Smartwatches-whats the deal?

[JnEricsonx]

Anyone who has one, just want to give me the short form on what is the big deal about them? I'm honestly curious. I mean, I haven't used a watch of normal type in probably ten years since I first got a cell phone.

 

[exninja]

I don't have one, but I want one because I want to do lots of things without taking my phone out of my pocket, eg, read a text, see who's calling (and if I should bother taking the call), see the time (LOL), etc). Might not be a big deal to some or most, but it seems convenient to me.

 

[Unforgiven]

I think the idea is mostly to have quick access to the alarms and notifications without having to get your phone out of a pocket and / or turn it on.

ps: I move this to the Android Wear forum where folks are talking about wearable Android devices.

 

[BitStern]

It's the next big thing! You get fast notifications, it's customizable, you can track your details for running, etc etc There's a lot to cover!

 

[nickdalzell]

my Gear 2 essentially poses as a small feature phone on my wrist. my Note 3 remains safe in my pocket for more extravagant tasks, but the Gear 2 can make/receive calls, get instant weather info, respond to voice commands, send/receive texts, get notifications, read emails, control my TV, and more. i got it for the Star Trek geek attractant but it's become extra convenient in a pinch.

it's also built well and i would expect that from a $299 watch either way. after a week and a half at my gritty job it's only got one tiny gash on the screen, which confuses me as i thought it had Gorilla Glass. my OG Gear had Gorilla Glass but it never got any marks (bezel suffered badly though) but this one is easily marked up with it only having scraped against plastic wire loom. go figure. being smacked against a concrete floor didn't make any marks but one tap against wire loom and now i got an annoying scratch.

 

[Grayhare1]

Getting used to my gear live. If you never wear a watch you may not find it useful. I stopped wearing a watch a few years ago didn't think I missed it but like wearing one again. Started wearing a fitbit about 4 months ago and liked the pedometer. The gear live does that as well as check your heart rate. I got a screen protector for it to keep scratches away etc. If you are looking for this miracle device on your wrist android wear isn't there yet but if you want a really cool watch that allows you to send texts see who is emailing you and calling you with out reaching for the phone then you have to have one.

 

[nickdalzell]

I wish I could get the Live but either you all have developer models like Glass or you bought them from play store. I would rather know what I am getting but pictures online plus Google being so damn vague isn't helping. The live does one thing my current Gear 2 doesn't, and that is voice commands with a voice trigger. My gear 2 requires double tapping the home button which makes a nasty smudge on the bezel. However I have literally no idea what else the Live does because there is zero information beyond Google ' vague info about it.

 

[Unforgiven]

That is why I am waiting for the 360 Nick. If the voice commands with that are half as good as they are with my Moto X then it will be a great supplement to my smartphone.

 

[nickdalzell]

I like the Gear 2 but I have a feeling I will get buyer's remorse since it's not that different than the OG gear. It has a better battery but that's all I noticed beyond a remote control. Voice commands make smudges and are extremely pared down. I really want full on touch less control.

 

[SpyderBite]

I have a Cookoo Watch. It's been useful for checking notifications when it would be inappropriate or inconvenient to pull out my smartphone. Eg. While driving, in a meeting, etc. it was especially nice to have when I worked at Apple and we weren't allowed to have our phones in hand while out on the floor.

 

[nickdalzell]

Same here. I'm a mechanic and phones are no no's. The watch camera helps immensely when working in tight confined spaces or when your ability to draw sucks enough that having reference photos is helpful. Having the current weather also is a nice bonus

 

[mikedt]

It's kind of an updated version of one of these isn't it?

 

[hiredgun]

It's kind of an updated version of one of these isn't it?

Bet you are all the rage with that on a Saturday night in down town Hong Kong Mike. lol.

 

[Hadron]

In short: It's next big think! Easy, safe, fast.

But why is it the next big thing? Easy or fast for what? That's the question this thread is discussing.

I'm a gadget lover, but to be honest I've still not seen a "killer use" that will push me to buy one. Closest would be calendar without digging out the phone, but you can't fit many appointments on a watch screen and I know that the "next" entry in my calendar is not necessarily the one I need to see, so doubt a watch can do what I want there. Dismissing calendar notifications from the wrist would be useful (an Android Wear port of Calendar Snooze?), but not so much that I'd put up with a relatively bulky watch in order to have it.

