Sony SmartWatch 2 (SW2)

usability, price, portability, software, performance

reliability, touch screen

82% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Lots of apps available ; It does work

Limited battery life ; Awkward to setup

When not in use, a non-backlit clock face is shown (you can pick between 10). This uses some power, but nowhere near as much as a fully lit screen. It's not quite as clear as a 'normal' watch, though. Now, onto the apps.

Dust & water resistant ; Changeable strap ; Various apps ; More affordable

Text is small ; No message flows ; Tricky to setup ; UI sluggish at times

Works with multiple devices ; Fair price tag ; Good battery life

Limited notifications ; Dependency on your phone ; Flimsy wrist strap and clasp

Checking your emails without taking your phone out of your pocket, strap can be changed, works with non-Sony Android devices

Poor screen quality, frustrating set-up, poor battery life, disparate consumer experience, not right second time around, issues with first review sample

The big question: should you buy a SmartWatch 2? The £150 investment won't break the bank, so it looks to be an attractive prospect and one of only a handful in a market that promises to get busier over the coming years.

At £149 the Sony SmartWatch 2 is a good value for money smart watch. It improves on the original version in key areas such as design, battery life and showing the time. With plenty of apps to download and use, there's lots of functionality too.

The Sony SmartWatch 2 screens phone alerts, Gmail, and call info in real time. The device also has a modern, water-resistant design that's compatible with standard watch bands.

The Sony SmartWatch 2 is tricky to set up on non-Sony phones. The watch has a small clock face selection, short battery life, and a quirky music player app. There's no iOS support.

With its ability to push Android notifications to your wrist, the Sony SmartWatch 2 is more useful than Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, but the Pebble is still the best smartwatch deal around.

Small, lightweight, cheap ; Twice weekly charge via microUSB ; Good selection of apps

Unreliable in use ; No iOS compatibility, some Sony-only functions ; Useless without a smartphone

Good battery life, great apps and notifications and all-Android compatibility, but the SmartWatch 2 needs a reliability boost

The Smartwatch 2 goes on sale later this month for £160. That will almost certainly make it less expensive than the Galaxy Gear, but we'll have to wait until after release to see whether 2013 is the year that wearable computing in general takes off...