Slashdot Asks: Anyone Considering an Apple Watch 4? (usatoday.com) 290
Long-time Slashdot reader kwelch007 writes:
I finally gave in, after years of Android loyalty, because the iPhone and Apple Watch just worked, so I was told (and it is true). I changed from my Motorola Maxx for an iPhone 7, because I wanted the Apple Watch. Shortly after, I purchased a second-hand Apple Watch Series 1. I have never looked back...and I'm happy with it.
Last week, I was able to buy an Apple Watch Series 4 with the exact specs I wanted... Wow! The screen is a ton bigger than my Series 1. I noticed right away when it asked me to set my passcode...the buttons were WAY bigger! It truly has the "side-to-side" screen...it's noticable... "Walkie Talkie" is super convenient (used with my associate who told me that it was in stock at Best Buy...)
Cool:
1) It's big, but not much bigger on your wrist than the 42mm versions previous...rather, the screen is bigger, brighter, and more usable.
2) The speakers and mics are far and away better than previous versions of the Apple Watch.
But they don't yet have access to "the highly-touted 'ECG' capability". (Fortune reports it was only approved by America's FDA the day before the launch event -- and isn't yet available for "international" customers.) And the software also isn't ready yet for "Fall Protection," a feature which calls emergency responders if it detects that you've fallen to the ground and you don't respond to prompts for the next 60 seconds. ("The feature is automatic with Watch owners who identify themselves as 65 and up," USA Today reported last week.)
"I spoke to several people in their 40s or 50s who said the same thing: they were already considering buying Series 4 watches for their parents for this feature alone," reported Daring Fireball, and both sites concluded that excitement was actually higher for Apple's new watches than it was for their new iPhones. ("We're talking about a device used by over a billion people -- the iPhone," writes USA Today, "compared with an accessory that analysts say have sold about 15 million units.") Daring Fireball acknowledges that the Apple Watch isn't the "nicest" watch in the world, but it's definitely the nicest if you compare it only to other smart watches and fitness trackers. (Though "that's like saying you're the richest person in the poorhouse.") But what do Slashdot readers think?
Is anyone considering an Apple Watch 4?
Last week, I was able to buy an Apple Watch Series 4 with the exact specs I wanted... Wow! The screen is a ton bigger than my Series 1. I noticed right away when it asked me to set my passcode...the buttons were WAY bigger! It truly has the "side-to-side" screen...it's noticable... "Walkie Talkie" is super convenient (used with my associate who told me that it was in stock at Best Buy...)
Cool:
1) It's big, but not much bigger on your wrist than the 42mm versions previous...rather, the screen is bigger, brighter, and more usable.
2) The speakers and mics are far and away better than previous versions of the Apple Watch.
But they don't yet have access to "the highly-touted 'ECG' capability". (Fortune reports it was only approved by America's FDA the day before the launch event -- and isn't yet available for "international" customers.) And the software also isn't ready yet for "Fall Protection," a feature which calls emergency responders if it detects that you've fallen to the ground and you don't respond to prompts for the next 60 seconds. ("The feature is automatic with Watch owners who identify themselves as 65 and up," USA Today reported last week.)
"I spoke to several people in their 40s or 50s who said the same thing: they were already considering buying Series 4 watches for their parents for this feature alone," reported Daring Fireball, and both sites concluded that excitement was actually higher for Apple's new watches than it was for their new iPhones. ("We're talking about a device used by over a billion people -- the iPhone," writes USA Today, "compared with an accessory that analysts say have sold about 15 million units.") Daring Fireball acknowledges that the Apple Watch isn't the "nicest" watch in the world, but it's definitely the nicest if you compare it only to other smart watches and fitness trackers. (Though "that's like saying you're the richest person in the poorhouse.") But what do Slashdot readers think?
Is anyone considering an Apple Watch 4?
Nope (Score:4, Insightful)
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Whoa their partner. I am well beyond forty and as soon as I got a smart phone, I took off my watch and never put it back on again and I only got a smart phone when it could do a whole lot more than make calls (I tend to use my phone to make calls rather than receive them, I tend to put it another room, when I am not using it and ignore the messages, unless I am waiting for something specific. I prefer a land line and answering machine, kind of liberating to not answer a mobile phone when out and about, when
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Check the time while riding bike / motorcycle.
How long has the chicken been on the grill while you're making mashed potatoes?
