Name: Samsung Gear Live
What it is: an Android Wear touchscreen Bluetooth (4.0 low energy) watch that is water and dust resistant. Its 1.63-inch color display features Samsung’s screen technology that makes a display bright using less energy than most LED screens. It reflects less light for better visibility outside and doesn’t need a backlight to see it in the dark. Gear Live pairs with smartphones running Android 4.3 OS or higher and delivers app notifications from my phone, including texts, emails, social media updates, flight notifications, etc. The watch has a built-in accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, pedometer and heart-rate monitor. It is available in black or “wine red” and weighs 2 ounces. The latest Android Wear software update added wrist gestures along with Wi-Fi connectivity without your phone: http://www.android.com/wear.
The good: Gear Live puts a personal assistant on my wrist that is available with my voice or with a tap of its vivid color touchscreen. I can speak, tap or swipe to read and respond to emails, dictate notes, play music, etc. When exploring a city, I can ask Google Maps for step-by-step walking directions without pulling out my phone. Gear Live will open Twitter and other apps on my phone. I can ask: “OK, Google, will I need an umbrella today?” to get a weather report or “How long will it take me to drive to Malibu?” for a traffic report. Its built-in pedometer and heart-rate monitor also are great for working out on vacation.
The bad: The battery lasts 24 to 30 hours, so I need to charge it before bedtime if I want to monitor my sleep. I wish it could be paired with my iPhone via Google+.
Cost: $199.99
Available from: store.google.com, http://www.samsung.com, http://www.amazon.com, and http://www.bestbuy.com, among others.
Gardner is a freelance writer.