Christmas is less than three weeks away and we want to help you find the right gift for your family and friends. Tech Guide is running its annual 12 Days of Christmas Gadget Gift Guide to help you.
Today we’re looking at wearables and smartwatches which have been steadily growing in popularity year-on-year and are also the ideal gift for Christmas.
These products are also smarter than ever and can track our data when you’re running, cycling, swimming and in the gym.
They are also backed up by excellent companion apps to give you a thorough overview of how you’re progressing toward your fitness goals.
The Tech Guide 12 Days of Christmas Gadget Gift Ideas are:
Day 3: Wearables/smartwatches
Day 4: Headphones/speakers
DAY 5: Gaming
DAY 6: Tablets/eReaders
DAY 7: Drones/Gadgets
DAY 8: Smart/IoT devices
DAY 9: In-car gadgets
DAY 10: TVs/Blu-Ray/4K
DAY 11: Appliances
DAY 12: Computers
DAY 3 WEARABLES/SMARTWATCHES
APPLE WATCH SERIES 3 – from $559
The latest Apple Watch Series 3 has a built-in eSIM so it can replicate your iPhone’s number and join the mobile network so it can make and receive calls and messages even when you leave your iPhone at home.
Optus, Telstra and now Vodafone customers can now use this service for an additional $5 a month.
Apple Watch Series 3 might look the same as the previous models but it has a faster dual core processor along with faster wi-fi and Bluetooth performance.
READ TECH GUIDE’S COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE APPLE WATCH SERIES 3
SAMSUNG GEAR SPORT – $449
The Samsung Gear Sport is a smartwatch that is both stylish and functional and comes with a wide range of straps and watch faces.
It comes with a training guide as well so you can select from more than 60 workouts and then be guided through the motions while measuring your heart rate.
It’s also water resistant to a depth of 50m which means you can take it for a swim and use the new Speedo Swim Tracking app
FITBIT IONIC – $449.95
Fitbit has graduated from the tracker to the watch with the Ionic – and brings with it most of the features and data from the excellent fit bit at and brings them to your wrist in full colour.
The water-resistant device has built-in GPS, a heart rate monitor and the ability to load music and here it with Bluetooth headphones.
It’s also possible to make a payment with the Fitbit Pay.
READ TECH GUIDE’S COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE FITBIT IONIC
FITBIT ALTA HR – $249 (seen for $229)
The Fitbit Alta HR is the world’s slimmest exercise band with a built-in heart rate sensor.
It can count steps, calories and distance and uses SmartTrack to automatically recognise what exercise you’re doing.
It can also offer call, text and calendar alerts from your smartphone.
READ TECH GUIDE’S COMPLETE REVIEW OF THE FITBIT ALTA HR
GARMIN FENIX 5 HR – from $799
This is a premium multisport GPS watch with heart rate monitoring on board and advanced fitness features so you can track yourself across multiple sports and activities.
It has built-in activity profiles and performance metrics and can also supply notifications from your smartphone.
It has a bright screen so you can easily read it at any time of the day so your fitness stats are always at your fingertips.
GARMIN VIVOFIT 3 – $159 (seen for $89)
The Garmin Vivofit is a discrete wearable with a battery that lasts for a whole year.
On the screen you can track steps, calories, distance and intensity minutes as well as monitoring your sleep.
SAMSUNG GEAR FIT2 PRO – $279
The Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro is an excellent fitness tool that lets you track your activities in and out of the water and that is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
If you do dive into the pool, the Gear Fit2 Pro can measure your strokes, record your laps and monitor your heart rate all of the same time.
Samsung has also partnered with Speedo and Under Armor so you will receive the benefits of nutritional apps and a one year membership to MyFitnessPal apps
