The 10 Coolest Wearables Of 2015 (So Far)

Riding The Wearables Wave

The wearables market is on the verge of an explosion as well-known vendors such as Apple, Samsung and Pebble are ramping up their efforts to create the coolest, quickest, and most efficient wearable.

According to market research firm IDC, the worldwide wearables market is set to increase up to 45.7 percent in 2015, with up to 89.2 percent of product shipments being wrist wearables, including bands and watches.

With the release of the game-changing Apple Watch in April, followed by other interesting new wearables like Pebble Steel and Motorola's Moto 360, this lucrative market's popularity is no surprise.

Following are the top 10 coolest wearables of 2015, so far.

Apple Watch

Apple in April debuted its Apple Watch, a smartwatch that connects to users' smartphones to alert them with instant notifications for email, messages, fitness functions and social media.

Analysts hailed the Apple Watch as a jump-starter for the wearables market, particularly the product's variety of personalized features. The watch, for instance, is sold in two sizes, 38mm and 42mm, and has display options for high-end gold models and an aluminum sporty version.

In addition to an innovative design, Apple Watch's operating system, the custom-built watchOS, touts thousands of apps designed specifically for watch-wearers.

Prices for the Apple Watch range from $349 for the sports model to more than $10,000 for the high-end gold model.

P ebble Time

Smartwatch company Pebble in May released its latest Kickstarter-led wearable, the Pebble Time.

This new smartwatch, which works with iPhones running iOS 8 and Android devices running 4.0 and above, comes in a 40.5mm color glass display with LED backlight and contains an impressive battery life of up to seven days.

In addition, the Pebble Time is water-resistant to 30 meters, contains a built-in microphone for voice notes and quick replies, and thousands of apps.

Though Pebble has yet to reveal a release date, Pebble Time will cost $199.99.

LG Watch Urbane

LG Watch Urbane offers a water- and dust-resistant, high-class stainless steel gold or silver design with smart 4.1 LE Bluetooth compatible features.

Running on Android Wear and powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, the watch allows users to see who is texting and calling them and check social media among other functions.

Along with its "Ok Google" voice-activated control feature, LG Watch Urbane offers navigation and quick notification controls.

The LG Watch Urbane, released in May, doesn't depend on Android smartphones, as it is also compatible with iPhones and other devices. The phone costs $349.99.

TAG Heuer Smartwatch

Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer made a ripple in the wearables market in March when it said it would create a luxury smartwatch in conjunction with Intel and Google technologies.

While little is known about the classy smartwatch, TAG Heuer said it will be powered by Intel technology and Android Wear, and is set to be released at an unspecified date in 2015 for $1,400.

TAG Heuer's newest smart product means significant changes for the high-end wearables market.

Jawbone UP2

The Jawbone UP2, released in April, is a basic wearable focused on fitness tracking. This basic thin band tracks steps, sleep quality and overall calories burned. It also includes a Smart Alarm to wake up users at an optimal time during sleep cycles, a Smart Coach to keep tabs on fitness, and Idle Alerts for users who have been sitting for too long.

The Jawbone UP2 contains up to a week of battery life and syncs wirelessly with compatible Apple and Android devices. This wearable runs on Bluetooth 4.0 BLE and contains three colors LEDs: blue for sleep, orange for activity and white for notifications. The Jawbone UP2 is a budget wearable at $99.99.

Guess Connect

During this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Guess said it has partnered with smartwatch company Martian to deliver a multifunctional chic smartwatch line with models for both men and women.

The smartwatch, called Guess Connect, features Dual Mode functionality, simultaneously providing voice command functions through Classic Bluetooth while utilizing Bluetooth low energy to provide hands- and eye-free notifications.

The water-resistant watch connects to an app for both iOS and Android so users can customize their notifications and other functions.

Guess Connect's pricing and availability has not been revealed, though the watch is rumored to be released in October and will reportedly cost between $349 and $399.

Withings Activate Pop

Withings in January showed off its new smartwatch, the Withings Activate Pop, which functions primarily as a sporty fitness watch.

Equipped with activity tracking, swim tracking and sleep tracking features, the Activate Pop also contains a silent alarm and automatically syncs through Bluetooth 4.0.

With a simplistic, lightweight design, the Activate Pop is manufactured for health functionality. It is now available for $149.95.

Sony Smartwatch 3 Steel Edition

Sony at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show launched the stainless steel edition of its SmartWatch 3.

The original version of the smartwatch, first launched in November 2014, is powered by Android Wear and contains voice command features as well as instant notifications.

Sony's Smartwatch 3 contains a 1.6-inch transflective display as well as GPS and compass features, and runs on a 1.2GHz quad ARM A7. The stainless steel version, launched in January, goes for $249.99.

Garmin VivoActive

Garmin's VivoActive smartwatch, which was released in April, focuses on sports tracking with built-in sports apps for running, golfing, biking and swimming. This wearable contains smart notifications to alert users to incoming calls, texts, emails and calendar reminders through compatible Bluetooth-enabled devices.

The Garmin VivoActive pushes the limits with battery life at up to three weeks and comes in five colors. The Garmin VivoActive is available for $249.99.

Microsoft Band

Microsoft Band was released in October, but the company recently ramped up production of its smart wearable in March 2015, expanding its availability to include retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.

Microsoft Band is literally a black band, but contains similar notification features for texts and incoming calls as other wearables. Microsoft Band is cross-compatible, working with iPhone, Android and Windows Phone, and contains Cortana voice command features for Windows Phone 8.1 users.

The wearable also contains health features like a heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and guided workouts on an app.

It is available for $199.99.