Your digital companion

Generally, fitness trackers are not smart. And, not all smartwatches can track activity. If you are looking for a wearable device that combines the capabilities of an activity tracker with a touchscreen and the funtionality of a smartwatch, then Lycos Life 'Band' fits the bill.

Purpose-built and designed to fit your wrist, the water-resistant plastic bracelet, with a narrow bezel around the small curvy touchscreen sans any buttons, serves as a single point of entry into your digital life. I paired my Sony Xperia C4 via Bluetooth with the Lycos Life Android app. It took less than 10 seconds to exit the hibernation mode, opening access to multiple features hidden underneath its belt.

The app offers multiple communication features, including sending notifications, automatically monitoring incoming calls etc, completely hands-free. However, you cannot make or receive calls with this.

Carrying out functions like unlocking the phone without any passwords, logging in to websites and apps on the synced handset using the Lycos personal security manager, activating silent alarms for daily wake-up calls and tracking the duration of sleep etc are easy on the device. It, however, took some practice to get used to the wireless Tap-to-Transfer (T2T) function, which enables sharing phone numbers, business cards and addresses. Embedded in the band are two chips that connect and transfer messages to the T2T stickers (which need to be placed at any location to be received by the message recipient) that come free with the device.

On the health and fitness monitoring front, the band is equipped with a heart-rate monitor and live EKG/ECG, besides providing information on the number of steps taken and tracking the speed during a walk and calories burnt, which stand on par with the features offered by other devices out there in the market. While Lycos claimed that the band has a 14-day battery life on a single charge, it lasted for about 11 days. Overall, it beats expectations, and at Rs 7,500, it is value for money.