Five reasons you should still consider the Pebble and Samsung Gear even with Android Wear coming soon

The Moto 360 Android Wear watch from Motorola looks great and I am considering one. I am probably not as excited as my MoTR podcast co-host Kevin Tofel because I don't find Google Now always performs as well as I expect it to.

After hearing the Android Wear news, I got the immediate feeling that Samsung and Pebble would be seriously concerned about the future of their Gear and Pebble smartwatches. However, after a couple of days of pondering the Android Wear news, I honestly think there are several reasons that both of these smartwatch choices are still viable choices.

Here are my five reasons that the Pebble smartwatch is still a good option:

1. Compatible with iOS and Android platforms, likely going to work with Windows Phone 8.1
2. Decent 5-7 day battery life
3. Offers plenty of 3rd party apps, more than just Google Now functionality
4. Nicely sized watch, reasonable for women. The Moto 360 looks to be a beast.
5. Waterproof and fairly robust

Here are my five reasons that the new Samsung Gear 2 and Gear Fit are good options to consider:

1. Second generation hardware and software so many lessons have been learned and improvements made
2. Millions of Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners so consistency with the user interface and ecosystem is offered
3. Elegant design aspects and rather compact Fit wristband form factor
4. Advanced sensors and specs, including heart rate monitor, digital camera, and more
5. Samsung brand is well-known and well supported around the world

The Pebble ($149) and Pebble Steel ($249) are reasonably priced smartwatches while Samsung still looks to have the Gear 2 ($299) and Gear Fit ($199) priced rather high. We don't yet know the price of the Moto 360 or other Android Wear watches, but price could still be an advantage for Pebble.

The Samsung Gear devices would be more attractive if they worked with more than Galaxy smartphones and that is one area where Android Wear and the Pebble have a clear advantage.

I previously wrote five reasons I prefer the Pebble over the Galaxy Gear, but Samsung also worked to improve their smartwatch with this latest generation and I am very interested in testing out the Gear Fit.

Related reading

• Google sets smartwatches with Android Wear OS (photos)
• Google's Android Wear's secret sauce: The cloud
• Google eyes Android for wearables: A look at the challenges
• Google unveils Android Wear project, takes aim at smartwatches first