Sony Smartwatch 3

[childofibiza]

Any users out there with this newest iteration from Sony now carrying Android Wear? On the market for a smart watch other than this i had my eye on the new Fitbit Surge coming out early next year.. Thoughts/opinions.. Ive had a Fitbit Flex for well over 2yrs and have had no issues with them as well as a great user experience with their app. Kinda want to continue with them out of being comfortable with their system but the SW3 does have my attention as well..

 

[Slug]

Any users out there with this newest iteration from Sony now carrying Android Wear?

I've had mine for over two weeks now. It's very comfortable and unobtrusive to wear, and I find the card-based Wear notifications quicker and easier to use than the pop-up ones on my SW2. I easily get two days use from a full charge, which takes around an hour. The display is great in all but the brightest direct sunlight, which won't be an issue over here for another few months.

The activity tracking with LifeLog is still a work-in-progress; it thinks I haven't slept for a fortnight for example, but the watch syncs fine with Google Fit. The compass 'needle' is also cranky, and won't rotate beyond 180 degrees without reversing direction. Bearing is however displayed accurately, so presumably this is a simple software glitch.

All in all, I'm more than happy with it.

p.s. we've got a dedicated Sony SmartWatch 3 sub-forum which will (hopefully) see more traffic as the device becomes more widely available.

 

[childofibiza]

Thanks again for responding.. am new to the forum and learning how to navigate. I think ill wait until Fitbit Surge comes out and maybe after a few months the SW3 will get a few of those glitches ironed out.. 2days battery life is a quite low IMO. But with great features and able to sync with my Moto X 2nd gen i might just get it!

 

[Slug]

2days battery life is a quite low IMO

It's actually pretty respectable for a Wear device.

 

[uzetaab]

The sw3 is by far the best wear device on the market. However, it's not the most popular.

Round faces make sense on a mechanical watch, but in my opinion that's not a good enough reason to cut the corners off a screen. Apparently though, I am in the minority and the moto360 and lg g watch r are more popular. That means that those watched will be better supported and some consideration should be given to that before buying the Sony.

Having said that, I love my sw3, especially when I don't have to take it off to jump in the pool.

Also the comment about full sunlight is not right. The sw3 has a transflective LCD which means it's perfectly legible in full sunlight, unlike all the other wear watches. Only the pebble can be compared in full sunlight.

 

[childofibiza]

Gah you guys are making it really hard to hold off on getting the SW3! Still plan on waiting for the Fitbit Surge then will make a decision.. Curious as to where are the reviews for the SW3 on CNET or all the other usual places..

 

[Slug]

Curious as to where are the reviews for the SW3 on CNET or all the other usual places..

Android Police
Digital Trends
TechRadar

 

[childofibiza]

Oh, thank you!

 

[childofibiza]

Liking what I'm reading on the Fitbit Surge reviews more...

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gadgets/fitbit-surge-1270574/review

 

[nickdalzell]

I wanted to try the Smartwatch 2 but the two in stock at Best Buy were defective. they had as much as 50% power out of the box but attempting to turn them on produced a 'plug in to charge' animation and wouldn't move past it--not even the one i attempted to charge to 100%. i prompty returned both for a refund. a shame it appeared to be a very classy kit.

I had bad luck with most things Sony these days, i lost three PlayStation 3 consoles to Yellow Light of Death so i am not too confident on any additional Sony product.

I must be in the minority as well, round watches look too much like display consoles from 1960s science fiction to me when running a digital interface, and i have zero trouble with the G Watch display in full sunlight at work and i have it fully dimmed. but then my eyes are super sensitive to light.

All the round watches in the Wear platform are huge pucks that would make me look like Steve Wozniak. no thanks!

