Apple Watch 2 is your best buddy

THE APPLE Watch Series 2 turns out to be more than just “smart” – it’s a great companion when you’re pursuing your favourite activity, even if that means rugged workouts on the sporting courts or diving deep in the sea.
Design-wise, the Series 2 is both functional and fashionable, a lovely little device on the wrist, but there are plenty of less obvious features adding to its attractiveness.
I particularly appreciate the sturdy water-resistance. You can plunge 50 metres deep and every function of the watch will keep on ticking. I was snorkelling off the Phi Phi Islands recently and felt safer constantly knowing how much time I had left among the beautiful coral before I had to head back to the boat.
The bright display ensured that I could see the time clearly, regardless of the occasional gloom beneath the waves or the glaring sun up top.

 

The Apple Watch Series 2 seems perfectly suited to any sporting activity. Whether I was swimming or playing badminton, it was there, faithfully recording my info and monitoring my goals in terms of heart rate and calories burned.
Swimming is my favourite activity, so I was really happy having the Series 2 as my personal assistant. It kept me swimming until I’d achieved my goal and burned a lot of calories.
The watch has a built-in GPS so you can leave your iPhone at home when running or riding and still get accurate workout measurements.
I took a walk around the village and observed the device recording precise distances. And then, once back home, I was able to check the map on my phone to see my route.

 

I regularly relied on the heart-rate sensor when walking. Last month at Khao Khitchakut National Park in Chanthaburi I kept tabs on my heart rate while walking up to the mountain to see the Buddha’s footprint.
The distance is just over a kilometre, but the climb and descent together took almost six hours. At one point when I felt quite tired, my heart was beating more than 140 times per minute.
It taught me to recognise how hard my heart was working at a certain stage of tiredness, and that’s the right moment to take a break and let the old ticker slow down again before continuing.
At the same time the Series 2 was counting the steps I was taking and the calories being burned. From this you can determine how efficient your workout is.

 

Last but not least, the watch makes life easier by keeping you notified about social media and other forms of communication.
My career keeps me on all of the big social networks all day – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Line. With the Series 2, I never miss a single message, no matter which platform is delivering it or at what time.
This feature becomes extremely helpful while driving and attending meetings. Picking up a call via the watch while driving, I could hear the caller’s voice clearly and was told that mine sounded just as clear. There was suddenly no longer the need to use earphones.
The battery life is impressive. Fully charged, it keeps all the features functioning throughout a long day, only requiring a fresh charge at night once home. And it doesn’t take long to get back to full charge, which can be done with a smartphone power bank as well.
Apple’s “Spring” collection of interchangeable wristbands makes it feel like you’re wearing a different watch every day. You can also choose the band that best suits your planned activity.

Case choices:
- Aluminium 38mm (38.6x33.3x11.4mm, 28.2g) or 42mm (42.5x36.4x11.4mm, 34.2g) with sport or woven nylon band
- Stainless steel 38mm (38.6x33.3x11.4mm, 41.9g) or 42mm (42.5x36.4x11.4mm, 52.4g) with sport, stainless steel or leather band
- Chips: Dual-core processor, built-in GPS
- Water resistance: 50 metres
- Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz
- Bluetooth: Version 4.0
- Sensors: Heart rate, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light
- Display: Second-generation OLED Retina display with |Force Touch 2 (1,000 nits), |sapphire crystal (stainless steel case), Ion-X glass (aluminium case)
- Battery: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion, good for up to |18 hours