For all its category-defining, watch-reimagining hype, the Apple Watch is late to the smartwatch game. I mean, we’ve had Samsung take seven stabs at it, Sony, LG and Moto a couple each. Does the Watch move the needle for the category, as Apple products usually do? I’ve been wearing one for the past week, asking these questions, and here’s what I’ve found out so far.

♦ How’s it to wear on a daily basis?
Quite honestly, it’s smaller than you’d expect, even if you pick up the larger 42mm variant (there’s a 38mm version that’s smaller still) and more so if you’re used to large men’s watches. Across the 50 different variants — right from the synthetic rubber band-packing aluminium Watch Sport, the stainless steel Watch with leather or metal bands to the wallet-busting 18K gold Edition (Rs 14.2 lakh!) — fit and finish is a cut above anything in the segment, and it screams quality. With even the cheapest Watch Sport pushing 30 grand, one would hope so.

♦ Wait, a touchscreen and a rotating watch crown? What does what?  
Like with the latest iPhone, the screen on the Watch understands the difference between a tap and a deliberate hard press, with the latter opening up a host of options in the interface. The jog-dial on the side, called the Digital Crown, is handy for scrolling lists, emails or notifications, zooming in and out of pictures and maps, among other things. Sure, it’s all stuff you can do on the touchscreen, but this handy little addition keeps your grubby fingers off the screen a fair bit.

♦ How well do the notifications work?
Despite what people tell you, a smartwatch is first and foremost for its notifications, and the Watch alerts you to notifications coming in from your iPhone through the use of something called a taptic engine which, instead of vibrating like other smartwatches do, inaudibly taps you on your wrist. Having worn a range of smartwatches, this is by far the most effective alert, one that puts the Watch in a class of its own. Read the notification, send off a quick response — the Watch is primed for that scenario. Oh, and it tells the time too, but you’ll have to flick your wrist (or tap the screen) for the screen to light up. It works most times, but I would have much preferred a low-power, always-on screen mode to show me the time.

♦ And as a fitness tracker?
Depends. If you’re an amateur who rarely exercises, the Watch will suffice. The built-in Workouts app tracks most cardio activities, and will show you your calories, distance, time and heart rate on your wrist, and you can dip into the pool of third-party apps if you want more. Even if you don’t work out, the watch reminds you to hit some minimal activity goals each day. That said, if you’re serious about fitness tracking, stick to your Fitbit or Garmin gear.

♦ What about phone calls?
Paired with your iPhone, you can see who’s calling on the Watch and in a pinch, even answer the phone via your watch. But seriously, don’t be that person who regularly makes calls on his watch just because he can, okay?

♦ Verdict? Buy or no buy?
It’s a gorgeous accessory to your iPhone, a peek into the fashionable future of the smartwatch. It works seamlessly with the iPhone, and will only get more useful as more apps come on board. All it asks of you is a steep learning curve and not-insignificant amounts of cash. And if you take a measured approach to buying your Apple gear, hold off — history suggests version two or three will be even better.

♦ Rating: 8/10
♦ Price: Rs 30,900 (Sport, 38mm) onwards
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-AppleWatch

Strong symbolism

Be it on WhatsApp or email, so many of us speak emoji — yet, they’ve always been out of reach, hidden behind a keyboard shortcut or extra screen tap. EmojiWorks’ Emoji Keyboard fixes that with a full QWERTY keyboard with a range of emojis mapped to each key. The basic model features one emoji per key, and paying extra for the two-per-key or three-per-key models allows users to select each emoji’s skin colour using special chromatic buttons. Finally a keyboard that speaks your language.

♦ Price: 47-emoji model starts at $80
♦ URL: bit.ly/TT-EmojiKeyboard

technocool@kanwar.net; follow me on twitter @2shar