Is this computer / server really taking that long to reboot or is this a watched pot sort of thing?
Vibrating watch alarms are great in a silent environment, and much less obtrusive to shut off than a phone alarm.
and finally, what if you just want to know the time without carrying your damm phone around with you?
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You can get $20 Fitbits for that, and Fitbit clones for even less. No need to spend $1200.
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tl;dr: Recommending Fitbit over Apple Watch is like recommending OS/2 over Windows.
As early as 2016, Professor Scott Galloway (currently NYU Stern School of Business) alerted that Fitbit is a loser [youtu.be] simultaneously arguing that Apple Watch is actually a second screen for iPhone. Since then Apple Watch has added cellular, but Galloway's "second screen" theory still seems about right. A couple years later, Galloway revisited his remarks that Fitbit is going to go out of business [youtu.be].
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Now and again an OS/2 box dies after 25 years of running unnoticed in a closet and suddenly an organization becomes aware that they had an OS/2 box. Can you imagine firing up a Windows box and leaving it running for 25 years?
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I'm with you on that one. It seems nothing in the business and consumer computing space is designed to last 5 years, let alone 25.
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It's long in the tooth by modern standards. The SMP support is simple, better turn off hyper-threading and a few days of running Firefox and you'll run out of address space (mostly due to memory fragmentation) and be forced to reboot. Then there are the other 1990's limits such as a max of 2TB HD support and having to get tricky with the CHS values for that and only VESA graphics support for any video cards made in the last dozen years.
Android Wear isn't Android (Score:2, Interesting)
Except that Android Wear isn't Android, its yet another half assed branching of the Android brand to try to sell a badly conceived product. Samsung's Gear is the thing to look at there, and its isn't Android, it's Tizen, with a net result that its easier to use, and more focussed on the task with a longer battery life than Google's crap.
Really, this is not an Android vs iOS thing at all, its an Apple watch vs Samsung watch market, with some also-rans running Google's stuff.
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My
Re: I take it back (Score:3)
Right. So the Samsung watch and the Apple watch are both completely out of the question. My Casio watch has those fgunctions built it and doesn't need to be registered.
Of course, the whole point in having a 'smart' watch is for it's connectivity, so your paranoid quip is ludicrous.
Damn battery doesn't last ONE full day... (Score:2, Insightful)
My biggest issue is having to charge the damn thing every single day... Even more annoying since I like to use the sleep tracking feature...
It needs some sort of wireless on wrist charging tech... or a battery that lasts a day.... I know that's a lot to ask!
Just a day!? (Score:2)
Let me know when they reach six months on a charge.
Re:Damn battery doesn't last ONE full day... (Score:4, Insightful)
Twice a day or more if you're an active person doing a lot of exercise. Plus charging your Apple phone, of course.
But even for elderly people who presumably exercise less, it's not a good choice - will they remember to always charge it? I'd think a safety alarm where the battery lasts for months is a much better choice there.
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I keep seeing people saying this, and yet I charge my Apple Watch series 3 (non-LTE) every 3rd day or so, and yes I wear it at night for sleep metrics. Most of the time I just pop it on the charger when I'm shaving / showering, and then put it back on and it's good to go.
How are people getting this shitty of battery life? Are they getting constant notifications on it? That would just be aggravating if they are.
I upgraded after years of using the first model (Score:4, Interesting)
I bought the original Apple Watch at launch, and have liked using it ever since... finally with the latest version I figured I should really update, as they've thinned them down again (almost as thin as the original), the screen is larger, and it has some nice new features.
As the summary mentioned I've also talked to my parents about getting an Apple Watch for them. It would give me a lot of piece of mind to know if something happened it could be detected quickly. The old saying about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure is very true, even to the point I would pay the (way too expensive) $10/month the US cell companies charge to connect an Apple Watch to the cell network (some countries the telcos only charge $5 which is I think a lot more reasonable).
I personally have never been that interested in watches that people claim are "better" - mostly I find them too big and heavy and not really worth carrying around. A smart watch always made more sense to me, and with the Pebble gone I'd say Apple clearly has the lead at this point by a huge margin.
On a side note, I've worn the watch all day and used it quite heavily, for maps and various timers. It's been on about 14 hours and the battery is still at 52%, I really look forward to being able to use this to capture longer hikes or runs than my old watch.
