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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

#201

Post by Zak »

sdk16420 wrote: post #199

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 pap…

I will try very hard not to buy any product that requires a companion app for major functionality unless it's based on an open protocol (e.g. Matter), the app is open source (e.g. Pebble), or it's well-supported by a third-party open source solution (e.g. gadgetbridge.org).

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

#202

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

RobotToaster wrote: post #154
snops wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It can, it just needs the two resistors, which is the cheapest possible thing the standards committee could have asked manufacturers to do. USB-C gets complicated at the high end, but for basic functionality I think the standards committee did a very good job at making the cheapest way to do it the correct way, e.g. a USB-C to 3.5mm audio adaptor can be entirely passive, it just needs the right resistor in it.

Then a lot of phones don't support it, so it took me three attempts to find a usb-c to 3.5mm adapter that didn't have it's own DAC that would work with my phone's FM radio lol

Audio Adapter Accessory Mode was deprecated last year so devices using it will be disappearing.

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

#203

Post by Yeul »

OJFord wrote: post #173
KnuthIsGod wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ThermoWorks products are made in China and marketed to gullible Americans.

There are high-end brands that spec products to a high standard and have them made (to that standard) in China. But I agree, GP is confusing high-price with high-end. That said, thermometry is pretty easy and well understood and you don't need crazy accuracy for cooking, so 'low-end' is fine really, just don't pay high-price for it.

The year is 2025 not 1985. If you pay them the Chinese can make you anything you want.

The thing is that there are lot of dollar stores in the West that want cheap shit for the paupers. And that is were the bad reputation comes from.

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

#204

Post by Yeul »

sincerely wrote: post #96
rikafurude21 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

>Why dont americans create 16 pound smartwatches? Because labor is much more expensive in America. This is not a mystery

Don't worry god emperor Trump will fix that.

No more safety and environmental regulations. Children can work full time. Union bosses get sent to the gulag. Forced labor camps for the homeless and criminals.

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

#205

Post by Zak »

berkes wrote: post #138
oezi wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Is it not a big deal? Or do customers lack the choice? If Apple had two lines of smartwatches, one for city/work crowd with the WiFi, Bright screen, NFC, powerful processor etc. but with tiny battery life. And another for hike/off-grid/travel/festival crowd without wifi, a slower, blander screen, slower hardware, less features but over a week)weeks on one charge. Would people not buy the second option?

People can buy the second option from someone else, like RePebble.

Of course if they want to use it with an Apple phone, it will have artificial limitations[0]. That, rather than adding a product line that doesn't align with most of their market is what Apple should fix.

[0] https://ericmigi.com/blog/apple-restricts-pebble-from-being-...

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

#206

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

tehlike wrote: post #54

People get surprised how cheap things really can be when they see aliexpress, and the assumption is crap. I bought a ton of stuff from aliexpress, and very rarely-if any- was crappy.

AliExpress prices don't include shipping, which are effectively baked into Amazon's pricing to cover SuperSaver & Prime customers.

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

#207

Post by edent »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #206
tehlike wrote: post #54

People get surprised how cheap things really can be when they see aliexpress, and the assumption is crap. I bought a ton of stuff from aliexpress, and very rarely-if any- was crappy.

AliExpress prices don't include shipping, which are effectively baked into Amazon's pricing to cover SuperSaver & Prime customers.

To be clear £16 was the total cost including shipping to the UK.

Took a week or so to arrive, and prices fluctuate all the time. So slower than Amazon shipping - which is usually same or next day.

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

#208

Post by johnyzee »

thinkmassive wrote: post #176
johnyzee wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really want a smartwatch with proper always on screen (so memory LCD, like those COROS ones), but I also need LTE so I don't have to bring my phone on short errands. Unfortunately no such product currently exists for some reason. The Apples, Galaxies and Pixels offer always-on, but they dim down a lot in order to not drain the power, which kind of defeats the purpose. A memory LCD screen on one of these watches wou…

Garmin Forerunner 945 LTE launched four years ago, and it has LTE plus an always-on screen.

It has LTE but apparently does not support phone calls or SMS, without being paired to a phone. Close, but not quite there.

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

#209

Post by hbs18 »

throwanem wrote: post #192
hbs18 wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

You can't get much sleeker with a smartwatch than the apple watch, square shape aside, it's neither childish nor ugly.

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

#210

Post by OJFord »

Yeul wrote: post #203
OJFord wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are high-end brands that spec products to a high standard and have them made (to that standard) in China. But I agree, GP is confusing high-price with high-end. That said, thermometry is pretty easy and well understood and you don't need crazy accuracy for cooking, so 'low-end' is fine really, just don't pay high-price for it.

The year is 2025 not 1985. If you pay them the Chinese can make you anything you want. The thing is that there are lot of dollar stores in the West that want cheap shit for the paupers. And that is were the bad reputation comes from.

Yes, not sure if you meant that to be disagreeing, but I completely agree. China has is at par with if not surpassing the most advanced manufacturing capability of anywhere else in many areas. It can just also offer very cheap poor tolerance mass produced crap.
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