Do you think there is a market intelligence you watch in the future?Can you prospects for smart watches?
Fall Dection : Safety - Answer & Question - Sort of Urgent
abmin said:
Do you think there is a market intelligence you watch in the future?Can you prospects for smart watches?
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Hi, as a noob I apologise if I have posted this in the incorrect place, however, this is both a request for help and a reply to your question.
I have a medical issue causing me to leave the military. Without telling the whole story, in the space of 2 years after coming back from sea, I was wiped out twice on my first and second ZX-6 Ninja (idiot did right hand turn in front of me, second rammed me on my new one at a red light) then I was rammed from behind in my car by an idiot who decided to double the speed limit). Then I was rammed from behind at another red light by an idiot who hit the idiot behind me. Then I was ripped out of the passenger side of my wife's car after coming off the freeway, by another moron who then whacked me in the face twice with a piece of firewood, sending me unconscious. Total 13 surgeries, 2 broken hands, 1 broken arm, 2 broken shoulders, a broken neck, broken knee, broken nose and to top it off I have severe nerve pain in my dominant right hand, and due to meds I have collapsed multiple times and have dislocated my fingers diving off my balcony in my sleep. So to try and get some sort of safety device installed in my house that could detect if I fall DVA suggested a unit that relied on mercury switches, a transceiver, transponder and a physical connection to my home phone total $2000 and a waste of time as the thing goes off every five minutes when you lay down which I do due to constant headaches and migraines, so pretty useless. As a Military Communications Electronics Technician I could have built the thing myself using an arduino and some sensors. So having an iPhone 5 with every sensor under the sun I went searching the Apple App Store. Pointless nothing worked even with my jail broken phone that would run in the background and just activate when needed. So having had multiple android phones and I still have an Asus TF101 (rooted) so I did a search on Google Play and there are half a dozen apps that do exactly what I want (almost). So I grabbed a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, best I could find battery, sensor. Processor and Memory wise. It works a treat, except for 1. When its charging 2. In my backpack whilst I'm on the train (so no one nicks it from me) 3. When I'm driving 4. When I just don't feel like having a massive phone in my pocket and I want to put it down. Keeping in mind I have it in an Otterbox Defender ATM and I am considering getting a ZeroLemon case with 10000mAh battery. So I believe a secondary device wirelessly connected to my perfectly good phone (save for those examples above) which I can use to Stop Alarm Conditions (I am trialling an App called Fade and it is the best so far) when I have the phone away from me (in pocket, in car, backpack etc) now this App 1 Sends an SMS to my wife 2 sends an email to my Carer 3 Dials my wife, opens the circuit, she can hear what's going on if I am moaning or groaning or I'm making a cup of tea. My wife being a cop gets a pretty good response, the last time it was three cops and three ambos kicking me out into consciousness. Now with the selection of watches that are available now, I'm tossing up between the Sony SW2 and the Samsung Gear ( if someone can programme the thing to open a video feed from my wrist it would be awesome). Problem without having them I cannot try them out and figure out which is best.
Now I know there are pendants you can get (I doubt I'm going to have a heart attack and be awake to trigger it) . To me it just makes good sense to have a watch and a phone combination that can give me the security to know that if I collapse whilst looking after my daughter (she's not even 2) then my Carer or my wife can get to my home or have emergency services get here and secure my daughter. Then look after me if I'm still ticking. So that is my answer and question.
If this isn't a bad joke, Wow man ... My jaw is on the floor. What an unlucky streak you had. Well this might be the right time to acquire a new device in the form of a smart wrist device. This week at CES companies are announcing their new devices. LG already announced a wrist band type of a device which also doubles as a watch. The neat thing is with the special headphones it cones with it can monitor your hearth beats as well. http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/06/lg-lifeband-touch-heart-rate-monitor-earphones/ checkt it out. Also there will be more smartwatches announced this week. You can just pick one to your liking.
Samsung galaxy gear is nice with all the bells and the whistles but the problem is the battery life. SW2 has less but better battery life. But I believe there will be better devices hopefully very soon.
Sent from my HTC One SV using Tapatalk
DontCopIt said:
Hi, as a noob I apologise if I have posted this in the incorrect place, however, this is both a request for help and a reply to your question.