Re: I upgraded after years of using the first mode (Score:2)
You misunderstand, itâ(TM)s not that my parents have any issues with mobility. Itâ(TM)s that sometimes accidents happen, and if itâ(TM)s really serious even a few minutes of delay in getting help can make a big difference. Itâ(TM)s why I also like that feature for myself, I go out hiking alone sometimes...
Itâ(TM)s not foolproof, something may happen away from cell coverage. Or maybe it doesnâ(TM)t detect something. But just like I wear a seatbelt no reason not to layer on a
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You misunderstand, itÃ(TM)s not that my parents have any issues with mobility. ItÃ(TM)s that sometimes accidents happen, and if itÃ(TM)s really serious even a few minutes of delay in getting help can make a big difference.
Oh, I understood perfectly, but that is not prevention, it's reacting to something you didn't prevent. You used "an ounce of prevention ..." as justification, which is what is faulty logic.
I don't doubt that there may be other justifications, but the fall detection is not preventative, it's reactive.
But just like I wear a seatbelt no reason not to layer on a bit more insurance against some problems.
A seatbelt doesn't prevent accidents, but unlike the Apple Watch Series 4, it can prevent injuries, which puts seatbelts in a completely different class. The Apple Watch 4 is much more like Navstar calling au
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The prevention is in regards to more long lasting damage than you might have had otherwise. Not in preventing the fall, but a more serious aftermath. Which is why as you noted I also referenced the use of seatbelts, which cannot prevent injuries but help prevent MORE SERIOUS injuries.
Prevention still applies, as this is exactly what I meant when I wrote it (maybe future Apple Watches will include a fall-detection full body force field but obv not yet).
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Well, true, like how docs talk about a treatment "saving" lives when actually they just delayed death.
However, such... pedantic issues... don't mean much when an old person is lying on the floor with a broken hip for three days unable to call for help.
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We briefly considered it for both my father and my mother in law. One *has* been injured in a fall and was slowed for a couple of years, and the other had a minor injury hiking alone.
But the partial day battery life makes it a non-starter . . .
I'd consider a watchless one for myself just for the bio-monitoring--just send the info to my iPhone. As cool as the contraption is I go nuts with a watch on y wrist . . .
hawk
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Even for a younger person, in the case of something like a heart attack, a few minutes can mean the difference between survival and getting fitted for a toe tag.
If you hit the ground and hold in the emergency call button conveniently on your wrist (which is far more likely than fumbling through your pocket trying to get a phone out, etc.) you may gain enough time to at least increase the odds. Not saying it will go any better for someone, but it's at least plausible.
Device is only worthwhile if it's used (Score:2)
If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, you would buy a dedicated fall detection unit.
Why?
A dedicated fall detection device is from what I have seen, more bulky and offers a single function. If I got one of those for them, chance are it would not get used - I know *I* wouldn't carry one. The fall detection is great to have long before anyone develops serious risks of a fall, because it gets you help early enough you won't have long term health problems from the kind of accident someone of any
I have a smart phone I take everywhere (Score:2)
Why would I need or want a watch as a peripheral ?
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Watches are useful to tell the time, also when your hands are full or busy. Real watches, that is.
Re:I have a smart phone I take everywhere (Score:5, Funny)
You kids and your fancy mainsprings and escapements in my day we used the sun and were happy about it.
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Yeah, but how many human sacrifices did you have to make to make sure it came back the next day?
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Please have a heart
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You kids and your fancy mainsprings and escapements in my day we used the sun and were happy about it.
I use my watch and the sun in combination as a compass - does that count?
(Point the small hand at the sun; North is halfway between it and the twelve o'clock position. If you want to be more exact, add or remove the amount of arc minutes you're distant from the meridian for your time zone, and thirty arc minutes if DST.)
Re: I have a smart phone I take everywhere (Score:2)
I enjoy not needing social media. My watch is on my wrist to show the time. My phone is handy in my pocket for things like convenience while shopping:
Last week I again found a used book on the shelf at Half-Price books. But they wanted $8 for it. So I pulled up a search on abe.com (a consortium of hundreds of used book dealers worldwide) and ordered a copy from some place in Florida for $3.99, shipping included.
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Response to artr1: Yeah, but if what you're doing with your hands is so important, you don't NEED to know the time.
From this, I gather that you never ride a bike, or never walk to the bus/tube/train/plane with bags in both hands, wondering if you'll make it on time.
