Smartwatches and the Battle for Your Health

This article published with permission from iMedicalApps.com.

With the release of Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch, we can finally say the Smartwatch Wars have effectively begun.

While Sony has already released a smartwatch, and several other projects, like Pebble, have been launched, Samsung has been the first major mobile company to enter the field effectively.

While the smartwatch offers the ability to sync with a smart device (e.g. smartphone, tablet computer) and serve as an adjunct tethered tool, it may play a significant role in health care due to several features. Aside from the built in microphones, 1.9-megapixel camera and speaker, there is the built in gyroscope and accelerometer.

Effectively becoming a pedometer, the Galaxy Gear has the opportunity to drive out other currently available physical activity trackers such as Fitbit, Nike+ FuelBand and others. Competitors and future entries into the smartwatch market will not overlook this fact and will most likely incorporate similar features as the Galaxy Gear and expand on it.

The role of Galaxy Gear in health care

It has the potential to become an effective tool for health trackers, as an adaptive way to capture physical activities. This is especially the case with those who enjoy the apps RunKeeper and Runtastic Pro, who will soon incorporate the Galaxy Gear into their app.

As smartphones play a major role in a user’s life, replacing other fitness trackers with a smart watch that does other additional functions may be a large selling point. Pebble also has the ability to record activity; however, it lacks in features in terms of a color screen, touch screen, speakers, and a camera.

There are some problems, though.

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