Missing features / wishlist - Samsung Gear S2

I like my S2 classic much mostly for it`s design and battery life, but there are features that I miss much.
Lets write down wishlist for future updates. Maybe someone makes this come true!
I will update OP periodically
Sleep tracking
Camera remote shutter
Analog tachymeter app
Shazam app to recognize music

It sucks that the S2 lacks quite a few apps I hope in the future it gains more dev support especially with iphone compatibility if Samsung make the S2 work 100% with the iphone's that is. However most of those features you can get on the S2.
For sleep tracking there is GNight costs £1.99 and for the Camera there is Camera controller which is free. This is UK market though so might be different in other countries I don't know.

I would add Samsung Pay for the UK market.

Wishlist
What I need most of all is a modified Nike+ app that shows my heart rate constantly while I'm running in big numerals. It sounds so simple. I love the Nike+ app but it just doesn't have the ability to make this simple adjustment to the settings. Not everybody is interested mainly in how FAR they run/jog.
I am far more interested in what manner I run/jog.

I'd love to see improved GPS performance. Also, would be great if Samsung allowed apps to communicate with phone apps not via Bluetooth, so that the watch can fully work when connected to the phone remotely (kinda takes the point out of the 3g version if most apps only work if the phone is around.
.

like to have more kindes of Sports, like gym, Ski for the Trainings app.
regads

mikesaa309 said:
For sleep tracking there is GNight costs £1.99 and for the Camera there is Camera controller which is free. This is UK market though so might be different in other countries I don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can buy Gnight for $1.99, but I need sleep tracking app with full Shealth integration.

The only thing I want is android wear with the current ui. Because the UI is literally the only good thing about tizen on a smart watch.

I would love to see Wunderlist (ToDo List App) coming to the S2. It's the only thing that I really miss.
Gesendet von meinem SM-G900F mit Tapatalk

please?
allow wake up gesture to be set to last viewed instead of always defaulting to the watchface.
PIA when using an app, like music player for example, then after a timeout the wake up gesture will show the watchface instead of the music player.

mr neutron said:
please?
allow wake up gesture to be set to last viewed instead of always defaulting to the watchface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is in watch parameter. It is like this in Gear 1, Gear 2 and Gear S

mr neutron said:
please?
allow wake up gesture to be set to last viewed instead of always defaulting to the watchface.
PIA when using an app, like music player for example, then after a timeout the wake up gesture will show the watchface instead of the music player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be nice to have the option indeed when needed.
Re. your example there are currently three workarounds; music widget next to WF, setting to double click, and dragging down from top of screen then clicking. Granted not as easy as raising your arm but not too bad.
I'd simply like to be able to reorder my WF's. How hard can that be!!?:silly:

dersie said:
I think this is in watch parameter. It is like this in Gear 1, Gear 2 and Gear S
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Click to collapse
nope. it was available on Gear2 neo, but then i "upgraded" to Gear S2 and it it definitely missing.
---------- Post added at 06:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:06 AM ----------
Cryps said:
It would be nice to have the option indeed when needed.
Re. your example there are currently three workarounds; music widget next to WF, setting to double click, and dragging down from top of screen then clicking. Granted not as easy as raising your arm but not too bad.
I'd simply like to be able to reorder my WF's. How hard can that be!!?:silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am using these workarounds, but last viewed wake up gesture is preferred.

mr neutron said:
i am using these workarounds, but last viewed wake up gesture is preferred.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed.
Perhaps the attached is worth looking at (hit the store today). Just a thought.

Schnuddelbuddel44 said:
like to have more kindes of Sports, like gym, Ski for the Trainings app.
regads
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strength Training app just released in the U.S. Gear store by Samsung India. Also Skimble-linked Workout trainer app, Pear Gear app, and Rossignol's Ski Pursuit are available. I don't know if they're any good, but they do exist.

I would love to have tunein. Power amp extension. hotspot and better always on watch faces

1. Enable mic for calls - I often have the phone in my pocket with headphones on.. would be nice not to have to pull out the phone just to answer a call.
2. Guitar Tuner app - I'm working on writing my own, actually. Seems an ideal use case.
3. Improved SDK and documentation for writing apps - the current SDK is rather easy to "break" and hard to install and get working and although there's some decent documentation online it's fragmented and hard to find exactly what you need.
4. Google Now app or extension.

more blue tooth setting like naming each connection and being able to use mono audio like in android to listen to tunein radio when available if ever

Oobly said:
1. Enable mic for calls - I often have the phone in my pocket with headphones on.. would be nice not to have to pull out the phone just to answer a call.
2. Guitar Tuner app - I'm working on writing my own, actually. Seems an ideal use case.
3. Improved SDK and documentation for writing apps - the current SDK is rather easy to "break" and hard to install and get working and although there's some decent documentation online it's fragmented and hard to find exactly what you need.
4. Google Now app or extension.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2's more niche, but as a guitar teacher it'd be a godsend.
Sent from my SM-N910U using Tapatalk

