Reading. A useful technology? (Elem)

A useful technology?

There is a lot of new technology for sale these days, from tablets and laptops to electric cars and solar panels, but it isn’t always easy to know what to buy. We don’t know how well the things will work. They might not be good value for money, and they might not be very useful two or three years from now. We may have to buy something more modern later. And we might not use them very much or forget about them and leave them in a cupboard.

Weston, a major electronics company, is going to start selling a new product next month. I’ve seen it and will try to describe it in this blog, but you have to decide if it is a good thing to buy or not. It’s a smartwatch, and many experts love it. It looks like a watch, so you wear it on your arm, but it has a screen and you can use it to look at websites, make calls and send texts or emails. It costs a lot, but if the high price isn’t a problem for you, this is a really useful thing to carry around. You can check when you’ve got a message, or see who’s calling, and it feels like the future.

The question is: do you really need one? Most people don’t really need to buy a smartwatch. Smartphones are cheaper, and in some ways, they are better. You can take better photos with them, for example. But for really busy people who are always travelling, smartwatches can be helpful. You don’t need them at home or in the office, but they’re great when you’re exercising or in another situation where using a typical smartphone isn’t practical. I spent yesterday wearing the new smartwatch, and it was very comfortable and not too heavy. I didn’t think the design was very good, but I enjoyed using the webcam and listening to music. Surprisingly, the webcam was better than the one on my laptop. Is a smartwatch for you? You decide.