When designing smartwatches, manufacturers tend to miss what makes plain old watches attractive. So they come up with products that look overly geeky, have short battery life, and feel too fragile. Motorola is the only one to have come close to an appealing design with its Moto 360, but it, sadly, missed the mark in other areas.

With the newly-announced Watch Urbane, LG gives the impression that it too understands that smartwatches have to look great, first of all, and then woo us with all the bells and whistles that come with the software. But does it also nail the other bits?

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A few months ago, I wrote a post comparing the early sales of smartwatches to those of tablets and modern smartphones (early iPhone and Android models). As I expected, the numbers didn't bode well for smartwatches. Now that we have another year's worth of data to play with (from Canalys this time), we have an opportunity to test the validity of my previous analysis.

The chart above plots smartwatch shipments against smartphone and tablet shipments for two years after the point when each category was meaningfully conceived. Data on smartwatch shipments has been combined from multiple sources including Canalys, Strategy Analytics and ABI Research. Now compare this updated chart with my previous observations.

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That is the only takeaway from today's brutal bias assault against Android Wear. Canalys reports half-year 2014 shipments of 720,000, and the Apple-loving free press categorizes the number as a failure. Meanwhile, the analyst firm boasts that "All eyes are now on Apple, which will reveal further details about the Apple Watch prior to its release in April". Not mine. Are yours?

Over at Wall Street Journal, Rolfe Winkler begins his hatchet piece with: "It's been a slow start for Google’s smartwatches". The search and information giant doesn't sell any of the devices, developing the underlying platform. Nitpicking aside, he ridiculously writes: "Apple sold roughly 114 million iPhones over the same period. That means Apple sold almost as many iPhones each day as makers of Android smartwaches sold over the six months". Oh yeah?

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The Pebble watch has come a long way, from Kickstarter darling to success in the market. It's becoming a crowded playing field, though Pebble has the name recognition to compete. That's why it's become the success it now is, with new and innovative versions and colors.

Now the smartwatch maker announces numbers. It seems the company has hit the magical one million mark in terms of users. That's a lot of wrists that now have the device strapped on (I'm one of them).

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The words "first responders" came to the forefront in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. However, it really just describes the medical, fire and police people who rush to the scene of any problem, hoping to save lives and property. These men and women need every advantage they can get, and modern technology continues to aid them in their work.

You may think of the smartwatch as something that displays the time and messages for you, but it can be a lot more in some cases. Pebble, the former darling of Kickstarter, is now helping these folks out by bringing the CommandWear app to its platform.

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Like any new technology, smartwatches when they first appeared were fiendishly expensive. Now that budget manufacturers are getting in on the act however prices are starting to tumble.

The R5 from Chinese company Rwatch costs less than $50 and will work with most Android phones, but can it compete with the pricier offerings from big name manufacturers?

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Even with all the trillion dollar estimates on what the wearables market will become by the turn of the decade, the outlook at the current juncture is slightly bleak for all but the biggest of manufacturers. Research released by the University of Pennsylvania showed that of 6,223 wearables users it studied, over 50 percent had given up on the devices and two thirds of that number did so in the first six months.

It’s becoming abundantly clear that tech firms need to arrest this decline and, although there is expectation that Apple’s entry into the sector can give everyone a jolt forwards, plenty more can be done.

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Luxury brand Montblanc has unveiled an innovative watch strap that will provide smartwatch features without compromising on style.

The strap comes with a small display that lets the user see any notification, as well as controlling their music and smartphone camera remotely.

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Like it or not, wearable technology seems to be here to stay. 2014 saw many advances for the Pebble smartwatch, Google Glass stayed in the game, though remained out of the price range for most consumers. Android Wear debuted with several brands offering differing form factors. But where does this new product line head off to in 2015?

For starters, there is Apple, which announced its offering recently, though it won't be available until next year. That one is, like anything announced by the Cupertino-based company, greatly anticipated by a certain group of people. And like other Apple products, it will also be overpriced in a market where you can buy a Pebble for $99.

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Anyone using an Android powered smartwatch no longer needs to worry about actually having to pick up their smartphone in order to see what’s going on back home, or in the office while they’re gone.

Now they can do it through the smartwatch.

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Like it or not, wearable technology seems to be here to stay. While, the likes of Google Glass remain aloof to most customers thanks to pricing, smartwatches have become fairly commonplace. Apple plans to enter the market, but Pebble and Google are already becoming established.

Now the two merge -- sort of. Pebble announces its latest update contains Android Wear notifications. This comes via version 2.3 of the app for your smartphone and it aims to add new functionality to your wrist.

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Wearable technology is here, though not everyone seems to be on board with the 'trend'. Still, the market is growing and existing products are evolving to do more. Pebble has just released a new batch of updates featuring the ability to order Domino's pizza, new watchfaces and several other apps available to its customers.

Now Asus, known for its computers and tablets, is releasing its entry into the market, announcing the ZenWatch. The new model is utilizing AndroidWear and features a classy look, with a nice face and stitched leather band.

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Pebble was not the first smartwatch, but it could be argued that it popularized the platform and led to others creating similar devices. The company isn't resting on its laurels either, as it continues to make improvements and get apps in its store. The latest new addition is geared towards the hungry.

Pebble is announcing that pizza giant Domino's has arrived on your wrist. Yes, you can now order your pie right from the watch -- toppings are up to you.

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Developers of ‘the world’s first smart earring’ are hoping to raise over $30,000 on the Kickstarter crowd-funding website as part of a vision to "take fitness monitoring to the next level".

With most fitness and activity tracking devices typically worn on the wrist, developers of the Ear-o-Smart earring believe the wearable electronics market is missing a trick.

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Microsoft is getting into the wearables business, but not with a smartwatch as the rumors have suggested for more than a week. The software giant is actually approaching this market with a smart activity tracker called Band, and a dedicated platform called Health.

Like the rumored smartwatch, which could have competed with Android Wear devices and Apple Watch, Band works on all three major mobile platforms, Android, iOS and Windows Phone. It is designed for both fitness junkies as well as average folks who wish to keep track of their daily activity.

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