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The quest for a simple smartwatch

binarymoon.co.uk

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Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch

#61

Post by xnorswap »

mtlmtlmtlmtl wrote: post #54

I was fairly happy with my fitbit charge 4, but now it's actually useless as a watch most of the time because they pushed a firmware update that reduces the max screen brightness. So now it's impossible to read the screen outside, even on the max settings . God I hate closed down hardware. I don't actually care if the battery life gets shorter because I take the damn thing off every day to shower anyway, and the time…

This is why I loved my Pebble.

The LCD screen meant it was readable in any light and also had fantastic battery life.

Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch

#62

Post by maratc »

diffeomorphism wrote: post #44
avmich wrote: post #2

The watches were at the time considered an example of reliable manufacturing. It's sad to have this tradition fading away.

That still exists but is now decidedly in the jewelry/luxury segment, e.g. https://nomos-glashuette.com/de Historically (pocket) watches were highly useful, expensive and also somewhat of a status symbol. This kinda died out with quartz electronic watches, which are highly accurate and dirt cheap. Since telling time is nowadays an ubiquitous, cheap function of everything, a wristwatch has to have a different primary…

There's a lot of mechanical watches that are neither Rolex nor Nomos. Seiko 5s are excellent and can be had at below $100. No batteries need to be changed.

Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch

#63

Post by yiyus »

cheesio wrote: post #35

Kronaby looks like a traditional watch but it has step counter and vibrates when someone is calling or sending text. And the battery lasts for 2 years. https://kronaby.com

I've had a Kronaby for a few years now. The first battery lasted maybe 14-15 months, next one barely one year. Nowadays, I switch battery every 8-9 months.

It's still much better than charging your watch every night/week/month. And I really like the minimal functionality it offers.

Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch

#64

Post by dariosalvi78 »

wanderingmind wrote: post #6

I have not personally used, but looks like banglejs[0], a fully hackable watch with GPS and a good battery life (4 weeks claim) is proabably the best successor for Pebble [0] https://banglejs.com/

I have both versions of the Bangle. I absolutely love the software ecosystem and the apps are a lot of fun to program. On the down side, battery life is not great (4 days if you're lucky) and the step counter and heart rate detection algorithms in the open source firmware are not very accurate, which makes it a bit pointless for what I need. On the plus side, if you're up for the challenge, you can try to improve those algorithms yourself!

Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch

#66

Post by pizza234 »

fxj wrote: post #48

I have an Amazfit Bip. 4 weeks runtime, notifications, step counter, HR monitor, workout monitor. Always on display like a pebble.

I own one, too, and it's a piece of crap.

It takes ages to sync, and, adding insult to injury, every time the app is updated, it syncs the AGPS, which is a very slow operation.

The on-demand screen backlighting is unreliable (one needs to do a very exaggerated arm twist to ensure it works).

But worse of all, when the Bluetooth connection breaks, one receives no notifications, which is a very serious problem for users relying on a smartwatch to be notified when they're at physical distance from their phone.

There are other UX problems (e.g. alarms can be set only via app), but those are secondary compared to the above).

It's a shame, because even if it's not really a smartwatch, it could perfectly fit the bill of "minimal, long-running smartwatch" (as a matter of fact, it fits the requirements of the author).

Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch

#67

Post by Kaibeezy »

xavxav wrote: post #53

I really want a good health tracker with all the sensors of the Apple Watch but completely inconspicuous as smartwatches are ugly.

I’m an analog watch wearer and have been looking for something like that too. Found a dead Kickstarter thing that replaced the buckle on a watch band with a sensor blob, would have been perfect.

A simple strap (or ring, I guess) with a minimal electronics package, waterproof, long battery life, that sends data to my phone. Anyone? Is it not a business? Everything goes upmarket.

Oh, without a mandatory monthly fee, Oura.

Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch

#68

Post by zikduruqe »

profsummergig wrote: post #18

Was talking to an older lady the other day. Very non-tech. Only uses an iPhone and an Apple watch. No laptop or tablet/iPad. Gets a surprisingly large quantity of things done via her phone. My phone is an Android. She shared 2 things her iPhone can do that I don't think my phone (OnePlus 7 pro) and watch (Amazfit T-Rex 2) combination can do: - she can always find out where she parked her car - her watch buzzes to war…

Honestly, if I could buy and provision my Apple Watch with cellular without having to have an iPhone, my only devices would be my MacBook and my Apple Watch.

I seldom carry a phone around with me, and my Apple Watch does every thing I need while outside the house.

Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch

#69

Post by troupo »

lopis wrote: post #51
profsummergig wrote: post #18

Was talking to an older lady the other day. Very non-tech. Only uses an iPhone and an Apple watch. No laptop or tablet/iPad. Gets a surprisingly large quantity of things done via her phone. My phone is an Android. She shared 2 things her iPhone can do that I don't think my phone (OnePlus 7 pro) and watch (Amazfit T-Rex 2) combination can do: - she can always find out where she parked her car - her watch buzzes to war…

Google (Maps?) has done the car parking location for 10+ years. But like many things Google, Google software is not well integrated with itself, and discoverability is bad. It's perfectly possible that this feature has been removed and re-added several times during the last decade, as is the fate of many Google projects.

Yup, Google Maps automatically marks the location of your parked car... Until once in a blue moon it doesn't. This happened to me just yesterday. Thankfully, Apple Maps marked it automatically, too

Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch

#70

Post by troupo »

xavxav wrote: post #53

I really want a good health tracker with all the sensors of the Apple Watch but completely inconspicuous as smartwatches are ugly.

I think it's a physics thing. You can either have good health sensors, or a good-looking slim watch.

I'm surprised Apple Watch crammed so many sensors and still doesn't look half bad (I still don't like it :) )

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