Are Smart Watches really "Smart"??

[Hall]

With an Apple Watch, I can send and receive text messages if my phone is within range, though Apple does offer models with full, cellular service. Reading a text works very well. To send or reply, your best option is speech-to-text. You can also "write" with your finger (apparently there's a keyboard but I've never seen it ). I get notifications for emails.... Looks like MS Outlook will allow me to reply although I never have, nor plan to.

 

[BaronHK]

...Lately, a few of my friends have been sporting various "smart watches". One buddy showed me his (Amazfit?) and was totally jazzed by all the bio-metrics it showed him...

Blood O2, steps, sleep states, breaths taken... Calories burned, you name it, dozens upon dozens of trackers. I asked him if he could respond to a text message. "Nope"....

I just laughed. The last thing I need is a Doctor or Nurse on my watch! I could give a flying crap about my heart rate. (What did people do without these features twenty years ago? Sheesh!)

Anyhow... I did some research and found almost all these new "smart" watches do everything but what I would want from a watch like this - Communication.

Are there any watches that can actually use SMS effectively? I have no use for the other stuff. Yeah, it's entertaining... But just don't want it.

Just wondering if there's watch out there that can effectively communicate. Thoughts?

Just something else to spend $500-600 on every few years.

I'd rather have the money, honestly. A good watch should last decades.

 

[UncleDave]

I never heard that word used, but Apple watches come with a magnetic charger.
Every one to two days at the most I drop the watch on the magnetic charger before I go to take a shower and when I come out, it’s charged up.

I pick up nonstandard words in my travels and "bespoke" came from my brit friends and custom clothing.
When I travel I try to minimize carrying single use type gear - Im in Thailand right now at a dealership meeting my room has exactly one plug in it I can use between laptop, headphones, phone, Bluetooth speaker and battery for extended meetings with no outlets in the room.

I travel light and often carry just one or two bags preferring to carry on vs checked luggage and having to carry and juggle a single use charger just isnt in the cards for me as an overseas roadtrip.

Now for home - I'm completely on the mac ecosystem and have been for decades and will likely buy one of their watches, thing is they are pretty much disposable depreciating like used hand grenades, and as such not worth dumping lots into.

 

[b_b]

Well, basically... Convenience. I'm one of those people that considers a modern phone a necessary evil. I don't like carrying it around much. I have it because I HAVE to have it. Being able to glance at a watch face and ascertain the degree of response I need to have seems like a no-brainer to me. Personally, I'd rather just wear a regular watch so I can tell the time. Call me Old School. That's why I started this thread.... I wanted to know if these darn "wrist computers" were worth having for communication purposes.

basically it has no value if you keep your phone in your pocket. if you leave your phone and go hours without it, then its a game changer. with the cellular option of course.

 

[alarmguy]

basically it has no value if you keep your phone in your pocket. if you leave your phone and go hours without it, then its a game changer. with the cellular option of course.

I agree with your post but would take exception to needing the cell option. Options are good and I am not discounting the cell unit in the watch to make the most use of it, FOR THOSE who want that option meaning they truly need to communicate without their phone nearby.

I always have my phone someplace within the confines of my home. However I can be outside cutting the grass or working on the landscaping, car or boat, anyplace around my house, my phone can start ringing. I dont need to hear it ring or run to my phone, my watch will ring, I can pick up the call or get the text message on my watch. Keep in mind, unlike the OP my primary use of the watch is for a health device, a watch and a payment device. SO I am not saying my use is for him. But this thread might help others or possibly even him.

Communication is secondary for me but works amazingly well on my Apple Watch without the cell unit and has come in handy, more so when you dont want to miss THAT one call that you are stressed about, lets say from a doctor who you know if you do miss it, it will take another day to hear back from them to a warranty guy on your home that is you miss that call it will take another week to hear from him *LOL*

Ok, and this is the joke in our house, we also extensively use the watch to make our cell phone sound when we forget where we put our phone down *LOL*

On the flip side, my son has the Apple Watch with the cell unit, he works in an area where cameras/phones are not allowed but can have his Apple Watch. My daughter in law uses a Samsung watch with its own phone number I think or something similar

 

[wlk]

True. I have over a dozen of watches I've collected over the years. All of them tell 'time" and being a simple person, that is pretty much all I need them for.

