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Smartwatches cater to fashion, athletes

Berlin - Smart wearable devices are part of a growing ecosystem that should cater to both fashionistas as well as serious athletes.

Garmin is one of several companies displaying its range of smart watches at the IFA gadget show underway in Berlin.

The company, which is known for its personal navigation devices, is diversifying into wearable technology focused on health and fitness.

"You can see your training level; you are in fat burn, in training, or in maximum. You can see that 'I must slow my training or go faster'," a Garmin representative told Fin24.

In GPS mode, the exercise watch should offer eight hours of battery life, and it is aimed at athletes, said the booth spokesperson.

"This watch is aimed at tri-athletes, runners and sportspeople."

Round face

Garmin also has a more consumer orientated version dubbed Vivo which works with apps the company has developed and runs for three weeks in "Clock mode".

Samsung's Gear S2 runs the Tizen operating system. (Duncan Alfreds, Fin24)

South Korean electronics giant Samsung wowed crowds in its own hall with the Gear S2 smart watch which runs its new Tizen operating system.

The updated Gear watch sports a round face to mimic a traditional watch a Samsung representative told Fin24.

While the watch face is smaller than the curved Gear S, a first look at the device revealed a comfortable fit for the 3cm (1.2 inch) screen device.

The design is a break from the rectangular-shaped efforts from the South Korean company and aimed at people who want some smart functionality in a time piece.

Samsung claims a two day battery life and offers wireless charging with the Gear S2 which also allows users to customise the watch face.

Chinese giant Huawei unveiled its round-faced smart watch running Android Wear at the gadget show.

The Google software allows wearable devices to connect to both Android smartphones and iPhones.

- Follow Duncan on Twitter

*Huawei hosted Fin24 at the IFA in Berlin

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