Imagine this then: You're eating wings and drinking beer, and wonder if you have time for another beer. Your fingers are too greasy to pick the phone out of your pocket (unless you're a slob who doesn't care), so wot do? Just glance at your wrist.
Being able to quickly tell the time with just a glance is effective. That's why wrist watches became disruptive
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Why would I need or want a watch as a peripheral ?
It's handy as an extension to the iphone. In my case, I generally carry the phone in my pants pocket. If i get a call or text, it's a PITA (not literally) to get the phone out of my pocket - especially while driving - to answer the call or glance at the text. Having all that stuff available at my wrist really has proved to be quite convenient. $400+ convenient? Don't know about that (my employer provided the watch). Could I have solved my issues with non-watch solutions? (belt holster, bluetooth earpiec
Re: I have a smart phone I take everywhere (Score:2)
Most people don't need an EKG as a wearable peripheral. If you need that sort of monitoring, you get it implanted. If not, an inexpensive bluetooth peripheral to perform the function is more practical. You do NOT need an EKG monotoring you 24/7. Cardiologists are probably going to need to figure out ways to filter out the noise from twinks using these gadgets.
Why? What Need Does This Address? (Score:5, Insightful)
I got a free Android watch after evaluating some custom software on it. I gave it to my intern, since it did not add anything to my life, and required me to put on a watch, and charge it. Those were negatives. I was also constantly disappointed by the lack of features - the Android watch basically seemed like a phone extension that made it so I had three extra buttons for my phone, that I could control from my watch. Was this in case I was too lazy / disabled / intoxicated to control my phone? I don't see the value of controlling my phone from my watch, when I could reach into my pocket and control my phone. While riding my bicycle, and listening to audiobooks, or podcasts, I don't need to control my phone past what I can do on my bluetooth headset. I don't think an Apple watch would add anything to my life either, and it would subtract the exact same as my Android watch, but significantly more since I'd have to buy an Apple phone, and the watch.
I received a FitBit Charge HR for Christmas. It was fun to use especially with my girlfriend at the time. That one broke across the band, since in addition to owning a software company, I also own apartments and do my own repairs, with my hands. Having a watch while doing a lot of physical work is not convenient at all. FitBit replaced it, for free, since it was under warranty. Then, I broke this one in the exact same way. My mom gave me hers, and this one worked for a while, until I started getting a rash from it. I'd alternate it between both hands, and then both my hands had a rash. Then I started wearing it around my ankle, like a prisoner ankle bracelet. That one eventually broke across the bands as well. I could have purchased replacement bands, and fixed these. However, after 3x of them breaking, I decided these pieces of crap weren't worth the replacement costs, even in terms of me ordering a replacement band and using my small screwdrivers to put the sensor into a new band. They definitely weren't work buying a new one.
It makes me feel sad thinking that so many of my countrymen gain excitement from the crap that they buy, rather than anything that they do. How can someone seriously gain a sense of accomplishment, interest, wonder, or awe, from something Apple sells you? This type of fulfillment is designed to only last until the next generation comes out - and the device might actually stop functioning (by design!) when the next iteration is released. I can understand if you bought a book, tutoring session, telescope, or a power tool - something that extended your reach, your understanding, or your abilities. But something that saves you the trouble of reaching into your pocket to use your phone...? This just seems sad to me, especially when you consider the (after-tax) hours worked that normally have to be worked in order to buy a pair of these, based on median income.
Re: Why? What Need Does This Address? (Score:5, Insightful)
It makes me sad to read that you listen to audiobooks and podcasts while biking. Don't you ever want to get away from the stream of words pushing into your head? I like walking the dog up the highway on a leash, and just getting away so I can think, my head cleared of outside interference.
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I really enjoyed listening to "The Science of Energy: Resources and Power Explained" from my public library on the app OverDrive, while commuting, and cleaning. Those tasks make it difficult for me to really clear my mind, since I'd still like to get where I want to go (somewhat safely) and cleaning actually requires me to pay a bit of attention to what I'm doing. I think there are some streams of words that help me become a more effective, or more balanced, person. There are some that take away from this,
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No, it doesn't work with Android (Score:2)
It is pretty much useless to the 85ish% that are in the Android ecosystem.
