Gear S2 Compatability with Google Maps/Voice - Samsung Gear S2

Hey all, after having my 1st gen moto 360 die on me (because of water damage of all things...) I'm in the market for a new smartwatch. I'm looking at the new moto 360 or the huawei watch, but the moto 360 doesn't have the parts I want on UK moto maker yet, and the huawei watch is a little out of my budget at the minute (around £300 for the huawei watch on offer).
I know the gear S2 doesn't have google now/google voice search or google maps support, but I've been hearing loads of conflicting things about it so I thought I'd put the question to you guys to settle this once and for all.
I have an HTC One (M8) and one of the things I used my 360 for the most was saying "navigate to [x]" while I'm driving, having google work out where I mean by that (it has home and work stored in it, and I found out the other day that if I give it the name of a place then it will find it on google maps for me) and bringing up maps on my phone. If I get the gear S2 will I still be able to do this? I've seen some people say that speaking into s voice brings up google search on any non-samsung device, which would be perfect for me, but do any gear S2 owners know whether or not this is 100% the case before I buy? It'll be kind of a dealbreaker if I can't do this, but I really want one because tizen actually looks like a really slick and smooth experience on the watch.
Just fyi, also looking at the sony smartwatch 3 or the LG watch urbane (both of which I don't really like the look of) so if you have any comments or recommendations I'd be happy to take them

Related

is the sw2 aging well?

How long has it been out? What's it's future look like? How does it compete with the competition? How much has it evolved? Are things gonna keep looking better or worse?
the SW2 was released late september, 2013
i don't expect a very bright future, to be honest
even though it evolved to a very useable smartwatch, thanks to firmware updates, i think the next batch of smartwatches will be much more popular
several google wear watches are expected to be announced during google i/o, one of them the Moto 360, which might just be the smartwatch a lot of people have been waiting for because of it's looks (watches ARE considered juwelry, so why not have something good looking)
compared to watches currently released, the SW2 still has an edge i think, thanks to:
-transflective display, sure it's cool to have a high-res display, but if you can't read it outside...
-extensions, giving you all kind of extra functionality notifications
-watch face editor, i think they really hit the mark there
-battery life, 3-4 days
but the watch is showing it's age
i don't know if it's because Sony added the watch face widgets so long after releasing the watch, or that the watch simply isn't that popular, but somehow i expected an explosion of watchface widgets, which simply hasn't happened
and i don't think it will happen
don't get me wrong, i'm a very happy user, thanks to the last update, watchface widgets and notifications (too bad Sony won't listen and give me (us?) a selectable screen timeout), if i leave my watch at home i miss it all day long
but the Moto 360 does look amazing...
Had mine 2 days & I love it but, yeah, ^ what he said.
JarlSX said:
the SW2 was released late september, 2013
i don't expect a very bright future, to be honest
even though it evolved to a very useable smartwatch, thanks to firmware updates, i think the next batch of smartwatches will be much more popular
several google wear watches are expected to be announced during google i/o, one of them the Moto 360, which might just be the smartwatch a lot of people have been waiting for because of it's looks (watches ARE considered juwelry, so why not have something good looking)
compared to watches currently released, the SW2 still has an edge i think, thanks to:
-transflective display, sure it's cool to have a high-res display, but if you can't read it outside...
-extensions, giving you all kind of extra functionality notifications
-watch face editor, i think they really hit the mark there
-battery life, 3-4 days
but the watch is showing it's age
