SMARTER. FITTER. BETTER

As the world's most popular producer of activity trackers, Fitbit has been flirting with the idea of a genuine smart watch for a while now.

The closest we've seen so far has been the Surge, boasting a standalone GPS and the Blaze, an eye-catching wristwatch with a colour screen to display a wide selection of notifications.

While they were great devices, both of these stopped short of a full-featured smart watch.

Now Fitbit has moved a step closer to bridging the tracker/smart watch divide...

The Fitbit Ionic, apart from anything else, is the most watch-looking thing Fitbit has ever come up with. For some reason, though I've never understood it, Fitbit has never made any real attempt to disguise any of its wearables as an ordinary, every-day watch.

That's fine, if you're a technophile like me and you don't care who knows what a colossal nerd you are. It could also be argued Fitbit, being the most widely sold brand of activity tracker, has attained a certain coolness factor, especially within the gym-going community - the "Fitbit look" if you will.

However, there are plenty of people who want a watch that looks like a watch, no matter how many other nifty tricks it can perform.

The Ionic is most definitely a nifty trickster, and while you still couldn't claim it resembles any kind of classical time-piece, it certainly leans towards the futuristic end of watchy fashion. What I'm trying to say is, most people would probably be happy to wear this thing out at night without feeling like too much of a geek.

In fact, the slightly curved face, seamlessly molded into the elegant stainless steel body is really quite beautiful. Definitely more streamlined than the octagonal corners of its predecessor, the Blaze. The strap is also easily swapped out if you prefer a different colour to match your outfit.

Although Fitbit has evolved the software for the Ionic from the OS used in previous Pebble devices (Fitbit bought up Pebble late last year) at first the user experience seems quite familiar to previous Fitbits like the Alta HR, Charge 2 and most of all, the aforementioned Blaze.

However, it's the promise of features to come that makes the Ionic such an exciting breakthrough.

There are new apps like Weather and Strava(fitness tracking) installed and the new operating system has been opened up for developers to come up with more content for the Ionic and future devices. It's yet to be seen how effectively those developers will rise to the challenge but at least the opportunity is now there.

There are a few minor teething problems around exactly how smart the Ionic really is. For example, while I reliably received all my chosen notifications with the attention-grabbing vibration of my choice, I kept getting my emails twice. After an intensive Google session and a solid perusal of the Fitbit forums, it appears this is a common problem among users who've paired their Ionics with Samsung Galaxy phones. I'm sure it's something that'll be worked out in an update somewhere along the line. Slightly annoying though.

And unfortunately, while you can choose to receive notifications from practically any app installed on your paired phone, you still can't use the Ionic to answer back. Nor can you take calls or reply to texts. These functions are pretty much commonplace on other genuine smart watches so in some ways, the Ionic is still an imposter.

Except, it can do things a lot of those other watches won't.

The Ionic sports NFC functionality, so touchless payments (payWave) are now a reality, although at this point ASB customers are the only New Zealanders who can utilise this service. Here's hoping other banks will be on board soon.

Obviously the range of activity tracking is still excellent and accurate. In fact, for the first time I really trusted the automatic tracking functions. Instead of telling the Ionic I was going for a run or doing an Attack class, I just let it figure it out for itself - which it always did without fail.

The Ionic is the first smart watch I've been able to wear swimming (it can track your swims too). While other devices on the market have limited water resistance, the Ionic claims to withstand a 50m dive which makes it a hell of a lot more than just shower-proof. I was also relieved to find the touch screen impressively responsive when wet.

That's the kind of feature which tempts you to wear it constantly, so I have been. Running, working, going out, gardening, the gym - what's surprised me is the quality and durability of the construction. I've had the Ionic on my wrist for a couple of weeks straight and I can't find a scratch on it. It's not just pretty, it's tough too.

