Wearable wonders
How the Samsung’s new Galaxy watches are helping us to unplug without actually unplugging
From eye strain and a lack of exercise, to sleep deprivation and social disconnection — we’ve all read the reported dangers that can result from excessive screen time.
Of course, in this digital era, most of us are guilty of long hours spent hunched over a device, scrolling ourselves into a rabbit hole of Instagram posts and animal videos. And while a self-imposed ‘digital detox’ might be the antidote in normal circumstances, unfortunately — thanks to COVID-19 — times are anything but normal.
As ongoing lockdowns continue to set the pace when it comes to how we work, live, and play, it’s inevitable that more and more people will struggle with anxiety, stress, and loneliness. So, how can you minimise the negative impact of screen time, but retain all the digital benefits? One word: wearables.
While device dependancy would seem counterintuitive in these times of strife, paradoxically, technology can actually help. Wearables offer the ability to give both your body and mind a digital detox, while at the same time keeping you connected. These wearable wonders allow us to leave our smartphones at home, and to get outside and immerse ourselves into the healing environment of nature, all while being reachable for work emergencies, being able to pay for an on-the-go coffee, and being able to access music, podcasts, and more, on our morning walk. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Handily, the next generation Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic devices are being released in time to help Aussies unplug during lockdown and to offer customised ways of coping. Revamped, inside and out, and designed for versatile use from morning to night, the wearables will be the first wearables to be fitted with Google’s and Samsung’s new hybrid Wear OS. An operating system that is designed to boost performance, has increased battery life¹, and comes with a swag of new easy-to-access apps.
Alongside a greater variety of customisable faces, both smartwatches allow you to place calls or send and receive messages², which — when it comes to counteracting lockdown loneliness — is vital. Hence the addition of the next generation of earbuds, Galaxy Buds2, which also joins the new Galaxy product line-up. And both come with the improved Samsung Health app, which boasts key features that go way beyond counting steps. Think sleep monitoring, and stress tracking — it’s a holistic health package that allows anyone to live well, and all with a flick of the wrist.
If you feel the urge to disconnect, to reconnect, to unplug — but without unplugging — then read on for our top tips on getting the best out of your Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic smart watches during lockdown. Tips that will help develop equilibrium in both body and mind.
- ¹ Compared to early Galaxy Watch models.
- ² Wi-Fi/LTE connection is required on Galaxy Watch4 Classic and feature requires pairing with smartphone. Cellular features only available on cellular models. For Telstra, the cellular model is compatible with Samsung and Android smartphones. Optus and Vodafone networks require a Samsung smartphone to utilise cellular features.
TALK TO YOUR TRIBE
With Australians once again forced apart — whether it be through imposed lockdown regulations, or the tyranny of closed state and international borders — it’s more important than ever that we stay connected. Science has proven how crucial contact with our friends and family is for mental wellbeing and how ongoing distance can take its toll. Thankfully, with Samsung's smart watches and buds, it has never been easier to stay in touch even when we’re forced to stay apart.
Pair your catch up with a breath of fresh air and up your Vitamin D intake at the same time. The new Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic offer remote call making and answering capabilities. While the Galaxy Buds2 build upon Samsung’s stellar audio legacy with new optimisation for clear voice calls and a machine learning-based solution that is designed to filter out a variety of distracting background noises to ensure audio quality so good that it’ll feel like your loved one is right next to you. It’s the ultimate walk and talk.
GET OUT THERE
If there’s one surefire cure-all for pandemic fatigue it’s immersing yourself in nature. From decreasing depression and aggression, to upping your happiness and contentment and easing mental fatigue, study upon study has shown the healing affects of the great outdoors on the human body. And if you want to get amongst your local greenery and beaches to absorb some of the benefits but are concerned about being contactable for work, or just suffer from old fashioned FOMO, Galaxy have got you covered.
An expansive ecosystem right on your wrist, you can create new messages, or view incoming messages and send replies using the preinstalled messages app, pay for things, listen to music, respond to emails, and use popular third party apps and Google services, including Google Maps, which — when combined with the Galaxy 4 series built-in compass — ensures you won’t get lost while getting your nature fix³.