I use a Fitbit. It could be improved. It is annoying that it has to be charged every 5 days because that produces gaps in the data. It would also be nice if it had a bigger display. It can be difficult to read the heart rate at a glance with sweat in your eyes while you're running.
Mine doesn't have GPS or LTE but that is fine. Why would I want to pay twice for those features? I often talk on the phone while running (via bluetooth earb
Calling Dick Tracy! (Score:2)
I may be wrong, but my understanding is you must still have an iPhone to use the Apple watch. So, until the watch is completely standalone, my answer would be no.
Nope, they seem like a useless trinket (Score:2)
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I remember wristwatches (Score:2)
those 20th century jewelry accessories people wore on their wrist that had a clock on it.
people still wear those now that we have supercomputers in our pockets hooked to a planet-spanning network? how retro.
Tacky as hell (Score:2)
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Comment removed (Score:3)
Apple watch is professional suicide (Score:3, Interesting)
I generally am stuck in the room for about 45 minutes at a time while waiting for people to finally shut up. There's some screwed up rule that says "If I have an hour to talk with you, we have to spend the first 45 minutes in a powerpoint about our companies. And let me be brutally honest.... I wouldn't be in the meeting room to begin with if I hadn't already checked you out online. So you're just wasting my time.
So, it took years to get used to people checking their phones in meeting rooms all the time. But then it got to the point where we consider it pretty normal behavior... though the person who should be active and engaging will turn their phone off or simply choose to check their messages once or twice under the heading of "Let me check for that on my phone"
Now, people have the watches. And I don't really know whether they realize they're doing it or not, but every time they look at their wrist, they're sending signals of :
1) How much time do I have left
2) I have somewhere else to be
3) I'm getting bored
Among many other things. Checking your watch all the time says that you're not engaged or even listening to what's going on here. I've been at dinner tables where people keep checking their watch because people post things on twitter or facebook and their wrist is constantly being looked at. Every time they do that, people stop talking and wait for them to return to the conversation... at least at first... but when people finally realize what's happening, things get awkward because you're trying to continue talking while not being disturbed by that thing.
When the watch starts turning itself on for notifications even when the person who has it is tasteful enough to ignore it... the people paying attention to that person are distracted from their work.
I have never respected watches...at least not since around the turn of the century. The reason why is that I know you're carrying a clock in your pocket and wearing a watch either shows of vanity because you have a fancy shiny expensive thing... not interested. Or, it means that you have to constantly remind yourself of what time it is which is extremely poor planning and unprofessional.
I can safely say I've seen people ruin sales meetings because of those watches.... customers love nothing more than being constantly signaled that they're not the most important person right now. And sales people end up easily distracted when they think you're constantly checking on other things.
I've also seen as well as heard of job interviews where the person didn't get the job because the candidate actually looked at their watches... in the interview. That's a huge "OH NO HE DIDN'T".
I don't really like the fitbit thing ever... it's kinda lame... it's like "I'm going to wear a watch to find out if I walk enough"... ummm... no... go take a walk and spend some time away from the TV or computer... or if you must... do what I do which is to walk and listen to an audio book instead. When I see people with fitbits... I see people who are so focused on prolonging their lives that they forget to live them.
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You should be getting bored. It's not a watch problem, it's a person problem. If people care more about their watches, your meeting sucks and is either too long or too irrelevant.
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Now, people have the watches. And I don't really know whether they realize they're doing it or not, but every time they look at their wrist, they're sending signals of :
1) How much time do I have left
2) I have somewhere else to be
3) I'm getting bored
Yeah, it's a sign of a crap presentation. And?
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Boy am I glad I don't work for any of those places.
No thanks! (Score:2)
I don't want them since they require iPhones. I want a stand alone smart watch that will last without recharging so often. I will stick with my old school useful Casio Data Bank 150 calculator watch! :D
Nope. (Score:2)
Nope, the battery doesn't even last a day unless you basically turn it off. Screen black most of the time. Fat clunky, and... let's say it... homely thing. Pathetic.
Nice next to a mechanical watch, but waiting for v (Score:2)
Then my wife gave me the original Apple watch as an xmas present. I didnâ(TM)t expect to like it, but actually find it pleasant. It is comfortable, it sends me message notifications only from my family, it has handy features like the auto unlock of my macbook air, and I like the ac
WTF? (Score:3)
Yeah let's get a super expensive watch combined with a super expensive phone that needs a super steady access to charging dock.
