Beyond data plans and paired smartphones, as discussed above, the most important consideration when selecting a smartwatch might be the specific tasks you need it to perform. Will you be participating in a marathon and want to keep track of your steps and calories? Are you jumping from meeting to meeting and want to be able to keep track of your calendars, emails, and messages with a simple glance at your wrist? Or, do you simply want the peace of mind that comes from your child having a smartwatch in case of an emergency, without the potential pitfalls that come with them owning a smartphone altogether?

While it is difficult to classify smartwatches, on the whole they tend to fall into natural categories in terms of use; some smartwatches are focused on lifestyle organization and convenience, while others are more athletically bent.

Smartwatches for Fitness and Health

Many smartwatches on the market take your pedometer to a completely different level. If it is important to you to be able to wear your smartwatch in just about any condition, from summiting an alpine mountain to scuba diving coral reefs, you will want to look for smartwatches specifically designed to survive harsh conditions. Smartwatch features in this category might include:

• Tools to assess the environment (such as compasses, barometers, and thermometers)
• Biometric features (such as pedometers, heart rate monitoring, and even electrocardiograms)
• GPS mapping and notifications (which can be especially useful for outdoor activities where you might be wandering off the beaten track)
• Music storage (if listening to your favorite playlist is critical to your workout success)
• Waterproof design (some models can travel to water depths of up to 50 meters)
• Sleep tracking (perfect for traveling)

If you will be using your smartwatch for outdoors or sporting-related activities, also consider the weight of the device. The last thing you want to be thinking about when you are summiting Kilimanjaro or crossing the finish line of a 10K is how heavy your wrist feels from your smartwatch. Also note that some fitness-leaning smartwatches are designed to accentuate specific sports and can even contain profiles to this end. For example, your smartwatch might contain features specifically geared toward mountaineering, running, cycling, etc. Look for a smartwatch that will accentuate your particular athletic activity.

Smartwatches for Living Life On the Go

If your life consists of dashing from office meetings to doctor’s appointments to birthday parties with hardly a moment to glance at your computer in-between, a smartwatch that functions almost like a personal computer might be your best bet. Once paired with your smartphone, these smartwatch models can perform many of the same functions as your cell phone; this might include making and receiving calls, emails, calendaring, virtual internet assistants, and more.

However, many smartwatches function via Bluetooth connectivity to a paired smartphone; they need to be in the vicinity of that smartphone to work properly. The latest smartwatches avoid this pitfall by utilizing Long Term Evolution (LTE) technologies. These LTE smartwatches feature their own cellular network connection and allow you to more fully break ties with your smartphone; they can perform many of the same functions independently of any smartphone connection.

• Keep in mind that LTE and other higher-level features might cost you in terms of data plan fees and battery life, but to have what amounts to a more compact version of your smartphone attached to your wrist is worth the trade-off for many people.