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Casio F-B100W-1A

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Re: Casio F-B100W-1A

#51

Post by echoangle »

Someone1234 wrote: post #19

Here is a fun fact; the US believes owning and wearing an F-91W is evidence that you're a terrorist so much so that they can place you in Guantanamo Bay without trial[0]: > In a handful of cases the detainee's possession of a Casio watch or the wearing olive-drab clothing is cited as evidence that the detainee is an enemy combatant. No basis is given to explain why such evidence makes the detainee an enemy combatant.…

The wording doesn’t seem to me like owning the watch was the only evidence and that was enough to put people in Guantanamo, it sounds to me like it was a contributing factor. Still a bit crazy but I don’t think they just arrested everyone with this watch.

Re: Casio F-B100W-1A

#52

Post by RoadieRoller »

jorvi wrote: post #17

One thing I've never understood (and hopefully some Casio geek can shine a light on): why do almost all old Casio models have a 24/12h time switch taking the premium spot as one of the main 4 buttons, instead of having it buried deep in the (awkward) menus. Seems to me that something like alarm or stopwatch setting or a second menu action button would have been far more useful.

In my country, 30-40 years back, people who needed a watch were those ones who travel regularly. And travel was mostly using public transport, trains and planes. Most or all of it operated using a 24h time. That button was very useful. Compare that to the mute/silence/DND physical button in iPhones today.

Also people who worked in confined spaces who wouldn’t know if it was day or night outside after a days job. My father who worked in an oil rig in Abu Dhabi used one. He gifted me one.

This was 1998.

Re: Casio F-B100W-1A

#53

Post by jbjbjbjb »

huntercaron wrote: post #5

Step counter seems like a bizarre thing to focus in on? are people passionately tracking steps without their phones?

Grandpa kept a pedometer in a little pouch for decades. I got him a Fitbit but he didn’t like that, and more recently another cheap pedometer off of Amazon.

Re: Casio F-B100W-1A

#54

Post by tjoff »

suncemoje wrote: post #47
Reubachi wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of all the things "smart watches" do, the one thing beyond time that most people actually perceive daily is their tracked steps. IE; My apple watch ais the only one that goes out of it's way to make sure I know my steps for the day, and is always "accurate". Which is nice, but gimmicky for someone like me who doesn't analyze my steps. I imagine Casio went after similar low hanging fruit, as an acceleromater is cheap/…

I guess it's a more complicated thing to implement (!= low hanging fruit), but I'd be more interested in sleep tracking than step tracking.

Sure, but we can't do sleep tracking well. Todays devices mostly guess and map to typical patterns. Might, might not, work reasonably for you. But chances are that if you want to track your sleep because you suspect irregularities then they are about as useful as a potato.

Re: Casio F-B100W-1A

#55

Post by parl_match »

i love the product design aspect of a product that only needs to have one thing set (in this case, the time zone), to be eternally a functional device

which is why i love gshocks, both for design but also specifically the ones with tough solar/multiband 6 (and bluetooth (optional))

they have battery lives in the range of decades (due to solar charging), set themselves (multiband 6 is using atomic clock radio signals) and via bluetooth

you can get gw-b5600-2 and gw-s5600u (auto backlight) for under $200, but usually closer to $100. there are many more models, of course

that sounds expensive, but it's insanely durable construction and battery life means it'll be the only digital watch you'll ever need to buy. and the only configuration it will ever need is the time zone.

Re: Casio F-B100W-1A

#56

Post by rtkwe »

Reubachi wrote: post #42
rtkwe wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's still powered by a coin cell so it's probably for power conservation reasons. Way cheaper to periodically power on the BT radio and sync steps to your phone than it is to constantly listen for notifications.

It's not just power, if it where, they'd fit a USB C rechargable cell in there. Its still a cheap casio resin watch at the end of the day. If this where to be able to push/pull notifications, the watch would be completely different in cost, ui, marketing, etc. It would go from being charming retro tech with modern features, to dime a dozen bloatware/fitness tracking hardware.

I'd argue the coin cell and the power budget limitations that come with it are part and parcel of it's nature as a cheap casio resin watch.

Re: Casio F-B100W-1A

#57

Post by ndiddy »

BeetleB wrote: post #31
davzie wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bluetooth stays on only for three minutes and then turns itself off once you're done syncing stuff. I have had one for nearly two years now (ABL-100WE). Absolutely love it.

OK, but what about the step counter. Can it really last 2 years with the step counter continuously on?

I work with accelerometer chips, a lot of them have features specifically for pedometers. Keeping the accelerometer on will draw a few uA, then you can have the accelerometer keep track of the step count internally and have the main processor query it as necessary to update the step count display. When there's no motion for a while, you can also put it into a lower power sleep mode that doesn't track steps, then when it detects motion it'll wake up the main processor which will then put the accelerometer back into pedometer mode. I think 2 years on a CR2016 (90 mAh) is reasonable if Casio knows what they're doing.

Re: Casio F-B100W-1A

#58

Post by speak_plainly »

jorvi wrote: post #17

One thing I've never understood (and hopefully some Casio geek can shine a light on): why do almost all old Casio models have a 24/12h time switch taking the premium spot as one of the main 4 buttons, instead of having it buried deep in the (awkward) menus. Seems to me that something like alarm or stopwatch setting or a second menu action button would have been far more useful.

Those buttons are the menu. The idea of menus on watches is a modern ux extravagance.

I don’t have the satisfying answer as to why they dedicated a button to 12/24 hour time but my guess is that it’s simply a cool digital feature and stands out against the limitations of analog watches.

Re: Casio F-B100W-1A

#60

Post by _Donny »

I feel that the smartphone connectivity feature is a departure from the philosophy of the F-91W. Is having a smartphone for "Easy watch setting" not a flaw of the watch, rather than a feature?

I'd love if it was radio controlled and charged with solar. And without phone connectivity.

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