Avatiach said:
I'd love to see improved GPS performance. Also, would be great if Samsung allowed apps to communicate with phone apps not via Bluetooth, so that the watch can fully work when connected to the phone remotely (kinda takes the point out of the 3g version if most apps only work if the phone is around.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought the watch does not have gps? it only gets the data it needs to put it in maps app from your phone (connected through bluetooth/wifi)

Related

Apps wish list

What apps do you want developers to make for the Gear 2? mine so far are
1 Screen brightness changes by time of day (dim at night bright during the day)
2 Being able to fine tune the wake up gesture
3 Wake up gesture programable so it can be on say during the day and off at night (time based)
4 Notification item on main home screen for counting your notifications
5
6
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8
9
10
11
12
13
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16
17
18
19
20
1. basic navigation integration with phone for walking, biking
2. controlling home automation scenes/devices- micasaverde integration
3. payment processor such as paypal, square via a onscreen barcode
4. boarding pass integration - boarding pass codes are displayed
5. google now integration
6. evernote integration to a specific notebook that has small snippets of text. i.e. passworded files containing important information
7. a speed reader that flashed up letters quickly so you can read short emails etc.
8. basic xbmc remote (play/stop/volume, next, back etc)
9. tasker integration - initiate tasker tasks to perform another action.
10. lastpass integartion - ability to display passwords or logins after entering a pin.
1. Google Maps app
2. Tasker integration
3. Philips Hue application
I would like an ip camera viewer app to loggin and see my vivotek ip camers
currently I use ip camera viewer lite
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rcreations.ipcamviewer
just need ip and loggin and password to connect and view my security camera when not at home.
1. Alarm
2. Note/Task/Reminder
3. Keypad
4. Photo Gallery Viewer
5. iTunes Remote
6. Contact Creator
7. Camera Shutter Control (Which is on the way!!! )
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
This one will never happen but I've been surprised before. Have my slingplayer show on my watch. ... That would be legendary.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I527
Foursquare
Phone camera remote
Root - android
Themes to change icon colors
Keyboard
I'm sure there is more.
Sent from Tapatalk on Samsung Galaxy S5.
I've been looking for a way to skip tracks on my music player and possibly see the album art work while song is playing.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
It would be nice if there was an app which sends the heart-rate to compatible apps like runtastic
Intergration
All I really want is better integration:
- Spotify: Media controls, but also control over the playlists.
- Maps: Navigation
- Timley app: Stopwatch, alarm, etc
- Better fitness: Link the Gear to Runkeeper or an other great fitness app. Maybe just a BETTER fitness for Gear app?
- Whatsapp, Hamgouts: Reply to more than just the Samsung messaging app.
These are the things I really miss for now. But Google Now would be nice also.
Sparc29 said:
I've been looking for a way to skip tracks on my music player and possibly see the album art work while song is playing.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The media controller under Apps should skip songs. I use it with Google Music all the time. Any player that can take controls from Bluetooth, like the ones on Bluetooth headphones should work.
Berthaconners524 said:
Could there be something like a pedometer? My mom has one of those dinosaurs that you clip onto your pants and it tracks how far you walk. Could this do something similar? So, it could track how far/fast/long you walk, and also track your heart rate, so you know if your stamina is getting better, or something like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is a n 'exercise' app that measures heart rate (and calories, in theory). There is also a pedometer. I am not sure if both can be run at the same time.
Tapatalk. .lol
Berthaconners524 said:
Oh neat! Thanks, I might look more into purchasing. I'm not quite sold yet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note that a lot of people are complaining about the accuracy of the heart rate monitor. I found mine to be fairly accurate by my reckoning, although it lagged. This was probably due to the infrequent automatic sample intervals.
For solely these features, the Gear Fit may be more appropriate, and is much cheaper.
Something like Multi-Watch or WatchStyler that also shows the weather and shortcuts
Sent from my SM-N9005 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
i'd like to see voxer ported over to the gear.
Berthaconners524 said:
Interesting. Thank you. I have a fast heart rate (stress) and would like to have a device tell me when to calm down etc. Sometimes technology can help me with stuff like that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you considered beta-blockers? I was interested because I was prescribed these for migraines that had been plaguing me for decades. They fixed them almost completely (still get some slight pain, but I can ignore it). My heart rate is now ridiculously low, at about 60 normally. On a hospital test I had to reach 120, and it took a really huge amount of effort! I was interested to see if the Gear got that right and it did, at about 85 walking up a steep (1 in 4) hill.
jeromepearce said:
there is a n 'exercise' app that measures heart rate (and calories, in theory). There is also a pedometer. I am not sure if both can be run at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are far better off using Endomondo and your phone, I also hear Endomondo will be linked to the watch in the future
Pandora radio
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
Berthaconners524 said:
That's a neat idea. This is a stupid question, but are there speakers and microphones on the gear?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes there is. speaker isnt too bad. havnet tried the microphone yet.

