FOSSIL has unveiled the fifth generation of its smartwatch range, bringing back the loudspeaker that had been ditched from earlier models to make room for features like a heart rate sensor or GPS. This means that when you speak to the Google Assistant in your watch, the assistant on the Fossil Gen 5 series can actually say the answers back to you out loud, unlike most other watches, which simply display the text.
Since many smartwatches still struggle to get beyond a full day of use, Fossil has once again turned its efforts to extending battery life. The new watch adds four so-called smart battery modes, which it says can stretch battery life to several days.
The fifth generation was launched August 5 in two varieties for men and women, the Carlyle HR and Julianna HR, both US$330 and with a 1.28-inch AMOLED display in a 44 mm stainless steel case.
Thickness is a not-toostubby 12 mm. Those who like to upload music onto their watch may also appreciate an increased storage space of 8GB. Like most other smartwatches these days, the new Fossils will also check your pulse.
But unlike most that simply show a squiggle of a fluctuating heart rate throughout the day, the new Fossil comes preinstalled with Cardiogram, an app that tries to help you better understand when and why your heart rate goes up, be it during a stressful meeting or an uphill jog. However health-conscious users may still find themselves jealous of Apple Watch users, who can check for heart rhythm problems with an electrocardiogram (ECG), or Samsung’s blood pressure tracker on the Galaxy Watch Active.
To charge the new Gen 5, you’ll still need to use Fossil’s magnetic charger adapter, and unlike the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, you won’t be able to charge it wirelessly off the back of your phone. – dpa