Sleep tracking is becoming more and more of a focus for Fitbit all the time. Here again, the Ionic is a big improvement over the bulkier Blaze and Surge devices because it's just so much more comfortable to wear. What's more, with a simple right-swipe you can access the Screen Wake and Notification toggles so you're not disturbed by a blazing display or unexpected vibration in the middle of the night. What's more, there's a new kind of sensor built into the Ionic that measures blood oxygen levels. Some time in the near future, these guys are hoping to detect sleep apnea, possibly saving lives in the process. Crazy.

So the Ionic is a watch with a lot of potential, some of it already accessible, some not so much. Let me show you another new feature...

Meet the Fitbit Flyer. (I don't know why it's Flyer and not Flyers. I mean, most of us have two ears, right? Anyway...) 

The Flyer is Fitbit's own bluetooth listening solution, enabling you to make full use of the Ionic's standalone GPS by leaving your phone at home when you go for a run. The Ionic has over 2GB of on-board storage which is plenty for your favourite playlist. I tried pairing the Ionic with a few other sets of bluetooth earbuds but I'd recommend the official Flyer for a couple of reasons; I don't know why, but the non-Fitbit buds seemed to drain the Ionic battery more and secondly, the Flyer is probably the most customisable earphone arrangement I've ever encountered.

We've all experienced the inconvenience of buds that either don't fit, fall out or are just too uncomfortable to wear for prolonged periods. Sometimes you're expected to pay hundreds for something you're not even sure will make it to the end of the driveway without bobbling out of your earhole.

The Fitbit flyer offers 3 sizes of eartips along with a choice of wings or fins, large or small. It may take a bit of experimentation, but all these options virtually guarantee a snug, comfortable fit - even if one ear is weirder than the other. I always thought I was a medium eartip, large wing guy. Turns out, I'm more of a small eartip, fin man. And I don't care who knows it.

Oh, and the sound quality is incredible by the way. Bass response almost the best I've experienced in an earbud. Boom.

One problem... getting your sounds onto the Ionic. I really wish they'd kept it simple. Why can't you just plug the watch into your computer and drag the sound files into it? Nope. Instead you'll need the desktop app (not the browser dashboard) and you'll have to connect the Ionic to the same network your computer is on. Already too complicated? We're not even halfway there. Then, in the app, not on the watch, you either create a playlist or drag one in, to transfer to the watch.

Not finished yet.

Then...

You need to open the music app on the Ionic itself, select the transfer function and hope the computer starts talking to the watch. Which it probably won't until you've restarted either the watch, the app or the computer.

Works really well once the music has synced though. Nothing like the freedom of running without a phone. It's a bit like streaking.

In all seriousness, Fitbit needs to sort this process out, it really is too hard - especially when using the media controller on the Ionic to play music on your phone seems to work better than ever. Why would you bother with all that other palaver?

At least we finally have a user-friendly charging cable. Oh, obviously it's different to every other Fitbit charging cable that's ever been produced because they ALWAYS ARE... but this one's magnetic so it pretty much attaches itself. Massive improvement on the take-the-whole-watch-apart-to-charge-it design of the Blaze which was pretty bamboozling.

As always, you'll get excellent battery life from the Ionic - several days. The tricky thing is, with it being so comfortable, so stylish, so durable and so water resistant, it's hard to know when you're supposed to take it off to charge, especially if you're tracking your sleep as well.

Talk about your first world problems.


Click here for more information and pricing on the Fitbit Ionic

THE WATCH WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR

Samsung has been making smart watches for a while now.

I know you think I'm biased. You think I'm a Samsung sellout. I've drunk the Samsung Kool-Aid and all I ever talk about is Samsung.

But here's the thing; Samsung just does some stuff better. The reason is simple - they've been doing it longer.

While their latest watch is just a logical progression in Samsung's line of wearable accessories, remember, it's now a very long line.