Collection of wow! - the most awesome apps and tips for android wear!

With the apple watch release, comes the hoards of apple enthusiasts taking the crap out of android wear products!
I am looking to create a collection of the best and most AWESOME apps and tips for android wear to blow the mind of others and demonstrate how much more amazing android wear is than any of the other competitors!
Please post the best apps and tips/tricks below. Not apps like your basic calendar app, but instead unique ones, apps which are creative and truly awesome. Apps which allow you to say: can your watch do that!??!
Cheers, looking forward to discovering some cool stuff!!!
Say turn on the computer with autowear+Tasker, or start playing spotify music, read reddit posts on the go (they probably have that too...) create or download your own watchfaces(!!!)
List of apps which i use. I dont know whether it fits ur criteria, but still i would like to share the list of apps i use on my MOTO 360.
1) Wear Mini Launcher
2) Task Manager for Android Wear
3) My Roll Gallery
4) Evernote
5) Browser for Android Wear
6) Weather Timeline
7) Minnum Keyboard
8) Messenger for Android Wear
9) Runtastic Pro
StariX37 said:
7) Minnum Keyboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can u reply Whatsapp with this app?
I would ad Watchmaker and Autowear!
Juanmiwow said:
Can u reply Whatsapp with this app?
I would ad Watchmaker and Autowear!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I THINK it replaces the voice typing as default but I am not sure.
This isn't particularly a 'feature' or a cool app or whatever, but I found that the Google Music app was surprisingly useful at locating my phone. I couldn't find my phone in my room one time, so I used Wear's Google Music app to make my phone play random music to help me find it. Sorry if it's a bit of a lame contribution but at the time it was quite a big help
smooth-pursuits said:
This isn't particularly a 'feature' or a cool app or whatever, but I found that the Google Music app was surprisingly useful at locating my phone. I couldn't find my phone in my room one time, so I used Wear's Google Music app to make my phone play random music to help me find it. Sorry if it's a bit of a lame contribution but at the time it was quite a big help [emoji14]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THAT is brilliant.
smooth-pursuits said:
This isn't particularly a 'feature' or a cool app or whatever, but I found that the Google Music app was surprisingly useful at locating my phone. I couldn't find my phone in my room one time, so I used Wear's Google Music app to make my phone play random music to help me find it. Sorry if it's a bit of a lame contribution but at the time it was quite a big help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found that answering a call on my watch also starts my music on my phone.
Custom Voice Commands by Treycent lets you tag photos with a voice commands that you can then share. This lets you and your friends load photos by just speaking a question or phrase (e.g. "show me Hanna's latest selfie"). It also lets you post messages to WhatsApp and Twitter by voice.
Toggles wear
swipify
wear volume
my car location
and showear
My LG urbane use changes dramatically with these apps.
Instaweather is the only must have app I have.
No other watch face shows me time, POP, weather radar, both batteries, temp, temp forecast, sun set, sunrise at a glance and now the even added support for Google Fit.
Top two apps on my watch are:
Google Keep - Notes (shoppinglist, todo) on the go
Remote Control Collection - Controlling my PC (presentations, media) from my wrist
WearTasker + Tasker!
Apple can't touch this.
floyd0815 said:
WearTasker + Tasker!
Apple can't touch this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you give example of tasks?
My contribution to the list is the lockscreen app "Showear". Let's me fold my arms without accidentally setting alarms and texting ppl.
tihimasmo said:
Could you give example of tasks?
My contribution to the list is the lockscreen app "Showear". Let's me fold my arms without accidentally setting alarms and texting ppl.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Raspberry PI for home automation and with WearTasker I can control basic TV, satellite, HiFi, Light,... functions. Also I have a task to start Spotify on my tablet, powers on the HiFi and connects to it via BT.
But it seems like AutoWear has more possibilities so I will maybe switch to that.
I have my G Watch R since 3 days, so I'm quite a newbie and WearTasker is easy to set up.
Treycent said:
Custom Voice Commands by Treycent lets you tag photos with a voice commands that you can then share. This lets you and your friends load photos by just speaking a question or phrase (e.g. "show me Hanna's latest selfie"). It also lets you post messages to WhatsApp and Twitter by voice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Whatsapp didn't work for me!
No options inside the app for whatsapp
You can start a whattsapp message from ok Google send whatsapp to....... followed by your message. Very handy
Okay, so the most WOW inducing app I have found is Look Behind. It turns on your camera and allows you to view it on your watch screen. When I demo it for people, they frickin' love it. I got it for work, I'm tech support at a university library, and am always having to look behind computers, wall mounted displays, etc. It has the ability to turn your flash on, so looking behind a TV screen to check connections becomes a easy task. Its pretty awesome.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pixtogram.wear.lookbehind
karlkarloff said:
Okay, so the most WOW inducing app I have found is Look Behind. It turns on your camera and allows you to view it on your watch screen. When I demo it for people, they frickin' love it. I got it for work, I'm tech support at a university library, and am always having to look behind computers, wall mounted displays, etc. It has the ability to turn your flash on, so looking behind a TV screen to check connections becomes a easy task. Its pretty awesome.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pixtogram.wear.lookbehind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it do anything this free app doesn't? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dheera.wearcamera
DQEight said:
Does it do anything this free app doesn't? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dheera.wearcamera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, it doesn't even allow you to take pictures. I will say I have tried both and i like the interface of Look Behind a bit better (on my round watchface) and it seems to work more reliably than Wear Camera. I had a few hangups when I tried Wear Camera. That said, while Look Behind is free, to get the version that allows you to take pictures, PixtoCam, it costs 1.99. Either way, an app that lets you view your phone camera on your watch will definitely get peoples interest.