i don't know if it's because Sony added the watch face widgets so long after releasing the watch, or that the watch simply isn't that popular, but somehow i expected an explosion of watchface widgets, which simply hasn't happened
and i don't think it will happen
don't get me wrong, i'm a very happy user, thanks to the last update, watchface widgets and notifications (too bad Sony won't listen and give me (us?) a selectable screen timeout), if i leave my watch at home i miss it all day long
but the Moto 360 does look amazing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think a lot of People don't even know that there are Smartwatches from other Manufactures, here in Switzerland (where I live), the only official selled Smartwatches are the Samsung ones...The most People here don't know that Sony made Smartwatches too.
Except from that, a lot of People don't see why they should need a Smartwatch, they're always on the Phone, so why should they buy an Accessory which hasn't any use for them?
And then, there's the look of these things. The most Smartwatches are in a rectangular shape...How many People have you seen wearing a "normal" Watch with a rectangular design? Maybe a few, but not much. People like their watches with circular design - and that's where the Moto 360 comes in.
The Sony Smartwatch 2 will probably get a replacement soon with the same (or slightly upgraded) firmware of the SW2, but it hasn't any chance to sell as good as Android Wear devices will, for that, Sony has to deliver more than one Watch, Maybe a circular and rectangular, and a few color options sure won't hurt, and they have to advert this thing! I have never seen any Ad for the SW2 here in Switzerland (The Gear Ad is running almost 24/7 on TV - well , not as much, but it feels like), and there are posters everywhere with the Gear on it! You even get the Gear for free if you buy a new Samsung- Phone here...
Sony should get the marketing right for the upcoming SW3, otherwise they will loose the fight.
i actually don't know anyone (friends, family, co-workers) who has a smartwatch
people respond amazed when they see i get email/facebook/twitter/etc notifications on my watch (or if someone calls me), but that didn't result in anyone wanting one as well
maybe that will change when they see a more fashionable watch like the Moto 360...
Same here! Got SW1, 2 and a Pebble and everyone is astonished but never saw another smartwatch in the wild...
Envoyé depuis mon SM-N9005
at homedepot
I'm a cashier and I see probably around 30% OF WATCHES ARE SQUARR. ITV WAS OBVIOUSLY COMMON IN OLDER DESIGNS
In my opinion - no, it is not aging well when compared with the Android Wear devices on the horizon. On it's own the SW2 is not a bad device and I have enjoyed using mine over the last few months but I have now sold it in anticipation of the new Android Wear products and I shall be picking up a Moto 360 or LG G Watch.
Why's everyone buying into the Android Wear hype? It's basically a screen for your Google Now notifications. With a microphone built in. And batteries 10 times the size of the SW2 but with less lifetime.
ngoonee said:
Why's everyone buying into the Android Wear hype? It's basically a screen for your Google Now notifications. With a microphone built in. And batteries 10 times the size of the SW2 but with less lifetime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because Google supports it natively meaning app devs will be able to easily adapt their apps to utilize it. No hacks and third party apps needed in order to function on the watch. Obviously there are many things still unknown like battery life and general functionality but it's likely to be better supported.
Sent from my XT1080 using XDA Free mobile app
Gahh! Having a bit of headache over this question too. Will android wear kill the SW2? Reason is I´m planning to get a smartwatch for a gift to an event this weekend. The SW2 and Pebble is out here in Sweden, but there´s no word on release for the Android wear watches (we´re not one of the contries google announced the other day).
And I really want to hand over a real, physical device. Not a gift certificate saying "you´ll get a cool device sometimes in the future".
Was really set on getting the SW2 for this gift but now I don´t know...

