Smartwatches promised to make us healthier, and they could finally

On their own, each of these ads is remarkable (but not revolutionary). Collectively, however, they make the portable category, which is struggling to prove its usefulness for years, again relevant and promising.

Although we have always known that laptops can be excellent fitness buddies, the latest announcements show us that businesses take your health much more seriously. The smartwatches of 2018 and beyond will be much more than glorified pedometers: they will provide you with useful information, for example if you meet the recommended standards of activity.

The Apple and Google collaborations with the AHA have allowed a better interpretation of heart rate data continuously collected by Apple Watch and Wear OS devices. In this way, they can be attractive not only for runners or exercise enthusiasts, but also for a wider audience, more interested in their overall health.

It is also interesting to note that the Apple Watch Series 4 has been successful in obtaining FDA clearance for its ECG and irregular rate notification – but I do not recommend relying too much on these features. First and foremost, the FDA's decision classifies these two specific watch functions as "free-market" tools that should not be used in place of "traditional methods of diagnosis or treatment". Also, I'm not sure that most people can understand an ECG. I had to ask a cousin who works as an emergency doctor to see if something was wrong with my own card when I had a checkup years ago.

These devices ultimately aim to detect anomalies – events that are different from your usual pattern. On the new Apple Watch, this means things like an irregular heartbeat (a possible sign of atrial fibrillation) or falls. In the case of the latter, if you fall and can not get up, the watch can also send help.

Beyond the general health monitoring, these data will be useful for your doctor (if you choose to share your statistics with your health care provider). Our memories are unreliable, which is why a regular recording of our heart rate is much more useful for quickly detecting potential problems.

It is also helpful to use your cardio data to measure your daily activity – not just to tell you about your sleep stages and your exercise zones like Fitbits and other trackers. While this is not the only indicator of your overall well-being, your heart health is the easiest to follow for smartwatches. Google uses this data in the new Fit to encourage people to lead more active lives by reaching a recommended number of "heart points" each week. In this way, smartwatches are not only on the lookout for potentially troubling symptoms, but are also becoming more and more effective in preventive care. In other words, the next generation of wearables can be both a watchman and a messy parent.