Meet the cheapest smartwatch yet ~ lotfi

mardi 24 mars 2015

Meet the cheapest smartwatch yet

If you're in the market for a smartwatch or fitness tracker (or both), then there are devices at all kinds of price points for you to choose from - from the inexpensive Misfit Flash to the luxury top-end Apple Watch.

But there's a new budget wearable in town, the first from Taiwanese manufacturer of low-cost electrical goods Hannspree. It's called (rather unimaginatively) Sports Watch and will set you back a mere £29.99 (global prices to be confirmed).

Despite that budget price you get step counting, sleep tracking, calorie calculating and distance monitoring. There's a simple but functional app for Android and iOS to help you record and crunch all of this fitness data as you go.

Big up the battery

The device uses an 0.68-inch OLED display and connects to your phone via Bluetooth - a connection that also enables it to show calls, messages and alarms on your wrist. Hannspree is promising a battery life of eight to ten days but we'll have to wait to test it ourselves.

You can go out and about without your phone, because the Sports Watch can store 20 days of data between syncs.

There are no advanced sensors for GPS or heart rate on board though, and no space for third-party apps. Like the similar Misfit Flash, you can wear it on your wrist or around your neck.

The device is on sale now in the UK if you want to get in on the smartwatch action but don't have much money to do it. A US launch is expected, according to one of Hanspree's representatives, but there's no firm schedule for that yet.