Having noted that.... These new "wrist computers" intrigue me for convenience sake. In my line of work, I need to effectively communicate while away from my phone.

Having a messaging option allows me to continue working without interruption etc. So yeah, not necessary, but a "tool" nevertheless.

I will agree to disagree

 

[alarmguy]

Im ok with digital at home, but on the road Im looking for ultra rugged and absolutely waterproof.

View attachment 263054

Awesome, beautiful watch just my style too.
I love analog watches (or at least with analog hands) and I do miss them dearly but Im too hooked on the Apple Watch now.

 

[JGmazda]

I always have my phone someplace within the confines of my home. However I can be outside cutting the grass or working on the landscaping, car or boat, anyplace around my house, my phone can start ringing. I don't need to hear it ring or run to my phone, my watch will ring, I can pick up the call or get the text message on my watch. Keep in mind, unlike the OP my primary use of the watch is for a health device, a watch and a payment device. SO I am not saying my use is for him. But this thread might help others or possibly even him.

Thank you for your contributions to this thread. I believe you do "get it". I'm a bit surprised at some of the other responses though. Just to clarify - I'm not trying to add or gain more technology into my daily routine. In fact, I avoid it when possible. But... I still (unfortunately) need to respond to clients in a timely manner and therefore need to have a phone on me. Having a "smart watch" was an idea. The idea revolved around having a way to filter/respond/ or make a quick decision without dragging a phone around in my pocket. Some here think it's dumb to want to refine or simplify.... Some think it's great to have dozens of apps running and multiple data-points to examine. Not me.

Anyhow... to each his own. Thanks for your posts!

 

[alarmguy]

It's free with my visible plan as a benefit.

Good point, I am seeing this now with some USMobile and Redpocket plans.

 

[UncleDave]

Awesome, beautiful watch just my style too.
I love analog watches (or at least with analog hands) and I do miss them dearly but Im too hooked on the Apple Watch now.

Thanks, I actually meant to post the pict that has my wrist in the air with this thread on the laptop. I was awarded that watch at a sales event in 2000 so it holds more value to me than my other watches that were simply bought.The guy that awarded it to me now works for me in an unplanned turn of events.

The lure of the apple watch is strong with me. I love all the stuff it does and believe it's best in class, at home and on a road trip it's probably close to a perfect lifestyle addition.

Does it have a camera yet?

Super curious...
What's the battery life like when you are playing audio files or streaming a radio website (local station NPR tune in) through a bluetooth connection?

I can get 10 hours out of my cell which means I dont have a whip out a charger on most of my international legs like SFO to Narita, and if I do I just use a usb cable.

IF it needs a special charger I will often need to have an international adapter for every plug even if the power supply is able to handle the voltage.

Thailand is pretty interesting in that the same outlet carries both 110 using an edison connector and 220 50 cycle 2 pin euro style all in the same housing -if you can find one.
So they solve the prong and voltage problem all with one wall plate but they all feel like crappy junk with fully1/3 of them simply failing to take the edison plug.

 

[willbur]

Yeah there's a lot. Apple watch can do music, text, calls, siri commands and can even have its own eSIM so you can leave the house with just your watch. Other android smartwatches do music, text and calls and biometrics.

My most used smartwatch feature is actually navigation.

Yes, the Apple watch is remarkable except for it's battery life- only about 18 hrs except for the Ultra (2 days maybe?). Other brands are good for 10 or more days. And Apple sure knows what it wants for it...

 

[DemoFly]

Yes, the Apple watch is remarkable except for it's battery life- only about 18 hrs except for the Ultra (2 days maybe?). Other brands are good for 10 or more days. And Apple sure knows what it wants for it...

Sure but they aren't comparable products. The only thing they have in common is they tell time.

 

[PandaBear]

My 2 kids have apple watch with standalone cell plan from T mobile. Our "family" plan is the Go 55 that my dad has, and I tag along, and my 2 kids have standalone phone numbers that are not shared with another phone.