³ Wi-Fi/LTE connection is required on Galaxy Watch4 Classic and feature requires pairing with smartphone.
AL FRESCO EATS
If your couch has become your dining table, and you’ve done Deliveroo to death, and are over Uber Eats, then why not make your post-workout coffee, morning brekky, or afternoon supper al fresco?
A sit-down restaurant meal might not be possible during lockdown, but plenty of restaurants are offering great takeaway options. Think of it is another excuse to get outside and another way to help support local businesses.
Galaxy smartwatches come equipped with Samsung Pay — a smart wallet that allows you to pay for items, worry-free, without the next to bring your wallet or phone.
STRESS LESS
Managing stress is an important part of staying healthy — especially when times are tough — and wearables have made big strides in both monitoring, and improving, stress-levels.
Galaxy 4 series watches monitor heart rate variability and blood oxygen levels to chart user stress and then offers guided breathing exercises for whenever stress is high — deep and slow breathes send a message to your brain to relax and calm down. Samsung’s latest collaboration with mindfulness and meditation app, Calm — coupled with the new Wear OS that supports leading third party apps — takes combatting stress even further by taking the app’s guided meditation sessions from your smartphone, and onto your wrist, meaning that it’s even easier to turn meditation into a daily habit.
SLEEP MORE
The aforementioned screen time scaremongering hints at the role that digital devices have in harming the production of melatonin (the sleep hormone) in your body. Throw in a hefty dose of pandemic-related anxiety, and you have a recipe for sleep deprivation. Again, the Galaxy Watch4 series is here to help.
Building upon the existing sleep management offering via the Samsung Health app, the new 4 Series contains features, including snore detection and blood oxygen tracking, on top of the existing Record REM sleep tracker. Monitoring the four stages of sleep, users are given a nightly score based on their sleep-wake cycle and heart rate, which allows them to better understand slumber patterns. On top of these valuable insights Galaxy wearables even provide tips on how to improve rest quality, helping you to get your best night’s sleep yet⁴.
⁴ Intended for general wellness and fitness purposes only. Not intended for use in detection, diagnosis, treatment of any medical condition or disease. Measurements are for your personal reference only. Please consult a medical pro-fessional for advice.
WORK ON THE GO
If you’ve often griped about not having a decent work-life-balance, now is your chance to make remote working work for you. Wearables allow you to ditch your physical desk and to bring the office to wherever you are.
The new One UI OS of the Galaxy Watch4 series devices means your watch functions more like a Galaxy smartphone. Settings on your phone, such as world clocks, calendar appointments and the like, can be automatically synched. And the unified platform will also open up new features and integrations with popular third-party apps, which can be downloaded direct from Google Play onto your Galaxy watch. Other new developments include refined gesture controls and an improved display resolution, so it’s even easier to read, organise, and delete emails.
Plus, the Galaxy Watch4 comes with a processor that boasts a 20 per cent faster CPU, a 50 per cent increased RAM for smoother scrolling and multitasking, and a battery that lasts up to 40 hours, which means you can work while away from your desk and stress less.
SOUNDS NICE
Proven to help curb stress and anxiety, music is another amazing tool in your lockdown wellness arsenal. On the new Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic devices, users can enjoy a seamless experience with Spotify, which includes the ability to listen fave tunes and playlists when offline.
Of course, for the optimum listening experience, good headphones are vital, and the perfect companion to both Galaxy 4 watches is the newly released Galaxy Buds2.
Samsung’s smallest and lightest earbuds yet, the buds are designed for comfort and for all day use. Dynamic two-way speakers deliver crisp, clear high notes, while the active noise canceling feature (easily controlled from the Galaxy 4 series watches) cuts external background noise by up to 98 per cent. And with three levels of ambient sound volume control, you can choose how much of your surrounding sound you can hear, meaning that you can immerse yourself in your own musical world wherever you are.
Both the Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4 Classic — available in LTE and Bluetooth with two sizes and a range of colours — are available for purchase in Australia from September 10.
Galaxy Watch4
Galaxy Buds2
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