Best Apps to Download

Just wanted to start a list of the best apps that we think are available for the S2
Calculator Plus+ is a good one, it's what you'd think, a calculator, and it works. It is optimized for a round screen. So crazy that Sammy never added a calculator as a stock app.
Sent from my SM-N920P using XDA Free mobile app
That's a problem... The list is quite empty. I am returning this thing because of that and also because of:
I owned first Gear as well as Gear S in the past and quite frankly Samsung is going backwards with their watches.
There is one Pro in this one - it is good looking, I like the design.
Well - 1/2 point for the rotating bezel. It is kind of cool but I am so used to the touch controls that barely used it.
The rest of review is pretty much all Cons:
1. Lack of speaker - ok, some say it looks silly to talk to the wrist but sometimes it was useful. Why removed if all previous watches hat one?
2. Lack of apps - seriously, there is NO useful app available for this watch. I had plenty of apps on Gear S and none of them is re-written for the round watch.
3. Vibrations are barely sensed - I had it set to strong and long and miss half of the notifications
4. Screen decides on its own if it wants to light up when the notification comes. Not reliable at all
5. Previous models had option to come back to the last used app after the screen turns off, very useful for timer, stopwatch, music control. This cames back to the watch screen always. Try to skip the tracks from the watch when you have to turn the dial to the music app every time.....
6. No auto brightness. Seriously? Go out - make the screen brighter by hand. Come back, dim it by hand...
7. Straps.... out of 4 halves I found in the box (2 to make a long strap and 2 to make a short one) I was able to attach 3 of them, the 4th would not fit. And I guarantee you that after couple replacements the mount will break....
8. No sleep patterns tracking on the watch
9. Battery - that's another screw up. Samsung advertises 2-3 days... Right...I liek to have the watch set to always on. Gear S had about 40% left at the end of the day. This garbage had 18% at 11pm last night....
10. No integration with Google Now - no cards, no reminders to be set... I thought Samsung finally understood that S-Voice cannot compete with any assistant available... I guess they are too stupid to get that
11. No integration with Google Maps - Here maps are great but on the watch it is a disaster, completely useless, slow, chews through the battery.
12. No way to choose if one wears it on the left or right wrist hence when you wear it on the right the buttons are above the watch and you cover the face of it while pressing.
13. no night clock mode while charging - all you see while being charged is a blackscreen.
There is probably more flaws but I either did not discover them or do not remember. Generally the watch is going back to Best Buy and I will wait for Moto 360 Sport or LG Urbane 2
And with Samsung phones going backwards as well (S6, Note 5) Samsung lost a customer (I own Note 4 now and I had Note 1, 2 and 3 in the past)
Wow, so that last post was mostly off-topic lol. Interesting points...just not relevant for this specific thread. Better to post that in a gear s vs gear s2 thread or something like that
sefrcoko said:
Wow, so that last post was mostly off-topic lol. Interesting points...just not relevant for this specific thread. Better to post that in a gear s vs gear s2 thread or something like that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha. I've seen his post there also. I guess he REALLY wants people to know how he feels!
Wow..clearly he felt his review thread wasn't enough but now he has to post his review everywhere. Move along... .
Well back on topic... A fun little app to play with is Xenozu. It's a YouTube app that let's you search and watch videos. You do have to have a Bluetooth headset attached but it works when linked to wifi. It's more novelty then anything but fun nonetheless.
Wow can we boot that guy for hating so much, it may not be the best compared to a phone, but that's because it's a watch....plus my gear s2 does have a daylight mode, I walk out side and it will adjust itself. Also, am able to use my watch with the face always on and have about 45% by end of day, I have to constantly play with it for it to die.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using XDA Free mobile app
kufel said:
1. Lack of speaker - ok, some say it looks silly to talk to the wrist...
So, what's that little hole on the side between the buttons? The one you talk into for SVoice.
2. Lack of apps
It's brand spanking new... give it time
3. Vibrations are barely sensed
Subjective... I can feel it just fine on soft/weak/low, whatever
4. Screen decides on its own if it wants to light up when the notification comes.
o_0
5. Previous models had option to come back to the last used app after the screen turns off...
I'll skip this one because I have no clue what you're talking about
6. No auto brightness. Seriously?
Outdoor mode is automatic, you don't have to touch anything and it goes into auto brightness. Seriously
7. Straps
Mine come off and snap on just fine and are very solid. Perhaps you're doing it wrong?
8. No sleep patterns tracking on the watch
S-Health, oh and 24 hour activity tracking
9. Battery - that's another screw up. Samsung advertises 2-3 days...
Are you analyzing "day one" usage, straight OTB during fiddle and "hey look what I just got" time?
10. No integration with Google Now
It's Tizen, this has been known for quite some time now
11. No integration with Google Maps
Read comment for #10
12. No way to choose if one wears it on the left or right wrist...
WUT???
13. no night clock mode while charging
Big f*ing deal... you're wanting it to track your sleep patterns anyway right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jus' sayin
Jus' clarifyin'
1. That's a mic not a speaker. Speaker is on 3G version
5. Previous app should be an option when reactivating watch. Viable point imo
8. As it stands, there is no auto sleep log. Should be addressed by Samsung. S-health even tells you to add a wearable for the function to work??
10 & 11. Google needs to be adopted for the watch to succeed under android I feel
12. See the point, but analogs never adjusted to which arm the watch was worn on. The user needs to adapt
Sorry to be short, it's late ;b
I assumed he meant mic and not speaker since he describes "talking to the wrist"
bkai said:
I assumed he meant mic and not speaker since he describes "talking to the wrist"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My reply would be "Talk to the hand"
Back on topic: Parkmobile just appeared in the app store for the GS2, at least in the Netherlands. Great app for Parkmobile users.
Notifications for Gear s1 & 2
The app "notifications for gear s" is a must have. I am able to reply to facebook messenger and see my Google now cards. It's awesome.
I ony had my watch for less than a day, so obviously I'm still discovering new stuff, but so far I found:
- Calculator (free! and does the job) - this is a samsung app
- News Republic: I was pleasantly surprised to see they have a (free) companion app for the S2, this has been my main news app on my phone for ages (very customisable and looks nice, I love it)
- Gear Pong: just because why not
The Samsung Gear store is terrible by the way... Why with the stupid ugly watch faces flooding every category??? Do some clean up Samsung!
Protagoras said:
- Gear Pong: just because why not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, have You actually won even once? I couldn't, haha. Better games imo are FireFly or Colora
OK. Whining aside is there a program that will allow me to get reminders? I use Touchdown as my regular calendar and I think I can use my Samsung calendar but can't get S Voice to work off the GS2.
rogerperk said:
OK. Whining aside is there a program that will allow me to get reminders? I use Touchdown as my regular calendar and I think I can use my Samsung calendar but can't get S Voice to work off the GS2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never mind! Reminders work you just have to set them on the phone. That works for me!
"I am Alive" by Kittikhun Yodrak is very useful. It's basically a toggle for screen always on. No idea why the app is so big though (7.5 MB)...
Cryps said:
Jus' clarifyin'
5. Previous app should be an option when reactivating watch. Viable point imo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, at least you can configure the menu button double-click to launch last opened app.
Metronome and Guitar Tuner pls
Anyone, please... Make Metronome app / Guitar Tuner app for Gear S2. Please.........

