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Not sure what to think about "smar****ches" really. Except this,
Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles is an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.
No. I find the whole smart watch/fitness band craze somewhat sinister.
I don't even wear a watch, but I'll probably buy the Apple one out of curiosity / brand loyalty 😉
No. I find the whole smart watch/fitness band craze somewhat sinister.
Sinister, really?
Yes. One day they are bound to become compulsory.
Watches died for me a decade ago.
I see no point in a smart watch myself. They've been out for ages now, but the point will come from one being sold by Apple. No actual point, but if you want something to sell, and for premium prices, just slap the Apple logo on and laugh all the way to the bank.
well i like my pebble watch -
99% of the time it's the watch function I like.
The remainder allows me to check when a text/call/email pops in, without having to get my phone out.
Works for me..
DrP
Might buy a polar.
Refuse to buy an apple.
Do they tell the time in a more smart way than my G10?
If it has as useless a battery life as my Garmin watch then they'll never take off. Seriously I get about 3 hours of GPS use from the Garmin and at best a week on standby, pathetic. We are worried about the environment but these devices are just increasing energy consumption for minimal benefits IMO. On smart watches of all makes I'm out.
I like the idea of them, not sure I am going to splash out though. I especially like some of the health monitoring features, but not quite sure what I will do with the information other than become a hypochondriac.
3 hours of GPS use from the Garmin
The longest I have used my 910 for is 9 hours, didn't check how much it had left at that point.
if you want something to sell, and for premium prices, just slap the Apple logo on and laugh all the way to the bank.
I remember who you used to work for... they made Apples prices seem positively cheap 😉
Fanboi here (Apple & Garmin), but I'm with Meatloaf on this.
No desire to get a 'smart watch' at the moment.. the technology is still a bit crap - they might be great in 5 years though.
I have a G-Shock for day-to-day wear (work in Engineering - bit of a badge of office around here) and a 'posh' watch (Tissot - left to me by my Brother in his will) which come out for special occasions.
I was at Mobile World Congress last week. All the techie people were getting excited about handsets and "wearables".
I had just read CFH's Hitchiker's quote on the flight to Barcelona, which helped me ignore all the shiny shiny and just go and have meetings before hitting the restaurants and bars in the evenings.
Nah not for me. I like the look and I guess it'll feel good to wear. I however tend not to wear watches anymore. Going against STW fancies here for huge nuggets strapped to wrists I kinda like not having anything weigh my arms down nor pin them to a desk.
If in a year when the bugs have been squished and V2 is out and I decide to change my 5s for Apples new "7" with interconectivity with V2 watch then who knows.. Maybe, but not now.
this is the only smart watch I've been tempted by so far:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nevo-the-first-minimalist-connected-watch
I've got a pebble, great for taking a glance at to see if the message or call coming in is worth disturbing what I'm doing without getting phone out. Ideal for meetings or cinema etc where having the phone out isn't best.
I will see how much they cost and then decide. The 1 day battery life doesn't really work for a watch IMO. I do wear a watch but 80-90% of when I need the time I look at my phone or the clock on the compute screen. The watch is mainly a sentimental item.
Nice stainless Ecodrive in the drawer that i pop out from time to time to see if it's still ticking. Also the great grandfather's pocket watch. Anyway I thought phones were the new watches, or are watches now the new phones again ?
Smartfob, anyone?
I have a Sony Smar****ch 3 and it's great. Two days battery life, normal micro usb charger, waterproof, can display strava or google nav directions so my phone stays in my pocket and it's my bike computer.
The screen is able to recognise swipes from most of my normal bike gloves so I can reply to texts with speech or view the time/distance/average from strava.
As it has got its own GPS it can record with strava, etc if I leave my phone at home and the built in bluetooth and storage means I can listen to some tunes as well if I like. Sony have also added wifi, which while not supported by android wear 'yet' it's a bit of future proofing.
It's nice having the notifications come through to the watch so I don't need to get my phone out and unlock it to see that Planet X have another sale on. If it's complete crap I can just delete in there and then.
Oh, and sony have used a screen that doesn't need to be lit up to show the time/date so no button pushing/flick of the wrist, etc to see the time instantly.
id be lost without my watch .
how ever IT MUST be low/near no profile.
i had several g shock watches as gifts over the years and invariably end up giving them away as they keep catching on shit.
f - 91 taliban special. Doesnt sync with my phone - its ace.
Smartfob, anyone?
If we're going for wearables, I want it to go to underwear - Smartypants - preferably with an awesome vibrate mode.
Tudor watches go really well with deep sea diver costumes.
