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The Fitbit Forces combo of fitness tracking and watch capabilities are compelling.

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My wrist has only so much room, and the Fitbit Force has won the shoving match against the mighty Galaxy Gear.

I had high hopes for Sonys first smartwatch.

My freaky wrist gear fetish

When Samsung officially gave birth to the Galaxy Gear I practically vibrated with excitement and anticipation. And when the company was kind enough to drop one of its latest gizmos into my eager hands, along with the excellent Note 3, I was overjoyed. I should have known better, though. My history with the nascent smartwatch product category (wrist-borne devices that tell time and talk to smartphones) has been a rocky one.

The Galaxy Gear, however, is another story entirely, which makes it all the more tragic a tale to tell. Its practically a microcomputer attached to your arm. Running a modified version of Android driven by an 800MHz processor and 512MB of RAM, it has the chops to run full Android apps. The Gear is a well-crafted hunk of mobile hardware, too, with a bright OLED screen and metal construction.

Thats why I was beside myself with shock when I decided to put down the robust Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch in vor of Fitbits new Force fitness tracker. I know its no true smartwatch, but the Force efficiently doubles as both powerful health device and futuristic timepiece.

Now enter the Fitbit Force Social Media, which for $129.95 is sleek, small, light, and functional as an advanced pedometer and fitness tracker. It also can log your sleep, sync via Bluetooth with iPhones and select Samsung handsets, and connect users to the vast analytical tools Fitbit has built online.

Both the Motorola Motoactv and Sony Smartwatch had lots of potential but didnt quite deliver, whether in terms of design, functionality, or runtime. That said, they came a heck of a lot closer to being devices Id actually use regularly than other clunkers Ive seen. I mean the Metawatch and Im Watch are particularly flaming trainwrecks (sorry guys,new york asian escort model nothing personal) I wouldnt inflict on my despised enemies.

Next throw in its bright OLED screen, which displays the time and allows the Force to function as a watch, and you begin to see its strong appeal. The Force is water-resistant, too, so jumping into the shower with it or wearing the gizmo in a tropical downpour wont give you extra stress. I also prefer committing to something that can run for 7 to 10 days as opposed to the Gears short 24-hour battery life. The Forces promised caller notifications (on iOS only) are icing on the cake. Lets hope these capabilities will extend to Android phones once KitKat comes calling.

The watchs 24-hour battery life, while longer than say the Sony Smartwatchs running time of 6 to 8 hours, still means youll need to charge it every day or so. Lastly, the ct that the Gear works with just one phone, the Note 3, is the final straw. Frankly I find the whole Gear situation a sad state of afirs, because I really wanted to like this device and I still believe it has tons of potential.

Ive had a love afir with high-tech watches for as long as I can remember. I still recall with fondness my beloved Casio Marlin W-300, which I cherished as a tot. Ive also proudly worn some truly laughable devices out in public, much to my friends annoyance and eventual entertainment. Remember the Pimp series from Tokyo Flash? On second thought, perhaps its better that you dont.

A force I cant resist

Of course this doesnt mean that I wont be tempted to grab the Galaxy Gear and strap it on in the future. Far from it. If Samsung, or more likely the clever hacking community, bestows on the Gear the gift of universal Android support (regardless of phone maker) and support for real notifications (from your app of choice), well, count me back in.

Sadly, despite its power, the Gear ils utterly at what a general-purpose smartwatch is supposed to do. That primary task being to screen all your digital communication so you touch your phone less. With no way to see at a glance the contents of e-mail and social-media alerts, arguably the bulk of what most people grab their handsets for in the first place, the Gear essentially becomes a geeky and expensive $300 conversation piece.

The Fitbit Force leaps to the top of the fitness tracker heap, with a bright screen, comfortable fit, and aWhy I ditched the Galaxy Gear for the Fitbit Force Social Media bevy of slick features. Read Full Review

The Galaxy Gears sweet hardware is undone by software limitations.

Power and style without purpose

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