AS with traditional wristwatches, there’s a smartwatch for every style and need, and the field continues to grow as technology advances.
The latest smart timepiece to find a spot on my wrist is a general health tracker – the Withings Scanwatch.
Withings have been around for a few years and make some really good smart products focussing on general health, and the Withings ScanWatch continues that tradition in excellent and innovative fashion
Recently I’ve reviewed a general fitness tracker smartwatch and a specialised athlete’s smartwatch, both of which were excellent and are now joined in the winner’s circle. by the ScanWatch
What makes the Scanwatch interesting is it’s the first such device in Australia with Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval to include an Electocardiogram (ECG) monitor.
An ECG is one of those machines you see in hospital (and movies/TV shows set therein) that monitors a heart rate, with the line showing the heart rhythm on a screen.
Until now, for complicated reasons I don’t fully understand but have something to do with TGA approval, that easy-to-implement feature has been completely absent from smart watches in Australia, but if you’ve ever wanted to see your own heartbeat in action from the comfort of your gaming chair, it is now possible.
The ScanWatch itself is a really well made watch. With a metal case (measuring 42mm across on the review model) and a sapphire glass crystal, the unit has a real feel of quality – as it should, given its 83g weight.
Unlike most other smart watches, the Scanwatch has a physical analogue display, which means its battery lasts a really long time (up to a month), and to most people it looks like a regular wristwatch (I found the designs to be aesthetically very pleasing).
The dial features an LCD display which provides useful smartwatch features such as date/time, notifications, and the menu system. Rather than being a touchscreen input, the menus are accessed via the crown on the right-hand side of the watch. As a fan of traditional watches, I really liked this touch.
In use, I was really impressed with how the watch performed – it synced perfectly with my phone (and the MyHealth app which provides readouts and information), was easy to use, provided notifications of calls, messages, etc offered some interesting insights, and is compatible with 20mm watch bands so you can change those out too, if you like.
The major criticism I have of the Scanwatch is that if you are (at least relatively) fit and healthy, most of the health monitoring features of the Scanwatch won’t be of much use.
The ECG, for example, is really interesting the first couple of times you do it, but once you’ve established that yes, your heart is working normally and no, the ECG readout won’t display cool images of things you love in between heartbeats (because cartoons have lied to you), the novelty wears off.
Similarly, the blood oxygen monitor could be very useful if you have respiratory issues or are concerned about sleep apnoea; but if neither of those are a problem for you then they won’t be much benefit.
It should go without saying that if you’re at all concerned about any aspect of your physical health – including sleep apnoea, heart issues, or breathing concerns – then you should go and see a doctor right away, and that while the Withings ScanWatch offers some useful, medical-grade information it is not a substitute for a trained medical professional.
From a features perspective, it’s worth noting there’s no on-board GPS on the watch, and it can’t control your music player either. If you’re treating this as a daily driver rather than a fitness watch that’s not an issue, but if you’re going to be hitting the gym or going on a fitness kick this might not be the wearable for you. Yes, it has fitness tracking in it, but it’s fairly basic and may not offer the more advanced insights of a specialist fitness watch.
If you’re older or have health issues that need monitoring, the Withings Scanwatch could be an excellent investment, and it would also be ideal for someone wanting smartwatch features but with a traditional timepiece aesthetic.
This is easily the most advanced health-tracking watch available to general consumers and does everything it needs to very well – the only issue is whether you, as a potential purchaser, need the features it offers.