Have a Pebble, but now so conditioned to checking my phone for the time I don't wear it!
atlaz - Member
I remember who you used to work for... they made Apples prices seem positively cheap
Very true 😀 . Their model was based on luxury watches anyway, just with phones instead. I still wouldn't buy one myself, but paid the bills 🙂
I like the idea of the one with the 4G connectivity in the watch - LG? - but I'll leave it s generation for a) the battery to improve and b) the price to drop.
If it works then by Bluetooth / WiFi you have a minimalist phone (ie does phone and text - maybe calendar) that is li title more difficult to drop / leave behind in pub (although for those of us who wash our hands, some degree of waterproofing will be required) with the expanded functionality on whichever touch screen device you want to use today - tablet, phone sized tablet, car audio, headphones etc.
Sounds about right.
ha, I have a Seiko I think sitting in my drawer but it never fitted properly and was too chunky (and it's not that chunky). It was particularly uncomfortable for days in the hills (foot/bike), playing squash and other sports.
No, for the last 25 years I've had a succession of what t_r is pleased to call a taliban special - Casio resin watches of various kinds.
I got a pebble for use when riding - to avoid needing to check my phone when calls/txts came in. I broke my normal watch and while it was being repaired, I started wearing the pebble and I've not stopped even though the original watch is repaired. I just find it useful and it provides just the information it needs to without trying to be too clever. It's also completely waterproof which is essential for me.
The Apple watch will no doubt change people's perspective on smar****ches because they'll sell millions regardless but I feel it's trying to do too much and has more functionality than it really needs given that it's still a slave to the phone. Still we'll see.
FWIW, I have one of the new Pebble Times on the way. Reckon that the colour screen will be a nice step forward while still keeping the simplicity and battery life (5 or so days for me).
Oh and I love the vibrating (silent) alarm - wakes me up early in the morning without waking anyone else in the house up.
Well, cheaper than I expected, but not for me. I'm going for a Garmin Fenix 3. Whenever the flipping' things get released in the UK
Got this:
[IMG]
[/IMG]
It tells me the time, accurately enough for any human, more than that I don't really need.
I also don't have the £600 for the 42mm stainless steel version.
Nice looking thing, but my Seiko doesn't need charging every night, and has no battery to need replacing.
Having said that, as I'm banned from having a mobile in my work space, having Shazam on my watch would save me having to scribble down song names all the time...
Remember how crap the first iPhone was? I remember thinking they were a bit of an expensive niche toy back then. Suspect if this watch does OK it'll drive a bit more development and in a few years time they'll be better and more commonplace.
Remember how crap the first iPhone was? I remember thinking they were a bit of an expensive niche toy back then. Suspect if this watch does OK it'll drive a bit more development and in a few years time they'll be better and more commonplace.
Dunno if they were crap, but otherwise, yeah, they'll probably be as ubiquitous as smartphones are now in a few years.
I always wear a watch but right now I've got zero interest in a smart one. Never say never though.
I'd buy one that went 'Bingley, bingley beep beep': until I find one I'll stick with cheap black plastic digital, thanks.
atlaz - Member
I remember who you used to work for... they made Apples prices seem positively cheap
Then again, $17k...
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-watch/apple-watch-edition?product=MJ3G2LL/A&step=detail
😯
How much could you recharge a Watch using a wrist mounted Dynamo, powered by the movement of your hand? Until they can perfect that, it's useless to me so I'll stick with my automatic watch that never needs powered or charged...
A thought arose since I started this thread.....
With almost every other iLaunch, the iAcolytes would have started a thread of worship to pour praise upon the glorious iProgress that the new iShinything would bring to their iLives.
Seems as if the general response to this is more of
[img]
[/img]
If it could have done Strava without having to piggyback off the phone then I'd be in. Cannot stand forking over £270 for a shitty Garmin watch. Premium price for a poor product.
I'm looking at the Garmin Fenix 3. Smart features but primarily a GPS bike/run/fitness tracker onto which the smart stuff has been bolted. Rather than a smart watch with a run keeper type app added on which generally are poop/limited. Out of interest what are better than "shitty Garmins" curiousyellow? Before I part with the cash.
Haven't seen anything really.
I'm still smarting that the Edge 810 wasn't a real upgrade over the Edge 800 and they didn't even bother addressing any of the problems the Edge 800 had, like poor visibility for starters.
I keep thinking about getting a Forerunner 620 for running. I then remember what a disappointment the Edge 800 was and stop reaching for my wallet.
Best form factor for a phone is a pocket sized oblong. Being able to ignore it as important as having it available. Like trying to improve the wheel if you ask me.
17k,
ill be betting there are bearded fanbois desperate to be caught casually supping from their mason jam jars, revealing a glimpse of their iwatch
Wrist mounted dynamo you say?
[url= http://www.wareable.com/wearable-tech/****band-wants-you-to-love-the-planet-by-loving-yourself-880 ]......here is your solution[/url]
Warning not particularly safe for work!