I've been using the Samsung Gear S2 since its launch in 2015. It's probably the device I've come to rely on most and it's definitely proven to be the most surprisingly useful. The S2 was Samsung's reinvention of the boxy, square, oversized Star Trek-style devices that preceded it. When it introduced the unique bezel controller and with its round face and wireless charger, the Gear S2 made smart watches more accessible than ever before.

The only thing missing was the ability to take and make calls like I could with previous versions.

The Gear S3 Frontier has that feature, due to its speaker, but it takes it a step further with its independent, built-in sim.

This means the watch retains full functionality even when out of range of the phone it's paired with. You can receive and compose emails and texts while you're out and about. In fact, at one point I literally called my mum on the run. That sure confused the hell out of her, but what does she expect when she texts me while I'm exercising?

The S3 Frontier is bigger and I guess (to compound sexist stereotypes) more masculine than the S2. What's more, it feels a bit more rough and tumble too. The bezel controller is more tactile and the watch is quite a bit heavier. In short, the S3 Frontier is definitely more solid, but perhaps a little less comfortable than the S2.

My biggest issue with this device is the strap. I don't exactly know why, but the default band is just too hard and rubbery and I find if I think about it too much I develop a serious case of wristy-claustrophobia. Luckily, you can easily swap it with any other 22mm band, so it's only a minor problem.

Performance-wise, there's a definite improvement in the speed and smoothness of operation, which you'd expect given it now has twice the processing power. In saying that, in terms of navigating your way around, the S3 Frontier works pretty much the exact same way as it's predecessor. Samsung have stuck fast to their Tizen OS (which you'll now find running other products in their range, like TV's). This is a double edged sword. As an OS, Tizen totally rocks. Everything is smooth and clear and so, so stable. The downside? A lack of content. There just aren't anywhere enough developers creating stuff for Tizen devices, or even adapting existing apps... especially compared to the endless armies queuing up to create software for Apple or Android. Don't let this put you off though, because it's really a kind of quality control and it means only high-performing apps end up making the grade.

For example, due to a partnership with Under Armour, their range of fitness apps including stellar performers like Map My Run and Endomondo have all been formatted for Samsung Gear devices.

The big upgrade with the S3 Frontier is the independent sim - something the latest Apple Watch is promising in some places, but NOT New Zealand. This may be because currently the Spark network is only the one that can support these kind of devices.

This is where it gets a bit complicated, but stay with me, I'll try and make it worth your while.

Because the S3 Frontier connects directly to Spark's mobile network, you'll get all your notifications wherever you are. As I've already said, (but it's important, because very few wearables have this kind of functionality) you can answer back too. Emails, texts, phone calls - not a problem. The catch? Obviously you need to pay for that connection. In saying that, given you're not consuming video, or uploading pictures, that connection doesn't need to cost very much at all.

But what if, like me, you're not with Spark already?

This is where it gets really complicated. There's now a function in the Gear app that lets you forward calls to your watch when it's not connected to your phone.

Trouble is, I couldn't get it to work. I have absolutely no idea why. I got emails. I got texts. Ironically, I even got missed-call notifications. Even more ironically, when I received those missed-call notifications, I could call the missed caller back - so really, no dramas. Odd though. Maybe it's something that'll be sorted with a future update.

I'm assuming everything's a lot more seamless when paired with a Spark mobile.

Other than that, this watch delivers. It has its own GPS, so you really can map those runs. There's also 4GB of internal storage which is plenty for a workout playlist or two. Pair some bluetooth earbuds and you're good to go. Transferring music from your phone to the watch is pretty straight-forward, but I'd love someone to come up with a dedicated podcast app for Tizen, because exporting them for a one-time listen is a bit more labour-intensive.

Basically, if you're sick of lugging your phone with you everywhere you go, especially running, hiking or biking, the Gear S3 Frontier is the obvious choice. It works, it works well, it's totally reliable and best of all - it looks like a normal watch.

Well, a really cool watch.


Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Gear S3 Frontier