I have a medical issue causing me to leave the military. Without telling the whole story, in the space of 2 years after coming back from sea, I was wiped out twice on my first and second ZX-6 Ninja (idiot did right hand turn in front of me, second rammed me on my new one at a red light) then I was rammed from behind in my car by an idiot who decided to double the speed limit). Then I was rammed from behind at another red light by an idiot who hit the idiot behind me. Then I was ripped out of the passenger side of my wife's car after coming off the freeway, by another moron who then whacked me in the face twice with a piece of firewood, sending me unconscious. Total 13 surgeries, 2 broken hands, 1 broken arm, 2 broken shoulders, a broken neck, broken knee, broken nose and to top it off I have severe nerve pain in my dominant right hand, and due to meds I have collapsed multiple times and have dislocated my fingers diving off my balcony in my sleep. So to try and get some sort of safety device installed in my house that could detect if I fall DVA suggested a unit that relied on mercury switches, a transceiver, transponder and a physical connection to my home phone total $2000 and a waste of time as the thing goes off every five minutes when you lay down which I do due to constant headaches and migraines, so pretty useless. As a Military Communications Electronics Technician I could have built the thing myself using an arduino and some sensors. So having an iPhone 5 with every sensor under the sun I went searching the Apple App Store. Pointless nothing worked even with my jail broken phone that would run in the background and just activate when needed. So having had multiple android phones and I still have an Asus TF101 (rooted) so I did a search on Google Play and there are half a dozen apps that do exactly what I want (almost). So I grabbed a Samsung Galaxy Note 3, best I could find battery, sensor. Processor and Memory wise. It works a treat, except for 1. When its charging 2. In my backpack whilst I'm on the train (so no one nicks it from me) 3. When I'm driving 4. When I just don't feel like having a massive phone in my pocket and I want to put it down. Keeping in mind I have it in an Otterbox Defender ATM and I am considering getting a ZeroLemon case with 10000mAh battery. So I believe a secondary device wirelessly connected to my perfectly good phone (save for those examples above) which I can use to Stop Alarm Conditions (I am trialling an App called Fade and it is the best so far) when I have the phone away from me (in pocket, in car, backpack etc) now this App 1 Sends an SMS to my wife 2 sends an email to my Carer 3 Dials my wife, opens the circuit, she can hear what's going on if I am moaning or groaning or I'm making a cup of tea. My wife being a cop gets a pretty good response, the last time it was three cops and three ambos kicking me out into consciousness. Now with the selection of watches that are available now, I'm tossing up between the Sony SW2 and the Samsung Gear ( if someone can programme the thing to open a video feed from my wrist it would be awesome). Problem without having them I cannot try them out and figure out which is best.
Now I know there are pendants you can get (I doubt I'm going to have a heart attack and be awake to trigger it) . To me it just makes good sense to have a watch and a phone combination that can give me the security to know that if I collapse whilst looking after my daughter (she's not even 2) then my Carer or my wife can get to my home or have emergency services get here and secure my daughter. Then look after me if I'm still ticking. So that is my answer and question.
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Wow, i thought it was a joke first but then...wow i dont know what to say, hope you get better....
Thanx
Sent from my HTC One SV using Tapatalk[/QUOTE]
Cheers mate appreciate it. Your jaw is on the floor. I think mine is about the only thing I haven't broken. Having said that, I reckon I could write a book based on the last 5 almost 6 years. Trust me, I do not leave the house nowadays without good reason. I have also considered making a video on you tube so I don't have to continue to repeat the entire fiasco to every surgeon and specialist i hive to go to, not to mention lawyers.
Anyways, the Galaxy Gear, would suit my needs I think, that is if I can get "Fade" onto the watch itself. After doing a thorough analysis of everything out there at the moment, the Gear is the only watch I could find with its own accelerometer and gyroscope. Having said that, if that doesn't work it may be a pain to have to learn to code an app for the Gear to do it, firstly not sure if there is an SDK for it, secondly I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to replicate the algorithm that the designer of "Fade" has used.
Oh I also discovered , that the Gear actually does have a vibrate mode. Not one video I have seen or webpage I have been to has mentioned.it save one Youtube video I saw last night. Cannot point you to it because this form is telling me I have had to post 10 posts before it will let me quote URLs.
