Wearable technology to track health and wellbeing has been limited to smartwatches for many years, until now.

NexRing – a smartring for wellbeing

A new digital smart ring called the NexRing is a great solution for those who’ve never bought into smartwatches or felt they were too bulky.

The NexRing lets you monitor sleep, heart rate, activity and body temperature with personalised insights.

It is available in silver, rose gold or black, and looks like a thicker wedding band – with sensors on the inside.

It comes with a wireless charger, and battery life is between five to seven days, depending on how active you are. The accompanying app for iOS and Android lets you set your goals once you sign up with vitals such as height and weight.

Goals include daily steps, calories and daily activity distance. You can check the app to see your ‘readiness’ score, which is based on your sleep pattern.

The NexRing is suitable for anyone who wants to discreetly track their wellbeing without wearing a bulky smart watch.

For an accurate size, the company has sizing kits available for R450 before purchasing the R4 995 ring.

Samsung SmartTag2 Bluetooth Tracker

If you’re a Samsung Galaxy user, check out the second generation Bluetooth tracker called the SmartTag2.

The new low-powered tracker has been completely redesigned and promises up to 500 days of battery life. It can be used for keys, luggage, handbags, bikes, pets, kids; whatever you want to keep track of.

It has a nifty design with built-in keyring to clip on to your item and is lightweight at under 14g.

The smart tag pairs with the Smart Things app with which you can track the location of the tag in real-time. It can also be used to control other internet of things devices linked on the Samsung ecosystem.

It has a range of up to 120m and is rated IP67 for water and dust resistance, making it suitable for various scenarios. It also supports left behind notifications and has a buzzer to ring it.

It works best on Galaxy devices with ultra-wide band support, so you can make use of the Compass View feature with instructions to get to your item.
It’s best to check compatibility before purchasing.

The SmartTag2 costs about R499.

Voye eSIM for travel

South African company ExecMobile has launched its own prepaid roaming eSIM for travellers, called Voye.Available on both the Play Store and App Store, Voye supports unlocked devices with eSIM support. A full list of devices is available and can be found on its website, where you will also find a list of 130 countries that eSIM will work in.

The packages are for data only, starting from 3GB for 7 days at $12; 6GB for 30 days at $20, with up to 30GB for 30 days, including 5/10/15GB for 365 days for $27-$69.
It’s really simple to set-up; you simply select a plan from the app, install the eSIM and then activate it.

You also receive 100MB free, in addition to your package, to test that it works before you travel, which makes things easier when compared with other eSIMs that only activate when you’re outside of South Africa.

It’s important to note that the eSIM connectivity works on land and not on cruises.

The Voye pre-paid eSIM is for data connection, and does not support calls or texts, but will work on apps such as WhatsApp or iMessage.

Visit VoyeGlobal.com for more info.

Published in the City Press newspaper on Sunday, 25 February.