Apple Watch relegated to the junk drawer
Discussion
I've had the basic Pebble since Nov 2014: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pebble-301BL-Smartwatch-Bl...
Got it for £75 on a deal jobby. I wear it pretty much every day, but take that with some caveats:
- I'm NOT a watch guy. In fact, it's the only one I own.
- I don't really use it for anything other than text alerts/dismissing unwanted calls when it's impolite to remove a vibrating phone.
- And I believe there are other 'smart' watches now that do those two key tasks for less than the £68 Amazon will charge you for a Pebble.
All that said, I don't regret it. Battery life is the best part of a week and it's fairly discreet on the wrist.
Got it for £75 on a deal jobby. I wear it pretty much every day, but take that with some caveats:
- I'm NOT a watch guy. In fact, it's the only one I own.
- I don't really use it for anything other than text alerts/dismissing unwanted calls when it's impolite to remove a vibrating phone.
- And I believe there are other 'smart' watches now that do those two key tasks for less than the £68 Amazon will charge you for a Pebble.
All that said, I don't regret it. Battery life is the best part of a week and it's fairly discreet on the wrist.
I use mine more as a fitness device than a watch. It's great in the gym or I'm hikink, playing tennis or riding my bike. All the data is transferred and stored on my phone. For those reasons I use it most days as well as my every day watch.
Some of the apps are also pretty good. I first realised this when I was riding my bike in Suffolk when the watch buzzed my wrist to let me know that West Ham had scored against Arsenal.
Some of the apps are also pretty good. I first realised this when I was riding my bike in Suffolk when the watch buzzed my wrist to let me know that West Ham had scored against Arsenal.
sicasey said:
Crush said:
Can they be used as a pedestrian sat nav?
One of my flying friends mentioned that there were plans to link sky demon to smart watches. I can see a use for them in those scenarios.
Yes, you can use it for pedestrian navigation.One of my flying friends mentioned that there were plans to link sky demon to smart watches. I can see a use for them in those scenarios.
(most smartwatches are close to useless regardless of a phone being connected)
If your iPhone is in a speaker dock, you can use the Watch to change the music (within wifi range). Put now playing in the glances and swipe up to select it from the watch face. It's the best watch I've ever had, I think people are just expecting too much.
Also you can put just press record on the watch face, which is quite handy.
Also you can put just press record on the watch face, which is quite handy.
I love mine too. Can't say I've found battery life to be a problem, I charge it most nights but get two days without issue when needed.
It came in useful today when I got a call from a contractor saying they have just sent me a picture message of something on site, it hadn't arrived when he started calling me but it did whilst I was on the phone. I could view it on the watch. Ok so it's not something that is essential but it was useful on that occasion.
The most useful thing is apple pay. I use it all the time.
It came in useful today when I got a call from a contractor saying they have just sent me a picture message of something on site, it hadn't arrived when he started calling me but it did whilst I was on the phone. I could view it on the watch. Ok so it's not something that is essential but it was useful on that occasion.
The most useful thing is apple pay. I use it all the time.
Interesting. 50% of people seem to "get" the Watch and 50% not - doesn't work for them...
I wear mine all day every day - it's excellent.
I bought a steel with a nice steel strap so it's as good looking as any smartwatch can be today. So the Rolex has stayed in the drawer ever since I got it. No need for a "dress" watch.
I love all the notifications: I can decide what's important and what isn't with a glance at my wrist, if it's important I can get out my phone.
The watch deals with all the different messaging systems people use, (FB Messenger, Skype, iMessage, SMS, email) so it doesn't matter how my friends message me, I know about it.
I use the banking app to check my (huge, obviously) balance, in a pinch I can use it to withdraw cash at an ATM.
I use Apple Pay to do contactless payments. In a pinch I could use it instead of an Oyster Card but I only travel to London rarely so can't claim that's something that happens every day.