My Gear S2 Classic verdict after 1 month every day usage

My Gear S2 Classic verdict after 1 month every day use:
Pros:
- Absolutely office compatible, looks great, really nice to wear and not too big for slim-wristed people like me
- Great battery time, runs in between 36h and 48h (I use it for time, notifications from 11 apps and 30 min sport recording every day)
- Excellent display (its AMOLED after all), even in strong daylight
- Probably the very best user interface, the bezel/lunette with the two buttons makes it very intuitive and easy to operate
- Thanks to MRTIMEMAKER endless watch faces (you basically don’t have to buy any…)
- Sturdy build (but also see cons for screen)
- Easy to connect and to administrate via GEAR App on my Samsung S6 edge
- All the apps shipping with it cover all my everyday’s needs
Neutral
- No speaker, I don’t really need it but the alarm clock is a bit lame using vibrations only
- Vibrations are quite weak (had to set it to strong and long duration to surely recognize them)
- HERE maps directions are not always distinct, so I have to look at my phone from time-to-time
- Built-in keyboard is hard to use and not really adapted to a round watch-face
- Currently very few applications in store (but it is getting a bit better everyday)
Cons
- S Voice is inferior to OK Google or Siri but it is needed due to mediocre keyboard
- No integration of Google Maps, Voice Search and only partly support of Google Now notifications (only first notification is displayed)
- Screen is only Gorilla glass, competition uses sapphire glass
- Notifications get overwritten by newer ones if they come from a different app (except for emails and SMS)
- Only the original charger (which is very pricey) works with this smartwatch, even that it seems to use wireless charging standards...
So at a scale from 1 to 10 (10 is best) I would give this watch an 8. With more apps to come it will get a straight 10!
My wishes for apps would be:
- Integration of Google Maps and Voice
- Keyboard alternatives
- Displaying (and editing to some extend) of notes apps like Google Notes, MS Notes etc
- A (working!) sleep tracker
- More information (tags) on currently played music in music app
- A simple(!) stock ticker
Thanks for the review. Min shows up tonight and I am particularly interested in your experience with other chargers. What did you try?
Thanks,
Fred
I totally agree with your review. I bought both S2's. For me, the classic was a little smaller than the 'sport'. The classic should have been larger to justify the $50 extra.
Uses Google Maps.. just a heads up...
Great review and very true. I used the gear s2 (non-classic) for a few weeks before I returned it. I will be getting the 3g version from verizon.
a huge upgrade for me would be the google now notifications all showing. In addition, the sleep tracking option would be great (which apparently will be available at some point based on other discussions online). The no speaker is a bit annoying, and I refuse to walk around with a bluetooth headset just so that I don't have to take my phone out of my pocket. Overall it seems that Samsung did a great job with this watch, and should be able to make it close to a "10" with a few further updates. I did find that the battery life could have been stronger too.
My desires for Samsung would be:
Full view of google now notifications (so basically pulling everything from my google now even if it wasn't a recent notification)
Sleep tracking (with the option of shutting everything on the watch aside from the time and the tracking items)
Customizable "sleep mode" (as opposed to only do not disturb and battery saving mode)
"watch only" mode (it would be nice to have my watch only without any notifications or anything else at times while saving battery-which would turn off all the "ometers", bluetooth, vibration, etc. and just give me the time)
Fast charging (this could hurt battery life, but it would be nice instead of the 2:15 it took to charge from 0-100% even if it's only to get a 25% boost in 10 minutes or whatever on a 250 mah battery... my notes 4 with off 300mah takes an hour to charge)
Overall... GREAT job samsung... really loved the watch. And looking forward to receipt of my 3g version
I have a sport but agree with most of this. I also have a moto 360, and save for the lack of Google maps and s voice instead of Google now, I find the s2 more powerful and enjoyable.
I also find the ui a lot more intuitive. Android wear you just need to memorize which swipe does what, there's nothing to clue you in. On the s2, it is apparent just by looking at it how to do most things.
They have really delivered on this, great first showing for this update to tizen and ui paradigm.
Swap google now for s voice, get Google maps going, offer a larger size, and they have a pretty compelling case to ditch android wear.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Great review, thanks. Any updates since last written? The Gear S2 classic grabbed my attention and since my pebble steel is having issues with it's screen I figure it's time to start shopping. I have a note 5 and don't use S-voice as I find OK google works better, getting the S2 I assume I can't use that. So that brings me over to android wear.