Since having a phone my wrist has become rather attached to it's naked freedom. Can't imagine going back.
Battery really needed to be more than a day.
...and that is with a lot of the heavy lifting being done by the paired phone.
Wonder if they couldn't got a solar something or other in there? Probably anything that would fit would be too small to be worth it.
Nicest one I've seen so far is the Huawei smart watch:
http://m.huawei.com/enmobile/consumer/accessories/detail/huawei-watch.htm
Still wouldn't have one - don't see the need for one (for me) and couldn't be doing with another thing that needs daily charging...
Nope, i initially thought i'd be interested but to be honest the only apps i use on my iPhone are Viewranger, bbc iplayer radio, soundcloud and downcast for podcasts. That's it, nae games, similar on my iPad. I guess you could say i'm an apple fanboi as i've used iPhones since they came out and i've been using macs since the original rebrand of the jelly imac in the late 90's, but the watch?….nah, can't see how i'd use it.
Didn't even realise there's a Microsoft one too, and not too dear. Am a little bit more interested in that since it can do things like payments and function as an hrm belt. In addition to the calendar email etc and also linking to Cortana.
See I'm just waiting for the phone to disappear and be replaced by a "wearable device".
Give it a decade and I will probably own something like a smar****ch, but for now, cheapo, taliban specials cover most of my timekeeping needs...
Battery life just seems a killer at only 18 hours and Apple are recommending to developers that apps should be designed to only be used for 10 seconds at a time.
I bought a G-Shock atomic tough solar a few years ago and it's still one of the best bits of kit I have ever owned. It doesn't really do anything apart from tell the time, but I never have to adjust it or change the battery, it wasn't too pricey and it is tough as old boots. Fit and forget is what I want from my watch.
If I want to do something clever, taking the phone out of my pocket isn't too much of a hardship.
I have found it very easy to save money by not wanting or needing this.
🙂
It'll take more than an Apple Watch to displace my Lange & Sohne 1815 Chronograph..... however I do have two wrists so perhaps...
18hr battery life (quoted not reality)
Expensive
Apps using 10s bursts
Only works for 90hrs in total without charging
Shoved an apple logo on it?
Will sell millions.
at least with 38 models you won't all look the same.
The last person I saw with a smart watch was constantly checking it in a meeting, if it goes like that user life expectancy may become an issue.
As with anything apple make its going to be a lovely machined object.
And will just work like most Apple stuff but do feel they have missed the point a little.
As anyone spending over a ground on a watch, want a item that's going to last a number of years and at 12k mark something that becomes a family heirloom. Like my great great grandfather Tudor watch, which my dad as and will one day be passed on to me. Can't see anyone doing that with the Apple watch.
And not something that's out of date in a year or 2 times.
Also the speed Apple improve items, just look at the new Mac Book, new track pad, keyboard or battery's, not just new to the product or Apple but new full stop.
If they improve the battery life then I may buy the 2nd or 3rd gen. Or wait for the watch Air/ S
...is what everyone in the world (including me) said about the iPad. I believe they ended up selling a few of those. (on my 3rd now, easily my most used gadget!)the watch?….nah, can't see how i'd use it.
Watch looks great, they'll sell out I'm sure (probably the £8k gold ones first!) although I'll probably be with the crowd who'll wait for the V2. What could well be the "killer app" (Apple Pay) is not yet available in the UK so I'll definitely be waiting for that. Also (like others) I haven't worn a watch for many years so I'll need to try one on first to see if I actually like it being on my wrist.
Give it 5 years (if that) and smart watches/wearables will be everywhere.
The bracelet strap looks amazing; it puts many high end Swiss watch brands to shame. It's especially neat that "several links feature a simple release button, so you can add and remove links without any special tools".
My inner Luddite rather wishes that I could get a mechanical watch that accepts the Apple strap...
Are you really assisting Giganto-corp to Capitalize (sic) the word 'Watch'?
It's especially neat that "several links feature a simple release button, so you can add and remove links without any special tools".
It's quite nice, but seriously you get the shop to set up the strap when you buy the watch and then leave it there for pretty much ever. It was probably more likely to have been driven by Apple not having access to jewelers shops who can adjust a strap in a couple of seconds.
Interesting that now Apple are a fashion brand rather than a tech company how the next 5-10 years pan out. My gut is a growth in the Middle East and Asia, but falling sales in Europe, with the US flat lining.
For £800 I'd hope the strap was decent
Interesting that now Apple are a fashion brand rather than a tech company how the next 5-10 years pan out. My gut is a growth in the Middle East and Asia, but falling sales in Europe, with the US flat lining
Fashionable yes, but it's still tech, the iPhone is still just as good as any other phone out there and pretty much the same price, it's cool to knock them, but they're not bad.
