WEIRD WRIST-WEAR

When it comes to gadgets, I don't know too many people who are more likely to give one a go than me. I'm talking a proper go too, not just taking it out of the box, having a bit of a look at it, reading the specs, turning it on and turning it off again.

Whatever it is, if it's new, I want to have a try. I just hate to feel like I'm missing out on new tech.

But I've got to admit, I've been wearing the Huawei Talkband B2 for a few weeks now and I'm still not really sure what it is...

One thing I do know, is the Talkband B2 is about the best looking whatever-it-is I've ever seen. Available in white or black TPU bands with silver faces or in a brown leather band with a gold face, the Talkband B2 is a much classier effort than the somewhat plasticky first generation.

Essentially, it's an activity tracker, not a smart watch. At least, I think that's what it is.

Like a fitbit or Jawbone device, it counts steps and monitors sleep, its elegant screen showing the time, steps taken, calories burned and time spent asleep.

But unlike those devices, the Talkband B2 is also a bluetooth earpiece that pops out of the wristband so you can take and make calls.

Yes, you read that right. And no, I have no idea why.

All I can say is it does all those things extremely well and looks awesome while it's doing them.

There are two types of people in the world, those who are happy to talk on a bluetooth earpiece and those (probably the vast majority) who think that's about the geekiest thing you could ever do. At least this strange device from Huawei means you're not walking around with the earpiece in the whole time - it's secured to your wrist looking like a pretty cool watch. Then, when your phone rings, your Talkband B2 vibrates and you just pop it out and bung it in your ear to take the call. While I felt like a nerd doing it, I can't complain about the sound quality, it was excellent.

The Talkband B2 will pair with most modern Android and IOS phones, although unsurprisingly I found it connected with a Huawei handset a little more seamlessly than a Samsung one; it's quite bossy with the bluetooth connectivity and kept wanting access to the Samsung's contacts list whenever it reconnected which was a bit annoying considering I'd already granted that permission every single time. I didn't have any issues like that when pairing it with a Huawei P8.

Apart from the activity tracking, (it seems to do a good job of recognising if I'm running or just walking) you can also set silent alarms using the accompanying app. The Huawei Wear app is very straight-forward, in fact, perhaps too stripped down compared to other fitness apps available, only really recording your steps and sleep. There's no facility to track meals or to manually add other exercise, although if you have an UP account (for use with Jawbone trackers) you can sync the information you collect from your Talkband B2 there.

In my opinion, the Talkband B2 is such a good-looking thing, it's worth wearing just as a watch if nothing else, although there are a few downsides.

While the curved, reflective screen is super styley, it's almost impossible to read in bright sunshine, especially if you're wearing sunglasses, so if you're planning on keeping an eye on your step count while out for a run, you might be a bit frustrated. The screen does provide a couple of funky graphics for your enjoyment though; if you reach your daily step goal, you get a very life-affirming little fireworks display while the whole device vibrates in celebration. If, however, you've just been lazing around on the couch too long, a little stick-man appears to vibrate your wrist and remind you to get up and do something. Sounds silly, but it's kind of fun.

I have to say, it feels a little strange wearing the Talkband B2 to bed. The TPU strap is certainly comfortable enough, but the whole device sticks up a bit higher than a normal watch which makes you feel like you might cause some collateral damage in the middle of the night.

But did I mention how good looking it is? Whatever it is...

For about the same price, there are other activity trackers on the market with heart-rate monitors, which may be something Huawei needs to consider next time round, but you can't take or make phone calls with those other devices.

So I guess that's what it is; an activity tracker you can make calls with. Is there a market for it? I don't know. But it's a lot better looking than most other wearables I've tried.

Click here for more details on the Huawei Talkband B2