The wearable tech market seems to be improving year after year as newer and smarter products break the barriers of our imagination. Whether you were aware of this or not, wearable electronics are no longer about smartwatches and fitness trackers that can hardly measure your heart rate, and some of them inaccurately.
Now, we’re talking about the latest technology—the kind of technology that never ceases to amaze us. Now, we have access to detailed health advice, turn-by-turn directions, and even sensors that detect the intensity of ultraviolet rays while you’re out and about in the city.
I totally get it if you don’t know what to get first. That’s probably one of the reasons I’ve decided to list all the cool gadgets that I think you might be missing. I hope you like it!
Smart rings
A smart ring is probably the most basic but useful smart device you can wear this year. And yes, I know, they make them smart now. For instance, if you like spending a lot of time in all kinds of work meetings or even in class and don’t want to check your phone every single time you get a notification, this is the ideal device for you.
With this wearable device, you can instantly receive all kinds of alerts without drawing attention to yourself. You can easily use a smart ring for contactless payments and open and lock your car’s front door. Besides, you won’t have to worry about constantly charging your smart ring, given that these devices probably have the best battery life you’ve ever seen. Here are some of the best examples:
NFC OPN Smart Ring
The NFC OPN ring is waterproof and can control your smartphone apps (as it works both with iOS and Android), lock and unlock doors, and transfer data. Also, if contactless payments are something that stresses you out, it can take care of that, too.
Obviously, it won’t be just as smart as the Apple Watch, but to be completely honest with you, it’s a much cheaper version, and it requires zero charging. You can easily buy one for less than $20 from their official website. If you’re not a fan of smart bracelets or smart watches, I definitely recommend you try one of these rings.
Oura Smart Ring
If you’re looking for a smart ring with a very fancy design, just look at the Oura ring. It comes with one of the best real-time heart rate and temperature sensors, as well as sleep detection and activity analysis.
Oura smart ring is super compatible with Apple Health and Google Fit, so in case you were waiting to ditch that old smartwatch for something a bit lighter and fancier, this is the perfect time to indulge in your wishes. It’s worth mentioning that Oura is a premium smart ring, which also means that it’s not as cheap as other alternatives. You might be able to get the newest generation of the Oura ring for only $299.
Smart glasses
Did you ever grow up watching one of those science fiction movies where the favorite character puts a pair of glasses on and starts seeing a display full of details about the person standing before them? Well, dear, it’s time to let you know that those aren’t science fiction scenarios anymore.
Smart sunglasses are now a thing, and if there’s anything that might interest you, you need to try them on. For now, let’s say smart glasses come with tiny computers that process information and display the results right away. Obviously, they’re designed in such a way as to be discrete about what they show, so you will be the only one to see the results.
Most smart glasses can easily connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth, show various incoming calls, and provide GPS navigation. Thanks to their virtual reality capabilities, other glasses might improve your life even more.
Ray-Ban stories
Ray-Ban Stories is a wonderful collaboration project between Ray-Ban and Meta (the former Facebook). They are super smart glasses that will let you capture everything that’s surrounding you, either by photo or video. Ray-Ban stories aren’t yet virtual reality-capable, but they still come with plenty of cameras, speakers, and even a touchscreen.
You can easily use these glasses to record short videos (up to 30 seconds), take pictures, make calls, and even play your favorite music. All those things in an iconic Ray-Ban style. Even so, if you want to look at this gadget from a completely different angle, these smart glasses could also be one of those weird spy glasses that allow Meta to gather even more data about you.
Smart clothing with sensors
Probably one of the most recent additions to the smart wearable family is smart clothing. These super-intelligent clothes have sensors that measure different metrics about your body and send you notifications if something’s not right or is outside the norm. Here are some of the best picks:
Levi’s trucker jacket by Google
At first glance, it might seem like a standard trucker jacket from Levi’s. In reality, it’s actually a new wearable gadget. Well, thanks to Google integration, you can easily use this jacket with your smartphone, so you can have full control over what music you listen to and on your calls.
I know it might seem a bit far-fetched, but you can even get directions while walking. The jacket is directly linked to your phone via Bluetooth and can be easily paired with Android or iOS. According to Levi’s, this wearable is completely water-resistant. Also, it has its own battery life, which lasts up to 14 days of active use.
Smart Swimwear by Swim.com
Another great example of smart clothing is the swimwear from Swim.com. They have all kinds of swimsuits, swim caps, and swim goggles that come with various swim trackers. These swim trackers can easily replace your Fitbit and offer fitness tracking in the pool.
This smart wearable is water-resistant, and it doesn’t require charging. It helps you track your swimming activity hands-free, as you don’t even have to activate it. Once you start swimming, it activates itself. Given the fact that you won’t have to wear any extra wristbands, using connected swimwear might reduce drag forces and optimize the way water flows around the body.
Smart earphones
Smart wearables aren’t necessarily activity trackers. In fact, some of them want to reduce your daily stress levels while improving your sleep. For instance, if you’re having trouble sleeping, get yourself a headset that has the same functions as your regular earbuds and earphones at the same time.
Bose Sleepbuds II
Sleepbuds II by Bose aren’t your typical headphones, given the fact that they won’t play your favorite Spotify playlists. However, they will play relaxing sounds and instrumental tunes that will help you fall asleep faster and sleep better throughout the night.
You can use the default selection of sounds or even download more from the Bose Sleep sound library. Bose says that they found a sleep technology that’s clinically proven to help you with your sleeping patterns. You can also use a smartwatch to check if it works.
Medical wearables
Smart medical wearables are one of the most popular types of wearable electronics these days. As FitBit is enough for the vast majority of people to reach their fitness goals, some smartwatches can’t measure your blood oxygen, blood pressure, or even your hydration levels. Well, medical wearables are still a work in progress, but they seem to be showing results in improving people’s lives.
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