I'm waiting on the 'active' version, renewably (solar, kinetic whatever) powered, and stratch/smash resitant screen. I can see them replacing phones in a couple of years though, then I'll probably get one, phone/watch for phone/watch jobs (i.e. 90% of what my phone gets used for) and a tablet for stw and grot kept in the man-bag?
I can see them replacing phones in a couple of years though
For a few people maybe. Not for most. The screens just aren't big enough or easy enough to interact with to send txts, etc. Not to mention take selfies with.
Tablets are too big to carry around all the time.
Good point. I'm still think the straps, especially the bracelet, are exceptional. Hodinkee, an online watch magazine, said: "[i]Apple absolutely, positively, indisputably NAILED its straps and bracelets.[/i]"It was probably more likely to have been driven by Apple not having access to jewelers shops who can adjust a strap in a couple of seconds.
[url] http://www.hodinkee.com/blog/hodinkee-apple-watch-review [/url]
lol, nice troll! Haven't noticed Calvin Klein developing that many 13mm thick laptops lately.Interesting that now Apple are a fashion brand
Some of the tech innovations in the presentation were extremely impressive. Even if you hate Apple, it's a golden age for gadget freaks and they are really driving things forward at an incredible rate.
Falling sales in Europe and flat-lining in the States? I would not bet any of my money on that happening!
Apple iWatch strap;
[img] [/img]
My 20 year old Casio watch strap;
[img] http://store.storeimages.cdn-apple.com/4124/as-images.apple.com/is/image/AppleInc/aos/published/images/M/J5/MJ5J2/MJ5J2_AV2?jpeg [/img]
Admittedly mine has fewer apps, and the stopwatch feature isn't compatible with Strava...
and a tablet for stw and grot kept in the man-bag?
I can see an emerging market for wrist based grot.
Tablets are too big to carry around all the time.
Fortunately screen-addicts may not wish to go anywhere, not even shopping centres, before long. VR is also developing at a rapid pace.
Malvern Rider - Member...Capitalize (sic)
Isn't it correct to use a Z when it's a verb?
Only if you're American, I thought
Though this suggests both are ok but s is more common in British English
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/capitalize
Apple as a fashion brand, plenty of articles on web, even from their biggest fan club at the Guardian.
[url= http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/09/apple-watch-launch-transformation-of-brand-luxury-goods ]Apple Watch release[/url]
I'm no fan of apple but I reckon it's fair to say they're a technology driven company with a fashion following. Admittedly they've been less ground-breaking recently than maybe they were a few years back when they turned the music, phone and tablet markets upside down but there's a good chance they'll come up with the next big thing in future.
Admittedly they've been less ground-breaking recently
Yeah but I reckon they got it back when they invented the smart watch 😉
Sadly not... 😉
As I said, I'm no Apple fan (only product of theirs I've had was an iPhone 3GS back when IMO it was still the only decent smartphone available) but I used to have real interest in their products because they brought new concepts to market that everyone else would then take on (copy). Recently they seem to be following and polishing. Hopefully they're secretly working on some great new concepts...
Apparently the iShinything isn't waterproof, not even the sports version.
Poor.
I want a pocket watch. Say a half hunter would be nice. Nothing expensive any recommendations from STW.
Argos do a check for 40 quid. Pondering that.
Apparently the iShinything isn't waterproof, not even the sports version.
If that's right then that really is poor. I was kind of just taking that for granted (since my pebble is completely waterproof)
School teachers across the land will be cursing these things.
I wonder if the police will be pulling people over for "using their watch whilst driving".
Some of the tech innovations in the presentation were extremely impressive. Even if you hate Apple, it's a golden age for gadget freaks and they are really driving things forward at an incredible rate.
I admit I didn't watch the presentation, but AFAIK the gadgets they announced were the new laptop and the watch. The watch is hardly innovative, it's got the same feature set as most of the Android watches. The laptop is very pretty, albeit very limited with only one USB port, the only innovation that I can see is the touchpad with haptic response.
Anyway, I've got a Sony Smar****ch 3. It came "free" with a phone upgrade. After a month of use, CFH posted my feeling earlier: meh. It's not bad, but I wouldn't spend more than 100€ on one. The notifications aren't bad, but if you actually want to read them it's like stepping back in time to when you last read something on a Nokia candybar. The vibrating alert is a bit more useful. I haven't tried navigating with it, but then I've got a Suunto for that. It's probably fine.
What I would like to use a bit more is the life logging stuff, I've been trying out Google Fit but it's a bit crap - I'm going to give the Sony version a go and see if it's better. This is one major failing of the Apple version - 18 hour battery life??? I get two days out of mine, ideal for life logging...



