From Fiction to Fact: The Rise of Smartwatches

The Rise of Tech

The superpower of the human brain is beyond imagination. It thinks of impossible things and makes them happen. The same happened with the idea of smartwatches. Until 1950, the smartwatch was only a magical gadget for superheroes. It was more of a wristwatch to give commands to teammates and solve difficult situations. A few decades later, the world saw a giant technological progression transforming all fiction stuff into real-life facts. Today's best smartwatches entail all the amazing features that were once thought impossible. Everyone is a superhero now as you can tap all corners of the world right from your wrist.

Who Invented the First Smartwatch?

This is a tricky question. From fiction to fact, the evolution of the smartwatch occurred gradually over the years. It is really hard to name a single individual that presented a final smartwatch as we have today. The evolution of the smartwatch is a long journey accredited to several milestones. Let's see some of them.

• In 1984, Seiko, a Japanese company, launched the RC-1000 Wrist Computer. It featured some very basic functionality of computation along with the calendar.
• The trophy for designing the first smartwatch plausibly goes to Steve Mann from Canada in 1998. Mann’s invention graced the technology world in 2000.
• Watch Pad by IBM: In 2001, IBM showcased their Watch Pad featuring wireless connectivity and a touch screen. It would not be wrong to call it the forefather of the modern smartwatch.
• SPOT by Microsoft: In 2004, Microsoft established a product line of wrist wearables. SPOT, an abbreviation for Smart Personal Objects Technology, was capable of handling information and alerts like messages, news updates, and weather.
• Pebble: Pebble Technology Corporation launched its first-ever smartwatch in 2013. The entire finances were raised via a Kickstarter campaign in 2012. The key highlight was its effortless pairing with Android and iOS devices. However, the company has now discontinued its operations.
• Apple Watch: Apple launched its flagship product in 2015, successfully establishing a strong brand persona. Apple watches showcase a variety of features like health, fitness, and sleep tracking, multi-sports mode, seamless integration with iPhone, and app support.

An Apple a Day Keeps a Doctor Away

We all have grown up listening to this, but today if you have an Apple watch or iPhone-compatible smartwatch, the doctor will surely be away. Why? Because the best smartwatch is a doctor in your pocket. The iPhone-compatible wearables come with a bunch of sensors that can astound you. The AFib sensor regularly monitors your heartbeat while you perform routine chores. In case of any irregular episode, you will be immediately notified. This sensor primarily works in detecting the risk of stroke. A stitch in time saves nine holds valid when it comes to cardiac health.

The iPhone-compatible wearable is your aesthetic doctor too. For rosy and plum skin, a sufficient amount of good sleep is mandatory. However, our modern lifestyles have greatly impacted our sleep cycles. These latest Android and iPhone-compatible smartwatches now keep an eye on your sleep quality. It logs phases of sleep, timing of sleep, and tips and tricks to improve it. When everything is available in terms of data, it is easier to mend ways.

COVID-19 was devastating. The similarity of symptoms between the common cold and flu with COVID-19 led many people to visit hospitals. Many people catch the virus later when they come in contact with a hospital environment. Oxygen saturation level was one of the key indicators in identifying COVID-19. Today, the best iPhone-compatible smartwatches come with this feature by default. Your SpO2 level is in check on the go. No more extra cost for an oximeter.

Evolution of Operating Systems

Mann’s device launched in 1998 involved Linux as its operating system. However, today different operating systems are governing different smartwatches. If we talk about Apple-compatible wearables, they incorporate the Apple Watch OS. It provides the same ecosystem as iPads and iPhones since Apple Watch OS is powered by Apple iOS, thus generating ecosystem synergy.

Watch OS enhances the overall functionality of Apple watches enabling easy pairing with Apple devices as well as other iPhone compatible smartwatches. It effortlessly manages your health and location tracking, responds to connectivity prompts and devices, provides customized watch faces, and syncs with 3rd party apps. Apple is very observant regarding OS updates and releases them regularly.

Android smartwatches incorporate Wear OS. Google developed this particular operating system for wearables and smartwatches. Launched in 2014 as Android Wear, it was renamed "Wear OS" in 2018. It is simply known as Wear too. The user experience of this operating system is as smooth as a breeze. Seamless integration and connectivity are possible on the go. It is a popular choice among renowned industry names like Fossil, LG, Samsung, and similar other big names. Salient features of this OS include:

• Configurable watch faces
• Notifications and alerts
• Voice assistant
• Extended app ecosystem
• Access to Google Play store
• Unparalleled compatibility with both Android and Apple wearables

Boom in the Smartwatch Industry

The smartwatch industry witnessed a boom in the 2010s. Today they are more than time-tracking machines. People look to them for retrieving health and fitness data, communication, and keeping themselves up to date right from their wrist. According to stats, in the 3rd quarter of 2019, around 14 million smartwatches were shipped globally. That is indeed a whopping figure. Apple was leading the industry in the same year. However, Samsung, Fitbit, Fossil, Huawei, Amazfit, and Garmin were among the followers.

Standalone Connectivity

This modern era of gadgets is full of technological surprises. Now, such Android and iPhone-compatible smartwatches are available that give you independent cellular activity. The iPhone-compatible wearable is no longer dependent on a smartphone to make and receive calls, send messages, and execute miscellaneous functions.

Smartwatch Can Cause Skin Rash

The heading might confuse you, but it is true. Smartwatch straps hold the full potential to nurture microorganisms if a hygienic routine is not followed. People wear Android or iPhone-compatible wearables for long hours. Some smartwatches like Future Wrist Falcon Elite give battery life for many days. If you are wearing any wrist wearable outdoors, sweating is a natural bodily function. The moist and damp environment triggered by sweat or swimming fosters the growth of microbes. Additionally, the underlying surface of the smartwatch is usually dark and warm in comparison with the rest of the forearm, which again welcomes the multiplication of bacteria. Over months, dead skin cells accumulate on straps and result in poor hygiene. This eye-opener is not meant to deter you from buying an iPhone-compatible smartwatch. Rather, we are alerting our readers to buy the best smartwatch that saves you from skin rash. Products like Future Wrist GTS7 Sleek offer the option of changing straps. You can schedule the replacement strategy. The replaceable straps come in a variety of colors. You can pick the one close to your heart.

Conclusion

The technology world is an incredible happening place. Things are evolving at a pace never seen before. The future holds more surprises. We can easily expect product diversity and sophistication in style and features. Artificial intelligence is the talk of town these days. It might be possible that AI tools bring a paradigm shift in smartwatch technology. The future is unpredictable. And with time, more interesting facts may add to this list. Hope you enjoyed reading this article. Thanks!