Why Don't We Have a Good Smartwatch?

[openwheel]

LOL, lmp yes you got me. I am secretly pixelsquish. This forum never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Imp]

I know. I love how many condescending, know-it-alls show up here.

 

[Imp]

LOL, lmp yes you got me. I am secretly pixelsquish. This forum never ceases to amaze me.

did I seriously just read that "wearing a watch gets in the way"? That's absurd.

There are watch heads that are ultra thin. You can put my Submarner on a military nato band and feel the lightness. There is a normal watch out there that is comfortable for any normal person. You either know your watches, or you don't.

Are you people walking around public wearing comfy pajamas? slippers? naked? Perhaps I should say these Levi 501 squeez my package too tight? I shouldn't wear jeans either? This forum cracks me up.

i wear a watch every day and have done so for the last 20 years at least. one is a rather heavy divers watch, the other a nice light metal seiko. before that when i was younger other watches including a BabyG

they have never hindered arm movement LOLOLOL

my goodness the internet brings out the interesting ones let me tell you

Just another coincidence.

Well, I got trolled. Last reply. Done with this thread.

 

[Joe1987]

You may be on to something there Imp.

At the least, both posters are being seriously impolite, at the worst, yeah, odd coincidences

 

[dawheat]

Just another coincidence.

Well, I got trolled. Last reply. Done with this thread.

Haha - it's a big community and there are more people alike than we realize. I do agree that both seem to share a view that whatever they believe/see/experience is it and everyone else is wrong/stupid/etc.

I certainly understand that smartwatches in their current form aren't for anyone. What I can't agree with is those who seem to refuse to understand that there are actual owners who are happy with them and find real utility. But b/c they don't (frankly without seeming to have actually tried them), then no one can.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I recently bought a Fitbit Force for $130 and I like this thing for monitoring my physical activity. But it kinda sucks that I have to push a button to turn on the tiny little clock on it to see the time.

I don't want to spend $300 or something crazy on a watch with a full color LCD display that runs terrible apps and such. So this is what my ideal "semi-smart" watch would be...

* E-Ink or some display technology that could stay on 24/7 (and yet still be affordable).
* Normal size watch face, customization would be nice.
* Built in activity tracker.
* Displays notifications from phone.
* $150 or less.

Fitbit Force and Razer Nabu seem pretty close to this already and the Nabu is suppose to be under $100. So it seems like this device should be possible.

But I just dug through the dozens of new wearable mentioned at CES and don't see anything like this. The Polar V800 seems close except for the $500 price tag. Oddly for most there does seem to be a very distinct line between activity tracker and watch and almost nothing seems to be really combining the two.

 

[bearxor]

That's basically why I chose the Pebble. The functionality isn't there yet, but looks like it will be with the 2.0 software release.

Activity tracking should get on there with 2.0 and some apps. There's just not a lot of details right now. I'm looking forward to sleep tracking with vibrating alarm the most.

I came really, really close to buying a Fitbit Force, but the promise of most of the same functionality and then some drove me towards the Pebble.

 

[ultimatebob]

If anyone is going to get a smart watch to catch on, it will be Apple.

Not that I really think that a smart watch is a good idea, but that Apple fans seem to have a lot of disposable income and are more willing to buy one of everything that Apple makes.

 

[openwheel]

That is very true. Apple iWatch will sell like hot cakes if they ever make one.

 

[Mopetar]

Its like Samsung is getting an Apple complex where they refuse to take lower margins on their products. They would rather charge more or ship an inferior product.

In Samsung's case they're one of the first to market. There's no point in cutting your own throat on margins if there's not really any other players around to compete against.

 

[poofyhairguy]

In Samsung's case they're one of the first to market. There's no point in cutting your own throat on margins if there's not really any other players around to compete against.

I think having a better product (battery life) and making a good impression in a new market makes it worth it.

 

[Mopetar]

I think having a better product (battery life) and making a good impression in a new market makes it worth it.

That's true if there's a lot of competition in the market. There are a few other smart watches on the market, but I wouldn't say there's anything that's in the same category as the Gear.