I use the "Hey, Siri" feature to change the music. This works with my phone and my car so I can listen to anything from my collection in the car just by asking for it. My hands need never leave the steering wheel so it's a safe thing to do, unlike picking up the phone which is illegal!
When travelling in the car I can ask Siri to send a text message to colleagues if I am stuck in a traffic jam. No need for a call, a text will do.
I answer the phone on it if I've been dim and left the phone downstairs whilst I am upstairs.
I use the Activity app every day, I have found the motivation of wanting to meet the exercise target a very good influence.
Since I have all the other Apple kit then when I put calendar appointments and reminders into my Mac they appear on my phone, pad and watch. On the watch I get a little kick and a sound and am reminded to hit the shops on the way home for something the wife wants...and since we use Family Sharing she can put stuff in my calendar. OK that's a bummer...
I use the timer function when cooking.
So the device has been a real success for me. I use for a plethora of things. But why it is good is because it works with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. To me it's the ensemble that becomes invaluable.
And a mate has Microsoft Band, Lumia and Surface and it all works together just as seamlessly. I would assume that you could do the same in the Android/Google world too if you wanted.
I wear mine all day every day - it's excellent.
I bought a steel with a nice steel strap so it's as good looking as any smartwatch can be today. So the Rolex has stayed in the drawer ever since I got it. No need for a "dress" watch.
I love all the notifications: I can decide what's important and what isn't with a glance at my wrist, if it's important I can get out my phone.
The watch deals with all the different messaging systems people use, (FB Messenger, Skype, iMessage, SMS, email) so it doesn't matter how my friends message me, I know about it.
I use the banking app to check my (huge, obviously) balance, in a pinch I can use it to withdraw cash at an ATM.
I use Apple Pay to do contactless payments. In a pinch I could use it instead of an Oyster Card but I only travel to London rarely so can't claim that's something that happens every day.
I use the "Hey, Siri" feature to change the music. This works with my phone and my car so I can listen to anything from my collection in the car just by asking for it. My hands need never leave the steering wheel so it's a safe thing to do, unlike picking up the phone which is illegal!
When travelling in the car I can ask Siri to send a text message to colleagues if I am stuck in a traffic jam. No need for a call, a text will do.
I answer the phone on it if I've been dim and left the phone downstairs whilst I am upstairs.
I use the Activity app every day, I have found the motivation of wanting to meet the exercise target a very good influence.
Since I have all the other Apple kit then when I put calendar appointments and reminders into my Mac they appear on my phone, pad and watch. On the watch I get a little kick and a sound and am reminded to hit the shops on the way home for something the wife wants...and since we use Family Sharing she can put stuff in my calendar. OK that's a bummer...
I use the timer function when cooking.
So the device has been a real success for me. I use for a plethora of things. But why it is good is because it works with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. To me it's the ensemble that becomes invaluable.
And a mate has Microsoft Band, Lumia and Surface and it all works together just as seamlessly. I would assume that you could do the same in the Android/Google world too if you wanted.
Don said:
Interesting. 50% of people seem to "get" the Watch and 50% not - doesn't work for them...
I wear mine all day every day - it's excellent.
I bought a steel with a nice steel strap so it's as good looking as any smartwatch can be today. So the Rolex has stayed in the drawer ever since I got it. No need for a "dress" watch.
I love all the notifications: I can decide what's important and what isn't with a glance at my wrist, if it's important I can get out my phone.
The watch deals with all the different messaging systems people use, (FB Messenger, Skype, iMessage, SMS, email) so it doesn't matter how my friends message me, I know about it.
I use the banking app to check my (huge, obviously) balance, in a pinch I can use it to withdraw cash at an ATM.
I use Apple Pay to do contactless payments. In a pinch I could use it instead of an Oyster Card but I only travel to London rarely so can't claim that's something that happens every day.
I use the "Hey, Siri" feature to change the music. This works with my phone and my car so I can listen to anything from my collection in the car just by asking for it. My hands need never leave the steering wheel so it's a safe thing to do, unlike picking up the phone which is illegal!
