Smart Watches

Does anyone here use a smart watch?
There seem to be a few available and I'm thinking they could be a useful aid for the cyclist, especially if they could be used with some sort of GPS app.

I've seen apps like Pebble Bike which look interesting, any one else have any experience...?

yagamuffin":1qklosgl said:

Does anyone here use a smart watch?
There seem to be a few available and I'm thinking they could be a useful aid for the cyclist, especially if they could be used with some sort of GPS app.

I've seen apps like Pebble Bike which look interesting, any one else have any experience...?

Click to expand...

I think they're a problem looking for a solution, at present.

I can understand the interest and why people may want them, but I can't help but think something of a plaything.

A proper Garmin or GPS based watch seems a better proposition for serious use.

And if you want a "clever" watch that's good at what it does - then solar atomics are a much better idea - especially the movements that do whizbang things like auto-align the hands.

Or if you really want a clever watch, a Seiko Astron, or Casio's new gravitymaster, or whatever it's called (the one that's basically the same as a Seiko Astron, in action-man-G-shock stylee).

Otherwise, I think so-called smartwatches are fine for people to tinker with and extend the metaphor of their mobile phone, but I'm not convinced that they are terribly smart at actually being a watch.

But that's just me - there's nothing wrong with pointlessness, it sometimes leads to something, they're just not there yet.

Re:

They are an expensive 'watch' but then cheaper than many overpriced watches some people seem to buy and F1 drivers get paid to wear.

Saying that do you just mean the bands for fitness or full blown android OS style smart watches like the moto360?

They will do the job the phone is not actually good for but is used for.
Like checking the time. Quick info for meetings, location and whatever sensors they can attach to it that may be useful. Being a credit card for example.

Since its smaller and wearable unlike phones.

It'll be crap for watching video, surfing the web.

As agps tracker it'll depend what they can pack in there or if it actually links to a phone in your back pocket, backpack or somewhereuxh safer than your handlebars.

Who knows, early days and will be interesting to see what comes of it.

I'm thinking in terms of watch that connects to your phone yes, like the Moto360 or Pebble.
My thinking is that GPS on my wrist I can glance at is going to be better than phone attached to handlebars.

yagamuffin":2mdr580a said:

I'm thinking in terms of watch that connects to your phone yes, like the Moto360 or Pebble.
My thinking is that GPS on my wrist I can glance at is going to be better than phone attached to handlebars.

Click to expand...

I'd get a Garmin or something similar.

Maybe at some point they will be some true killer reason - but at the moment, they are just, really, for those that like to tinker, or have the latest thing.

There's still a lot of divergence - you have the fitness-y tracking devices using GPS (like Garmins, and similar); those that use accelerometers to track movement (Jawbone, fitbit and similar) - essentially, fancy pedometers; a little bit of convergence with links to HRMs. But all really proprietary, and not convincingly good at it all, and no true convergency, yet.

For the fitness / activity side of things, the Amiigo device looks interesting - but I don't think includes GPS (could be wrong about that) but it's still really dev / beta.

Then there's things like the pebble and other Android things, largely leeching off your smartphone - Apple have something there, too.

None really get into the true thing of being very good at actually being a good watch - given that many sync with networks (directly or indirectly) - which may be congruous, but not necessarily accurate in terms of the time.

If you want something to be good for cycling, either a dedicated HRM / GPS tracker, or one of the smartphone apps is probably best choice.

If you want to spend a fair chunk of money on something that's briefly interesting if you're into that sort of thing, get a pebble or similar - but don't expect it to actually deliver much at present.

If you want a clever watch, buy a Seiko Astron.

Re:

I think they will do exactly what you intend it to do, most things are just getting updated with Android Wear functionality.
Neil they show the time as good if not better than most normal watches and they also know which time zone they are in and look a lot nicer than that Seiko thing you menrion. ;-)
Plus you can sat nav on it look at the stars.. Use it a a cyclo computer, get it to translate languages, trigger cameras, as it where you are and what time the pub opens and how to get there... World is your oyster as programmes come out for it well and you have tinernet connection. The basic Google now and Google apps are ther. On the moto360 style of watch, pebble is a bit different though.


Battery life will be the problem I would have thought at the moment. What's the pebble one like in testing.

I know Strava is set for Android Weardevices, it can control it with voice, get display and stats etc.
So has Viewranger so you gain mapping functionally etc.

But I've not used one, too new and to expensive for me. But it's interesting none the less.

Re: Re:

FluffyChicken":1t0hrtxs said:

I think they will do exactly what you intend it to do, most things are just getting updated with Android Wear functionality.
Neil they show the time as good if not better than most normal watches and they also know which time zone they are in and look a lot nicer than that Seiko thing you menrion. ;-)

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Yes, and how robust are they, is the glass sapphire or scratch resistant, how waterproof / resistant are they and how often do they need charging.

FluffyChicken":1t0hrtxs said:

Plus you can sat nav on it look at the stars.. Use it a a cyclo computer, get it to translate languages, trigger cameras, as it where you are and what time the pub opens and how to get there... World is your oyster as programmes come out for it well and you have tinernet connection. The basic Google now and Google apps are ther. On the moto360 style of watch, pebble is a bit different though.


Battery life will be the problem I would have thought at the moment. What's the pebble one like in testing.

I know Strava is set for Android Weardevices, it can control it with voice, get display and stats etc.
So has Viewranger so you gain mapping functionally etc.

But I've not used one, too new and to expensive for me. But it's interesting none the less.

Click to expand...

It will likely still be an interersting niche for quite some time.

All the same, watch enthusiasts aren't likely to fawn over them, unless they meet some metrics of the standard fodder - which is unlikely.

They're challenged on display size, charge, being "robust". Yes, they may have lots of features, some leeching of a paired handset, though.

Thing is, there is no true convergence, yet. If you want something to track and monitor you whilst, say, you cycle - there are currently better options. If you want to monitor other metrics to do with activity, there are currently better options. If you want something that's kind of a bastardised version of your smartphone, Dick-Tracy-stylee - they're probably your best option - but let's face it, most aren't going to want that, nor the intrusion.

Watches are good at being watches because of their relatively small form-factor. And because of their small form-factor, it kind of makes them limited in the carry-over from a convergent device like a smartphone. Now true enough, people engaging in active lifestyles and / or exercise like fancy gadgets to make it feel special, so they spend money on stuff. But as things stand, there are better options for that.

So yes, you can say, surely they'll develop to be better than what they are - and perhaps in time they will - but they're not there yet, and all there is for early-adopters is gear-acquisition-syndrome and a new gadget to tinker with.

And don't get me wrong - nobody loves messing around with new tech more than me. But all the same, for the near future, they're just not exciting me, simply because if I want something as a tracker, there are better options, if I want a clever watch, there are better options, if I want a convergent device, there are better options - see the pattern that's developed?

On the other hand, if you're the type of person who loves doing stuff with Android, downloads the SDK, builds versions on their PC, and mods OSs and tinkers to that level, of course you'd probably grab one as soon as. But otherwise, it's just currently marketing a need that's better filled elsewhere - surely Apple can make the notion seem essential, though?

They work well as an adjunct to smartphones.

Latest offerings have real world battery length of 4-7 days.

Large displays, and fairly versatile application.

If they were half the price I would be using one already.

That is only a matter of 'time', so the take up is inevitable.

Like most people we have ditched clunky old mechanical time telling devices. Good riddance!

I'm taking the old farts standpoint. I won't be buying one until they do something genuinely useful. I'm not into technology just for the sake of it or to impress the shallow. The only.thing going near my wrist for the forseeable is my Traser.

That's what you call it is it? Matron!