We have our hands full these days—literally. What with juggling bottles of hand sanitizer, packets of handi wipes, and protective face masks on top of our usual phones, handbags, etc., it’s a wonder we’re not all wearing fanny packs or leading pack animals down the aisles of Target.
Hence, it might be a good time—for you and your clients—to consider a smartwatch that makes life a little easier (with the right one, you can ditch your phone!).
Also, there have been some excellent new wearables released in recent months. Here are three of our favorites:
Shoppers seeking a cool-looking smartwatch that works well and costs almost nothing (sold!) should check out the Amazfit Neo. The hybrid fitness tracker looks like a 1980s Casio digital watch, which we love, and is equally low-cost and lightweight.
The device has four buttons that manage a 1.2-inch STN black-and-white display (no color, it’s cheap!). Its functions cover the basics in modern smartwatches: time, fitness tracking—workout time and distance—heart rate tracking, sleep quality and duration monitoring, and alerts for calls and texts. It also has a four-week battery life, which is marvelous. And if you should lose it on the road, or in the crevices of your car’s back seat, you won’t despair much. Because the brilliant Neo only costs $34.
Garmin seemingly builds all its products with the recreational golfer in mind. Its latest watch for the swingin’ set is the Approach S42, an update of its basic golf watch, the Approach S40, which came out in 2020.
This new version has the same functions as its predecessor, but it introduces elevated materials and finishes. It comes with the layouts of 42,000 golf courses; score keeping and green view functions; and Autoshot, a feature that tracks the position of your shots on the course (the idea is that by tracking your shots, the device builds up data about your game that can help you improve it).
The watch also packs in fitness tracking, text and call notifications, and workout profiles for other fitness endeavors (cycling, running, etc.). But Approach’s functions shine most brilliantly on the green. It retails for $300.
Fitbit has updated its kids tracker to include a bigger screen that’s 20% brighter than the Ace 2’s 0.7-inch screen. And now the device has a touch screen, making it easier for younger kids to toggle through its functions.
What we like most about the Ace 3 is that it’s all about fitness for our COVID-19 couch-potato children! Through playful animation, the tracker nudges kids to get a certain number of steps in every day, training them up to the ultimate goal of 60 minutes of high-energy activity daily.
The Ace 3 doesn’t have a GPS function, which feels like a missed opportunity. But it does have bedtime reminders to back up busy parents who struggle to get their kids settled down in the evenings. And we’re for anything that minimizes the number of times we have to say, “Get to bed! I’m serious!” The watch sells for $80.
Top: Fitbit Ace 3, $80 (photo courtesy of Fitbit)
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
