Do I want a smart watch?

[Time Waster]

Not sure techradar are the best reviewers if trackers and smartwatch based on that link. There's some very significant things missed not least apple watch really only links well with ios but others link with ios and android. Clunky garmin app? Not sure they're looking at the same app as I do. It's got a lot to it that's the opposite of clunky.

Whatever people choose it's just a personal choice but there's a rather lazy and wrong view among some tech site reviewers that apple stuff simply gives the best user experience. I think it's no longer true that apple is the top brand for being user friendly or having nicer interface. The one thing I know for certain is garmin and fitbit have very good apps and their smartwatches simply work well with phone and other sensors too. Not sure if apple plays well with anything but apple ecosystems.

Example, I have a concept 2 rower with a really good pm5 controller. That seamlessly connects to my phone. My garmin transmits hr to the pm5 controller and my phone. My phone through the concept 2 logbook app connects to common fitness apps. In my case garmin connect. That allows you to see a lot of metrics. But while rowing the data like hr shows on phone and pm5 controller. Garmin simply works with others so well. Oh! Then when you look, at garmin connect you see hr data but also rowing metrics like stroke data. Just works, well!!!!

 

[Accy cyclist]

Throw yourselves back to the good old days of 1979 and buy a Timex instead!

 

[mustang1]

At the risk of being a humourless eco bore, isn't this exactly the sort of question we should be asking ourselves?

I really don't want to be a killjoy etc, and I know these things are said (at least partially) in jest, but maybe we ought start taking in seriously? And I do include myself in that. My 10 year old tablet does its job, certainly well enough for me, but I can't deny the urge to replace it is strong.

But seriously, it's individual choice. I am most certainly not telling anyone what to do or preaching holier than thou. I share the angst.

I am done with buying stuff. I was wasting money on things I did not need just because i desired them. I realise now that I had an addiction and am glad to have stopped. Actually, I have never said that before to myself: I am glad to have stopped.

 

[Mo1959]

I am done with buying stuff. I was wasting money on things I did not need just because i desired them. I realise now that I had an addiction and am glad to have stopped. Actually, I have never said that before to myself: I am glad to have stopped.

This is me to some extent too. Get excited reading about things, want one, buy one and then the initial excitement wears off and yet again, I think to myself, did I really need this! I agree, it’s an addiction.

 

[Drago]

I am done with buying stuff. I was wasting money on things I did not need just because i desired them. I realise now that I had an addiction and am glad to have stopped. Actually, I have never said that before to myself: I am glad to have stopped.

Here here. Aside from my compulsion to purchase bass guitars at every opportunity, im right with you. Even there my addiction may at last have met its end as I have run out of storage space.

Aside from that, how did we as consumers regressed so much that we've gone in a few decades from automatic wristwatches that never need winding, to thinking that having a watch with a battery life of two whole days is really good? What is viewed as progress in the pantheon of consumerism often seems to be regression when viewed on the grand scheme.

 

[johnnyb47]

I bought a Huawei GT (is that how you spell it) watch a couple of years back. Functionality wise it's been brilliant and the battery life is still great, but I find them completely souless. In the dark evenings it's second to none for quickly seeing the time , and i do like seeing the heath states on the app.
It's getting less wrist time nowadays though as the novelty has worn off. I don't find the display pleasing to the eye anymore.It just very 2 dimensional to look at and much prefer my solar watch.

 

[Drago]

...and much prefer my solar watch.

Ah, and old fashioned wrist sundial sort of chap, eh? I like a traditionalist.

 

[Venod]

So, if directly comparing with Apple, the battery life is about the same in GPS mode which the Apple Watch is always in

But in workout mode the Apple watch battery life is even worse !

https://www.apple.com/uk/watch/battery/

 

[Mo1959]

But in workout mode the Apple watch battery life is even worse !

https://www.apple.com/uk/watch/battery/

I've got used to it and doesn't bother me as much as I thought. I've used the gps to record two walks or jogs every day and still have around 30% in the evening so just needs popped on the charger for an hour. It's no big deal. I still wear my Garmin Fenix on the other wrist. It's interesting to compare. The Apple Watch optical heart rate sensor is rated better than the Garmin, but if you are serious about heart rate training, you should probably be wearing a chest strap anyway. I just love my gadgets and looking at stats even although I just exercise for fun and fitness.

 

[mikeIow]

I have a Mykronos Zetime smart watch, kickstartered a few years back…pretty cheap, & going for a bargain £50 right now, I see (although mine is the unavailable titanium model 😎)

It is a decent watch…nice to have a customised background pic of the family, vibrating alarm works well. Battery is great: easily 10-14 days, and if it does run low (only happened twice to me!), it functions as a watch (real hands!) for up to 30 days 👍

After the initial enthusiasm, I rarely use any of the smart functions, tbh….& have recently decided not to wear it all the time. Or indeed much of the time.

Might go back to wearing my regular watches a bit for a change….kind of miss my chunky tough solar Casio & classy Tissot, tbh (must get a battery for the latter….)

All the smart stuff is in my phone, which works enough for me 🤷‍♂️
If I were a finely honed athlete seriously interested in this stuff, maybe I’d use a smart watch again….

 

[oldwheels]

You keep your older son in a drawer?

He is in fact in ashes scattered on his mother's grave.

 

[Blue Hills]

I was given a Nokia smart watch for Christmas about 4 years ago.
It doesn't keep good time, unless synched to my mobile.

!!

not so smart then - as you seem to agree.
So essentially it has gone back maybe a century in tech capabilities.

am also amazed by folks on here absolutely delighted that their watch power lasts a week or two.
I'm surprised the churches haven't cottoned on to this blind faith/enthusiasm.

Issue their own watches - can only be recharged at mass - reminders will of course be sent racking up from gentle vibrations to rather more powerful jolts.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

What would SirI do?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Same here but I changed from Garmin to Apple Watch about 6 months ago. The battery life hasn't really been an issue over that time and it is pretty good how it links up with everything. I have the cellular watch and it's handy when you forget your phone or just have your shorts on and your phone is a bit bulky to carry.

The best feature though, by far with the reintroduction of face masks, is you can unlock your phone with a mask on when wearing the watch - or just use Apple Pay on your watch. In fact it was so handy during the last lockdown I hardly ever carry a wallet now or use Apple Pay on my phone - I just pay for everything on my watch.

You need to find out about this futustic new feature called a pin code …

 

[Time Waster]

Traditional watches and smartwatches aren't equivalent I reckon. Different uses. Now if your automatic watch measured heart rate, tracked your training run, told you where you were in the case of the garmin fenix series and allowed you to read your text messages then they would make modern smartwatch look crap. Smartwatch should be called activity trackers to be more accurate I reckon.

Perhaps you should compare old automatic watches with cheap modern digital watches which runs on battery power which runs out every 2 to 5 years.

Or you could compare with your smartphone which also gives you the time. With smart watches time isn't the big draw. With trad watches it's the only draw. Well vanity things like look, makers name, etc aside of course.