Actually for me a slim device which worked for notifications but didn't have to display a constant watch face might work. As a left-hander who wears a watch on his left wrist I could put one of those on the right and use it as an additional device, saving power by having the screen off most of the time. But I suspect that's too much of a niche.

Of course the fact that I don't use Google Now (too much info to Google for my tastes) means that I'm probably not the target for Android Wear. But I'll keep watch on the devices anyway

 

[Unforgiven]

Of course the fact that I don't use Google Now (too much info to Google for my tastes) means that I'm probably not the target for Android Wear. But I'll keep watch on the devices anyway

^^^that

I don't use google now very often and wear seems to be simply a Now front end.

 

[GreenTea]

When I'm walking around, and especially when driving, I don't want to have to go digging in my handbag for my phone when I get a notification or a call, and then ignore said notification or call because I'm driving. With my Gear 2, I can just glance down at my wrist and see the notification, and easily read and reply to the text or answer the call with just a couple swipes of my finger, and I can leave my phone where it is.

Also, in meetings, it's handy because if I get a notification I just feel an unobtrusive buzz on my wrist; I can leave my phone in my bag or whatever without having to look at it. I don't always address the notification or call right then, but at least I can see it. And if I need to excuse myself and step outside the room and take a call, I can leave my phone behind.

And then, it's handy around the house. Say I'm downstairs in the kitchen, cooking dinner or something like that. I can leave my phone upstairs charging or in a different room in my purse, and receive and reply to calls and notifications as I move about the kitchen. I don't have to stop, dry my hands, and reply to a text or answer a call on my phone, and even better, I don't have to go and get my phone from another room if I hear its ringtone in the distance. But that could be any scenario around the house. I've often been expecting a call, or in the middle of a text conversation, and then needed to leave the room for whatever. No more having to carry around that Note everywhere. I love love love my phone, but I love it more now that it doesn't have to be tethered to me every waking hour. Absence and the heart and all that stuff.

Now, perhaps the reason that makes me giggle the most is because it's so customizable. I've always been all about accessories. Because I'm female, right away, I had to remove the band the Gear 2 came with and get a few that look better on me and fit tighter, as my wrist is on the small side. I can change up the bands so that they match with whatever I'm wearing, so it's fashionable in that sense. Plus, when I was a kid, I used to love character watches. Now, thanks to Watch Styler, I can have an infinite number of them. The number of cartoon-themed watch faces I've come up with is obscene, but I like being able to have Mickey on my watch one day and the Pink Panther on it the next. It's kind of kitschy and retro in that respect, and changing the watch face only takes a second or two. And on the days when I'm not feeling ten years old, I can have an understated "normal" watch face. I like variety and I grow bored of the same thing rather quickly, and the Gear 2 gives me an infinite number of "looks"--that feature alone was worth the $300 IMO.

Anyway, those are just a few long-winded reasons why having a smart watch works for ME, but I can understand how it might not be a must-have for others. Different strokes and all.

 

[Slug]

Actually for me a slim device which worked for notifications but didn't have to display a constant watch face might work.

That's my main use for my SW2; it's quicker and much more discrete to glance at my wrist in order to see if that incoming msg/post/call needs immediate attention or can wait.

 

[nickdalzell]

My watch essentially replaces my phone at work.

When you got a super expensive ~800 dollar Note 3 with you at a job known to destroy any and all smartphones should you pull them out of pocket (believe me I lost tons) the watch works out extremely well, it also ends up being less distracting and super convenient. Note 3 remains safe and most emails I get are junk but I know fast if one is worth pulling my phone out later to read the whole thing. Keep in mind one of the Gear 2 updates is seeing the whole email not just two sentences like with the OG Gear

will the watch get busted? Sure. Eventually it will end up the victim of an E-Z-GO drive belt or hit the concrete one too many times or ingest gasoline which inexplicably gets in the crankcase and I find out too late when it comes gushing out all over my wrist and watch the instant I pull the drain plug. But I'd rather replace a $200 watch over an $800 smartphone.

It's also fun messing with people's minds with the 'haunted telly' (using the watch remote app clandestinely)