Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple Watch 3

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 349 posts

Re: Apple Watch 3

#151

Post by scentoni »

wutwutwutwut wrote: post #25
toomuchtodo wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had never considered an Apple Watch. I believed it to be too costly for what it offered. The selling point today was their heart study with Stanford and that the watch will detect irregular heartbeats. I'm genetically predisposed to atrial fibrillation [1] (TL;DR Abnormal heart rhythm), and having a watch that can alert me that my heart rhythm is deviating from a normal rhythm is cheap insurance against a poor card…

Hmm or just go to a doctor and ask for a long term EKG maybe. That's what I did. I had to wear some measuring equipment for a day and then I had the result (broken heart). I don't think this changes from day to day so you might want to get a check every few year.

No, atrial fibrillation occurs in distinct episodes (imagine your heart occasionally having an epileptic seizure that lasts a few hours) and it can be difficult to get an EKG when you suspect something is wrong.

Re: Apple Watch 3

#152

Post by perseusprime11 »

mtw wrote: post #142

This is a life saver for those who spend time outdoors and can't or don't like to carry phones. I run for example for hours in the Canadian winter and the idea of having an emergency phone is attractive, in case I fall, or maybe there's a big issue at home. Another alternative would be an iPhone SE but sadly we are in the era of oversized phones. I would also love it to have more Bluetooth integration (continuous glu…

Not just runs, you can also use it to have quality time on date mights without worrying about checking your phone all the time.

Re: Apple Watch 3

#153

Post by otterpro »

ashark wrote: post #86
pound wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be so great, but they need to figure out camera (taking photos is still a big part of what phone in my pocket is used for)

Can anyone recommend a standalone camera that's as easy to use and takes photos as good as an iPhone 7 plus? Camera is now the only reason for me to have a phone rather than a watch. Difficulty: I really like live photos and expect future-me to be super happy with present-me for taking so many live photos of my kids.

If you're going to be taking a camera with you, you might as well as carry a phone instead, since every camera I know is a lot bigger/thicker/have worse battery life than any cell phone. Alternative would be a Snapchat glasses or the discontinued Google Glasses, which have lower-quality image and the added bonus of looking dorky in appearance.

EDIT: Forgot about GoPro Session or those miniaturized action cameras (such as Mobius and Polaroid Cube)

Re: Apple Watch 3

#154

Post by blang »

rhinoceraptor wrote: post #92
sinatra wrote: post #3

I have thought about buying an Apple Watch multiple times. But, then, I see comments from a lot of Apple Watch users who say that they completely stop using it after few months. For many of them, the utility is not strong enough. Have things improved in that regard? What do you Apple Watch users think about it now?

I've had mine for 6 months. I like it for automatic sleep tracking (using the sleep watch app). The battery on the series 2 is good enough that it only needs about 30-60 minutes of charging a day (depending on usage). I also use the silent alarm it has to wake up. When I go for a bike ride, it's nice to track that and be able to check heart rate, distance, etc while riding without pulling out my phone. The cellular i…

Just out of curiosity, have you changed any sleep behaviors after using the sleep tracking app?

Re: Apple Watch 3

#155

Post by et-al »

JigglyGigalo wrote: post #148
askafriend wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It probably piggy backs off the SIM information from the "Master" device (which is the phone in this case).

So it has a software SIM? If so it's the first time I've heard of a device with one.

Yup. They call it an eSIM: https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/12/the-cellular-enabled-apple...

"The eSIM has to be provisioned via the device itself, which is handy if you want to switch between T-Mobile and AT&T in a hurry, but not handy if you want to switch to a carrier not supported by Apple, or sell your device to someone on a different carrier."

Re: Apple Watch 3

#156

Post by badwolf »

S_A_P wrote: post #43
sinatra wrote: post #3

I have thought about buying an Apple Watch multiple times. But, then, I see comments from a lot of Apple Watch users who say that they completely stop using it after few months. For many of them, the utility is not strong enough. Have things improved in that regard? What do you Apple Watch users think about it now?

I always thought the apple watch was frivolous. Then I got one as a gift and cant imagine not having one. The ability to see whether or not a text/call is important without having to pull my phone out of my pocket is a killer feature for me. I always felt that it was rude to do that and this prevents me from having to. The fitness tracker is also really fun to use, and imo more accurate than the fit bit I had.

Second this. It seems much less rude to discretely glance at your wrist briefly.

Re: Apple Watch 3

#157

Post by djrogers »

pavlov wrote: post #136
saagarjha wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nobody here is saying that Apple was the first to add cellular capability to their watches. They're just glad to see it as a new feature.

The Apple keynote made a pretty big deal about innovations that enabled the LTE features. They didn't explicitly say that those were Apple innovations, though.

Compare the size of either Apple Watch to a Samsung LTE watch - even the larger 42mm Apple Watch is comfortably smaller than the Gear, and the 38 makes the Gear look like you're wearing a yo-yo on your wrist.

That size/battery life stuff is what took all the work, and why Apple waited until it was able to ship without the compromises.

Re: Apple Watch 3

#158

Post by mrpippy »

Jarwain wrote: post #66
mrsmee89 wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hope not. I'm paying for access to the network via a phone number. This remains unchanged when I use my watch. Anyone have a different perspective?

I feel like the core question/goal/ideal is to have two sim chips linked to the same number, so that requests (such as phone calls/texts) are cloned and sent to both devices. I'd think that'd require some reconfiguration on their backend service though. I'm not too familiar with how telecoms work.

Linking to the same number happens at the iCloud level. Apple already has hooks in place with carriers to enable "Wi-Fi Calling on iCloud-connected devices", so an iPad/Mac can make/answer calls from the cellular number of an iCloud-linked iPhone (without going through the iPhone at all). The LTE Apple Watch is just another device like that.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203032

Re: Apple Watch 3

#159

Post by djrogers »

ben174 wrote: post #15

Apple Watch is one of the very few v1 products I just never felt the need to upgrade. I tend to always be on the latest generation of everything, but the watch just works fine in it's launch-day v1 state. v2 was underwhelming, and as someone who always has his phone on him, v3 doesn't do much for me. This isn't a complaint in the least, good to see Apple making products that don't feel old 2.5 years later.

The jump from the v1 watch to the Series 2 isn't a huge win until you use it - Siri is faster, more reliable, and more responsive, other apps are much more useable, battery life is improved, etc etc.

Much of the improvement on series 2 was invisible, but it helps.

Re: Apple Watch 3

#160

Post by djrogers »

8_hours_ago wrote: post #29

Will the cellular piggyback on your existing service, or will it require a new line? Here's the list of countries and carriers that it will work with: http://live.arstechnica.com/apples-september-2017-iphone-8-l...

That's going to be up to your carrier. In the US AT&T and T-Mobile seem to be charging $10 for watches, and Verizon charges $5 if it shares a phone number or $20 if it has it's own.
Post reply on HN