The good The Sony SmartWatch 3 has built-in GPS to track your workout without needing your phone. It's waterproof, has a built-in USB port for charging without a dock and runs Android Wear smoothly.

The bad Its screen is pretty awful, with poor colours and viewing angles. Its plain, square design makes it much less stylish than the LG G Watch R and it doesn't have a heart-rate monitor built in.

The bottom line Although its ability to use GPS to track your run is handy, its poor screen, uninspiring design and lack of a heart-rate monitor means the SmartWatch 3 doesn't impress over its more luxurious Android Wear competitors.

CNET REVIEW
Sony's previous efforts at making a smartwatch haven't exactly been successes. In fact, the SmartWatch 2 was pretty awful. Seemingly keen to learn from its mistakes, however, Sony is back with a third generation of its computerised wristwear, unsurprisingly named the SmartWatch 3.

The SmartWatch 3 has an improved design -- including better waterproofing and interchangeable straps -- and crucially, Sony has ditched its clunky and unpleasant custom interface.

It now runs Android Wear, the smartwatch software developed by Google that aims to provide a unified platform for companies like Sony, Samsung, LG and Motorola to load on to their products and allow developers to create apps that can run equally well across all devices.

The SmartWatch 3 is on sale now and costs £190 in the UK, direct from Sony, $250 in the US also from Sony, and AU$315 in Australia from Expansys.

Design and display

Instead of opting for a more traditional circular watch face, like the LG G Watch R , the SmartWatch 3 has a square face. Together with the rubber strap, which meets the glass of the display, this makes it look much more like a fitness device than a regular watch. It certainly doesn't have the same luxury charm as the metal and leather G Watch R.

The good Beautifully constructed. Handles messages well. A solid fitness tracker. Hundreds of apps. Can send and receive voice calls via an iPhone. Lots of design choices. Apple Pay-enabled. Stores music for local playback over Bluetooth.

The bad Battery only lasts a little more than a day. Most models and configurations cost more than they should. Requires an iPhone to work. Interface can be confusing. Many apps load slowly. Lacks built-in GPS.

The bottom line A year old and even more affordable, the Apple Watch remains the best designed and most capable smartwatch you can buy -- but we're hoping that the inevitable sequel makes it more of a must-have product.

CNET REVIEW
I'm up early to try to kickstart a habit at the gym, trying to teach myself to like the routine. My phone and wallet and car keys get in the way; I like to come here as minimalist as possible. My watch is the only thing that feels natural and it's comforting to start recording an elliptical workout from my wrist. I still find it hard to keep glancing at my wrist as I exercise.

But this is the dream: a little world on my wrist.

I look at it for the weather; I look at it to peek at how the Mets are doing. I have it thump me to remind me where the exit is as I'm driving. I think to myself, "At least I'm connected." But isn't that why I have my phone? Yes. The Apple Watch is another security blanket. The Apple Watch and the iPhone act as a pair. I can ping and find out where my iPhone is through the watch, and I feel more hooked-in to what I need.

After a year, I don't look at my phone any less. In fact, I might look at it more.


Same watch, new bands.

James Martin/CNET
Apple Watch, one year later

All the time people ask me if they need the Apple Watch.

Short answer: I say no -- wait for the inevitable sequel.

Longer answer: I say that, in a lot of different ways, the Apple Watch can do things for me that I like. That it represents a taste of a future we're all rapidly heading toward.