Which Smartwatch to get for 2015

Hey everyone,
I'm considering a smartwatch for Christmas this year. Since the new round of watches is out i'd like to get some input on which one to get.
I really like the look of the moto 360. It's really minimalistic. My Priorities would be: Round display, Android Wear, not too thick/heavy/Plasticy.
I like the look of the new samsung offerings, but Tizen rules them out.
The Zenwatch looks nice on pictures, but square display and big frames around it really doesn't look that nice in person.
Which watch would you get, and which is the all around best offering for the current generation?
i had the GEAR S and its better than Moto 360. but the new 360 will be the next option.
tizen in really good...
Tizen might be good now, but from my experience, everything thats Manufacturer proprietary (especially Samsung) doesn't get as much updates (if any) and no development at all. So Android Wear is a must...
domsch1988 said:
Hey everyone,
I'm considering a smartwatch for Christmas this year
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too
I posted my Moto 360 42mm vs Huawei Watch pros and cons over on the Moto 360 2nd Gen forums:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63194709&postcount=4
Have a read down the whole thread to get some good insights from others too. These are the three I'm considering, as I'm only interested in Android Wear:
Huawei Watch forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/huawei-watch
Moto 260 2nd Gen forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-360-2015
Asus Zenwatch 2 forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenwatch-2
Pretty much decided on the 42mm Moto 360 though! :good:
There are lots of good video reviews on YouTube too.
Intresting opinions guys.
My gift to myself was Gear S2 4g from Tmobile. Ability to make a phone call from the watch was a tipping point and LG Urbane 2 was recalled
domsch1988 said:
Hey everyone,
I'm considering a smartwatch for Christmas this year. Since the new round of watches is out i'd like to get some input on which one to get.
I really like the look of the moto 360. It's really minimalistic. My Priorities would be: Round display, Android Wear, not too thick/heavy/Plasticy.
I like the look of the new samsung offerings, but Tizen rules them out.
The Zenwatch looks nice on pictures, but square display and big frames around it really doesn't look that nice in person.
Which watch would you get, and which is the all around best offering for the current generation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like Gear S2 Classic 3G to hit US market soon. It's released on Asia already. Gear S2 Classic currently sold in US is Wifi only.
GEAR S
Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk
Sony smart watch 3 is best I have used
Embedded gps, custom kernels
I had the zenwatch
Sony is much faster
Also charge 10 times as fast
Gear S Original.
After some research, I decided to go for the Pebble Time. No fancy stuff, just functionality, great battery life and great support from the community.
I like my LG Urbane ... does the job nicely for me with pretty good battery life.
I have been through a pebble time, several AW watches and the samsung s2.
android wear has great features, more being added all the time, but getting them all to work reliably is more than troublesome (connectivity issues too). the gear s2 worked a bit more reliably, but naturally samsung screwed it all up by keeping everything proprietary, including but not limited to S-voice, which sucks... real hard.
i was waiting around with my Huawei watch for the speaker update to hit, but got to thinking about my overall experience and the lackluster of making calls on the watch.
i have reverted to the pebble time. it just works. i can't say the same about any of the others. i am a bit of a power user so things have to work for me. pebble time steel on the way.
Melissakis said:
After some research, I decided to go for the Pebble Time. No fancy stuff, just functionality, great battery life and great support from the community.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally I love my Pebble Time Steel
Few days back I've buyed myself a Moto 360, and I gotta say I'm really happy with it. It works like a charm. I'm really suprised that you need just max. 30min to charge it from 0-100%. Do you have any awesome watchfaces that you recommend???
Kinsman-UK said:
Me too
I posted my Moto 360 42mm vs Huawei Watch pros and cons over on the Moto 360 2nd Gen forums:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=63194709&postcount=4
Have a read down the whole thread to get some good insights from others too. These are the three I'm considering, as I'm only interested in Android Wear:
Huawei Watch forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/huawei-watch
