit and Swarovski have partnered to introduce new wearable jewelry in the Swarovski Shine collection. It is a marriage of Swarovski's crystal jewelry design and Misfit's wireless and sleep tracking technology that syncs with smartphones. The technology automatically tracks the user's steps, calories burned, distance, and sleep pattern. There are different stylish sets to choose from. Each set comes with two interchangeable bands that range from a crystal-studded fabric or silicone band, and a waterproof sport band. Each design has a large faceted crystal integrated into Misfit's hardware. Battery included. The sets are priced $169.99 to $249.99 and are available for pre-order in the U.S. on Misfit's website.
- Tagg GPS Plus Pet Tracker. Pet owners who have wanted a device to help locate their dog after he jumps the fence may find a solution with Tagg's GPS-enabled pet tracker. Tagg unveiled a revamped version of their pet tracker at CES 2015. The updated version not only tracks a pet's whereabouts but alerts if a pet is experiencing unhealthy levels of heat or cold. The device comes with a battery that Tagg says will only require charging a few times a month. The updated smart collar is to be paired with the updated Tagg smartphone app. The launch date has not been announced. It will have an introductory retail price of $99.99 with the price increasing to $119.99.
Check back for CES 2015 updates. The trade show continues until Jan. 9.
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