sapphire crystal glass is fare more reflective than gorilla glass, so using it will also make the watch less visible under sunlight.
Mr.time maker is really ****ty it doesn't support anything other than watch face + 2 hands, might as well use the stock watch faces.
jacobgong said:
sapphire crystal glass is fare more reflective than gorilla glass, so using it will also make the watch less visible under sunlight.
Mr.time maker is really ****ty it doesn't support anything other than watch face + 2 hands, might as well use the stock watch faces.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair, Mr timemaker also supports something like three or four complications as well as many cool faces -- all for free. Nice change from stock faces without breaking the bank. For something more complex, then samsung gear watch designer software is a good bet.
sefrcoko said:
To be fair, Mr timemaker also supports something like three or four complications as well as many cool faces -- all for free. Nice change from stock faces without breaking the bank. For something more complex, then samsung gear watch designer software is a good bet.
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Click to collapse
Yes but the complication support is useless because you can't customise it so it never fits with the rest of the watch face.
it disgusts me to see a "tourbillon" watch that just has a Google image of a fixed tourbillon, or a white "complication" that doesn't even fit into the slot of where the complication is supposed to go on the watch face.
jacobgong said:
Yes but the complication support is useless because you can't customise it so it never fits with the rest of the watch face.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works fine with many faces but I agree the lack of customization isn't ideal and doesn't fit well with some designs. If you're looking for something more robust I suggest using Gear Watch Designer.
After 2 months of use, my review of my G2 Classic:
1-Overall a good watch. Looks good, works well enough. I'll keep it.
2-POOR ALARM!! The main reason I use a smart watch is to get notifications and if this is so weak it does not wake me up in the morning or alert me of an email then it is a major fail for the watch.
3-Once I turn off those apps and functions I simply do not need or use (wifi, NFC, etc.) I get 2 days of battery life.
4-Screen is bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight - a major requirement for me.
5-The watch is waterproof - a major requirement for me.
6- The watch works with multiple email programs - a major requirement for me.
7-The watch functions are easy to work with in the most part.
8-Weather and Step Count are poor. The weather doesn't update hourly when you select that option. Only updates when I force it. Steps are off by several hundred from my phone. Not show stoppers, but poor. ((UPDATE - I just deleted all my non-stock Note 4 weather programs and used the one that came with the phone. Lo and behold it now updates hourly. So... use the stock weather app. Problem solved.)) ((CHANGE 2 24 Jan - now it doesn't work. Not sure why.))
9-Samsung Customer Service on this watch sucks. I called a couple of times and got people in India who obviously never heard of the watch and had nothing to offer.
What I"d like to see:
1-Get the damn update out! It's been a couple months and nothing in the US. I hear some of my criticisms will be answer by that.
2-Make the Weather and Step functions work as advertised.
3-FIX THE DAMN VIBRATION!! This is a major fail for the watch and the one reason why I do not recommend it to other professionals. It simply does not help me manage my time and, though I like the watch, had I suspected this I probably would have kept my Pebble. It woke me up in the morning.
4-The ability to set reminders by voice with Google Now off the watch. This is a function I use extensively on my phone and it would be better off my watch. Pebble actually has a separate app that does this as well and that would work too.
Some want more watch faces, more apps, etc. But since I'm not launching nuclear missiles from my watch I really don't want that much functionality. I don't need to see my photos on my watch, control my music, navigate, or many of the other things this watch does. I want some simple health functions, trustworthy notifications, and that's about it. I have one or two watch faces I use and I'm happy with that.
I've had my S2 Classic for 3 days now and I have no issues with notifications. What did you mean by the notifications getting over written? I've not yet had this issue. I can have notifications from sms, google+, facebook etc and can easily act upon them like comment on a google+ post. Unless you meant the same app it'll over write the notification or maybe I miss read. The keyboard I guess is mediocre but isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Is annoying that if you use made up words like nicknames for example you have no option but to press and hold the keys to choose individual specific letters but once you do that once you can save a word and I'm pretty impressed with the text prediction on it. Other than that I can type relatively quickly on it just having to get used to wear all the letters are now I'm used to using a qwerty keyboard on my phone lol.