As of last year or maybe today, only the major carriers in the US have this and none of the MVNOs on discount have that standalone plan options. So this is why we switch from Cricket to T-Mo. At least T-Mo is affordable and good enough. My 2 daughters' plan cost about $7.50 or was it $6.50, per month all included. Older one got in during a promotion and the watch was $199, and my 2nd one got in 2 years later and we bought the watch off swapper (still new) and was only $180.

We decided they won't lose their watches but they may lose their phones, and no screen means they won't stick to their phones screens all the time like a screen addict.

 

[PandaBear]

Just something else to spend $500-600 on every few years.

I'd rather have the money, honestly. A good watch should last decades.

What the heck are you talking about?

$180 ea when I got the Apple Watch SE cellular for my daughter, and $7.50 cell plan, it is an actual phone. This is probably cheaper than any other phone you can use today.

 

[Hall]

What the heck are you talking about?

They don't know....

 

[alarmguy]

Yes, the Apple watch is remarkable except for it's battery life- only about 18 hrs except for the Ultra (2 days maybe?). Other brands are good for 10 or more days. And Apple sure knows what it wants for it...

Correct, Apple Watch is remarkable, in a class by itself.
Sure it would be great for more battery life but then it wouldnt be remarkable like the other devices that have longer life.

These devices need power, it's easy to make an unremarkable product by cutting down on functions.

An Apple Watch which you are aware is not for people who do not use those features as you posted many times. But for anyone who takes a shower or a bath everyday battery life of an Apple Watch doesnt matter. I take my watch off when taking a shower, not that I have to but I like to wash my wrist where I wear the watch. Other people better they leave it on in the shower, more so if you live alone as the watch will call emergency services if you fall.

Roughly 30 minutes a day or less to charge up. It's not an issue except for those that care for it to be.

60% of smart watch users are Apple Watch, I use my watch for everything. Including my recovery from radiation treatments to tell my doctor how many times a night I wake to use the bathroom as it tracks my sleep time and levels of sleep.
https://www.statista.com/chart/31484/most-popular-smartwatch-and-fitness-tracker-brands-in-the-us/

 

[alarmguy]

@UncleDave
Sorry I missed your post #50 from months ago. I remember seeing it but was mesmerized by your photo I guess and forgot!
You know the answers now, no camera, and charges with a standard USB-C power supply. I never used my watch for streaming music, though I can control my phone streaming music with my watch.
You can also control your iPhone camera with the watch and how I recorded my radiation treatment in progress on that thread or prop up the phone to remotely takes phones of you and your family using the watch the screen of the watch also shows you the preview

 

[alarmguy]

Most MVNOs now offer Apple Watch standalone plans as someone posted before me.
https://www.usmobile.com/blog/apple-watch-cellular-plans/

 

[4WD]

I have no experience with it but check out Samsung android watches

I would say they do almost all the functions of the Apple Watch.
My daughter-in-law the only android user has a Samsung watch as well. I would say it is the showcase of the android world as far as watches go.

There have been some other comments in here about the effectiveness of how you would use a watch as a communication device.
All I can say is millions of people do it and an incredible convenience for people who have hands on jobs where it’s not practical to hold the phone in your hand.
As far as Apple Watch, yes you can effectively communicate with it and I suspect Samsung watch would be the same.

Personally, I do not use the Apple Watch much to communicate. But wow, is it handy when you can’t miss a call and your phone is someplace else in the house or you were in the middle of something. Now that I think about it, I will pick up a call frequently or fairly frequently and then if it’s going to be a long conversation, I’ll seamlessly switch to my phone.
You can use voice text or the watch even actually has a tiny keyboard. When I use text from the watch. It’s only sometimes to acknowledge a message. I send a quick reply.

To answer your question, yes, my watch is very smart. As another pointed out, it also has built in GPS. It also does a lot more and I can’t emphasize the word a lot more than enough. It would take me a full page of a post in here to outline everything that it does.

I buy a 13 iPad that keeps doing tiny keys on this site only

 

[alarmguy]

I buy a 13 iPad that keeps doing tiny keys on this site only

I'll check that with my wife keypad and see if it is the same. (when time)