When travelling in the car I can ask Siri to send a text message to colleagues if I am stuck in a traffic jam. No need for a call, a text will do.
I answer the phone on it if I've been dim and left the phone downstairs whilst I am upstairs.
I use the Activity app every day, I have found the motivation of wanting to meet the exercise target a very good influence.
Since I have all the other Apple kit then when I put calendar appointments and reminders into my Mac they appear on my phone, pad and watch. On the watch I get a little kick and a sound and am reminded to hit the shops on the way home for something the wife wants...and since we use Family Sharing she can put stuff in my calendar. OK that's a bummer...
I use the timer function when cooking.
So the device has been a real success for me. I use for a plethora of things. But why it is good is because it works with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. To me it's the ensemble that becomes invaluable.
And a mate has Microsoft Band, Lumia and Surface and it all works together just as seamlessly. I would assume that you could do the same in the Android/Google world too if you wanted.
The only thing there that might be useful is paying for things. But I find a contactless card works fine.I wear mine all day every day - it's excellent.
I bought a steel with a nice steel strap so it's as good looking as any smartwatch can be today. So the Rolex has stayed in the drawer ever since I got it. No need for a "dress" watch.
I love all the notifications: I can decide what's important and what isn't with a glance at my wrist, if it's important I can get out my phone.
The watch deals with all the different messaging systems people use, (FB Messenger, Skype, iMessage, SMS, email) so it doesn't matter how my friends message me, I know about it.
I use the banking app to check my (huge, obviously) balance, in a pinch I can use it to withdraw cash at an ATM.
I use Apple Pay to do contactless payments. In a pinch I could use it instead of an Oyster Card but I only travel to London rarely so can't claim that's something that happens every day.
I use the "Hey, Siri" feature to change the music. This works with my phone and my car so I can listen to anything from my collection in the car just by asking for it. My hands need never leave the steering wheel so it's a safe thing to do, unlike picking up the phone which is illegal!
When travelling in the car I can ask Siri to send a text message to colleagues if I am stuck in a traffic jam. No need for a call, a text will do.
I answer the phone on it if I've been dim and left the phone downstairs whilst I am upstairs.
I use the Activity app every day, I have found the motivation of wanting to meet the exercise target a very good influence.
Since I have all the other Apple kit then when I put calendar appointments and reminders into my Mac they appear on my phone, pad and watch. On the watch I get a little kick and a sound and am reminded to hit the shops on the way home for something the wife wants...and since we use Family Sharing she can put stuff in my calendar. OK that's a bummer...
I use the timer function when cooking.
So the device has been a real success for me. I use for a plethora of things. But why it is good is because it works with the rest of the Apple ecosystem. To me it's the ensemble that becomes invaluable.
And a mate has Microsoft Band, Lumia and Surface and it all works together just as seamlessly. I would assume that you could do the same in the Android/Google world too if you wanted.
Messages etc are checked when I have time not when they arrive. If it's urgent people will phone me and if it's convenient I will answer, if it's not they leave a message and I get back to them.
If I'm in the car I use the controls on the wheel next to my thumb to answer the phone which connects via bluetooth.
You've got to stop letting the rest of the world run your life.
Munter said:
Messages etc are checked when I have time not when they arrive. If it's urgent people will phone me and if it's convenient I will answer, if it's not they leave a message and I get back to them.
I can be playing a sport and know I've just missed a business call so can stop whatever I'm doing and get back to them immediately. I found that quite useful. Same goes for text messages. I can also check messages and missed calls without looking like I'm ignoring the person I'm with and going through my phone. (That's the problem with so many phone zombies walking into the road while checking Facebook. It means that when you're actually doing something important ie business, everyone thinks you're just checking Facebook or watch cat videos.)Also, it has functions like an alarm, stopwatch and timer, which are useful anyway (for me), smartwatch or not, and I don't need to carry the phone on me (I say this because these functions are also on my phone).
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