Moto 260 2nd Gen forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-360-2015
Asus Zenwatch 2 forums: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenwatch-2
Pretty much decided on the 42mm Moto 360 though! :good:
There are lots of good video reviews on YouTube too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Moto 360 1st gen for more than a year now and trying to find another watch for update. I tried several smartwatches on and compared the feel of Huawei, Moto 360 2nd gen, LG Urbane and Gear S2 @bestbuy. Strangely enough LG Urbane was looking the most masculine and robust, have some solid build feel to them. Needless to say that the screen is very sharp OLED [something that Motos 360 lacking] and packing 400mAh battery in! I'm wondering how they do in terms of music playback. I workout a lot and just use my Moto 360 with bluetooth headset (Plantronics Back Beat Fit something) and it works good, decent SQ but battery life is just for 1 hour of playback, may be 1h 20m max. So I always have to charge, be at 100% on my watch before each workout. Can someone comment on SQ and battery life at such scenario? Thanx
Another option is Gear S2 and they look fine, being tiny and light can be an advantage at the gym, right? Apparently it'll be easier to hide them under the sleeve (of hoodie or shirt). But that tiny 250mAh battery? Can it even handle 1h workout with non-stop music playback? May be Tizen is more energy efficient than AndroidWear? Can someone comment as well. Thanx in advance!
I also wonder if Tizen has better and more user friendly Music app (on a watch) because the one of AndroidWear is ugly, buggy and more of an afterthought or early alpha built! Like you gotta scroll thru your whole library, say 30 albums, to turn shuffle on! Syncing is a mess too!
If I don't use my Moto 360 as standalone mp3 player then it rocks 2 days easily on a single charge! Notifications, voice control and other stuff work just fine!
alexsoin said:
I'm using Moto 360 1st gen for more than a year now and trying to find another watch for update. I tried several smartwatches on and compared the feel of Huawei, Moto 360 2nd gen, LG Urbane and Gear S2 @bestbuy. Strangely enough LG Urbane was looking the most masculine and robust, have some solid build feel to them. Needless to say that the screen is very sharp OLED [something that Motos 360 lacking] and packing 400mAh battery in! I'm wondering how they do in terms of music playback. I workout a lot and just use my Moto 360 with bluetooth headset (Plantronics Back Beat Fit something) and it works good, decent SQ but battery life is just for 1 hour of playback, may be 1h 20m max. So I always have to charge, be at 100% on my watch before each workout. Can someone comment on SQ and battery life at such scenario? Thanx
Another option is Gear S2 and they look fine, being tiny and light can be an advantage at the gym, right? Apparently it'll be easier to hide them under the sleeve (of hoodie or shirt). But that tiny 250mAh battery? Can it even handle 1h workout with non-stop music playback? May be Tizen is more energy efficient than AndroidWear? Can someone comment as well. Thanx in advance!
I also wonder if Tizen has better and more user friendly Music app (on a watch) because the one of AndroidWear is ugly, buggy and more of an afterthought or early alpha built! Like you gotta scroll thru your whole library, say 30 albums, to turn shuffle on! Syncing is a mess too!
If I don't use my Moto 360 as standalone mp3 player then it rocks 2 days easily on a single charge! Notifications, voice control and other stuff work just fine!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the s2 is beautiful, and Tizen has much less bloat than Android. I got about 2 days out of it easy while i had it. the battery life is much more stable than with Android Wear too. very consistent. i cant speak for the music app, but if you poke around on the web youll likely find that Tizen would be much more suitable.
all of that said... none of them work very well. it took me months of playing with different watches to recognize that the technology just isnt very developed, and that these watches are all seriously lacking somehow. it's going to be at least another year or two before youre able to reliably and consistently get the performance you are looking for.
i bought a pebble steel and a pebble time steel for the price of one of those watches, and i am much much happier now. it's primitive in relativity, but it actually works.
alexsoin said:
I also wonder if Tizen has better and more user friendly Music app (on a watch) because the one of AndroidWear is ugly, buggy and more of an afterthought or early alpha built! Like you gotta scroll thru your whole library, say 30 albums, to turn shuffle on! Syncing is a mess too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use mine much for music control or playing music direct from the watch, but when I do I use PowerAmp and PowerAmp Remote for Android Wear (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.nefastudio.android.nfpoweramp_wear). It allows me to browse my entire music collection (stored on external SD on my Note 4) from my watch by Artist, Album or Folder - very handy! You also have access to EQ controls etc direct from the watch. The PowerAmp Remote can be started direct from your watch without taking out your phone.
I've found this to be pretty much all I need, although I do also use WearMedia when I want to play music direct from the watch (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=qubin.de.wearmedia) which is excellent.
I would be very hesitant to go the Tizen route, as I've found that I can find an app for almost anything I want on Android Wear, but I very much doubt that would be the case on Tizen.
Kinsman-UK said:
I don't use mine much for music control or playing music direct from the watch, but when I do I use PowerAmp and PowerAmp Remote for Android Wear (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.nefastudio.android.nfpoweramp_wear). It allows me to browse my entire music collection (stored on external SD on my Note 4) from my watch by Artist, Album or Folder - very handy! You also have access to EQ controls etc direct from the watch. The PowerAmp Remote can be started direct from your watch without taking out your phone.
I've found this to be pretty much all I need, although I do also use WearMedia when I want to play music direct from the watch (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=qubin.de.wearmedia) which is excellent.
I would be very hesitant to go the Tizen route, as I've found that I can find an app for almost anything I want on Android Wear, but I very much doubt that would be the case on Tizen.
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Click to collapse
I gotta try WearMedia and see how music playback and files transfer works, IMO even slightest improvements over PlayMusic (google junk) will be a win! Thanks a bunch.
I use PowerAmp on my Note 4 as well but I prefer to leave it in a locker room while I'm working out. Less distractions and device is kinda bulky
---------- Post added at 09:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 AM ----------
WaxysDargle said:
the s2 is beautiful, and Tizen has much less bloat than Android. I got about 2 days out of it easy while i had it. the battery life is much more stable than with Android Wear too. very consistent. i cant speak for the music app, but if you poke around on the web youll likely find that Tizen would be much more suitable.
all of that said... none of them work very well. it took me months of playing with different watches to recognize that the technology just isnt very developed, and that these watches are all seriously lacking somehow. it's going to be at least another year or two before youre able to reliably and consistently get the performance you are looking for.
i bought a pebble steel and a pebble time steel for the price of one of those watches, and i am much much happier now. it's primitive in relativity, but it actually works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't personally call regular S2 beautiful S2 Calssic is better but not worth 400 bucks it's sold for. I don't have experience with Tizen and majority of reviews isn't good tho! AndroidWear's bloat apparently makes notifications and voice controls much more useful than those on Tizen. Gotta do some more research I guess. Pebbles isn't my thing since they couldn't be used as standalone mp3 players! Thanx
alexsoin said:
I gotta try WearMedia and see how music playback and files transfer works, IMO even slightest improvements over PlayMusic (google junk) will be a win! Thanks a bunch.
I use PowerAmp on my Note 4 as well but I prefer to leave it in a locker room while I'm working out. Less distractions and device is kinda bulky
---------- Post added at 09:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 AM ----------
I wouldn't personally call regular S2 beautiful S2 Calssic is better but not worth 400 bucks it's sold for. I don't have experience with Tizen and majority of reviews isn't good tho! AndroidWear's bloat apparently makes notifications and voice controls much more useful than those on Tizen. Gotta do some more research I guess. Pebbles isn't my thing since they couldn't be used as standalone mp3 players! Thanx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya, sorry, i meant the s2 classic.
tizen is solid. i was very skeptical but after owning one it was waaaay better than i thought. android wear has serious issues that tizen does not. the main thing lacking on tizen is voice command. its horrible. notifications on tizen were much more reliable than android wear

