APPLE WATCH VS. LG G R WATCH

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The Apple Watch and the LG G Watch R are two of the most exciting upcoming wearable tech devices, set to take the world by storm. But as you glance at your wrist and consider with which trinket to adorn it, the choice is

about to become a tricky one.

WHAT IS A SMART WATCH?

A wearable computing device worn on a user's wrist that offers functionality and capabilities similar to those of a smart phones. Smart

watches are designed to, either on their own or when paired with a Smartphone, provide features like connecting to the internet, running

mobile apps, making calls, messaging via text or video, checking caller ID, accessing stock and weather updates, providing fitness monitoring

capabilities, offering GPS coordinates and location directions, and more.

The Watch Urbane is 24 percent taller, 28 percent wider and 4 percent thicker than the Apple Watch. And keep in mind that we're handling the larger (42 mm) of the two Apple

Watches. There's also a 38 mm model where that size gap is even bigger.We don't have a big problem with the Urbane's size; there are regular timekeeping

watches with faces this big. It's also very comfortable on wrist (like the Apple Watch). But we are looking forward to seeing some Android Wear watches that better compete with Apple's more compact size. Ultimately a wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles is

what will serve customers best, and we've yet to see that from one single company.

Size

You could argue that size is the Apple Watch's only truly groundbreaking feature. It's around the size of Pebble Steel: a watch with a black & white, non-touch screen that can only store eight apps at a time. Apple squeezed

some much more advanced tech into a great little size that just doesn't dominate your wrist the way Android Wear watches do.

Screen size and quality are a mixed bag, and both wearables are in pretty good shape there. The Apple Watch has the sharper screen, with its Retina Display looking terrific all

around, with rich colors and good contrast. The Watch Urbane has a less pixel-dense display (245 PPI vs. the Apple Watch's ~326 PPI), but the Urbane's screen is also 21

percent bigger – giving you a more immersive peek into your alerts and other goodies.Generally speaking, we also love the look of round-screened watches like the Urbane,

something Apple doesn't offer with its first-generation Watch.

Controls are a little different, with the Watch Urbane taking the simpler and more obvious approach: touch screen and touch screen only (though its side button also serves as a home button and shortcut). Touch is also the main way that you get around the Apple Watch, but it

also has a Digital Crown (above), which you can turn to scroll up and down lists and zoom in and out of your apps screen. The Apple Watch also has two dedicated shortcut buttons (including

that crown) and a second way of touching your screen known as Force Touch: by pressing down on the screen a little farther, you can, in some places, call up menu screens and the like.

These differences reflect the two different operating systems. Google has made the simpler OS, the one that a child could pick up and understand within a few minutes. Swipe down through

your cards, and sometimes to the side to get more info or to "action" one of them. Easy peasy.

Apple's Watch OS, meanwhile, has a steeper learning curve, with different areas staked out for apps, Glances (basically widgets that live in a horizontal row below the main clock face), messages, Siri and more. It isn't that complicated, mind you, and Watch OS is laid out intuitively. But this is a case where Apple doesn't win the

grand prize for simplicity. That goes to Google.

So which smartwatch is the better value? Well, the stainless steel Watch Urbane (with leather band) rings up for $350, while this aluminum Apple Watch Sport (the

entry-level version of the larger 42 mm Watch) with rubber band costs $400. There are many intangibles that will change the "value" for each individual

customer, but we're leaning slightly towards the Urbane as the general-purpose "better bang for your buck" watch. You could just as easily, though, argue that the

Apple Watch's better app support puts it ahead.