S-voice is a little bit of a let down and would prefer the option to have google now but again it works better than expected seems to recognize what I say most of the time although is a little slow especially compared to google now. The only real massive fault I don't like about it is the lack of apps but this may improve with time and I hope it does because the bezel feature is pretty cool and it has potential just hope Samsung do all they can to get devs to make apps for it. The watch is smaller than I thought after looking at videos and pictures online but content is still readable and I compared it to my dad's wrist watch and the S2 is slightly bigger but is roughly the same size so helps give the look of an ordinary wrist watch which I like. Plus isn't bulky unlike my sony smart watch first gen.
I keep reading about weak vibrations which is strange. I set my Classic to long/strong vibration settings and always feel the vibration when it goes off. Maybe different on the sporty gear s2? Or just personal preference perhaps.
sefrcoko said:
I keep reading about weak vibrations which is strange. I set my Classic to long/strong vibration settings and always feel the vibration when it goes off. Maybe different on the sporty gear s2? Or just personal preference perhaps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Pebble and the vibration was strong enough to wake me from a deep sleep. The one on my S2 Classic is hard to feel when I'm awake, much less asleep. It's subtle enough that I have missed calls and calendar notifications. Glad it works for you but it sure doesn't work for me. Its several magnitudes weaker than Pebble.
rogerperk said:
I had a Pebble and the vibration was strong enough to wake me from a deep sleep. The one on my S2 Classic is hard to feel when I'm awake, much less asleep. It's subtle enough that I have missed calls and calendar notifications. Glad it works for you but it sure doesn't work for me. Its several magnitudes weaker than Pebble.
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Click to collapse
Ah that makes sense... I never owned a pebble but I can see how going from one device with much stronger vibrations to another one with weaker vibrations might be a problem. I don't use my Classic's alarm for sleep either (although I am a light sleeper anyhow so I imagine it would be ok for me there too lol). Ok, thanks for clearing it up for me. Hopefully samsung pushes out a future update that allows for greater vibration intensity (if the hardware supports it, that is). Personally I wish every smartwatch had a speaker too, so we wouldn't be forced to rely on vibrations all the time
sefrcoko said:
I keep reading about weak vibrations which is strange. I set my Classic to long/strong vibration settings and always feel the vibration when it goes off. Maybe different on the sporty gear s2? Or just personal preference perhaps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
After one month...
CONS
- I want SLEEP TRACKING!!!
- The bug of the alarm HAS TO BE FIXED asap
- There is no sound alarm (very bad)
PRO
- I don't use notification, so my watch is rarely connected, so my battery life is 4 days long (UAU!!!)
- Great screen
- Great usability
- Very elegant (I have the classic)
- Great designer for the watchfaces (attached my own face...)
- For my needs the APPs are sufficent
Final vote: 8 (it will become 9 with the Sleep Tracking)
Harmon Rabb said:
I have a sport but agree with most of this. I also have a moto 360, and save for the lack of Google maps and s voice instead of Google now, I find the s2 more powerful and enjoyable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Huawei Android Wear, and my opinion is the same as yours.
I went back and forth between the two for several weeks, and eventually just accepted the few limitations of the S2 3G vs. AW, and haven't had the Huawei on my wrist now for 3 weeks or so.
I'm a weather buff, so the one thing in addition to OK Google that I missed was the InstaWeather watch faces. They are absolutely awesome, with a really good animated radar face, and several others that are great.
I simply had to wean myself from glancing at my watch to see what's going on weatherwise (animated radar!), what was coming in terms of forecast, etc. It was painful, but not too much, and I found what I feel is among the best weather apps for Android out there, MyWeather. That helped a lot -- incredible graphical information, forecasts, etc.
If you like weather, download this app now, and have fun watching what's going on on the west coast right now as I type this
As for the rest, I really value the ability to make/receive calls, so the speaker is a big plus. The standalone 3G was a great bonus, but now that I've had it a while I'm find it far more valuable as a feature than I initially thought.
So, at this point the only thing I really have as a significant complaint is the poor performance of S-Voice. I've learned (and am still learning) the quirks of the program so that I can make it as successful for me as possible, but it falls far short of Google's voice recognition servers.