 

[childofibiza]

Decided to take the plunge.. Picked up a SW3 on super sale now that the Apple Watch is right around the corner.. the only issue I'm having is being able to use a bluetooth set of headphones to go on my jogs w/out needing my smartphone (Moto X 2nd Gen) I have a pair of Sony PS4 Gold Wireless Bluetooth Headset ( https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/accessories/audio/gold-wireless-stereo-headset/ ) and would love to use these rather than having to purchase another set of headphones... any walkthrough help on how if at all possible i could connect my smart watch with my headphones to use? If not maybe a recommendation on a pair of headphones that are affordable?

 

[Slug]

any walkthrough help on how if at all possible i could connect my smart watch with my headphones to use?

With the headphones in "pairing mode", go to Settings/Bluetooth devices on the SW3 and it should automatically scan for, find and offer to pair with them.

If not maybe a recommendation on a pair of headphones that are affordable?

I use the Sony BTN200 'phones; good sound quality, built-in mic for calls/voice control, and light-weight for comfort and travel.

 

[childofibiza]

Many thanks.. I've tried using my PS4 headphones.. and i can't seem to get it to sync seems the headphones BT is through the actual USB wireless connector that goes into my PS4 rather than it being implemented in the actual headphones... Shame... Guess ill have to purchase a new set just for my watch.. ill see if i can find your suggested HP at a good price on eBay or what not.. def don't wanna spend over $75 on something ill only use on my jogging days.. If anyone or if you find some other way i could use my PS4 headphones please let me know.. thanks in advance..

 

[childofibiza]

Okay so i have another question in regards on how to use GPS on my SW3.. I downloaded the my tracks app on my moto x-2 and hit record, left it in my house while i went for a jog with my watch on... when i got back and stopped the timer it didn't show i had jogged 2 1/2 miles... just the amount i had been recording.. Doesn't google offer their own GPS app that i can use w/out needing my phone? I'm still figuring out all the thing on this smart watch so any instructions to use GPS in laments terms would be greatly appreciated.. thanks in advance!

 

[Slug]

Firstly, open Android Wear on your phone and check that My Tracks is listed in the Voice Actions menu for "Start a run". Then you can start it either via the "okay Google, start a run" command or by double-tapping the wach face and selecting "Start a run" from the menu.

 

[childofibiza]

Finally getting around to getting a pair of Bluetooth headphones today, any insightful instructions on pairing the device? Just simple pair Bluetooth devices?

 

[Slug]

Put headphones into pairing mode, go into Settings/Bluetooth devices on the SW3, select the newly-discovered headphones.... done!

 

[childofibiza]

Put headphones into pairing mode, go into Settings/Bluetooth devices on the SW3, select the newly-discovered headphones.... done!

So I received the new Android Wear update with all the new features and what not.. Well my battery life on my SW3 has considerably dropped. Noticed it barely lasted 6hrs on a full charge.. Please tell me I'm not the only one? If so could it be cause I have some apps running in the background and not even know it?! Need help with this ASAP. the battery life was the biggest selling point for me now its god awful.Help!

 

[Slug]

my battery life on my SW3 has considerably dropped. Noticed it barely lasted 6hrs on a full charge.. Please tell me I'm not the only one?

I'm not seeing any reduction in battery stamina myself, although I've seen quite a few complaints elsewhere. The wifi/cloud sync is usually blamed with the solution being to set "Power saving" to "After 15mins" in Settings/Wifi settings/Advanced.

However, with my SW3 using the default settings, I'm still seeing ~65% charge left after 8am - midnight use. I'm rarely out of BT range of the phone though, so the watch is never connected to wifi.

All I can suggest is to try resetting the watch and then re-pairing with your phone.

 

[childofibiza]

Been humming along just fine.. Curious as to what is the point of having wifi connected on my smart watch? Any sort of different features.?Currently just have it synced via Bluetooth to my phone.

 

[Slug]

Curious as to what is the point of having wifi connected on my smart watch?

It will still sync with your phone if outside BT range. In fact, the phone could be on the other side of town on 3/4G and it will still sync.