Smartwatches (1 Viewer)

[jbutler]

so the apple watch finally made its actual debut today. i was a bit optimistic that it would be released at a good price point and with options that would make me consider picking one up. i'm not a hyper-technophile, but i am always interested in what's coming around. i have to this point held off on looking too deeply into smartwatches because the most interesting progress was being made with devices interfacing exclusively with android phones and tablets. if i could have gotten the motorola 360 for iphone, i'd have been tempted.

unfortunately, the price points (of which there are many) of the many options for the apple watch aren't encouraging. i don't really want the "sport" version because i want the option to use a leather or metal band, but i don't want to pay $550+ for the damn thing. the sport version is already overpriced starting at $350, but $550 without any of the subsidies that accompany new mobile phones is just too high imo.

i don't think i'm quite ready to jump (back) to android just to be able to experiment with their smartwatches, but i really do like that motorola 360. i wish the pebble weren't ugly as hell or i'd pick one of those up. anyone out there wear a smartwatch or plan to pick up the apple watch? anything fantastic and ios-compatible that i've overlooked?

in before "watches are useless."

 

[Mr. Cheese]

I've never owned a smart watch but I honestly don't think I'd ever bother. Charging a watch every day or two would bother me in addition to spending 500 dollars on something that will probably just sit in a drawer after the initial cool factor (if it actually has any cool factor honestly) wears off. I'll just stick to my smart phone and my Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date :.

I did run across a video for the apple watch that was entertaining though lol

[video=youtube_share;yioL7MRQvHM]http://youtu.be/yioL7MRQvHM[/video]

 

[links_slayer]

Not interested. Yet.

 

[jbutler]

Not interested. Yet.

this is basically where i'm at with the apple watch.

i fully expect the price point to drop on the $550 model by $200 by this time next year. also, maybe more importantly, typically version 2.0 of any apple product is a profound improvement on version 1.0, so i'm pretty satisfied to give it time. i didn't have an iphone until the 4s and i felt like i got on board at about the right pace, maybe a tad too late.

 

[nitzilla]

I quit wearing a watch 2-3 years ago when I realized that being in IT, I'm constantly staring at screens with the time right there and my phone always on and in my pocket/hand........

No interest in wearing a watch again........
nitzilla

 

[jbutler]

I quit wearing a watch 2-3 years ago when I realized that being in IT, I'm constantly staring at screens with the time right there and my phone always on and in my pocket/hand........

No interest in wearing a watch again........
nitzilla

i think it's been discussed on this forum before, but i know for a lot of us, wearing a watch is sort of a necessity. in a lot of jobs, it's just not acceptable to pull out your phone during conferences/meetings/whatever whereas no one bats an eye if you glance down at your watch.

in my non-work life, i agree with you, though i could be persuaded if a smartwatch had unique capabilities.

 

[Jeff]

I was interested in one with a stainless band and the larger face and finally found the price...$999. No thank you.

my number was 499. I don't wear a watch with a rubber band unless it is made to swim in.

 

[dennis63]

For at least another few months, I dread the thought of putting anything on my wrist that costs as much as a smart watch. When I retire and stop destroying watches at work, I might consider it.

It must be as elegant and handsome as a good traditional chronograph. Not sure the design is there yet on any of these.

 

[bergs]

I would be mildly interested if it wasn't touted (not maligned) for having an 18 hour battery life. Trust me, I'm never going to remember to charge a watch (I'm lucky if I remember to wear pants in the morning), and I usually sleep 4-5 hours per night, and I'm an avid watch wearer. 18 hours (probably more like 15-16 hours FWIW) and then having a dead watch on my wrist would really piss me off.

 

[Schmendr1ck]

I wear a Pebble, and I love it.

The best way I can describe it is that my Pebble acts as a second interface for my phone. I can check the time, weather, inbound texts and emails without pulling my phone out. When I run, I use my Pebble to display stats from Runkeeper so that I don't have to look at the phone. And when I'm driving, I use the watch to control my music player.

It's a low resolution, no touchscreen, monochrome display, but it also lasts 4-7 days between charges depending on usage. It's waterproof. I paid $100 for it.

For those who don't like the look, there is a more elegant version called the Pebble Steel. Same electronics inside metal and Gorilla Glass.

I like it so much that I've backed the Kickstarter for their new color version.

