61–70 of 82 posts
Now do the same review on an iOS device. "There is NO way for a 3rd party smartwatch to compete with Apple Watch. Apple restricts 3rd parties in major ways. For example, 3rd party watches on iOS cannot send replies to notifications."
I think the battery life of a smart watch cannopt be underestimated. I have all the old pebbles which I love darely but then I got a Amazfit Bip and I stayed with it until today. One month (!) of battery time with a HR sensor and notifications is all I need so why ever change. I dont know why apple, samsung and google are not getting it. But I would not even touch one of their products with a 2 feet long pole. Just m…
> In 2021, analysts estimated there were 100 million units in use.[1]
[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20210212163703/https://www.techr...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
really the only value is for runners/cyclists/swimmers. Being able to run without a bulky device is sooo much better.
I used to run a lot and used a GPS watch to plot my runs .. initially, but this got boring fast. I don't want to compare myself with other runners. I just want a distraction free half an hour and thus no phone or watch. :)
I've tried a handful of smartwatches, and own a Pebble 2 Duo. While I'm interested in picking up a newer Pebble device (hopefully with a bit nicer build quality), I've found my sweetspot to be a Garmin. I bought a Forerunner 165, have never needed to pair it to my phone so I can be happy in the data privacy department. Additionally the battery life is fantastic and it gives me all the data I need for my health and fi…
Just putting the watch into DnD mode required flipping through a ring of shortcuts hidden behind a long press menu. My Pebble can do this with a shortcut I assigned to a back-button long-press. Pebble's shallow-menu + shortcuts system is brilliant.
I ponder what Garmin is like in an alternate dimension where _they_ bought Pebble and used their UX chops for their own devices...
Does anyone use their oxygen sensor on their wrist device? I have a garmin vivosmart 5 with an oxygen sensor but turned it off because its reading seems to wholly be related to how tight I have the band. With the o2 sensor off my battery lasts a couple of weeks. With it on only a couple of days. I have a good fingertip sensor for this that I bought during Covid.
I leave it enabled on my Apple Watch though, the battery life is already bad and any irregularities would be shown on the vitals app.
Between the Apple Watch kind of watches on one side, and Pebble kind of watches on another side, there's the whole Garmin ecosystem, a mention of which is notably absent from the article. They are a nice technological middle ground (though maybe not always a price middle ground), especially the classic models with non-OLED transflective screens. Granted, they are more sports/fitness oriented, but that's hardly a draw…
Whenever I look at my Apple Watch, it's a reminder that Apple owns it and requires it to look a certain way.
Now do the same review on an iOS device. "There is NO way for a 3rd party smartwatch to compete with Apple Watch. Apple restricts 3rd parties in major ways. For example, 3rd party watches on iOS cannot send replies to notifications."
Why would Android Authority review any smartwatch on an iOS Device? It seems outside of their interests.
I've tried a handful of smartwatches, and own a Pebble 2 Duo. While I'm interested in picking up a newer Pebble device (hopefully with a bit nicer build quality), I've found my sweetspot to be a Garmin. I bought a Forerunner 165, have never needed to pair it to my phone so I can be happy in the data privacy department. Additionally the battery life is fantastic and it gives me all the data I need for my health and fi…
I wanted to love my Garmin watches so much. I've tried a couple of Forerunners and an Instinct 2S. The hardware is great, but the software UX is so poor... I had to memorize an archaic maze of presses/long-presses to get to various features. Just putting the watch into DnD mode required flipping through a ring of shortcuts hidden behind a long press menu. My Pebble can do this with a shortcut I assigned to a back-but…
On the other side, I think they are a little trapped in their legacy UX. A lot of people have Garmin watches long term, and will probably scream bloody murder if everything changes.
I don't mind so much. I have one of those budget models without a touch screen, and I find the UI vastly easier to use than my prior Casio hiking watches at least...
I'm still trying to figure out what exact user case having a digital watch solves. I mean .. I have a phone which shows time, plays music and can tell me who called / sent me a signal message. I have issues with having to charge my phone so having another device that I will have to charge will not make my life any better.
Once you add vibration, now you open a class of discreet alerts. Even an offline watch can give you a silent alarm function, which is great to reduce disturbance to your sleepmate. And some people value the smart notification alerts when awake too. The phone may be in a bag or coat pocket where vibration isn't obvious.
Then there are all the wearable sensor platform things, which divide the population into very different use case priorities. I.e. all the accelerometer and heart-rate tracking for sports, fitness, and lifestyle modification.
Or for outdoorsy people, the wearable GPS, digital compass, and barometric altimeter. This is my reason for having a Garmin watch. I find zero value in a "smart watch" that lacks these sensors. And I don't care for the other connected-watch features, so I actually have the bluetooth link disabled almost all the time. I go back and forth on the fitness tracking. It is bundled in the watch, so I use those sensors sometimes. But, I didn't actually care for them at all when shopping. There just isn't enough market for a good GPS+compass+altimeter watch without fitness sensors, so they don't make it.
Compared to any phone app I've tried, my watch records much cleaner tracks for hiking, both in terms of all the tight turns and accurate elevation data. It also presents the real-time data in a much more convenient, wearable format. When navigating a planned route, it can also vibrate and show me a course hint as I approach a faint trail junction in the wilderness.