One could argue that by having a product that's not as compelling as people's expectations (whether those expectations are reasonable or not is another matter.) they'll lose sales to people who will hold out for something else that doesn't exist yet.

Personally, I'm not sure how big the smart watch market actually is, so we may see a lot of companies releasing products (maybe some that live up to consumer expectations or even surpass them) that don't sell well just because there's no real demand. In that case it makes sense to aim for high margins because the market isn't large enough to cover the fixed costs to produce a smart watch.

 

[MrSquished]

You may be on to something there Imp.

At the least, both posters are being seriously impolite, at the worst, yeah, odd coincidences

and we both have massively strong wrists as well.

sorry, the general statement a watch is a hindrance is asinine. yes for certain tasks like sticking your arm in tight places like say working as a car mechanic, i could certainly see how a watch can get in the way. for sure, take it off.

but as a general statement that a watch gets in the way is silly. it's more for like a select few tasks where it may get in the way.

 

[Kelvinz]

I want to see Samsung's Galaxy Gear 2. I also want to see Apple's iWatch.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I want to see Samsung's Galaxy Gear 2.

Me too, I like that we will see it earlier in the year than I expected:

“When we release our S5 device, you can also expect a Gear successor with more advanced functions, and the bulky design will also be improved.”

Lee further explained that in addition to a design makeover, the Galaxy Gear 2 will get more health-related features including the ability to check calorie consumption, monitor heart rate and measure stress levels. “Health-care related functions will be the most inherently tied functions to future wearables,” she added. “We see a very big potential from there.”

Less bulky, more fitness features, and hopefully better battery life? Looks like the Galaxy Gear 2 is the watch I have been waiting for.

 

[KeithTalent]

Gear 2 sounds great. When is that coming out? Also do we know if it will work with a Note 3?

KT

 

[poofyhairguy]

Gear 2 sounds great. When is that coming out? Also do we know if it will work with a Note 3?

KT

It comes out in April or March. I would hope it would work with 2013 Samsung smartphones.

 

[desura]

So, my vision of a good smartwatch...

-- AMOLED or eInk for very low power consumption.

-- basically is a notifications center with like two buttons for if you want to ignore or answer.

-- Wireless charging

-- very low power bluetooth connection.

battery life very important. Should last like 2 weeks without a charge. After all, how often do people change batteries on regular watches? once every year?

 

[KeithTalent]

It comes out in April or March. I would hope it would work with 2013 Samsung smartphones.

Sweet, thanks. If they do this right I may finally buy a smart watch.

KT

 

[MrSquished]

So, my vision of a good smartwatch...

-- AMOLED or eInk for very low power consumption.

-- basically is a notifications center with like two buttons for if you want to ignore or answer.

-- Wireless charging

-- very low power bluetooth connection.

battery life very important. Should last like 2 weeks without a charge. After all, how often do people change batteries on regular watches? once every year?

AMOLED is probably a bad call because you can't see it outdoors very well in sunlight.

 

[Rdmkr]

I think part of the reason for smartwatches failure to impress us is that they have to compete with regular watches as an aesthetic object, which is obviously very difficult. My ideal smartwatch would be one that is in 90% of it's features just like a regular high quality watch and just as beautiful and personality- and style-extending, but uses the remaining 10% so efficiently that the basics of smartwatch-hood (i.e. serving as a notification intermediate for the smartphone) are covered. Perhaps the role of tech companies is to provide a compact system that existing watchmakers can incorporate in their designs.

This probably isn't going to be feasible for quite another few years.

But yeah, the main problem is that they are ugly and dorky looking, which is the complete opposite of the funcion the traditional watch serves. It's too big of an aesthetic difference with too little really useful functionality traded back for it.

 

[Kelvinz]

The Galaxy Gear 2 sounds very promising.

I don't mind my Galaxy Gear but the battery life is a bit too short. However the software is very responsive and the display looks great.

The Galaxy Gear's camera is excellent for a smartwatch.