We call out the latest trend in wearables
Your life is a deafening cacophony of digital noise, which if neglected will leave you swamped in data, crushed under the weight of a million communications and, possibly, completely mad.
That’s what the purveyors of the current crop of smartwatches will have you believe. Over the last few months there’s been an increasing trend to position wrist tech as a way of cutting down the amount of notifications and alerts in your life.
Essential reading: Best cheap smartwatches
It’s no secret that smartwatches have struggled to create a reason why they’re the next must-have gadget, and digital noise reduction is now one of the biggest plays. And it makes sense. Think how many messaging apps you have on your smartphone, and how many you’ve heard of that you’re yet to bother with. Some people receive messages from over 10 apps per day.
Smartwatches like Vector and Olio as well as smart jewellery like Ringly and Altrius all promise a life away from pointless notifications. Sure you could just manage all this on your phone but chances you want these alerts stored somewhere, you just don’t necessarily want every single one interrupting your day.
These new devices enable you to turn off notifications from apps you don’t want, and only allow communications from certain contacts, or including keywords, making sure you never miss a crucial call or email. You’re connected but only to what matters to you.
We’ve rounded up the good, the bad and the promising future of digital noise reducing wearables, attempting to bring order to the chaos.
WEAR – Vector Luna smartwatch
The new smartwatch company’s M.O is reducing the amount of notifications, and the whole interface is designed to reflect this. The bars on the Vector Luna’s face show how many notifications your phone has received every hour through the day, even if you’ve chosen for them not to appear. And if you don’t turn the watch to view the message, it stays out of sight.
$349, vectorwatch.com
SQUARE – Garmin Vivoactive
The Garmin Vivoactive is an incredible blend of smartwatch, fitness tracker and multisports watch, but information overload is certainly an unintended side effect. With little way to prune the notifications sent to the watch, it can be overbearing, and not a choice for those looking to reduce buzzes and prods.
, garmin.com
NEARLY THERE – Ringly
The shining light in smart jewellery, Ringly is designed for discreet notifications for women. The semi-precious stone lights up and buzzes when approved contacts message you. Supply issues have been a problem for Ringly, but at SXSW, it was revealed the company is working on a second version, which could add more context to your alerts.
$145-$180, ringly.com