Or I could spend less than $100 for a certified device to look after my aging mother which doesn't need to be on a charger constantly.
Nice advertising (Score:2)
I wonder what Apple is paying Slashdot for this...
Nope. Not a good device for athletes. (Score:4, Insightful)
I tried an Apple Watch and switched back to Garmin.
1/ Battery life. My Felix 5 plus battery lasts all week. My Apple Watch died about once a week. A dead device is not real useful. Yes, I liked all the nifty âoesmart watchâ features and yes, I do multiple exercise sessions a day and yes, I need a device that can keep up with me and Apple Watch isnâ(TM)t it.
2/ Better health and sports metrics. I find sleep monitoring helpful, Apple Watch doesnâ(TM)t have it. I find V02max estimation helpful, Apple Watch doesnâ(TM)t have it. I find heart rate variability metrics for stress and training load helpful, Apple Watch doesnâ(TM)t have it.
I have a occasional arrythmia... (Score:2)
...and was in hospital once because i FORGOT to wear my Fitbit for a few weeks and di not pick up the signs. So that would be a yes.
And before someone tells me I am trusting my life to an iToy, my missus is a doctor and I have a Kardia so I have immediate checkup if necessary.
That helps.
Square watches are lame (Score:2)
Too bad there is no open variant of Samsung's watch with round display and rotating bezel. Might be fun to screw with just for the heck of it.
Usefulness (Score:2)
I've been using a fitness tracker for a few years, and just upgraded my old Vivofit to the new Vivosport that has some basic smartwatch functionality. I was skeptical at first, but it's actually somewhat handy. We took the kids to Disney World last May, and when we would split up to do rides separately it was handy to see location texts on my watch without digging my phone out of my camera bag. It also popped up reminders from the Disney app when we had reservations for something, or a show was starting tha
Alternative emergency-calling and fall-detector? (Score:2)
Re:Got a question first. (Score:5, Funny)
It's much more than $400. You need an Apple phone too. And a plan. For the $400 watch (with LTE), also a second plan with the same provider as your phone.
And a second watch for when it's on the charger, which will be quite often.
Re:Lol fitness (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry. Nobody serious about fitness I know of actually uses these things for fitness.
A friend of mine bought the Nike branded Apple watch since he had an iPhone, with the intent to use it for exercise. And stopped using it after a month, buying a Suunto watch instead. Those are far more geared towards training, and less towards displaying text messages and streaming music.
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Suunto makes well-built gear. Good-old, honest, uncompromising Finnish tech.
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Suunto makes well-built gear. Good-old, honest, uncompromising Finnish tech.
I haven't actually used a Suunto myself, but I have only heard good things about them, apart from some of them being a bit on the big side for runners who tend to have small wrists.
I'm a Polar guy myself (another good Finnish company), because they're easy to use, talk to most gym equipment and chest straps (which usually are Polar anyhow), and light weight and good ergonomics - apart from the biggest model, you don't notice that you wear them.
For other outdoor sports, many swear by Garmin Fenix watches. I
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To me, 'smart' watches aren't any more useful than the dumb ones of the past. Everything has a clock now, and like clocks, the new functionality is already duplicated with better results on other devices.
Re: No not really (Score:2)
Re:No not really (Score:4, Interesting)
Nope. My phone is a better phone than the iWatch.
Also, I can't wear one at work, and my $10 "Casio" which doesn't require charging has been 35m below the surface plenty of times.
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Sure, but will it call the cops if you decide to lay down and take a nap? Betcha not.
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Sure, but will it call the cops if you decide to lay down and take a nap? Betcha not.
No, because it gives you a minute after it detects a fall to cancel a visual/haptic/audible alert before it automatically dials 911/999 (or whatever you have set). And then, it acts like a speakerphone, giving you the ability to tell the 911 Operator to Disregard the call.
Plus, I would bet that the software will look at acceleration (and deceleration) to determine the difference between laying-down and falling-down.
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I was hoping they were. Thanks for confirming.
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There's actually people in Gitmo where the only evidence against them is wearing a Casio F-91W.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: You do realise... (Score:2)
No, that isn't true. Anybody can go to the link provided and see that isn't true.
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That page wasn't particularly supposed to prove any points.
You want more info? Search for "Casio" on this page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Count how many times it says, "Detained for wearing a Casio F91W digital watch".
