Over the past few years, many companies have come close to releasing smartwatches. And you know what? Almost all of them failed. There are several reasons and shortcomings to their failure. Instead of taking a lesson, those companies gave up. Maybe they were not serious enough in carrying out a market analysis to meet the demands of potential smartwatch owners.

Martian Passport and iPod Nano 2011 Side by Side – CNET

I am here today to hint on some features that an “ideal” smartwatch is supposed to have.  Personally, I am more of an old timer who never used smartwatches. Give me an Omega or a Rolex any day and I won’t think twice. But then again, there’s something alluring about a smartwatch. There is a sense of mystery, a melancholic feeling that desires for more to be explored.

“Smartwatches” have not been categorized from aggressive marketing perspective. But Bloomberg and several media platforms have been giving them coverage lately. I would love to see where this trends leads to. The most recent smartwatch is the Martian Passport. Before that, there was the mini iPod Nano and the Hex Wristband smartwatch.

Both of them are good, but from their own point of view. I can say for sure that if Martian decides to add an upgrade to the Martian Passport Smartwatch, it would have to cover the lacking areas. Same goes for the iPod Nano Hex Wristband.

 Martian Passport Compared to Conventional Watch

• Battery Life Matters

I am a product reviewer. Period. Over the passage of time, I have accumulated tons of products. What’s worse is that there’s a mess when it comes to cables, charges, connectors and all kinds of shit. I don’t want to see another cable. So if it is a smartwatch you are looking for, don’t buy something with a sloppy battery life.

That said; don’t buy a smartwatch that has a charging cable. Maybe the companies have not released something cool but wait until they release solar panel charged watches. That would be cool. Awesome battery life is a tough nut to crack in the smartwatch industry. More features call for more battery life. The same principles apply to a smartphone. This is why we are getting sloppy battery performance on both devices.

• Music Compatibility

By my standards, the “iWatch” is something perfect; a smartwatch that’s supposed to have all kinds of groovy features. Hey, I wouldn’t mind if they pushed in a mini screwdriver kit in it. But that’s too much of wishful thinking at this time.

Anyhow, the killer iWatch is supposed to have an entire music store in it. Online streaming is easy. We already have smartphones and their Wi-Fi connectivity to help us stream music. But if it is a smartwatch, you should at least give a shot to streaming music/ videos from compatible smartphones, or other people’s smartwatches! Get it?

 Smartwatches are Not Supposed to be Charged via Cables – CNET Images

• Call Receiving and Notifications

If you have tried the Martian Passport smartwatch, you already know how its call receiving function works. At the bottom of the screen, there is a single line LED panel. If someone is calling you, you’ll see the caller ID in the LED screen.

The sucky thing is that all the text message notification, email notifications and etc. the smartwatch does not have a big enough screen. The Martian Passport lets you receive calls and that’s it. Ideally, the watch should have some groovy features to align with email viewing, sms viewing, call receiving. At the moment, the Martian and the iPod Nano Hex Wristband both suck.

The companies have invented boo-booed smartwatches. Their speakers are hard to hear, which is why receiving calls is a real pain in the ass.

• Multipurpose Connectivity

A wearable device that latches on to your wrist is very personal. You carry it around the entire day, hoping to rely on it when it’s needed the most. In this context, a smartwatch is not smart enough. At least for now, it isn’t. Many smartwatches have applications to entice users, but they are not enough.

The most you can hope to get is weather forecast; weight monitoring, pulse rate monitoring, pedometers and etc. These applications are just basic level stuff that isn’t impressive anymore. For the “iWatch”, if Apple is going to release something like it, I’d suggest that they should bake it to deeper levels of creativity.

Indeed Apple can generate millions of dollars in the smartwatch industry because they know how to integrate exclusivity, compatibility and elegance.

• Killer Looks

Looks are a top priority to me. If I am wearing a smartwatch, people should know that it’s something different. What would you wear? Sony released a few smartwatches, or something that were more of a hybrid. They were not cool at all. The watch would have a black screen, some multi colored buttons on all 4 sides and that’s it.

I expect a watch to have slim size, A+ category design and something that tells that you are not wearing a regular watch. Frankly, the Martian Passport and the iPod Nano Hex Wristband are the only smartwatches with admirable looks so far. However, it does not mean that these watches are also worth the price.

• Affordable Price

My advice to smartwatch manufacturers is this: for the love of God, don’t ask for too high a price. The Martian Passport has a $299 price tag. Really? What good does it do? After all, it is a smartwatch and not a permanent replacement for the iPad or an Android device.

Lower the price to $150 range and we might consider buying them.

• Is it Sweat Proof?

Human beings are sweaty creatures. Hairy ones with Effd up hygienic standards are an added “bonus” to a situation. If you are going to be wearing a smartwatch, make sure that it is at least sweat resistant. For odor and body stains, the only measure is to take a shower and keep yourself clean.

Speaking of showers, the smartwatch is also supposed to have water resistance feature in it. At the moment, the Martian Passport and the iPod Nano Hex Wristband are merely splash resistant. Too much sweat or a dip in the swimming pool would be the end of it.