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I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

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Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#121

Post by otabdeveloper4 »

Arech wrote: post #85

TBH, such a low price for so many working (!) features is an amazing achievement if not subsidized! What bothers me here, however, is...a provenance. Let me guess, it asks from your smartphone access to your location, contacts, calendar, SMS archive, email, medical records and political views and attitude towards CCP and then does some shady syncs with .cn servers "just to keep you data safe in case a meteor hits you…

I'm not an American.

I'd trust the CCP a million times more than Google or Apple.

Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#122

Post by throwanem »

vanderZwan wrote: post #38
cattown wrote: post #10

Wow! “built in torch” immediately puts this one ahead of all other competition I’ve seen so far. Not even kidding.

I think they "just" meant "set OLED screen to full brightness white" , which is the kind of app my cheap Amazfit has too. And I can say from experience that that is still really useful, because OLED screens are pretty darn bright. In the case of Amazfit (which I presume is similar here) you can set it up to turn on when long-pressing the dial, it can switch between white and red light by turning the dial, and it take…

You can also automate night mode by time of day, which is nice if like me you prefer simply to wear your watch to sleep. The red night display mode, at minimal brightness in a dark room, is enough to see when you want it but not enough to disturb when you don't.

Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#123

Post by oezi »

otabdeveloper4 wrote: post #121
Arech wrote: post #85

TBH, such a low price for so many working (!) features is an amazing achievement if not subsidized! What bothers me here, however, is...a provenance. Let me guess, it asks from your smartphone access to your location, contacts, calendar, SMS archive, email, medical records and political views and attitude towards CCP and then does some shady syncs with .cn servers "just to keep you data safe in case a meteor hits you…

I'm not an American. I'd trust the CCP a million times more than Google or Apple.

Trust with what? Why would you trust any government except your own to look out for you?

Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#124

Post by Hoodedcrow »

neurostimulant wrote: post #82
jaian wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought one. The touch screen was not good. The heart rate sensor was wild inaccurate at times. It was a pain to sync with my phone. And the strap gave me a rash. Not that I expect the watch in the article to be any better.

There is also huawei band, which has similar low price but with seemingly better software than the xiaomi smart band. At the very least, the sync process is easy on both android and ios.

It also works with Gadgetbridge without having to pair it in the official app first (for Xiaomi bands, you need to do it to extract a key, not sure how consistently it's doable nowadays). Apparently the supported featureset is not as complete as for Xiaomi devices, but seems to be enough to cover the basics.

So Huawei are also easier to use without having to send your data anywhere.

Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#125

Post by davidgerard »

card_zero wrote: post #98
graemep wrote: post #95

Why does anyone need to charge a smartwatch on a bus? They charge very quickly and last for days. A Pine64 is not much more expensive, and works with the Gadgetbridge app, and is open (there is even a choice of two OSes). It works with Gadgetbridge so the app does not have all the same functionality and also has rough edges (but so does any cheap smartwatch). I even prefer the charger as its a magnetic cradle so the…

Not only the smart watch, but a hundred other gadgets including a toothbrush. Presumably this process involves bringing a USB hub onto the bus, or else the bus is not the main point here. I think it's like I want to be able to charge my watch on the bus if I feel like it.

Lotta electric buses in the UK have a USB-A charging port at every seat. Carrying a cable with you can pay off!

Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#126

Post by AndyMcConachie »

rikafurude21 wrote: post #93
Arech wrote: post #85

TBH, such a low price for so many working (!) features is an amazing achievement if not subsidized! What bothers me here, however, is...a provenance. Let me guess, it asks from your smartphone access to your location, contacts, calendar, SMS archive, email, medical records and political views and attitude towards CCP and then does some shady syncs with .cn servers "just to keep you data safe in case a meteor hits you…

Why is it so hard for americans to accept that china makes great tech without coping about "le CCP spyware!" - it seems so absurd, like why would the CCP want to know the heart rate of the type of guy who buys a 16 pound smartwatch? Why dont americans create 16 pound smartwatches?

Because sinophobia, or put in a more crass way, racism, imperialism, and patriotism.

Why should I care if the Communinst Party of China is spying on me? They can't get at me. I have no connection to China. I have no property there and don't know anyone there. What are they going to do to me?

Bottom line is that everyone on the planet should be concerned with their own government's intelligence angencies more than any others. It's the people who can get at you in meatspace that you need to worry about.

Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#127

Post by throwanem »

mancerayder wrote: post #14

As someone who loathes jewelry on myself and has no interest in the watch culture, nonetheless I have an interest in smart watches I can monitor things with. I'm turned off by big ugly blocks with childish straps.. is there anything remotely attractive?

Look at Amazfit. Oh, they market to folks who like squares too, but not only. Many of their more classically proportioned models take standard straps, and in several months of use I've found the Balance so delightful as to decide to stock a couple of spares; it's been reliable thus far, but I'm hard on a watch. (It has to keep up!) The customizability and programmability also can't be beat; the experience obviously takes heavy DX notes from Apple, but without almost all the overhead. And I get compliments!

Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#128

Post by oezi »

Reason077 wrote: post #110

> "I plugged it until fully charged, then wore it conti> nuously. After 24 hours of use, even with all my fiddling, that battery was at 80%. After four days, it still had 40% left"* So if a £16 generic competitor can last 4 days, what's Apple doing wrong? Why can't a £450 Apple Watch (non-Ultra) last a full 24 hours on a charge?

Apple just put in a more capable processor, wifi and cellular, a brighter display and more sensors. They are just consuming the entire battery over a day because it is not such a big deal for customers.

Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#129

Post by throwanem »

MrJohz wrote: post #20
mancerayder wrote: post #14

As someone who loathes jewelry on myself and has no interest in the watch culture, nonetheless I have an interest in smart watches I can monitor things with. I'm turned off by big ugly blocks with childish straps.. is there anything remotely attractive?

Look into hybrid smart watches. Withings are fairly good, but there are a handful of alternatives. They're watches that use mechanical hands like a normal watch, but also include smart components like health tracking and notifications and things. They tend to be less powerful than other smart watches (in particular, you won't be able to download arbitrary apps to the watch or deeply configure it), and if you want a d…

I'd really love to see a hybrid Amazfit! The line's programmability is really delightful, and having mechanical hands above the face would clear up really my last regret about wearing a smartwatch at all.

Re: I bought a £16 smartwatch just because it used USB-C

#130

Post by jgalt212 »

rikafurude21 wrote: post #93
Arech wrote: post #85

TBH, such a low price for so many working (!) features is an amazing achievement if not subsidized! What bothers me here, however, is...a provenance. Let me guess, it asks from your smartphone access to your location, contacts, calendar, SMS archive, email, medical records and political views and attitude towards CCP and then does some shady syncs with .cn servers "just to keep you data safe in case a meteor hits you…

Why is it so hard for americans to accept that china makes great tech without coping about "le CCP spyware!" - it seems so absurd, like why would the CCP want to know the heart rate of the type of guy who buys a 16 pound smartwatch? Why dont americans create 16 pound smartwatches?

China hopes that if they sell enough some will end up on the wrists of military or intelligence personnel, or more likely the family members of such people.
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