Tasker for Gear?? (not TaskS2)

Has anyone come across a Tasker to Gear app other than TaskS2, which is kludgy and frequently disconnects? I contacted the prolific tasker plugin creator (AutoWear, AutoPebble, AutoNotification, etc), and he says there's not enough interest in the Gear to create an AutoGear plugin. VERY unfortunate. Tasker is desperately needed on this watch. If Samsung Pay ever stops working with Pixel, I'm done with Gear.
I'd even pay $20 or more for a quality, working plugin.
+1
I agree, there's so much I could do with a Tasker type app for the Gear S3.
Try contacting the dev of TasGear.
It was better than TaskS2.
The disconnect issue happens when system optimization or any 3rd party optimization apps kill the service which talks to the watch app. Exclude TaskS2 from the optimization list and it should work fine
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
TaskS2 only controls profiles on Tasker on your phone. Being able to control the watch is what would be fantastic.
It's a bit complicated, and very much self-service, but you can get Tasker functionality with Wearable Widgets. When you use it in app form (as opposed to the watch face) it'll send touches to the phone.
This means you can use widget crafters to run tasks. I'm using Zooper Widgets, but you need the paid version of that one. Pretty much any roll-you-own widget app that can talk to Tasker should work. You can build a simple or complex GUI to run whatever you want.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers mobile app
hawkjm73 said:
It's a bit complicated, and very much self-service, but you can get Tasker functionality with Wearable Widgets. When you use it in app form (as opposed to the watch face) it'll send touches to the phone.
This means you can use widget crafters to run tasks. I'm using Zooper Widgets, but you need the paid version of that one. Pretty much any roll-you-own widget app that can talk to Tasker should work. You can build a simple or complex GUI to run whatever you want.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine that'll suck the battery though, given it's pushing widgets from the phone to the watch.
In my case, I'd like to have things like when my phone is put into silent mode, the watch also goes into silent mode. When I dismiss my phone alarm in the morning, turn the watch brightness to full and enable AOD.
That sort of thing would be amazing, not sure this would be achievable with that method. if it was, it would be rather messy I think.
the_scotsman said:
I imagine that'll suck the battery though, given it's pushing widgets from the phone to the watch.
In my case, I'd like to have things like when my phone is put into silent mode, the watch also goes into silent mode. When I dismiss my phone alarm in the morning, turn the watch brightness to full and enable AOD.
That sort of thing would be amazing, not sure this would be achievable with that method. if it was, it would be rather messy I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The silent part is possible but the rest is not. Currently, Samsung gives very limited control to the watch settings.
Just FYI. Developer of TaskS2 just said he will be updating his app (in response to suggestion it had been abandoned with no updates in a year). It's too bad the AutoXXX developer isn't interested, but I appreciate anything I can get on this watch. I miss my pebble with tasker
any new news on this?

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