Fighting Talk: How I learned to stop worrying and love my smartwatch

Just last summer, I was pleading with Samsung's Mr Shin and Co not to screw up the first edition Galaxy Gear. It hadn't even been announced at that point, but we knew it was coming, and I was scared that Samsung would ruin it.

So what did they do? They screwed it up. Good one, Samsung. You brought out a smartwatch that tells you to look at your phone when anything happens.

Ridiculous. There was no way on God's green earth I was going to get one.

But that's changed now – Samsung has headed to Tails R Us, bought the most expensive model there, and placed it squarely between its legs, coming back with a good, re-booted model. No, not even a model: a really great range of devices.

For the first time, we have a smartwatch that isn't pants. I've tried a load of them over the years, with the best being the Pebble (nice, niche but a bit boring) and they've always left me a bit flat.

Changing times

Just six months after urging us to spend hundreds on a turkey of a smartwatch, the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo were announced along with the Gear Fit. And you know what – something changed. I tried them both out and I'm sold.

The first Gear, for all its many, many flaws, looked decent, and I'm so glad Samsung has kept that design ethos.

Wearing the Gear Fit for a few days, I got so many admiring looks. I kid you not - even a woman on security at Heathrow saw it, asked about it and then asked me on a date. She might have been 40 years my senior, but at least the Fit was living up to its name in a slightly different way.

I will say the Gear 2 is a misstep. I had to move onto the Gear 2 Neo. The 'big brother' is too expensive for what it is as Gareth pointed out a few weeks back, but the Neo really hits the sweet spot.

It's more affordable, just as functional and I CAN MAKE CALLS ON IT! Seriously, don't underestimate that. Do you realise how many cool points that earns? You'll never need a chat up line ever again.

I know I don't need it

Yes, the whole smartwatch concept seems a bit gimmicky, but I've found myself using it when my phone's on charge in another room or when I'm just too lazy to reach all the way into my pocket. It's become second nature to change the tune using my watch instead of the headset remote.

I've turned to it several times this last week to locate my phone which has been hiding like a rascal under cushions and in bags.

Sure, it's not 100% there. The Gear line is a bit of a niche one when you consider it will only work with Samsung devices. And it's hardly cheap.

Plus, while it's great being able to reply to texts and emails via the wrist, not being able to do so with things like WhatsApp messages is a bit of a ballache.

This isn't the first smartwatch we've seen. But it's the first good one.

Hopefully Apple will join the party this year - we've been waiting long enough - and the crop of Google Gear watches on their way is enough to make me beam from ear to ear. Wrist action has never been this much fun.