Re: You do realise... (Score:2)
Nobody makes it all the way to detention at Guantanimo Bay for merely wearing a watch.
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Nobody makes it all the way to detention at Guantanimo Bay for merely wearing a watch.
Casio watches were submitted as evidence in many arrests:
eg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: You do realise... (Score:2)
Key word to ponder: merely.
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Obviously they didn't go around arresting anybody on the street wearing a Casio (duh!). ...but In some cases the watch was the only hard "proof".
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The "unathoritative" page gives names and details. It should be easy to refute, right?
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* And citations to secondary sources with background information. Do the homework.
Not slashvertised enough (Score:5, Insightful)
It's taken this long for it to be slashvertised so it is obviously not important enough.
Admittedly the bs factor in the slashvertisement is quite impressive, but still, sorry, try harder next time Apple.
Re:No not really (Score:4, Interesting)
Agreed. I've never even been convinced of the need to pay the money for a smartwatch with a screen. Just the other day I picked up a replacement for my old Sony SWR10, for $12, which I lost when the band broke a couple years ago. All it can do is vibrate, use a motion sensor, and handle button presses. But that's all I need of it. It functions as a virtual tether to my phone so I can't lose it, it vibrates when my phone gives notifications or the alarm goes off even if I'm not nearby, etc.
I don't even care about the fitness / sleep tracking uses; I mainly just don't want to lose my phone. My last phone was run over by a bus several days ago after it fell out of my pocket while I was helping some people on the side of the road (they were in the bus lane next to a bus stop). Drove off, realized the phone was gone half an hour later, figured out where it was with Where's My Droid, drove back, and there it was, smashed to unusability. Had I still had my smartband then I would have noticed the instant I tried to drive off, if not sooner.
Re: (Score:2)
That's the thing for me too. I will consider buying a smart watch when they are cheap enough that I will not regret the purchase if it turns out it's useless. Maybe I should get a refurbished Pebble.
Re: (Score:2)
There's a ton of more open smart watches out there - I don't need to be locked in to any 'walled garden'
Oh, get over yourself!
No watch has enough horsepower to run a wide range of Apps; nor is there a robust community of "Watch Hackers" to develop and distribute Jailbreaks or "Alternate ROMs" for Smartwatches; therefore, the concept of a "Walled Garden" is almost entirely moot.
Give it a rest. Sane people don't look for hackability when it comes to Microwave Ovens; the same is true when it comes to a basically single-purpose device like a SmartWatch.
Re: (Score:2)
Garmin Forerunner. Free apps by the dozen and an SDK if you like making your own.
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Re: (Score:3, Funny)
A sundial is smarter than him and more reliable.
Even at night.
Re: (Score:2)
Exactly. This is just apple poorly copying another companies tech ( in this case [lifeline.ca] https://www.lifeline.ca/en/phi... [lifeline.ca] and now of course apple worshipping nutjobs will praise apple for its "innovation" and how the iwatch saves lives.
If the iwatch had not failed as a fashion toy it would never have become and medical toy.
Except that Lifeline (which Philips didn't invent either) relies on a SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE. Apple's proposed system relies on the 911 network that is included with everyone's taxes.
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Re: (Score:2)
It is baffling to me that they'd abandon MagSafe, something that I
Re: (Score:2)
I think you will find that nobody would argue that point. It doesn't diminish what he was able to accomplish though. The question is: was he able to accomplish so much because he was a dick, or in spite of his dickishness?
Re: Not really (Score:2)
So you must be one of those people I see who dedicate one of your hands to always having the phone in it. I saw two of you, a couple, in the line in front of me at Dairy Queen last night. They otherwise looked like ordinary people.
Re: Useless for monitoring old people (Score:2)
It's just an 'anecdote function' added to justify the purchase. Let's be honest: the gratification one gets from buying Apple gadgets is severely paced by the annual interval between each purchase. Real enthusiast Apple Store shoppers seek out opportunities to experience that rush more frequently. Getting these gadgets for family members is another instance to feel the rush.
Re: (Score:2)
I own a few vintage mechanical Omega and Patek Phillipe watches. [...] It's fun winding them up everyday.
I always wondered what kind of person could sit around mashing a button on a slot machine, now I know.
Re: Anyone into Real Watches? (Score:2)
Better to own something that increases with value than becomes a disposable brick after 3 years.
And it looks better.