Heena Sharma Blog

  Xiaomi needs to be credited for popularising low-cost wearables in the mass market. The first Xiaomi band priced under Rs 1,000 attracted a fair number of users in India. However, the market has changed. Fitness bands have given way to watches that are also replacing traditional timepieces. Apple’s revolution is becoming familiar at lower rungs, with players like Realme, boAt and Amazfit.   Realme earlier launched its Watch and Watch S versions and followed them up with second iterations. Now it has launched a pro version of the Realme Watch 2 . The screen size has increased, and battery life has got a bump. And Realme is also trying to improve its tracking features. All of these under Rs 5,000. Design There is not much to complain about design. Most other companies have either copied the Apple or Samsung model. The rectangle or the square can vary from one manufacturer to another. For the new Realme offering, an improvement is in screen size. The bezels are not as ...

  Chinese technology company OnePlus on Monday launched in India the OnePlus Band , its first health and fitness wearable. The move follows the company’s revised product strategy, announced last year, to foray in to products categories beside smartphones and smart televisions. The OnePlus Band will be available for purchase via an early access sale for Red Cable Club members, from 9:00 AM (IST) on January 12, exclusively on OnePlus India web portal and the OnePlus Store app. Open sale for the OnePlus Band begins on January 13 OnePlus web portal, OnePlus Store App, Amazon India, Flipkart, OnePlus exclusive offline stores and partner outlets. The OnePlus Band will be available at Rs 2,499. The OnePlus Band is an entry-level health and fitness wearable with blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitor, heart rate sensor, and 13 in-built exercise modes, including Yoga and Cricket. It is touted to offer an array of display faces. Though it comes with standard black strap out-of-the-box, th...

  Timex is best known for its wrist watches and the American clock maker is now set to foray in smart wearable space. The company recently launched in India its smart fitness band with a colour display, optical heart rate sensor, and a promised battery life of up to five days. How good is the Timex Fitness Band and does it justify Rs 4,495 price tag? Let’s find out: Design and build Timex fitness band Made of alloy, the Timex fitness band comes with stainless-steel mesh bands (available in two colours variants – black and rose gold). Additionally, there is an option to pick the silicone strap but it is sold as additional accessory. The Timex Fitness band is touted to be a unisex smart band and that is true for every other smart band available in market. Its rose gold stainless-steel mesh band, however, looks attractive and adds to its unisex profile. Read More

  Casio’s G-Shock has maintained its niche fan base of people that prefer rugged look and study design. So far, the G-Shock line-up has been restricted to non-smart watches despite the growing clutter of smartwatches but 2020 seems to be the year of the unusual. Known for making watches for adventurers, Casio in August launched the G-Shock GBD-H1000 . This smartwatch is one-of-its-kind as it carries forward Casio’s legacy of making rugged watches but with smart features this time. It has built-in GPS for location services, multiple sensors, and solar charging on top of regular USB charging. Besides, it features an optical heart rate sensor. Being a G-Shock, it goes without saying that the watch is both shock and water resistance. Priced at Rs 39,995, the Casio G-Shock GBD-H1000 brings the modern day features in a conventional G-Shock form factor. Business Standard took the smartwatch out for a spin to test its worth. Here is the review: Build and design Casio G-Shock GBD-H10...

  Wearables brand Fitbit has introduced an advanced smartwatch called the Fitbit Sense, which comes with electrodermal activity (EDA) to measure daily stress and comes with a heart rate tracker, electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor and skin temperature sensors. The company also introduced Versa 3 and Inspire 2 wearables. All three wearables will be available globally starting late September and will arrive in India in the festive season, according to the company. Fitbit Sense is priced at Rs 34,999 while the Fitbit Versa will cost Rs 26,499. The Fitbit Inspire 2 fitness band is priced at Rs 10,999. "Our new products and services are our most innovative yet, coupling our most advanced sensor technology and algorithms to unlock more information about our bodies and our health so you can be in control," said James Park, co-founder and CEO, Fitbit. Read More

Casio has become a rage among youngsters and adventure seekers alike as it offers some ideal accessories for outdoorsy people. While G-shock needs no introduction, we came across Casio's Pro Trek WSD-F20 smartwatch, which takes the smart wearable game a notch higher, and used it for a few days. Here’s what we observed: Design and display A rugged look has become synonymous with Casio (Considering G-shock watches); the Pro Trek is no exception. This smartwatch is heavy on the wrist, as the dial has layers of protection to make the watch withstand extreme conditions. The casing gives it a metallic look, and the bezels are thick. The straps are thick but complement the overall look. We, however, felt that the buckle could have been of a better quality. Read More

