Over the last four decades, we have seen computers move into our home. Then our briefcases became laptops. Today, we carry the most important information of our lives in our pocket or on our wrist with smartphones and smartwatches.
Tech has become integrated into our daily lives. Wearable tech is taking that integration to an even higher standard, and the smartwatch is in the center of it all.
The smart app designer understands that the apps made for smartwatches are the ones that are the most useful in the daily life of a smartwatch sporting fellow. While there are games and fun little time passers, the best apps are the ones that help a person in real life, doing the things they do every day. Here are some of the best and most useful smartwatch apps out there.
An App for Battery Life
One joke about smartwatches is that you need two of them. One for the morning, and one for the afternoon – because of battery life. It’s a lame joke, but some apps can drain the juice from your smartwatch before the day is done. It’s no wonder why there are so many battery monitoring and optimization apps out there. Which app you pick depends on your brand of smartphone, and what you want your app to do. Some will directly throttle usage in some way while others keep tabs on the apps, and let users know which ones eat the battery.
Trip Advisor
This is a good one for looking around a new city and finding out what is hot, or keeping close to home and seeing what your favorite places are offering. Tripadvisor uses your current location to tell you about the best restaurants in a given area, or any specials they might have going on. It also tells users about their lodging options and exciting attractions as well as letting users read reviews and see how any of the places they might go are rated.
Uber
Uber is the king of the rideshare industry, but any rideshare app you want to use is essential for a smartwatch. Many of us who are constantly on the go have come to rely on services like Uber, so it’s only natural that we get our favorite rideshare service’s app uploaded on the smartwatch. At the very least, it makes an excellent backup for the times you forget or lose your phone, and need to get somewhere.
A Pay/Transaction App
Users here have several options depending on their personal preference or smartwatch of choice, but any of these apps (Apple Pay, PayPal, Android Pay, etc.) are essential. All of them are safe and secure ways to pay that are accepted by vendors all over the world.
Google Maps
Even if you like getting lost every now and then (lots of fun adventures start that way), it’s always a good idea to be able to find your way home or at least back to civilization. Google Maps is one of those indispensable apps that everyone should have on all their devices, smartwatches included. Users can get real-time directions, just like while driving, plus it’s easy to use.
Fitness Trackers
There are more fitness apps out there than Apple dongles, well maybe not that many. The reason is that fitness and exercise are some of the things that are a perfect for what a smartwatch can offer wearers. It doesn’t matter if your fitness goals are walking a mile or two every evening after work, or earning enough 26.2 stickers to plaster on every inch of your Subaru. The perfect fitness app for you is out there. Some of the more popular ones are Runkeeper and Sports Tracker. If swimming is your thing, then download Swim App. Using any of these will help you get the most out of your exercise routine.
Conclusion
Like with smartphones, it’s the app that gives the smartwatch it’s customizable usefulness. No matter what sort of life a user lives, some apps can add value by simplifying things. Where the laptop allowed us to escape our office, and the smartphone let us leave the laptop at home, the smartwatch is enabling us to be on the move, without the phone. Much of what we use our smartphone for can be done via a smartwatch. It is always with us, and we don’t have to worry about it falling out of our pocket.
