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It’s Time for Wristwatches to Get Smarter

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Re: It’s Time for Wristwatches to Get Smarter

#21

Post by rdtsc »

adriand wrote: post #19
keiferski wrote: post #7

A wristwatch? What's that? - Sincerely, people under 25

The great benefit of a watch is that you can check the time quickly without being obvious about it. This is important when you are meeting with clients or involved in any other kind of important or potentially sensitive transaction: pulling out your phone to check the time is rude and disruptive, but you often need to know how much time has elapsed so you can bring the meeting to a close if you need to. I'm often on…

Actually I used to use my cell even when I had a watch.

Looking at my watch is a little too obvious, but I can pull my phone out to quickly -- I could be looking at the time, or expecting an urgent message from a family member, or maybe something really important was said during the meeting that I want to write a quick note ...

Re: It’s Time for Wristwatches to Get Smarter

#22

Post by dctoedt »

sorbus wrote: post #14
keiferski wrote: post #7

A wristwatch? What's that? - Sincerely, people under 25

I'm 19, and I've worn a wristwatch for the last 10 years, at least. The one I currently have hasn't run down its battery for more than two years, and is comfortable and light enough that I never take it off. As a result, I'm often the only person in a group who knows what time it is.

I left 19 behind a long time ago; I haven't worn a wrist watch in years, and hated wearing one for many years before that.

Re: It’s Time for Wristwatches to Get Smarter

#25

Post by frankus »

Time to flog my half-bakery link once more, this one for a cell phone or handset integrated into something like the Griffin iSlap:

http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Slap_20Bracelet_20Cell_20Phon...

For smartphone use, it probably makes more sense if the thing is a bluetooth handset (possibly with a dialpad) rather than an entire phone.

Advantages:

- You can keep your phone tucked in a bag, so it's less of a theft magnet and isn't microwaving the boys all day. - The motion you use to take the thing off your wrist leaves it nicely positioned for talking in your dominant hand. - You avoid both "douchebag with a headset" and "crazy person talking to themselves" syndromes. - It could display the time, incoming caller ID (somewhere where you can actually read it rather than next to your ear), and with proper device support, incoming emails and text messages.

Re: It’s Time for Wristwatches to Get Smarter

#26

Post by kylec »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #3

Who needs it? Awkward, annoying, and I find too many clocks in my life already. Remember when Daylight Savings changed? How many did you set? I counted 13 in my house. Why does the freaking stove need a clock?

One advantage to a smarter wristwatch would be that it could automatically adjust itself for daylight savings. A watch that always has the right time by constantly setting itself via GPS to the correct time in your location would be a very useful and popular product - I'd certainly buy one.

Re: It’s Time for Wristwatches to Get Smarter

#27

Post by anamax »

trafficlight wrote: post #16
mooism2 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, but whenever we have a power cut, it refuses to cook for us afterwards until we tell it the time.

The timer doesn't even need to have a visible clock. It just needs to count the minutes.

One of the creeping features in most ovens/stoves is a "finish dinner by {time} feature".

The idea is that you put an uncooked meal into the oven in the morning, go to work, and it's ready when you get home.

I've never used that feature because the idea of raw food sitting in an off oven would puts me off.

Re: It’s Time for Wristwatches to Get Smarter

#30

Post by thewaz »

I don't think the inventors of the inPulse (or other watches with similar functionality) spent much time thinking about the utility of the device. Is having to look at a small subject line on the cramped display of a watch really better than simply taking out your phone and reading the whole message? I remain unconvinced that the watch will make my life easier in any meaningful way compared to the alternative. It reminds of Nokia's effort at implementing NFC I read about somewhere recently - to buy a soda from an NFC-equipped vending machine, you had to bring the phone in contact with the machine,make a selection, wait for a text message asking for confirmation, and then respond to the message before you got your drink. The designers were convinced that this would be easier than simply putting in a coin and getting your drink.
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