Lot’s of good uses for a watch mentioned already. After having my 2014 moto 360 for a month or so, I’ll add some more of my favorite uses/benefits that might not have been mentioned before:
1. Ability to control playback of podcast from your wrist. When I launch BeyondPod on my phone, it gives me an ongoing notification on my watch that enables me to pause/play, fast-forward/backup, tweak the volume, tweak the playback speed, and some more podcast selection controls In the old days when an embedded commercial came onto within a podcast while my phone was in the holster, I’d probably just listen to the commercial, especially if I was busy doing something. Now I’m more likely to tilt my watch, swipe left a few times and tap fast forward to save some time.
2. Similar to 1, but on chromecast. If I have videos playing on chromecast launched from youtube on my phone, then I have play/pause and volume controls right on my wrist (no fast forward/rewind though). So if I walk out of the room I’m more likely to pause the content and restart it when I get back because it is just a little bit easier especially when phone is not handy. If the next music video in a playlist is suddenly loud or soft I can easily tweak the volume from my wrist.
3. Improved ability to get my attention reliably without disturbing others around me. There is of course the fact that you have vib on your wrist instead of (or in addition to) on your phone. And you’re more likely to glance at it when it’s easy on the watch then digging out your phone. Also as discussed in
this thread, the google clock alarm has some killer features for slowly-increasing volume alarm that can be snoozed or dismissed quickly from your wrist before anyone else hears. And if you have Tasker you can also incorporate that into your task management by including a keyword in high-priority tasks (details in the thread). For me it’s a useful tool that helps keep me on track by nagging me in a way that’s not intrusive to others. By the way, on the other side of the coin, you can block notifications from certain apps (lower priority) from going to the phone so you don’t get overloaded.
4. A checkoff-able list on your watch for use as “shopping list” or other “checklist” of items to be performed in a short time. I use Google Keep app on the watch (which is smart enough not to time out). In the grocery store, it keeps me from dragging my phone out in the aisles. I also have a list of about 10 things I have to remember to do when I visit my elderly mother. On the watch, you can’t search for a list, so you have to do something on your phone to put the list near the top of your Keep queue/bucket when you're ready to use it. For the shopping list, I build the list over time on in gtasks on pc or on my phone (which gives me an easy shortcut to single item input from anywhere on my phone using swipepad). Then when I’m about to go shopping (usually in the grocery parking lot), I multi-select in gtasks on phone all the things I want to get at the store and share them as a group to keep… they show up in a single list at top of Keep…ready to go on my watch. For my checklist of things to do at My Mom’s, I search for the Keep list on my phone and then make a copy on the phone. Then I grab the copy from the top of the queue on my watch and start checking things off… the original list remains waiting for next time. If I get my act together, I might set up a location reminder and open the list from the notification on my watch.
5. Steal some time in chunks of 5 or 10 seconds when I’m waiting at an elevator, waiting at a traffic light etc. In these situations I can peek at the weather or my agenda (one tap gives upcoming meetings). Also read notifications and often “disposition them” (clear the notification, mark email as read, delete it etc) so there’s not so much a backlog when I get to my phone. Personally I don’t usually reply to anything on my watch, so if it needs a reply I’ll leave it uncleared as a reminder to take care of it later. At a traffic light, I might make a quick “note to self”. If I’m walking somewhere I prefer to pull my phone out for “note to self” because: A – the voice recognition is better on phone; B – The phone gives audio feedback at beginning and end of recording so you don’t have to watch the screen; C – If you have your phone set up to send note-to-self to google keep, then it saves not only the transcription but also the recording… which is fantastic for unscrambling garbled transcriptions and again relieves me of the burden to watch the screen while I’m dictating to make sure the note is captured correctly (as long as I hear the google say “ok” acknowledging completion of the note…I know I’ll be able to read it or listen to it later).
5a. Item 5 also could be viewed as a negative in that it gives you more opportunity to get lost in your tech, and also could alienate people around you if you do it in their presence. Depends on your attitude/approach. I have to remind myself that interacting with my watch when someone else is around (or in a meeting) is socially equivalent to using my phone in the same situation.
6. Flashlight app. It’s right there if you need it (uses the screen painted white). It's not hugely bright, but plenty of light to find your way around the house at night or maybe help you find a keyhole.
7. “Look Behind”. Use your watch to see what your phone’s camera is looking at. The marketing suggests you could put your phone in your back pocket to spy on people behind you. But it’s also handy for taking a look at hard to get to places (underneath the sink etc). And can shine the flash. If you want to initiate taking a photo from your watch (like a remote shutter), you can use the free google camera app instead.
PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW: The watch makes your phone functionality a hair more accessible in many situations. In the spectrum between phone-alone and Google glass, the combination of phone-plus-watch is a few percent of the way from phone-alone towards google glass. You don’t have to carry anything extra on your person (assuming you already carried a watch). The expense for a first-generation watch is relatively small (I got my brand new 1st gen moto 360 for $118 and upgraded to steel band for $11, shipping included in both numbers). When people ask me about the value of the watch, I don’t’ bother trying to explain the sum of multiple tiny conveniences, each of whose value is somewhat subjective and subject to personal preferences. Instead I just say that my watch is a cool toy that’s mildly functional as well. It is certainly true. It's understated imo on the "mildly functional" part, but at least no one can argue that I'm overstating the usefulness. And it still makes the watch sound interesting.
WHAT TYPE OF PEOPLE MIGHT LIKE IT: (To state the OBVIOUS): Techy people who enjoy finding new small capabilities for their phone will probably likewise enjoy a smartwatch. On the other hand, no-nonsense people who want a phone primarily for phone calls and a few other things and who dislike having to tweak their phone in any way (settings/options etc) ... probably won't care for a smartwatch.
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