Kickass new SmartWatch (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

Announced today, no not Samsung's DOA entry, which might actually be pretty cool in their 2015 revision.

This is the Qualcomm Toq:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/04/qualcomm-toq-smartwatch/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2tnjzuadNk

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Being that the Galaxy Gear is a complete DUD (only fully compatible with the
upcoming Note III), I will be looking for better solutions in watches.

This could be one of them.

On the other hand, curious to see what Apple does and if what they release
will be compatible with Android phones (if such a miracle could happen)

 

[Hanson]

I still see zero utility in these things. There is almost no utilitarian purpose to smart watches other than reading the time and the occasional message without having to take your phone out of your pocket. Whoop dee shit. Frankly, I wouldn't spend more than $25 for that kind of rudimentary functionality.

 

[RobertR]

I still see zero utility in these things. There is almost no utilitarian purpose to smart watches other than reading the time and the occasional message without having to take your phone out of your pocket. Whoop dee shit. Frankly, I wouldn't spend more than $25 for that kind of rudimentary functionality.

I pretty much agree. So the watch notifies you of a message. So what? The phone does that audibly. You can't type a response without taking out your phone anyway (people will not go for the idea of talking to their watches). Telling the time is meaningless, since a regular watch already does that.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hmmm.....

I am not sure which way to go with this.

I think these watches have potential....just not yet.....

First, these watches need to be somewhat stylish -- not these blocky
square timepieces that sit weighted on your wrist. I can imagine
how turned off women must be to the design.

I don't necessarily like the fact that they have to interact with your
phone, but then again, these watches can't support computer technology
in such small housing. They need to depend on a phone to feed off of. So,
for now, there is no getting away with that interaction.

The things I do like...

* Quick glance of mail and text messages without having to take the phone
out of the pocket. Is it a big deal to take the phone out of the pocket? No.
But, I like the idea of not having to pull a phone out, unlock it, and having to
see quick pieces of information that could easily be read on a watch.

* I like to stay fit, so for fitness tools to be built into a watch that can interact
with a phone app is something I am very much interested in.

* If a phone is in my pocket and it rings, I like the fact that the watch can tell
me who is calling before I answer it manually or via a bluetooth earpiece.


I very much feel that smart watches are the future. I think what we are seeing
now is rather clunky first attempts to get us to where we eventually need to be.

It's a real shame that Samsung couldn't deliver a watch that would interact
with all Android phones (though an update in October will make more phones
compatible) or even the iPhone.

I have a feeling Apple is going to put out something vastly more stylish, but who
knows if it will cater to the Android crowd. We all know both sides do what they
can to make certain that these gadgets cater only to their customers.

Finally, most smartphones are $299. Why should a watch, that depends on
those phones be just as expensive?

I can understand why many are turned off to the concept of having a smart watch.
However, I think this is the next big thing that everyone is going to be concentrating
on making better and no doubt, there are many out there that will line up in a heartbeat
to buy the ultimate techie watch -- whenever it eventually arrives.

 

[Hanson]

The real question is, how much are you willing to pay for that minor convenience? Obviously, Samsung is out of their goddamn minds to charge $299 for that. And it's still a bulky battery hog. Imagine how much work it would take to make it lighter, smaller AND cheaper. Much cheaper. I wouldn't even consider one unless it was under $100.These are likely the exact reasons why Apple isn't releasing a smart watch of their own. Samsung may have beaten them to market, but with a product like the Gear, they lost more than they won. You know who should make a smart watch? Amazon. Make it with a Paper white type screen (for as little as it does, who needs full color?) and bundle it with their rumored forked Android phone. They could make it really svelte since it won't need anywhere near the battery that the Gear requires.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

The real question is, how much are you willing to pay for that minor convenience? Obviously, Samsung is out of their goddamn minds to charge $299 for that.

Hanson,

That is the problem.

...and it will continue to be the problem. I don't see Apple doing any better in pricing ---
especially since I would think that their designers will come up with something that trumps
what Samsung has done.

 

[Sam Posten]

I'm not a watch guy. I have a beautiful Tag Hueuer and I never wear it. But this is obviously an area a lot of people are interested in.

Sony has been working the space for a while. Here's their new rev announced yesterday.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/04/sony-smartwatch-2/?utm_medium=feed

 

[Dave Upton]

I'm interested in a smart watch, but only as a fitness accessory. I just can't for the life of me see one being that useful as a watch - regular timepieces are much better looking at the moment.

 

[RobertR]

* If a phone is in my pocket and it rings, I like the fact that the watch can tell
me who is calling before I answer it manually or via a bluetooth earpiece.

