My phone is smart. And, apparently, my watch will be smart, too.

I remember watching spy movies as a kid and seeing the spies calling someone, locating a suspect via GPS and receiving signals from enemy lines — all via watch. 

Now that’s enough to freak out any kid. I had thought watches were only for telling time and spent the rest of the week tapping my plastic Hello Kitty watch and hoping it would show me some radar tracker or something. 

But now, the spy watch gadget is slowly becoming a reality, as several companies have boasted their newly developed smart watches recently. 

Pebble Technology, for example, just released its Pebble E-Paper Watch, with a 144 x 168 pixel black-and-white e-paper display built on a wristband. It connects to iPhone and Android smartphones, can access Twitter, receives notifications for incoming calls and e-mails and includes apps to control music on your phone, according to Pebble’s website.

And Sony has their own SmartWatch, too, which is compatible with Android devices. Slim and sleek, the watch comes in an OLED multi-touch display, according to Sony’s website. It can hold many apps, allows you to read emails and connects you to Facebook or Twitter.

To top it off, there are recent rumors that Apple and Samsung might produce smart watches of their own. 

So it looks like this new smart watch idea might become huge in the tech world. Companies know that consumers love their smart phones, so they’re renovating new products to cater to that demand. It’s amazing how innovators can come up with brilliant advances in the personalized age, and even more puzzling that they can build a smart watch that only existed in the fictional world.  

Despite the wonderful progress in technology via smart watch, personally, I would not get a smart watch. 

First of all, it’s a waste of money. Pebble and Sony are selling theirs around $150, and if Apple does make an “iWatch,” it’s probably going to be a lot more expensive given Apple’s reputation. There is simply no need for a smart watch that can do all the things that a smartphone or laptop can do. Seriously. I can easily tell time, glance at texts, control (and listen!) to music and check the weather with my phone. And it doesn’t take _that_ much energy to grab my phone, so it’s not necessary to have all those functions strapped around my wrist on an additional device. 

Second off, one of the main functions is that it syncs to your smartphone, allowing you to glance at Facebook statuses, to see incoming calls, etc. without the hassle of getting your phone out. But it’s practically useless if you don’t have your phone with you. So if the watch does most functions of a phone, why not just use the phone instead? 

Third, I’m nearsighted, and sometimes even my glasses don’t give me 20/20 vision. Pair that with a 1-inch screen device, and I’d probably go blind in a month. Not to mention I might become the next Hunchback of Notre Dame from slumping by looking at my wrist every hour. New technology that includes multiple, convenient functions is helpful to many, but not if it comes with a screen I need a microscope to use.

Besides, I enjoy having my wrists free of any bands. That’s one reason why I stopped wearing watches in the first place. If I wear the smart watch and I start to sweat throughout the day (especially in the summer), sweating along with a hot running battery would pretty uncomfortable. But that’s just me.

A smart watch might be useful to business people and the like, who might need to be notified of calls and emails without having to take out their phone in the middle of a meeting. It’s certainly quite convenient, but not exactly necessary to daily life. As a college student (and short of cash), though, I don’t find it essential to be notified every minute. 

Smart watches might just become the next big thing, considering how many people enjoy experiencing new products and inventions that make their lives easier and exciting. But it might not appeal to all audiences. Only time will tell.