A Brief Commentary about "the Smartwatch "

[G+_George Fromtulsa]

A Brief Commentary about "the Smartwatch"

 

[Original writen for Allison Sheridan's Apple-centric Nosillacast Community]

 

There's been a lot of recent focus in the tech blogs on "Smartwatches."  Pebble raised millions on Kickstarter, Qualcomm is about to release the TOQ as "proof of concept," Sony's actually on version 3, and Samsung's Gear has been (somewhat unfairly, at least by comparison to the competition) labeled a loser.

 

The huge part of the blogsphere that's written by Apple Fanbois seems to believe Apple can transform the "Smartwatch" world, much as it took off the shelf components and reassembled them into the world-changing iPod / iTunes gold mine. 

 

Story goes that there were MP3 Players before the iPod, but not after, and an Apple "iWatch" would be as dominant as the iPod

 

Yet in all that the Fanboi crowd forgets that some 90% of iTunes / iPod installs were on Windows! 

 

Worldwide, Android is nearly as dominant as Windows when the iPod released. 

 

Will Apple make an iWatch that "does Android," or limit its hypothetical product to Apple's lucrative mostly USA market?  Part of the iPod and initial iPhone's success was possible because iTunes was OS agnostic . . .

 

Then there's the question Allison always wants answered, "What problem does an iWatch solve a Pebble can't?"  Samsung threw the kitchen sink and a camera into its Gear, and was greeted mostly with "yawns."  Is that because the product itself was lacking (not, really), or because there's not much need for the product?

 

What problem does any kind of Smartwatch solve?

 

I've had some "smart watches" over the years.

 

One was a mono LCD eight place calculator with tiny mechanical buttons that could be pushed only with the provided toothpick point size stylus included in the band.  Nothing else, just time and calculator.

 

Several Casios had lots of functions and horrible UI.

 

The Timex Datalink had a very Palm Pilot like interface, useful for storing phone numbers, addresses, passwords, and appointments, all keyed in on a Windows computer and transferred wirelessly to the Datalink's optical sensor activated by holding it up to a CRT.  Slick, useful, and obsoleted as cell phones became "smart."

 

My most recent "smartwatch" is the Sony Smartwatch 2.

 

In my case, the SW2 acts as a lanyard for my phone.  The two are linked by Bluetooth by an initial simple "NFC tap to connect," and the watch vibrates a warning if I walk away from the phone, then the part of the SW 2 application resident on the phone locks it until I'm back in range and the BT connection re-established.

 

This is handy, because it means I'm not constantly unlocking my phone to use it, and because there's some lessened risk I'll lose it.

 

The SW2 keeps good time.

 

Don't underestimate the value of that "feature" as I have an expensive Swiss watch in the bank box because it doesn't, unless I send it in for a $400 factory refresh and de-gunk every couple of years. 

 

The SW2 watch faces, which can be changed easily, are very visible in all lighting conditions, no button push necessary.

 

One App on the SW2 is a credible "Flashlight."  Helpful for not tripping over Claws of Satan in the dark.

 

Then, my $35 Timex Indiglos have a great night light, keep good time, last YEARS on a battery, and cost, well, $35 --- a big savings over the about $200 street price of the SW2

 

The SW2 comes with some built in Apps.  There's many more as downloads from the Google Play Store, though some work only on the earlier Sony SW 1 --

 

Apps download to your linked Android, then automatically sync to the SW2 over BT.  Most "App Options" are set in the Android resident part of the App, then communicated to the SW2.

 

In no particular order, here's some SW 2 fucntions/Apps I've enabled.

 

1. Activate the connected phones camera and take a photo;

 

2. Receive and display notifications of Texts and Emails with enough information to be useful.  Similarly, Calendar Alerts and your own Google Calendar.

 

3. Dial a phone call (activating Speakerphone)

 

4. Answer a call (activating Speakerphone).

 

(Call functions aren't much use if the phone is deep in your purse, murse, or pocket).

 

5. Control the phone's WiFi, Cell Data, and GPS functions.

 

6. Alarms.

 

7. Calculator (extremely difficult to use!)

 

8. Slideshow from the phone's "Gallery."  I've not gotten that to work, and don't know why I would want it on the SW 2's 1.6" 176 ppi display).

 

9. Lock/Unlock the phone with an icon App press from the SW 2 screen.

 

The SW2 has no mic, speaker, speaker jack, camera . . .  it is simply an extension of the connected Android device, which can be either a phone or tablet.

 

Initial connection and link is a simple NFC (Near Field Communication) tap iOS doesn't and won't offer because it's an open standard and Apple has visions of a proprietary iOS-only equivalent that will enable Apple to collect fees from "tap to pay."

 

I've had the SW2 less than a week.  It's locked my phone once, and not let me back in with the correct lock code.  REBOOT!

 

It's awakened me in the middle of the night (even with vibration alerts set OFF!!!!) to let me know it had disconnected from the phone that was sitting on the headboard of the bed, less than a foot overhead.

 

Very much a work in progress.

 

Allison might have begun this review by asking, "what's the problem to be solved?"

 

I've save that for the end.

 

The "Smartwatch" is a solution looking for a problem. 

 

Now I'm not the ideal customer for this technology.  I DETEST notifications!  It's been a long time since the chirpy AOL "You've got mail!" seemed a "treat."

 

Most of my incoming email is work!

 

I don't Facebook Twitter, and while I'm here on GooglePlus too often, I have every notification I can turned off.

 

Apparently, the biggest appeal of the "Smartwatch genre" is insuring no Notification misses its chance to distract the watch-owner.  As if constantly jingling-buzzing phones aren't enough . . .

 

So if you absolutely must know the instant someone posts something somewhere, a Smartwatch may keep you jiving internet time.

 

I'm hoping Sony improves the SW 2 enough so it doesn't continue to unnecessarily wake me at night, and make me disconnect it from my phone then reboot so the phone's own lock screen will work.

 

As to a possible iWatch future, I'm trying to IMAGINE what functions Apple might add that would make its product as compelling as the iPod was.  100% reliability would be a step forward!  But much as Samsung planned its "Gear" watch as an inducement to stay within Samsung product lines, I'd imagine Apple will tie any iWatch to iOS.  Leaving me and most of the world out . . .?

[G+_George Fromtulsa]

Lee Ball "Google Now" tells me:

 

£20 = US $32.74

 

Which makes the SW2 a whole lot more appealing than the $168.83 (£103.12) I paid, on sale.

 

And my battery life is much shorter than yours seems to be.?

 

Question: I've only found the "answer" phone function useful if the phone's already out of my pocket and in a position to use as a speakerphone. And that's not very useful. I guess it might work in s quiet environment if the phone were in a shirt pocket?

 

I have used it to answer a call before the caller disconnected, then sent annoying fumbling noises downline as I pulled phone from pocket.

 

*Do you have a different use mode to take advantage of the call answer function?*?

[G+_George Fromtulsa]

Lee Ball Have you seen the Sony BT handset?

 

http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/accessories/smart-bluetooth-handset-sbh52/

[G+_George Fromtulsa]

The HTC has eink screen for long battery life, and full phone capability. Not sold outside Asia last I read.