But you can accomplish the same thing with a custom ring tone for both calls and texts. Whenever I hear Beethoven's 9th, I know my supervisor is calling or texting.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Robert,

Absolutely that can be done.

I have never done it. I usually keep my phone on vibrate so it's not
making obnoxious ringtone sounds out in public. So, for me, custom
ringtones is not an option.

It seems, from reading this thread, nobody is really in favor of going
out and buying one of these watches anyway. I think it's going to be
interesting to sit on the sideline and see if Samsung has a major fail
with this phone.

I just think Apple is going to do it better a year from now. Just hope
it will be compatible with all bluetooth devices, though I seriously doubt
(because of app integration) it can be.

 

[Hanson]

I don't remember if it's a generic Android or specific Samsung feature, but the GS4 allows you to create custom vibration patterns that can be assigned to specific contacts. I think the Note 2 has this feature as well.

 

[TonyD]

I think my wife bought a Galaxy Gear for me for christmas.
Looks like these have been updated to work with the GS3 now.

Not sure I need a $300 watch or device like this but she knows I like gadgets so we'll see how it works I guess.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

When I was at the Verizon store a couple of weeks ago getting a new phone, the sales kid showed me the Samsung watch while we were waiting for my phone to download an update. I was unimpressed by the whole concept, and just couldn't imagine ever wanting one. It seems like a gadget for people who like new electronic toys.

Disclaimer: my phone will stay in my pocket for hours sometimes without me ever pulling it out to look at it. I run a pager-replacement app on the phone that vibrates if I get an urgent page from work (I'm in healthcare, which still uses pagers), and I can live without seeing if I have new emails. I like to wear a traditional watch, and have worn the same Citizen Eco-Drive watch for many years without ever even thinking about the battery.

 

[schan1269]

When I was at the Verizon store a couple of weeks ago getting a new phone, the sales kid showed me the Samsung watch while we were waiting for my phone to download an update. I was unimpressed by the whole concept, and just couldn't imagine ever wanting one. It seems like a gadget for people who like new electronic toys.

Disclaimer: my phone will stay in my pocket for hours sometimes without me ever pulling it out to look at it. I run a pager-replacement app on the phone that vibrates if I get an urgent page from work (I'm in healthcare, which still uses pagers), and I can live without seeing if I have new emails. I like to wear a traditional watch, and have worn the same Citizen Eco-Drive watch for many years without ever even thinking about the battery.

Not that I want to derail the thread.

But Scott, which page-app do you use? My cousin(a doctor) has tried 3. None work well enough to leave the pager where you can't hear it. Of course...he's also on Sprint. Which every one of his "phone issues" I gleefully exclaim is because he's got a great phone strangled by Sprint.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I want one of these watches, but I am waiting for either the second generation
Samsung Galaxy or whatever Apple introduces next year.

I have a friend at work that wears a Galaxy with his Note III. He loves the phone.
It does look rather nice on his wrist. He did tell me that it works very well, but does
recommend that I hold off buying until the next generation.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Not that I want to derail the thread.

But Scott, which page-app do you use? My cousin(a doctor) has tried 3. None work well enough to leave the pager where you can't hear it. Of course...he's also on Sprint. Which every one of his "phone issues" I gleefully exclaim is because he's got a great phone strangled by Sprint.

I am using IntelliMessage, which is provided by the paging company (American Messaging) that the healthcare organization I work for uses. It only works with their messaging service. They have an app for Android, iPhone/iPad, and Windows desktop. It is independent of whatever cellular carrier you are using. The app is very reliable, but eats a lot of battery, which is the main reason I am now using a Droid Maxx phone.

 

[TonyD]

Not sure if I'll keeep it yet.

The speaker is barely audible so using it to make and answer calls
doesn't really work for me.

the obvious issue is the price.

She paid $300 plus $40 for a warranty so that is staring
me in the face everytime I look at the watch.
You have to use s-voice to send a text.

I do see who is calling without looking at the phone and do see texts and emails as they come in.

Havent figured out the music contoller yet but I doubt I'll use it because it only controls the samsung music player and I never use that. I use google play, Tunein and I-heartradio for music.

On second day and the battery is still at 53%.

Havent figured out how to share a picture I take with the Gear. the share button is there but it's greyed out.

The pedometer and find my device work very nicely.

 

[schan1269]

Can you use it with Skype and/or a bluetooth headset?

And can it answer the call "to the phone" if the phone is on a headset?

 

[TonyD]

Someone else hjopefully will answer that. I dont use skype or a headfset