Smartwatch Smackdown

If you’re planning on selling your watch in Boca Raton, perhaps it’s because you’re looking to get something a bit more high tech. Smart watches have arrived on the scene fairly recently, but are they truly smart or are they some sort of fad that will disappear next year? What are they and what they do will help you decide if a smart watch is truly a smart investment.

What Makes Smart Watches Smart?

Smart watches are watches which pair with your smart phone for more capabilities. Unlike the clunky phone watches of the past, most smart watches are lightweight and communicate with your smart phone via Bluetooth to do the heavy hitting. Many smart watches have apps installed that enables you to answer phone calls, look at text messages, see who called you, play music, act as a fitness tracker, or even take photos. This way you can look even more like the secret agent talking into your wrist cuffs.

Functionality Explained

Not surprisingly, not all smart watches do the same thing. Some only interface with Android powered phones and some only handle certain phones. Others will only work with iPhones. Some are made with an eye towards style; others look techie with plastic wristbands and plastic housing. The cost varies widely depending on the watch’s functionality and the watch materials that it is made from, but they average between $150 to $300.

The Big Names

There are many smart watches to choose from now. These include the watches made by Martian, MetaWatch, Pebble, Qualcomm, and Samsung. With more smart watches appearing on the market in the future, it’ll be hard to keep track of all of them, but these are the current major players.

With prices all over the board, it’ll be difficult to compare many of these watches given the price point and functionality. You may simply have to look at the watches for the functionality you desire to determine what will work for you.

Martian

The Martian smart watches come in three different models: the Martian G2G, the Martian Passport, and the Martian Victory. You may have difficulty deciding what “my favorite Martian” might be given the range of Martian smart watches available. All Martians have a split screen: a classic analog-looking watch face at the top and a message display at the bottom. All Martians have voice control features with noise-cancelling microphones that works using Siri and Google Now. They require apps being installed on your smart phone to work smoothly. In quiet environments, you can actually use these watches like speaker phones and carry on a conversation with them. Lastly, they all have a Leash feature that alerts you if you move too far away from your cell phone. Smart for those who have trouble remembering to bring their cell phone with them. They support basic Facebook, Twitter, and other social apps notifications.

Martian G2G

The Martin G2G looks seek and sexy with a classic analog-looking watch face, a split screen for messages, and a choice of fashion colors. You can choose between white, neon green, hot pink, sky blue, and cherry red. Martian makes optional wrist bands for it, so if the monochromatic colors aren’t your thing you can change the band with either white leather, black or white silicone, or silver stainless steel bands.

Martian Passport

The Martian Passport comes in both black and white. You can change the bands to black leather or silver stainless steel if you prefer something more classic. It has a limited touch screen and supports notifications from the third generation iPad and fourth and fifth generation iPod Touches besides the Android and iPhone support.

Martian Victory

The Martian Victory comes in a silver watch case with a white, black, or yellow face and wrist band, or you can get a Martian Victory in all black. You can also purchase Black or white leather wrist bands or a silver stainless steel wrist band. It has a touch screen and supports notifications from the second and third generation iPads and fourth and fifth generation iPod Touches besides the Android and iPhone support. There’s a plan for them to support Windows phones and Blackberry phones in the future.

MetaWatch

MetaWatch has two models that allow you to monitor your smartphone and receive messages and alerts about incoming calls, calendar events, text messages, and when the phone is out of range.It works with Android devices running at least OS 2.3 and iPhone 4S or i Phone 5 running iOS 6 or better. The two models are: MetaWatch Frame and MetaWatch Strata. They do not have a speaker or microphone built in so you cannot talk on them or listen to messages. Their faces are completely digital and show up to four widgets giving you plenty of information.

MetaWatch Frame

The MetaWatch Frame comes in either white or black with a stylish leather wrist strap and is waterproof up to 65 feet underwater. A bit more substantial than other smart watches, it is about a half inch thick.

MetaWatch Strata

The MetaWatch Strata is one of the most durable smart watches available with a scratch-resistant glass lens coated with an anti-glare coating. It has a titanium-finished stainless steel ring that circles the watch face. Its watch band is polyurethane an has a polycarbonate core for extra durability. It is waterproof up to 130 feet. Like the MetaWatch Frame, it is about a half inch thick. You have a choice of stylish colors of black with orange, lime green, or neon-blue or all black.

Qualcomm

The Qualcomm Toq is a customizable smart watch. You can choose your style from beautiful analog-looking designs or digital. Many faces feature other information such as appointments, weather, or stocks. With the wireless ear buds, you can listen to your music in style. Works with Android and comes in either white or black.

Pebble

The Pebble is a customizable smart watch. You can choose your style from beautiful analog-looking designs, digital, or even spelling out the time. The Pebble has a large number of different apps for both the Android and iPhone. Track your speed and distance while jogging or riding your bike, change your tunes on your smart phone, and receive all notifications from your phone, email, social networks, and text messages. You can dismiss the vibration alert by pushing a button or shaking your wrist. It do not have a speaker or microphone built in so you cannot talk on it or listen to messages. However, it is waterproof to 130 feet, comes in white, red, or black, and it will take any 22 millimeter wrist band if you don’t like what’s there. It uses e-paper as a display and therefore has the best charge of the smart watches, lasting seven days before you have to recharge.

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Gear works only with Samsung smart phones Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S III, making it a limited market. It has a great touch screen and voice command features using Samsung’s S Voice. You can take calls on the Samsung and dictate messages. It offers some stylish colors: black, beige, orange, green, gold, and gray. It will lock your phone once you move more than five feet away from the phone, thus providing some nice security. If you misplace your phone, you can page it and the phone will then beep until you’ve found it.

If you’re looking to sell your watch in South Florida, contact us at Raymond Lee Jewelers. We buy watches in Boca Raton, Florida.