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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

#191

Post by numpad0 »

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #101
KerrickStaley wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This problem seems prevalent on cheaper devices. When I buy a device and discover it has this problem I always return it. I've seen it on the Hypervolt Go 2 (which I returned and replaced with a Theragun Mini) and on the Hitachi Magic Wand Micro (which I replaced with a Dame Dip). Like the post mentions, I think this happens because the devices are missing two resistors that are needed to indicate, when connected via…

> This problem seems prevalent on cheaper devices. I’ve seen it on plenty of higher-end devices as well; and even worse. The worst offender I’ve encountered is the TermoWorks Billows. ThermoWorks is a well established brand that makes high end thermometers and is considered one of the best on the market. So I was quite surprised to discover how their ‘Billows’ product is powered. The device itself needs 12v and has a…

So it's based on Qualcomm Quick Charge? QC is a competing, slightly older, slightly simpler standard to USB-PD that can do what you described. It's...useful sometimes.

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

#192

Post by throwanem »

hbs18 wrote: post #184
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?

If you use an iphone, get a regular Apple Watch with a metal link strap.

> I'm turned off by big ugly blocks with childish straps.. is there anything remotely attractive?

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

#193

Post by numpad0 »

sschueller wrote: post #40
KerrickStaley wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This problem seems prevalent on cheaper devices. When I buy a device and discover it has this problem I always return it. I've seen it on the Hypervolt Go 2 (which I returned and replaced with a Theragun Mini) and on the Hitachi Magic Wand Micro (which I replaced with a Dame Dip). Like the post mentions, I think this happens because the devices are missing two resistors that are needed to indicate, when connected via…

This happens because these devices had USB microB before and the manufacturer just replaced the port without reading the spec. Even some mainstream products have this issue. I have an automatic door opener from a large company and the battery pack has the same issue. It is shipped with a special cable you have to use as no other USB-C cable works.

There's also this dreadful thing[1][2]

1: https://akizukidenshi.com/img/goods/6/116895.jpg

2: https://akizukidenshi.com/img/goods/3/116895.jpg

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

#194

Post by RandomBacon »

berkes wrote: post #136
ofrzeta wrote: post #11

I have an Amazfit smartwatch that gets charged by a simple USB cable with two pins that magnetically attaches to the back of the watch. When I was on vacation and forgot that cable I was able to make my own by cutting a USB cable and attaching the wires to the contacts of the watch with tape. That simplicity is hard to beat. And this watch is water resistant.

Those proprietary cables are terrible. USB (abc, micro etc) are everywhere. Any house, hotel, office, glove box, has some lying around. But when I forgot my Fitbit charger, I couldn't get one anywhere. The only option was a large electronics store where I could buy an entire new Fitbit. I didn't shove out €200 just to get hold of a charging cable. The EU should quickly impose rules on waterproof chargers like they di…

Depending on your Fitbit, it can be charged by a Google Pixel Watch 2 or 3 charging cable.

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

#195

Post by zhivota »

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?

I like my Coros Pace 2, it's round and looks like a normal watch, instead of the rounded rectangle/square slab of glass that was popularized by Apple Watch, an aesthetic I find terrible.

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

#196

Post by sdk16420 »

octo888 wrote: post #168
mk_stjames wrote: post #158

> Anything you buy from AliExpress for the cost of a couple of pints is bound to be a bit crap. This line kinda got me down, because, well, last night I went out for a few pints and paid €16 for two drinks; Here we have a miracle of modern technology available shipped to your door for about the same price of what it now costs to just go out and do the thing people have done when socializing for the last 1500 years. W…

I heard it summarised recently as: In the past goods were expensive; living was cheap. Now goods are cheap; living is expensive.

Living was always expensive, in developing countries, goods are still expensive but so is living. Save for subsistence farmers, but those are a minority in all but the poorest countries.

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

#197

Post by Zak »

globular-toast wrote: post #59
DecentShoes wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is insanely common. I have about 6 devices with this problem, and I consider it unforgivable. Not only did you not include USBC charging, you went out of your way to trick me and lie and pretend you did. I would have preferred just using micro usb at that point. Powkiddy committed fraud and said the RGB30 can charge from USB-C, but they lied, it can only charge from USB A to C cables. Using it is a massive pain…

I feel like the USB committee might be somewhat to blame. When most people think USB-C they're just thinking the cable. Why can't it just do regular slow charging with C to C cable?

Maybe, but there's no good excuse for this making it past the prototyping phase. If nobody plugged it into a USB-C power supply and noticed it doesn't work, that's negligent.

By 2019 or so, when USB-C was five years old, somebody on any product design team should have been aware this is a common problem and checked for it when selecting components.

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

#198

Post by floren »

sfjailbird wrote: post #116
Arech wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please don't pretend you don't understand that risks of Google/Apple maybe even Samsung getting the information is just "a tiny bit different".

Yes, it's worse. Seven eyes almost certainly snoop on me, in partnership with those companies. CCP might , but even if they did, idgaf.

Five Eyes. Seven Eyes is a band, SevenEves is a book by Neil Stephenson.

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

#199

Post by sdk16420 »

I used to have a similarly priced Withings smartwatch clone; worked very well for years until I switched to a new phone and the app turned out to be gone from the store and the log in servers were offline. Without the app you can't get notifications or even sync the time and the watch is useless. Yes, well-known brands also discontinue software, but with a cheap watch like this, it's almost guaranteed to become a paperweight in a few years.

Now I have a real Withings, at 10 times the price of the fake, it honestly offers only a marginally better experience.

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

#200

Post by floren »

squarefoot wrote: post #74
fsflover wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You may like Pinetime smartwatch, which is cheap and runs free software.

I would totally support the Pine64 folks as I already did with the PineCil (really good iron btw, and I have also Wellers), but the PineTime price going from $26.99 in the US to €66.25 if bought in the EU is simply an invite to shop from Aliexpress.

Thanks to tariffs, the PineTime is $26 plus $25 shipping+duty now, so you're in good company.

If a few people in the bay area wanted to do a group buy, you can get up to 5 watches for that same $25 shipping fee...

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