Think of a timepiece that: performs basic tasks such as calculations, translations, and game-playing, in addition to time keeping; can make or answer phone calls or text messages; can assess e-mails; run mobile applications, using a mobile operating system and has an interface that allow it to be used as a peripheral by desktop computers, What is it? A smart watch!
A smart watch is a type of wearable device, designed to put on a wrist, which offers efficiency and facilities comparable to those of a smart phone, to its users. It is designed to operate as a standalone device or paired with smart phones using internet, Bluetooth or NFC, to offer some features which include:
- Running of mobile applications
- Making of calls, checking caller ID
- Messaging through text or video
- Coordinating GPS and direction of location
- Connection to the internet
- Assessing weather and stock update, and so on.
As a sophisticated device, a smart watch is a miniature gadget embedded with a sensor that is able to detect changes and communicate it to the watch, thus enabling the execution of important applications. The smart watch can also be used to offer a valuable data and tracking of a position and activities. The prototype of smart watch which operated on Linux and powered by an ARM processor was introduced by IBM in 2000, and since then, companies like Google, Samsung, Apple, LG, Sony, Pebble, etc. have developed smart watches with several features that have conveniently made the users perform several activities and enable them to detect changes in their environment. Just like smart phones, smart watches are electronic devices designed with an inbuilt operating system, a rechargeable battery and a screen, which serves as both input and output component of the device. However, smart watches have two great benefits over smart phones and these are:
- Smaller size and lighter weight
- the persistence contact with the skin
The smaller size and the lighter weight of the gadget make it portable and enable it to be mounted on the wrist, thus afford the user instant access to messages, notifications and other digital data. More so, their persistence contact with the wrist permits their usage for tracking purposes. In fact, many of smart watches have inbuilt sensor including biosensors, environment sensors or motion sensors that enable them to track physical activities. Smart watch equipped with an environment sensor can be used to monitor changes in different environmental factors, such as: temperature, humidity, PH and so on; while the one with a motion sensor can be used as a gyroscope, an accelerometer or an altimeter; whereas, those equipped with a biosensor have the capability of measuring cellular processes such as heart rate, oxygen saturation, number of burnt calories etc, in the body, thereby aiding in obtaining health information.
In conclusion, a smart watch is an essential device that able to provide answers to the needs of the people in digital age and because of its multifunctional purposes, smart watch is more than an ordinary watch!
