CES 2015: Smartwatches aren't a fad, they are here to stay

It’s now the battle of wrists – palms are passé.

As expected, there was no dearth of smartwatches at CES 2015. From new entrants to design upgrades, the biggest tech show that kickstarts the year for most tech enthusiasts and industry people proved that it is going to be all about innovations in the smart watch category  this year. Interestingly, wrist bands with fitness as the core element is being widely accepted by everyone.

While companies like Samsung, Sony and Motorola already have a handful of smartwatches in the markets, the CES 2015 saw some new entrants like Alcatel and Montblanc, among others. Interestingly, both these companies presented their wearable with a different take. Alcatel was all about creating a new category called “affordable smartwatch” and decided to sell its watch at a fraction of a price compared to competitors. On the other hand, Montblanc’s approach brings some love to the good ‘ol traditional watches that have been suffering under the burden of the new smartwatch category.

Montblanc has introduced e-strap, a four-centimeter device that can be placed inside of the watchband, featuring a screen and notification system. It’s a high-end leather strap with carbon fiber texture called “Extreme Montblanc Leather” that is produced in Florence, Italy. Under the wrist, comes the electronic module made from DLC (diamond like carbon) coated steel or in gray steel. All of this comes at a hefty price, though. Lenovo also showcased a new fitness band.

Evidently, manufacturers have begun wearing their creative hats and are ready to experiment. Moreover, it also ensures that the smart watch category caters to all price segments. There could be a smartwatch for each of us, if one may say so.

Having said that smartwatches aren’t something new… a few designs and models have been floating around for a while now. We could say the same about fitness bands that have been an arm candy of fitness freaks and athletes. A blend of both, triggered by Apple last year, started the onslaught of smartwatches in the market.  Apple’s Watch won’t hit the markets until March. Interestingly, it has managed to have a great impact on the Consumer Electronics Show without even being there .

For instance, steel seems to have suddenly become the flavour of the season for watches just like gold for smartphones. Everyone seems to be taking cues from Apple’s variants that include custom alloys of polished or space black stainless steel (Apple Watch), space gray or silver anodized aluminum (Apple Watch Sport) and 18-karat rose or yellow gold (Apple Watch Edition).

Sony has announced the Steel variant of its Smart Watch 3 at the CES while Dutch lifestyle designer, Hermen van den Burg, has showcased its all-stainless steel smartwatch, the BURG 27. Apple’s Watch appears to blend chic looks, fitness features and offer users with various options. Looks like, the rest of the clan is set to follow suit and even sharpen their skills to beat this device. Whether one likes it or not, they all will be judged and compared to the Apple Watch.

This also means, we will see a lot more innovations over the year. Samsung may have given its watch variant a miss at this show, but we may expect a new Gear or Galaxy model at the Mobile World Congress soon. HTC is also known to be working on its One Watch series.

The slew of smartwatches that are primed to hit the market also means that the connected-heath aspect is also going to go big. Making health mainstream hasn’t been easy even for giants like Apple and Google. Remember Google Health?

However, things seem to be changing as a health service seems to be more effective when clubbed with a handy and easily accessible device. Companies are busy working on their health platforms, be it Apple’s Healthkit, Samsung’s Simband, or Google Fit. Even Sony is known to be working on Core fitness tracker that it plans to embed in most of its devices, especially fitness bands. Along with typical fitness-tracking metrics, it will also function as a life journal.

Apart from connected-health, companies have started thinking about convenience while using a smartwatch, and voice recognition plays a major role here. Be it Apple’s Siri , Microsoft’s Cortana or Google’s voice recognition tool, every tech giant has been busy integrating voice recognition into its services and products.

Facebook has shown that internet giants aren’t ignoring the sector either. Their acquisition of Wit.ai, a firm that makes voice recognition technology  for wearable devices and Internet- connected appliances will be key for them. Facebook apps are used my millions of users and it is simply preparing for the transition from smartphones to smartwatches, if we may say so.

It has become clear that smartwatches are the future that the tech industry is banking on. Whether it makes life easier for us or not, smartwatches are clearly not a fad anymore… they are here to stay; to maybe even take over the world.