Sony’s Smart Wig still hasn’t come to fruition, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less excited about wearable technology. We’ve come a long way from pedometers (widely thought to be one of the first wearable technologies), and today’s wearables have all kinds of useful and fun applications. Here are five of our favorites.
1. Samsung Galaxy Gear Smart Watch – Smart watches are all the rage these days, and for good reason. They can do everything from answer phone calls (when synced up to your mobile phone) to posting social updates and texting.
2. Misfit Sport Necklace – The Misfit Shine Sport Necklace is a sleek pendant that you can wear as a necklace, a bracelet, or click to your shirt. It’s designed to allow you to track your fitness wherever you are – even in work or evening clothes.
3. Fitbit One– The Fitbit One is an activity tracker that also helps you track your sleep. Recent studies have shown that serious side effects can occur when you don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis. Along with tracking calories burned, steps taken, and distance traveled, the Fitbit One also tracks the length and quality of your sleep and suggests ways to improve it.
4. Jawbone UP– The Jawbone UP is also an activity tracker, but it has the added bonus of integrating food tracking into the mix. It offers a healthy food score, calorie tracking, simple water logging, and even menus for popular restaurants to help you plan your meals more carefully.
5. Ralph Lauren Tech Shirt– Possibly one of the most interesting wearables is the tech shirt designed by Ralph Lauren. It’s not yet in stores, but will be available in early 2015. The Tech Shirt combines the simplicity of a fitness and activity tracker without having to throw on an additional accessory. It comes with microchips and sensors built directly into the clothing, which monitor your vitals and then automatically upload them to an app.
