Every time you look, our computers have moved closer to us.

In the beginning, they existed only in corporate headquarters. Then came the desktop PC -- three feet away. Then the laptop -- one foot. Then the smartphone -- in our pockets. What's next -- computers on our wrists?

Exactly. As though by silent agreement, the gadget industry seems to have decided that 2013 will be the year of the smartwatch.

The central idea is sound. You already have an iPhone or Android phone. Wouldn't it be neat if your watch could communicate with it wirelessly?

Imagine: the watch could beep or vibrate whenever you get an incoming call, text message or email.

These watches can also make your phone beep loudly when it's lost in the house.

They can also serve as a digital "leash": if you wander away, accidentally leaving your phone on some restaurant table, the watch buzzes to warn you.

I tested the Meta Watch ($180), Cookoo ($130), Casio G-Shock GB-6900 ($180), Martian ($300), and I'm Watch ($400, coming in July).

The Casio and Martian watches are worth considering. But if you ask the other watches what time it is, they'll tell you: too soon.

The designs are all over the map. Some have touch screens. Some look like regular analog watches; others are basically iPod Nanos with straps. Some require daily charging; others take watch batteries.

They do have some things in common. First, these early smartwatches are thick and chunky. Second, they communicate with your phone over Bluetooth. You have to "pair" the watch to your phone on the first day -- and whenever you exit Airplane Mode. Most models require a companion phone app for this purpose.

Casio G-Shock GB-6900 ($180) --This watch closely resembles Casio's other G-Shocks: popular, masculine, rugged, waterproof digitals.

But this one can beep or vibrate when calls or emails come to your iPhone (Android is in the works) -- though not, alas, text messages. There's no Caller ID; a cramped scrolling display says only "Incoming call." For email, the sender's address scrolls slowly. You can dismiss these alerts with a double-tap on the glass -- that's the only thing this watch's "touch screen" does.

The watch can also set itself as you cross time zones by checking in with your phone.

These limited functions are solid and power-stingy; one watch battery lasts two years.

Martian Watch ($250 to $300) -- This classy-looking watch has analog hands; a crisp, bright scrolling line of text appears only when the watch has something to say. It notifies you of text messages, incoming calls, email, Twitter or Facebook posts.

On the iPhone, until the companion app is ready at the end of March, the Find Phone feature doesn't work, and the only notifications are for text messages.

Even then, you see only the first 40 characters of text messages and the first 20 of Facebook/Twitter posts; the email alert shows only how many new messages you have, not what they are.

Cool: you can decline an incoming call by shaking your wrist a certain way. The watch can set off your phone's camera remotely, and it can read incoming texts aloud. One USB charge lasts several days.

By far the most astonishing feature, though, is that the Martian is a full-blown speakerphone. It communicates with Android's voice-dialing feature or, even more flexibly, the iPhone's Siri. You can also dictate text messages and emails or check your calendar by voice, all thanks to Siri.

This is it, people: Dick Tracy. James Bond. The future.