 

[Jeff]

I would be mildly interested if it wasn't touted (not maligned) for having an 18 hour battery life. Trust me, I'm never going to remember to charge a watch (I'm lucky if I remember to wear pants in the morning), and I usually sleep 4-5 hours per night, and I'm an avid watch wearer. 18 hours (probably more like 15-16 hours FWIW) and then having a dead watch on my wrist would really piss me off.

Just another thing to charge overnight. My watches have to go on a winder, so there's already a routine.

 

[slisk250]

Not interested. I like my iPhone. If I want to get a watch it will be something I really want to wear...like a TAG. Not keeping up with the Joneses unless we are talking new used casino chip release by the chiproom.

 

[catalyzeme]

I think the Huawei watch looks pretty good but until they get down to <$300 and look that nice I probably won't even think about them.

 

[Ben]

Wife has an LG smart watch - got it for 50 bucks with her phone. Likes it OK - worth the 50 bucks, but definitely wouldn't pay 100 for it. As far as I can tell if you aren't a Facebooker and/or texting your girlfriends 24/7 it's pretty much useless, except as a not-so-awesome timepiece. Not sure what additional features other manufacturers such as Apple are offering for their (much) higher price tags.

 

[NiceShot]

Screen is too small to be of much use for me...

 

[Toby]

I don't wear a watch as I have a phone.

With the exception of the exercise monitoring I don't really see what would make a smart watch a go-er for me.

If they gave them away free or close to with a contract, I'd consider it.

But the battery does look to be a big issue, certainly for the Apple one.

https://www.apple.com/watch/battery.html

I had to scroll through around 300 images of the watch before I found the battery info. The cited tests don't inspire confidence. And the talk time section is especially fishy.

If they could convert user brand loyalty pheremones excreted by wrist skin into a charge, no problem!

 

[liftapint]

I wear a Pebble, and I love it.

REALLY? I got one for Christmas, wore it 2 days, and never again. Maybe I just never figured out how to use it. But I find it ugly and not that useful. I get a vibrating wrist when I get an email or text, then can see the first few words of it. And the screen is terrible. I'm delighted that you love yours. But it was a waste of $100 on me, that's for sure.

 

[abby99]

I glance at my wrist to check the time, which seems really weird if I'm not wearing a watch. Oh, dear, I just realized I've been wearing a watch just about every day for more than half a century! :stunned:

I have several watches, all analog, usually with no numbers, ranging from fashion watches to a Movado Museum Sport. For my portable electronic needs, I have a smartphone. Moreover, having just purchased a Galaxy Note 4 (phablet) and loving the big screen, I can't imagine that the tiny screen of a smartwatch would be useful to me. That said, if a smartwatch floats your boat, go for it!

 

[Schmendr1ck]

REALLY? I got one for Christmas, wore it 2 days, and never again. Maybe I just never figured out how to use it. But I find it ugly and not that useful. I get a vibrating wrist when I get an email or text, then can see the first few words of it. And the screen is terrible. I'm delighted that you love yours. But it was a waste of $100 on me, that's for sure.

I'll admit that it was a little clunky at first, and it took a couple of apps (and a few firmware updates) to really work for me. But now I feel naked on those occasions when I forget to put my watch on before leaving the house.

One of the most useful tasks is triage. I get tons of emails and texts every day, and when away from my desk, I use my watch to decide what needs an immediate response and what can wait or be ignored.

I can send canned responses to text messages, and I use these when in a meeting, out running, or any other occasion where it's too awkward or inappropriate to pull out my phone.

As I said before, the main reason I bought a Pebble was for running. I'll admit that the sports app is not on par with a dedicated running watch, but the basic stats that it displays help me avoid looking at my phone during a run. This is both more convenient and saves my phone battery on very long runs.

The low res display and lack of touchscreen don't bother me much. They're tradeoffs for the long battery life. And I purchase skins to both protect the plastic and make it look better.

 

[pokerplayingpisces]

I have one watch, that I wear occasionally with my suits. Other than that, I rarely can stand having something on my wrist or hand. (My wife would like me to wear my wedding ring more than I currently do) So, I'm probably never in the market for one of these.

 

[manamongkids]

I'm hoping that this smart technology hits a tipping point soon, I cannot deal with my 60 yr old parents inevitably wanting a smart watch and me needing to set it up, program it, troubleshoot all its issues, etc.

 

[JFCJ]

Anyone with the TAG Connected?

 

[David O]

I own about 7 watches and quit wearing one about 5 years ago. I found myself looking at my phone for the time and felt a watch was not needed. I need to get a TAG sent in so I can hand it down but my sons do not wear watches either. Might just get rid if it.

 

[Puggy]

I have one: