Fossil is a company that has a name for adding a touch of style to mundane products. Their range in smartwatches is extensive -- and the latest Gen 4 series combines a touch screen to the standard features like Bluetooth phone syncing, exercise and steps logging. Other than the two push buttons to start/stop through functions, there is a central knob that is a real beauty: it lets you quickly toggle through all functions even as you use the touch mode. By making the watch Android 4.4-ready, the makers have opened up all the tools of the Google Wear OS app. You can talk to your phone, switch from listening to music to reading about it: the screen is a generous 4 cms diameter. The heart rate function needs you to strap the watch on tight.
At 140 grams (with a metal strap) the model I tried -- Explorist HR -- is not exactly light on the wrist. But everything about this watch spells class plus toughness. The four Fossil Gen 4 models (including ladies variants) launched in India start at around Rs 20,000. Abroad they call it The Beast. We can see why.
--IndiaTechOnline