Huawei Consumer Business Group India on Thursday launched its much-anticipated Huawei Watch GT2 with two weeks of battery life, Bluetooth calling and in-device music in the country in 42mm variant (with 1.2 inch AMOLED display) and 46mm variant (with 1.39 inch AMOLED display). The Huawei Watch GT2 46mm Sport (Black) has been launched for Rs 15,990, 46mm (Leather) for Rs 17,990 and 46mm (Metal) for Rs 21,990. In terms of heart rate monitoring, the user will be notified if heart rate is above 100bpm or below 50bpm for more than 10 minutes. The watch is also powered with sleep monitoring function. "This versatile smartwatch Huawei Watch GT2 further underlines our focus on health and fitness and help our customers manage it better. The watch scientifically monitors heart rate, physical activities and sleep pattern with help of accurate positioning feature," Tornado Pan, Country Manager (Huawei Brand), Consumer Business Group, Huawei India, said in a statement. The ...

With the new series of smartphones it introduced for India’s price-conscious buyers this year, South Korean electronics major Samsung also brought to the country its full portfolio of smart wearables. From fitness bands to smartwatches, this new range of Samsung wearables caters to users in all price bands. The latest addition to the portfolio, the Samsung Galaxy Watch LTE , a smartwatch with eSIM support, serves as a standalone device rather than a smartphone companion — just like the Apple Watch. With this device, Samsung seems to have offered Android users everything that Apple Watch offers iOS users. But does it perform equally well on all metrics? Let’s find out: Design The Samsung Galaxy Watch LTE is no design marvel. It lacks the charm of most current-generation smartwatches, even the Samsung Active (review). One culprit is its thick and bulky stainless steel case (Silver, 46mm review unit), which looks neither classic nor modern. And its black silicone strap looks r...

The premium smartwatch segment seems empty with very few options that can take on the exalted Apple Watch or Samsung S3 gear. However, some players now want to carve a niche for themselves. We recently came across Mobvoi's TicWatch Pro, a premium smartwatch with one of the best displays and a bag full of features. We felt the watch can easy give premium smartwatches a run for their money, but does the first impression stick on after almost a month of use? Let’s find out. Design and build quality Mobvoi TicWatch Pro smartwatch Mobvoi TicWatch Pro looks like a premium smartwatch from every angle. It has hybrid leather straps on the outward side, while the inner side has a silicone layer. You can carry the watch with formals and casuals, it complements both the looks. The smartwatch has a large face (1.39-inch) with a carbon fiber case. It looks bulky but isn't heavy on the wrist. There are two buttons on the right, one for navigation and the other is dedicated to...

American fashion accessories brand Fossil on Thursday launched its " Gen 5 " smartwatch in India, priced at Rs 22,995. "There has been focus on the integration of health and wellness with wearable technology for some time now and at Fossil, we see a great opportunity to provide a smartwatch for the design conscious consumer looking for a perfect blend of style and utility," Johnson Verghese, Vice President and Managing Director Fossil India said in a statement. The Fossil Gen 5 features a 1.3-inch circular AMOLED display housed inside a 44mm dial. It is powered by the Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage and offers its users the latest software - Wear OS by Google. Fossil Gen 5 comes with a Heart Rate monitor, accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter and ambient light sensor. The device comes with four different battery modes, including 'Daily', 'Custom', 'Time-only' and 'Extended'. Rea...

Wearables have seamlessly blended in our everyday life and unsurprisingly, the number of companies making them have proliferated. One of the latest in the fray is a Delhi-based tech start-up 'PLAY' who recently launched its PLAYFIT SW75 Smartwatch. We reviewed it for a few weeks and here's how it fared. Design From the get-go, you can see that the smartwatch's design is inspired by the best there is -- Apple Watch. Right from the square-shaped body to curved edges, PLAY's SW75 smartwatch is Apple Watch through and through complete with stainless-steel casing. When the screen isn't lit, it gives the look of a bezel-less watch. At 2,999, you wouldn't normally expect such a premier look. There is a metallic button on each side (left to enter an option, and right to exit it). For display, you get a 1.3-inch touch LCD panel with a resolution of 260x260 that's bright enough even in full daylight. The display is protected by 2.5D Corning Gorilla Gla...

Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi recently launched in India the Mi Band 4 , the fourth iteration of its ultra-affordable fitness band. At Rs 2,299, the smart wearable is slightly expensive than the predecessor, but it brings several upgrades that makes it an interesting preposition in the entry-level smart wearables segment. The Mi Band 4 retains most of the Mi Band 3 features, and adds a bigger display, new watch faces, and a new gyroscope sensor that helps it track the fitness activities with more precision. I tested the band for around two weeks to test if the Mi Band 4 makes a suitable upgrade over the Mi Band 3, and here's how it fares: Design and display The Mi Smart Band 4 has a capsule-shaped body that fits in a silicone strap. It has a 0.95-inch AMOLED display that looks dazzling and is definitely one of the most intuitive displays in its segment. It has good brightness levels that makes it easy and convenient to read content on band’s screen in bright ou...