2. The Apple Watch and the LG G Watch R are
two of the most exciting upcoming wearable
tech devices, set to take the world by storm.
But as you glance at your wrist and consider
with which trinket to adorn it, the choice is
about to become a tricky one.
3. WHAT IS A SMART WATCH?
A wearable computing device worn on a user's wrist that offers
functionality and capabilities similar to those of a smart phones. Smart
watches are designed to, either on their own or when paired with a
Smartphone, provide features like connecting to the internet, running
mobile apps, making calls, messaging via text or video, checking caller ID,
accessing stock and weather updates, providing fitness monitoring
capabilities, offering GPS coordinates and location directions, and more.
4. The Watch Urbane is 24 percent taller, 28 percent wider and 4 percent thicker than the
Apple Watch. And keep in mind that we're handling the larger (42 mm) of the two Apple
Watches. There's also a 38 mm model where that size gap is even bigger.
We don't have a big problem with the Urbane's size; there are regular timekeeping
watches with faces this big. It's also very comfortable on wrist (like the Apple Watch).
But we are looking forward to seeing some Android Wear watches that better compete
with Apple's more compact size. Ultimately a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles is
what will serve customers best, and we've yet to see that from one single company.
You could argue that size is the Apple Watch's only truly groundbreaking
feature. It's around the size of Pebble Steel: a watch with a black & white,
non-touch screen that can only store eight apps at a time. Apple squeezed
some much more advanced tech into a great little size that just doesn't
dominate your wrist the way Android Wear watches do.
5. Screen size and quality are a mixed bag, and both wearables are in pretty good shape
there. The Apple Watch has the sharper screen, with its Retina Display looking terrific all
around, with rich colors and good contrast. The Watch Urbane has a less pixel-dense
display (245 PPI vs. the Apple Watch's ~326 PPI), but the Urbane's screen is also 21
percent bigger – giving you a more immersive peek into your alerts and other goodies.
Generally speaking, we also love the look of round-screened watches like the Urbane,
something Apple doesn't offer with its first-generation Watch.
6. Controls are a little different, with the Watch Urbane taking the simpler and more obvious
approach: touch screen and touch screen only (though its side button also serves as a home
button and shortcut). Touch is also the main way that you get around the Apple Watch, but it
also has a Digital Crown (above), which you can turn to scroll up and down lists and zoom in and
out of your apps screen. The Apple Watch also has two dedicated shortcut buttons (including
that crown) and a second way of touching your screen known as Force Touch: by pressing down
on the screen a little farther, you can, in some places, call up menu screens and the like.
These differences reflect the two different operating systems. Google has made the simpler OS,
the one that a child could pick up and understand within a few minutes. Swipe down through
your cards, and sometimes to the side to get more info or to "action" one of them. Easy peasy.
7. Apple's Watch OS, meanwhile, has a steeper learning curve, with different areas
staked out for apps, Glances (basically widgets that live in a horizontal row below
the main clock face), messages, Siri and more. It isn't that complicated, mind you,
and Watch OS is laid out intuitively. But this is a case where Apple doesn't win the
grand prize for simplicity. That goes to Google.
8. So which smartwatch is the better value? Well, the stainless steel Watch Urbane
(with leather band) rings up for $350, while this aluminum Apple Watch Sport (the
entry-level version of the larger 42 mm Watch) with rubber band costs $400.
There are many intangibles that will change the "value" for each individual
customer, but we're leaning slightly towards the Urbane as the general-purpose
"better bang for your buck" watch. You could just as easily, though, argue that the
Apple Watch's better app support puts it ahead.
