Tech

Smartwatch wars: The top contenders

Pebble Watches
Source. Getpebble.com

Samsung launched its Galaxy Gear to much fanfare on Wednesday pipping Apple in the smartwatch battle. The Cupertino, California-based company has been working on its own smartwatch, according to numerous reports. But smartwatches aren't a new concept.

Microsoft released its own smartwatch technology back in 2003. Even Michael Knight had one back in the 1980s, in the cult TV series Knight Rider. The new launches, however, are expected to considerably boost sales.

(Read More: Samsung seeks 'iPod moment' with smartwatch launch)

Research firm Canalys predicts 5 million smartwatches will be shipped next year, a 900 percent increase on 2013 numbers. Strategy Analytics, meanwhile, forecasts global smartwatch shipments will grow from 1 million units in 2013 to 7 million in 2014. In money terms, Credit Suisse expects the industry to grow from between $3 billion and $5 billion today to $50 billion within five years.

(Read More: When to expect Apple iPhones, iPads, iWatch and iTV)

So who are the major smartwatch players? Click ahead to find out.

By CNBC's Matt Clinch. Updated September 5, 2013

Samsung Galaxy Gear

Sean Gallup | Getty Images

After months of anticipation, Samsung's much-hyped Galaxy Gear was launched at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin on Wednesday.

Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch can make and receive calls, take pictures, run its own apps and has a voice control function that allows users to perform tasks by speaking to the device.

(Read More: Poll: Would you buy the Samsung smartwatch?)

The smartwatch is connected to a Galaxy user's smartphone and shows a user's updates, like email or texts, on the device screen. It also has built-in sensors that can track a user's physical activity.

But Daniel Kim, an analyst at Macquarie said the device was an "expensive accessory" with a limited target market given its $299 price tag.

(Read More: Why Galaxy Gear is no 'game changer' for Samsung)

Pebble

Pebble Watches
Source. Getpebble.com

Considered the first big player in this new wave of smartwatches, Pebble may not be a household name like Samsung and Apple. But the device maker has reached cult status after being the darling of crowd funding site Kickstarter last year, raising over $10 million.

(View more: SpikeLee starts Kickstarter campaign)

The $150 Pebble uses Bluetooth to speak to either iPhone or Android smartphones. Apps are available for cyclists and runners that hook up to the GPS on your phone. Golfers already have their own app to look forward to, but Pebble insist there are lots more in the pipeline. As well as email and SMS messaging, Twitter and Facebook are available, along with weather updates and a music player.

Over 85,000 units were shifted in the first few months after going on sale in January. Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky told CNBC at the time: "The idea is that instead of having to constantly pull out your smartphone, you can just glance down and see the key portion of the message right there."

(Read More: Pebble CEO: an Apple smartwatch won't stop us)

Sony SW2

Sony

Priced at £159.99 ($248) this is Sony's second stab at making a smartwatch, after the MN2SW model. It launches this week and its main selling point is its one-touch NFC compatibility as well as the usual Bluetooth.

NFC (near-field communication technology) operates at slower speeds than Bluetooth, but consumes far less power and doesn't require pairing — just one simple touch against your phone will get the devices talking to each other.

Martian

Source: Martian

Talk to the hand, because the phone's in the pocket! Yes, the smart range of watches from Martian not only uses voice commands, but also allows users to make and receive quick phone calls.

Three styles are available, which range in price from $249 to $299. They are Android and iOS compatible and you can be notified of text messages and Twitter mentions, with a vibration, light flash or scrolling readout.

Ever left your cell phone in a restaurant? Or does it always seem to find its way down the back of the sofa? Clever little extras like "leash mode" allow the Martian to alert you when you're at risk of losing your phone.

"It's a very nice, classical design and the voice calls on it are great... but the voice commands can be a little troublesome," Joshua Flood, a senior analyst at ABI Research, told CNBC.

Evado Filip

Source: Filip

Designed completely with children in mind, the Filip is marketed as a child locator. Founder and Chief Creative Officer Sten Kirkbak got the idea after he briefly lost his 3-year old son Filip.

