Smart Watches

[Neil]

Re: Re:

Exactly he needs google glass, far more useful for a cyclist.

We clearly differ on our understanding of the definition of the word "need".

Whilst they may be a boon for the urban, hipster, fixie riding cyclist, I can't help but think they're, well, a bit pricey and delicate for your off-roading, uncouth, hooligan.

I mean, gulp, HFM for a bit of whimsical tech? In an environment where all sorts of shite, sometimes quite literally, is flying around? Well, kudos, if you have the means and it's trivial to you.

From my perspective, if you're serious about cycling, and you want to augment it with some kind of tech, then HRM sensor, cadence sensor, feeding into your choice of either dedicated, standalone, say, GPS tracker, or alternatively smartphone. If it's to assist with the pure physicality, then HRM and cadence seem key, at least to me, if it's more a motivational thing, and being able to look back, GPS tracking.

But even then - I use sports tracking on my smartphone - and largely it's just posterity and wang waving. When I cared about how I performed on a bike, it was HRM and cadence I was really interested in, and yes, in fairness, terrain and location has a bearing on that.

In general, I'm all for gadgets, it's just the whole baby, bathwater thing. Trying to find / fit a purpose for something, rather than actually getting value out of something. If people just want to spend and play - why the hell not. It only becomes a bit senseless when trying to foist new-fangled, tech, that's really a bit thin yet, as a worthy rival to devices that are tried and tested.

edit: one other phenomenon I've experienced and observed - often, when motivation is waning, it's tempting to think that chucking some money at it, or some gadget will be the impetus to light that spark again. If I'm honest, though, either for me personally, or observing others, at best it only seems to produce a slight blip in interest and effort. If you want tech to help you be better at something, then define what it is you want to measure, and buy what best suits that for the environment your doing it in. If you want a gadget to spend money on, then by all means. If you want something to help motivate you, then I suspect it's going to be the technological equivalent of an expensive clothes hanger.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

Very useful for couriers, people who want to see speed, heartrate, directions, where the next turn in a is map is... as in the OP with the wrist display or people who cannot see the tiny maps on bar mount gps etc.


Compared to a smart computer in your backpack, wrist or on the bar or a map or just bumbling around making it up as you go.

Glass or similar Android Wear (it's not just wrist style devices) or other products by other companies gives what's needed. Without having to look down. It'll all be there in front of his eyes easily readable.


Of course for 15 mins till the battery is flat. Buy if they off- load the other part to the smartphone which people have, which is the point of the devices as far as I can see, you can make the device lighter and last longer with current tech.

Bugger need to dash to pick up the kids, this damn phone is telling me anyway.

 

[Chopper the ex Copper]

I'm 46, survived all these years without one. If the manufacturers want to sell me one they're going to have to clearly explain how it'll benefit or enrich my life in a meaningful way.

Anyone?

 

[yagamuffin]

:facepalm:
Fire? pah, I've survived up until now without cooking my food and seeing in the dark!

 

[Chopper the ex Copper]

I think there's a teensy.difference between fire, the basic mastery of which is the foundation for all of our technology, and a device you wear on your wrist to save you getting a mobile phone out your pocket.

One is technology with a vast and genuine utility. The other is a technology being developed much for the sake of parting tech weenies from their money, and its only after.these.devices have been conceived that users or wannabe users are desperately scrabbling around trying to retrospectively think of a genuinely useful application. Neil was spot on. Drug companies don't develop medicines and then spend months or years trying to find an ailment it might treat to justify someone purchasing it, so how have tech companies been able to manipulate a sector of the public into doing just that?

 

[yagamuffin]

I was only jesting.

And to be fair drug companies often start developing a drug for one application only to decide later that it isn't really going to work but does actually work well for another purpose.

I think this is the way the world has become. In years gone by companies would have designed and tested and user tested new products in relative secrecy without the consumers knowing much, if anything about it.
Today, with proliferation of information everyone can find out anything. We live in a global marketplace, competitors are no longer just local but all around the world. Shareholders want to know everything. If Apple say they they are going to put out a new piece of tech then Samsung have to follow suit as quickly as possible for fear of losing a march.