It has always been fascinating to see how far we’ve come in the field of computers and gadgets. Devices are getting smaller day by day, so much so that we have finally stepped into the era of wearable computers.

While there may be a lot of items that can be discussed here, we’re specifically referring to smart wristwatches. These watches not only tell you the time, but do much more than that – like notifying you when you have new e-mail, Facebook updates, helping you find your way, keeping track of your heartbeat and health, or even helping you make or receive calls. We’re all used to performing these functions on our phones, which are termed as ‘smartphones’. A watch that can now perform all these functions can be referred to as a ‘smartwatch’.

Smartwatches of the past were quite different compared to the ones that are being marketed and sold now. Today’s smartwatches are based on a simple concept: enable a wristwatch to be able to perform some of the functions of a smartphone. The watch can connect to your smartphone via a wireless connection, usually via Bluetooth, and deliver the content from your phone to the smartwatch.

The most commonly available such watches usually have a decent processor, a touchscreen, some amount of internal storage, and of course, a charging port. This is because unlike traditional watches, smartwatches are meant for much more intensive work, and a non-rechargeable battery just won’t cut it.

As of now, there are a number of smartwatch manufacturers in the market, including Samsung, which has recently joined the bandwagon by introducing what they call ‘Galaxy Gear’, priced at around 300 US dollars. It works pretty much like Sony’s Smartwatch (12 to 15,000 rupees), by connecting to an Android smartphone via Bluetooth, and displays incoming notifications on the touchscreen. Furthermore, there are specialised apps for the smartwatch that the user can install from the smartphone into the smartwatch. That’s the common smartwatch manufacturers’ approach.

There’s something else that addresses several ‘virtually unsolvable’ issues. It’s a smartwatch by the name of ‘Pebble’, which actually started as a project on Kickstarter, and gained immense popularity due to its interesting features. The screen is an e-ink display, unlike other smartwatches which have an OLED touchscreen or similar. This essentially means lower battery consumption, resulting in longer usage times, Pebble manufacturers claim up to seven days on a single charge, while other smartwatches might need to be charged daily, based on the usage.

The e-ink display solves another significant grievance associated with common smartwatches, that is, you lift your hand to check the time and the watch face is blank. A simple button press will wake up the display to show the current time. However, in case of e-ink, the display is always visible, as opposed to other battery draining LED displays, so you can check the time as you’d do on a regular watch. In a way, the Pebble smartwatch surpasses the rest, even though it lacks some features that modern smartwatches have to offer. It’s priced at 150 US dollars. Though it’s rumoured that Apple is also in the process of creating an ‘iWatch’, we can’t say for sure when it will hit the shelves.

When talking about watches, it’s not just a time-telling ornament anymore; watches have changed shapes and styles over the years. If you’re a watch fanatic you’d probably know the importance of the design and the look, and that’s an issue that exists with smartwatches of today. Surely, if you’re investing a significant amount of money on a watch, you’d want it to look good as well. Some smartwatch manufacturers have taken this into account, while others are still focusing more on the software and internals, rather than the look of the watch. There might be some maintenance and care issues as well, especially if you are the kind who doesn’t usually bother if their watch bumps into a door or somewhere else. In such a case, you may end up having a not-so-smart watch with a broken screen.

We can put all these minor issues aside for a second and focus on the difference that a smartwatch can make. The features of a smartwatch, as described earlier, can save you a lot of hassle. Now imagine all these actions replaced by just a glance on your watch; that really makes a difference. Not to mention, it also looks cool on your wrist. And who knows, someday we will have smartwatches which won’t require a connection with a phone at all. In other words, they might even completely replace smartphones.

I became really impressed by the ‘geekiness’ factor of wearing a smartwatch, and actually decided to get one. After about a day or two of research, I found out a couple of important things. Firstly, currently there are only a couple of retailers (homeshopping.pk and shophive.com) from whom you might be able to get a smartwatch in Pakistan. Secondly, in my personal opinion: a smartwatch isn't worth it, at this point in time. The reason is that no matter how appealing they may seem, there’s still no benchmark in the market.

Right now, manufacturers are introducing smartwatches into the market probably just to ‘give it a shot’, and so are customers who are buying them. These products simply aren’t as refined as they should be, partly as a result of software issues, design choices, and functionality. As a result, they aren’t competitively priced, and are quite expensive. Once a near-perfect smartwatch enters the market, only then can we expect other manufacturers to produce similar-quality products. For now, I can feel smart wearing an analogue watch, waiting for better smartwatches. After all, it’s just a matter of time.