Tough and durable, yet colorful and fun, the device will allow a parent to call their child with one touch on a smartphone. It works the other way around too, so one touch allows the kid to call Mom or Pop.

And if the kid's not picking up? One touch on the smartphone app and it'll give the child's location. You can even set safe zones and send text messages.

It'll be available before the end of the year and the company is currently taking pre-orders. Pricing is still being finalized but Evado says it will be a "competitive" initial purchase price plus an affordable monthly subscription rate.

Metawatch

Metawatch

The primary aim of the Metawatch, like most on the market, is to reduce the amount of time you spend looking at your smartphone. A watch is more convenient than pulling your phone out of a pocket to view alerts, notifications, and cloud-based information, Metawatch says on its website. It declares that "glance is the new touch".

"Our powerful glanceable user interface enables you to view notifications and relevant information about the weather, upcoming appointments, stock prices, and more, with just a flick of your wrist," the company says on its website.

The Metawatch comes in two different products — the Strata at $129.99 and slightly trimmer Frame at $199.99.

Hot

Source: Hot

Hot or "hands on talk" has the usual apps and functionality, but its defining feature is the range of hand gestures it allows users to make when they take calls, even if they may look slightly peculiar in the process! A speaker and microphone built into its strap includes audio technology that bounces sound waves off of your palm directly into your ear. So cupping your palm over your ear enables you to hear the conversation. Waving goodbye hangs up a call, and rejecting a call just requires a clenched fist and a shake.

The basic model is set to retail at $169 — members of its crowd funding project will get it cheaper — and it'll be on the market from December.

Neptune Pine

Source: Neptune

Canadian firm Neptune has pushed out the boat with this sporty looking Pine device. Priced between $335 and $395, and due out in December, it may be a little on the expensive side, but it's packed with gadgets.

Neptune has opted to create a "standalone" phone that doesn't need to be tethered to a smartphone. It has the capacity for a micro-SIM card allowing 2G and 3G compatibility. The company says it's a "smart watch that's actually smart" with storage space, a powerful dual-core processing chip, voice commands and a keyboard. It also features two cameras and can play your favorite TV shows.

Cookoo

Cookoo

Aiming for the lower end of the market, the Cookoo starts at $129.99 and bears a striking resemblance to a regular watch. One of Its main selling points is the fact that it's powered like a regular watch with a standard CR2032 button-cell battery, rather than needing constant charging.

"It really is just a very basic notification device", according to ABI Research's Flood. It lacks most features of other smartwatches, but if you like it simple then this might be the watch for you. It even offers a one-button Facebook check-in.

Omate TrueSmart

Omate

This "hybrid" watch offers the ability to work both as a standalone and in accompaniment with a smartphone. Like the Neptune Pine its function is heavy with voice gesture commands and 2G/3G compatibility.

It's also seriously waterproof, according to the developers, who say this is the most important thing for a wearable device. "There's rain, thunderstorms, simple washing of hands, redbull spills, showers, swimming, jogging...we don't think anyone is going to take off their smartwatch before washing their hands," they said.

Priced at $299, it's due to be released before Christmas.

Qualcomm Toq

David Maung | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Usually best known for making processing chips, Qualcomm, also revealed its own smartwatch at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin.

Like the Galaxy Gear device, the Qualcomm Toq syncs with a user's smartphone to display alerts. For now it only works with Android devices, but Qualcomm may extend the connectivity to work with Apple's iOS as well. The Toq is priced at $300 and is available for pre-order immediately, but is scheduled to hit the market Oct. 10.

"The Qualcomm Toq is largely a marketing exercise to sell the company's Mirasol displays to smart watch vendors," Daniel Matte, an analyst from research firm Canalys told CNBC.

"Its claims of 4-5 day battery life are quite credible, and it does interact with a much larger base of Android devices. While the device is more focused than the Gear, it is much simpler in functionality."