Fitbit’s newest wearable, the Ionic, is a true smartwatch, with third-party apps as well as fitness guidance, music storage and an NFC chip for mobile payments. The watch is available in blue gray and silver, slate blue and orange, or charcoal and graphite gray. Sport bands come in three color combos and perforated leather bands are available in two colors. The Ionic is $299.95, sport bands are an additional $29.95, and leather bands are $59.95.
Garmin and Disney paired up to create the Vivofit Jr. 2 activity tracker for kids. The wearable device comes in Disney, Star Wars and Marvel-themed bands and there’s a mobile app that unlocks adventures with 60 minutes of daily activity. Parents can use the app to assign and reward chores, set up scheduler alerts and view step and sleep information. The activity tracker is swim-friendly and has a customizable color screen and a one-year battery life. There’s a stretchy bands for younger kids and an adjustable band for older children. The device is $99.99 and additional bands are $29.99.
The LG Watch Style has several styles suitable for men or women. This smartwatch includes email and text notifications and allows the wearer to listen to playlists from their wrist. It has interchangeable bands and customizable faces. Available in black, silver and rose gold starting at $249.
The PIQ Robot sensor is paired with an Everlast strap to improve skills in tennis, kiteboarding, golf, skiing or boxing.
Fitness enthusiasts and boxers are able to link the strap to their smartphone to record and analyze the dimensions of their workout sessions, including the strength and speed of their strokes.
PIQ has also created an online community for boxers – the Leaderboards – a dedicated space where they can challenge themselves and each others. $99.
This is the first smartwatch from DKNY. The Minute line of hybrid smartwatches has a classic look with high-tech options such as smartphone notifications, activity tracking and the ability to control your music or take photos with the push of a button. Silver, gold and rose gold-tone cases are paired with black or white leather straps, or a red quilted strap. Each comes with an extra quilted pinstripe silicone strap. Prices range from $155 – $175.
Wisewear has taken wearables to a new level with its Socialite collection of bracelets made out of metal. Jewelry designers Ippolita, Alexis Bittar and Iris Apfel partnered with Wisewear to create the stylish collection. The three bracelets each include distress messaging, activity tracking and mobile notifications. The Duchess Palladium is $345, the Kingston Rose Gold is $295, and the Calder Gold is $325.
The Fossil Q Venture Gen 3 smartwatch has a round touchscreen and runs on Android Wear 2.0. It includes activity tracking and notifications and is compatible with Android Devices 4.3+ and iOS 9+. $275.
The new TomTom Spark 3 is for anyone focused on training. It comes with a new fitness age and personalized workouts features to help users track how training contributes to personal fitness goals. It also includes route exploration and GPS trace. It includes a heart rate monitor and stores more than 500 songs. $249
The Smart Buckle turns almost any traditional watch into a fitness tracker. The stainless steel buckle replaces the clasp on standard watchbands and tracks daily activity, sleep and calories along with notifications for incoming calls and texts. It can be used on most watchbands, whether leather, fabric or rubber. $129.99
The Marc Jacobs line of Riley hybrid smartwatches comes in four styles and include notifications, no need for charging since it’s battery powered, music control, the ability to take photos, activity tracking and sleep tracking. $175.
The TomTom Adventurer GPS Multisport Watch includes GPS and a barometer as well as a heart rate monitor, trail exploration and a 3GB integrated music player. Bluetooth headphones are included. $349.
The Fossil Q Explorist Gen 3 smartwatch has a round touchscreen and runs on Android Wear 2.0. It includes activity tracking and notifications and is compatible with Android Devices 4.3+ and iOS 9+. $275.
Swiss watch brand MyKronoz has developed ZeTime, a hybrid smartwatch with traditional mechanical hands and a color touchscreen. Prices range from $199.90 to $249.90 and it is available on Amazon.
The Kurio Watch 2.0+ is for kids 6 and older. It has two interchangeable bands and a front-facing camera for selfies. It includes motion-sensitive games to keep kids active and allows them to message friends via Bluetooth. It includes an activity tracker, music player, alarm, calculator and calendar. $59.99.
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Teena Maddox is a VP at Brodeur Partners. She is a former Associate Managing Editor at TechRepublic. Teena's lifelong journalism career has included writing on staff for publications including People magazine, W magazine and Women's Wear Daily.