gear s2 worth it?

Hi,
I'm tempted to get a gear s2, initially I liked the moto 360 and even the LG Urbane was quite tempting, but the gear s2 is just the perfect smart watch design with the rotating bezel. My only concern is lack of apps at the moment. Sadly I can't seem to access the gear s2 app store without owning an S2 so I can't look at apps available. Also a shame google now isn't part of it despite it running tizen, is S-voice any good on the S2?
For those who own the S2, what apps are available at the moment and are apps like facebook, gmail etc available or at least a good alternative so that you can look at newsfeed or something? Also do you feel like apps are being developed quite quickly or do you reckon developers wouldn't bother with the gear s2?
Best reason to have this watch is its look, especially Classic variant with its interchangeable bands. Rotating bezel is also a great feature which makes this watch unique.
Battery is much good comapred to its rivals, you can be sure it will last full day with very high usage. I charge my watch once per 2 days. appstore is poor for now though.
Some find this watch small, but it`s matter of taste.
For those who own the S2, what apps are available at the moment and are apps like facebook, gmail etc available or at least a good alternative so that you can look at newsfeed or something? Also do you feel like apps are being developed quite quickly or do you reckon developers wouldn't bother with the gear s2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Development pace is not as quick as I`d wish for now. You have few apps for news like CNN, Flipboard News Briefing and Bloomberg.
No social apps and to be honest, I don`t need them on my watch. You can always get notification form Facabook, Twitter, Gmail, etc.
Would you recommend this watch over an android wear watch?
I have had the pebble, lg g watch, and moto 360 but i enjoy my gear s2 the best
I tried the S2 Classic, Moto 360 2nd Gen, LG Urbane and the Huawei Watch and the Huawei is BY FAR My Favorite Watch...
I still prefer the Gear 2.
Samsung do the basics well but S Voice is useless. App wise Samsung are much the same bet I think these watches are just for key notifications not dozens of clumsy apps.
I have Moto 360, Huawei Watch and just ordered Gear S2 (dont tell the wife!) I love the Huawei Watch but the rotating bezel is the killer function for me.
Sent from my SM-N9208 using Tapatalk
Yeah the Huawei watch looks nice, only thing bad about it is the way it charges, moto360 and gear s2 is how a smart watch should be charged. But agreed the gear s2's rotating bezel is the best smart watch control shame it doesn't run android wear like a custom version of it so it works well with the bezel. Just hope app developers see the potential in the gear s2 over the previous gear watch as compared with android wear watches and the apple watch, I'm not sure developers are going to see any point in spending time and money developing for a watch that isn't going to sell. So I'm hoping the rotating bezel is enough to get people to buy it and get developers wanting to develop apps for it.
I bought a Huawei watch at the same time I got my Gear S2 Classic, and I returned the Huawei a few days later. My feelings are much the same as they were a year and a half ago when I was choosing between the original Pebble and the LG G Watch: while Android Wear might have more developer support and therefore more apps, it is a horrible OS. Google has put all its faith into a combination of voice control and automated content; most of the time you're relying on what Google Now decides you want to see, rather than what you actually want to see, and getting anything else without using voice control means hunting through a menu system that is downright irritating - an impression that's made worse by the swiping every whichway on notifications, which often doesn't work how you'd expect. Tizen doesn't have a lot of developer support yet and if you don't have a Samsung phone it's even worse since you can't get paid apps at this point, but it is a much better OS, hands-down. And really, what is a smartwatch for? Do you need to be able to browse eBay and swipe people on Tinder from a tiny screen on your wrist? I don't. I want a smartwatch to eliminate all the times in a day I would otherwise pull my phone out of my pocket for ten seconds or less, and that means showing me notifications, letting me send quick responses, displaying my calendar and the weather, and maybe other useful watch tools like timer/stopwatch. The Gear S2 does all that perfectly well, with a better OS and better hardware than any Android Wear device. With all the coverage this watch is getting apps may come in larger numbers, but if they don't, I'm happy.
To each his own, I love Android Wear. For me the Rotating Bezel is cool and all, but APP support is the HUGE issue. I think by the time Developers make APPS the S2 Classic will be obsolete. I have both and the one thing I notice is that the display (to me) is a lot clearer and I love the fact that you can change watch faces. I'm keeping the S2 Classic to see what the future has in store for it. For now the Huawei Watch is my Daily Driver.
So far I'm thinking no its not. Hardly any apps mostly just watch faces. My battery makes it half a day and I think that's because it's always lighting up even when I'm not looking at it. No social apps. Ebay only works if connected by bluetooth so no notifications on an item ending soon if your away from your phone. I just don't see it as a stand alone device if I can't text or use apps without my phone nearby. O and there is no browser at all which is weird seeing as how it has 3g connection.
I moved from a 360 to the S2 because sometimes I don't want voice commands. No regrets. I love the build quality, bezel and how Samsung decided to manage access, notifications to the left and apps the the right then widgets more to the right. It does most of the things I want on my wrist and a great job of passing off to my phone. I would like a search and loyalty card app. More important than tizen apps is getting continuing to improve the Gear app so it hooks in better with non Samsung watches and iPhones.
Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk

Gear s2 apps

Hi,
I'm looking to get a Gear S2 soon though one concern is lack of apps, not a major deal as the only smart watch I've owned is a Sony Smart watch MN2 (first gen) though does have quite a few apps even a remote camera to view phones camera on the watch and take pics remotely.
Just wanting an idea of what apps or games are available on the Gear S2 and are Gear S apps still compatible on the S2?
There aren't a ton compared to android wear. Most of the ones I need are built in (fitness & notifications) and they work well. I don't play games on my watch.
Not sure about gear s compatibility.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
I think the whole apps on the phone thing is overrated. First and foremost it's a time piece. Second it's there to notify you of information. That notification should drive you to pick up your phone now or later. I had the M360 Gen2 but couldn't do something simple that my Gear Fit did which was act on a phone call by responding with a text or ignoring it. Also I was unable to snooze an alarm for later action. Both actions I could complete on my $45 refurbed Gear Fit that didn't have apps. I know I'm ranting a bit but buy the S2 for what it is not because the app store is thin right now.

Questions from a android wear user

So I am a first gen moto 360 user till this day. Unfortunately the battery, fragile band and overall watch is seeming to show its age to me finally. I am currently using a nexus 6p and have no intention of jumping over to a samsung device as I dont quite enjoy touchwiz or the update cycles outside of direct google devices. While shopping around for options I keep finding myself drawn to this watch which doesnt seem out of the ordinary since they are pretty difficult to come by outside of ebay here in the states at the moment. I do have some questions since I do use a few of what I consider the basics of the google ecosystem daily and the samsung reps at the few bestbuys I visited were less than helpful in solving my problems (surprising I know).
- I am a big google now user with my moto 360 and phone, I know s voice doesnt come close but how does it react with commands like "what time is **** open until" or "call **** on 123 main street". Specifics like that are what I love. Or simply the reminder feature based on location and not simply time.
- I am also worried about how it will handle or if it can even handle the notifications and controls for my google music or google messenger since from what I gather anything outside of samsung apps can be a bit spotty.
- I just read in another thread that google maps does exist on the samsung app store so if thats true would it sync up with my phone navigation or work independently (I dont plan to get the lte model or if I do, I dont plan on using it stand alone since I am on verizon).
I find myself at a crossroad since I really enjoy the idea of samsung pay on my watch since that is one of if not the main feature I am jealous of the samsung devices for, but to give up all the other android wear features I seem to live with seems like more cons than pros at this time. I dont seem too thrilled with any of the other android wear watches and with their future looking grim I fear the pickings are becoming more and more slim as time progress'.
My first smart watch was the original Moto 360 as well. Like you, I was hesitant to move to a Tizen based smart watch. After owning the Fro tier for almost a month now, I can say this watch is a significant upgrade over the Moto 360, and the Tizen operating system has several advantages over Android Wear.
1. Battery life is significantly better. I can get two days with AOD on, and 3-4 days with AOD off.
2. Samsung Pay alone is worth the upgrade.
3. The UI and rotating bezel are superior to Android Wear.
Cons:
1. S Voice isn't as good as Google Now. I am not able to to the things you like to do with Google Now. To be honest, I didn't use Google Now as much as you do. While I may not be able to find out when a particular place closes, it is adequate enough to send a text or call someone using my voice. As a side note, I changed my command to respond to "Hey Google." I wanted to make it different than my phone, so I wouldn't trigger both.
2. Boy, I can't think of anything else. Just get the Gear S3. You won't regret it.
ttown said:
My first smart watch was the original Moto 360 as well. Like you, I was hesitant to move to a Tizen based smart watch. After owning the Fro tier for almost a month now, I can say this watch is a significant upgrade over the Moto 360, and the Tizen operating system has several advantages over Android Wear.
1. Battery life is significantly better. I can get two days with AOD on, and 3-4 days with AOD off.
2. Samsung Pay alone is worth the upgrade.
3. The UI and rotating bezel are superior to Android Wear.
Cons:
1. S Voice isn't as good as Google Now. I am not able to to the things you like to do with Google Now. To be honest, I didn't use Google Now as much as you do. While I may not be able to find out when a particular place closes, it is adequate enough to send a text or call someone using my voice. As a side note, I changed my command to respond to "Hey Google." I wanted to make it different than my phone, so I wouldn't trigger both.
2. Boy, I can't think of anything else. Just get the Gear S3. You won't regret it.
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Appreciate the input. How about the maps navigation connection? Also I see they are just now getting Spotify to work but it seems more stand alone. Know if other apps like Google play music work well enough with controls?
NyPlaya513 said:
Appreciate the input. How about the maps navigation connection? Also I see they are just now getting Spotify to work but it seems more stand alone. Know if other apps like Google play music work well enough with controls?
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Google maps doesn't work (at least not right out of the box), but there is an app you can download. I thought I would miss this since I use my phone for navigation, but I haven't missed it one bit. Now that Android Auto works on the phone, I have been using that. I think I used the Motorola 360 for navigation while I was walking twice in two years.
I haven't tried Spotify because I use Google Play Music. The controls for GPM work the same they do on the Moto 360. The music is played through the phone, not the watch just like in the Moto 360.
One more thing that was a concern for me before buying. I use Verizon Messages+ instead of the Samsung Messages app and was concerned I wouldn't be able to reply to messages. I am able to reply and create texts from the watch using Verizon Meaages+ without an issue. I created a thread walking you through how to make this work. It is very easy.
Alright well you talked me into it. Luckily today Best Buy got both models back in stock. I ordered the classic to be here on Friday and although I like the grip on the bezel for the Frontier Model better, I do like the stylish and more professional look in my opinion of the classic Model. Luckily if I don't like the classic after a few days I am a silver member and can simply swap with the frontier LOL.
Coming from a Moto360 1st gen too.
Owning a Nexus 6p too!
Heavy Google Now user too!!!!
So I guess we share something.
I was also hesitant but finally decided to buy it. So now I own a Gear S3 Frontier.
1- S Voice? Almost useless. I am so disappointed about this. My only hope is that software related issues eventually get a solution.
2- Notifications and control handling is superb. Not only for Spotify (recently added to Tizen market) but Google Play music or whatever you may be streaming to your Chromecast.
3- Maps? I still don't see the point using a map on the wrist. Never used it on my Moto360 (probably due to the overwhelming battery drain issue).
That's what I can tell after a month.
Sorry if I am late and I hope you find my comments useful.
flasflus said:
Maps? I still don't see the point using a map on the wrist.
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As wrist based GPS for pedestrian use is very useful for directions when waking around on foot. It's better than walking around holding your cellphone out in front of your face in order to refer to directions.

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