---------- Post added at 01:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 PM ----------
Pyromancer said:
Wow, i thought it was a joke first but then...wow i dont know what to say, hope you get better....
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Thank you. Found out yesterday I am probably having another neck surgery. Find out if I will have another surgery on my shoulder, in a couple of weeks.
And you are right, it does sound like a joke. In the first accident my wife who was pillion landed flat on her face with my Ninja on top of her. I was trying to figure out why I couldn't get the bike off of her to check her vitals. Turned out my right hand was practical sitting where my elbow was. I didn't notice til someone pointed it out. My wife ended up with a strained ankle. I ended up broken everywhere.
D
I got the gear 2 just a few months ago and prior to that I had the Galaxy gear 1, which I still think is good. The Gear 2, not the Neo, got a lot of things right. I'll go over several of the reasons why I'm keeping the Gear 2 and why it's my preferred wristwatch, even moreso that my Rolex Submariner.
1 - It's a watch, not a cellphone. Most people expected "smartwatch" to be the same thing as "smartphone". Once you adjust your expectations to something more realistic, you find out that it's really a great watch.
2 - The Gear 2 is much lighter than my Rolex, Suunto and even my Patek Philippe.
3 - It's a more accurate watch than all my other watches. Even though Rolex may say "officially certified chronograph", It's actually not that accurate. Any Seiko quartz watch is more accurate. Read up on that if you don't believe me! Mechanical watches have a way bigger margin of error over 24 hours than most quartz watches. Quartz technology is VERY accurate. Not too sure about the oscillator in the Gear 2 but I bet it's a pretty good one which is far better than any mechanical ones.
4 - Price; I got mine for $250 CDN. Some people may say that's pricey. Sure, if you compare that cheap digital watches. My Suunto which I use for freediving is $400! My Casio G-shock is $118 and doesn't do 1/3 of what the Gear 2 does. And don't even ask about the price of the Patek Philippe. Thank god I won that one during the president's club competition. Even most mid-range watches are in the $200-$300 range these days and don't have the prestige of the luxury swiss watches or the features of the Gear 2. You get a lot of "bang for the buck" from the Gear 2.
5 - Battery vs. winding. My swiss watches are mostly self winding "perpetual" watches. Yes, they keep going and going... so long as you wear them. If you put it down for 2 days, it runs out of energy and you can't tell time. Surprisingly, my gear 2 still has some power left over after 2 days of inactivity and it can still tell time... accurately. Given that my swiss watches cost hundreds of times more and do far less for a modern connected person like myself; it's a much better choice if you can put aside the luxury watch snob factor. I really like showing off my Patek Philippe and it's spinning balance wheel at the bottom. It impresses a lot of people. But after a day where I couldn't check my messages, make messages, phone calls and so on, I really miss my Gear 2.
6 - The changeable wristband is a godsend. I have 3 wristbands besides the original; a large rubberized one which I wear when going skiing, my el-cheapo just to prove the point that for $15, you can class it up and a really nice stainless steel (heavy one) which I just got. It's so easy to change wristbands on this watch. Much easier than any other wristwatch I have, even my cheap plastic ones. Kuudos Samsung
7 - Button on the front. This is one area where samsung has it right and Apple will get it wrong. The Gear 1 had it on the right side which is just wrong. Not too bad when you use your right hand to press but for those who like the watch on the right wrist, you find yourself putting your hand over the screen when pressing the button or using your thumb instead of your index finger; which doesn't work quite as well. As a golfer I can tell you that a crown on the right side of a watch is a pain! This is where Apple will really get it wrong. When you swing and you pronate and supernate, you'll find the crown snags on your glove. That's why most left handed golf watches are built with the crown on the left. Samsung go it right by putting the button on the front.
8 - Size, this thing is smaller than most Breitlings and even smaller than my Patek Philippe. So while it is larger than most watches, even the square and rectangular ones, it's by now means unwieldly.
9 - Camera; It takes decent pictures and for really quick snapshots, it's far faster than reaching for your phone. I just double press the front button to get to camera mode and then I can snap. Great for those "did you see that?" moments
10 - Heartrate monitor; not as accurate as the HR monitors on my gym equipment or even those blood pressure monitors but it does the job pretty well most of the time.
11 - IR blaster; ok, this thing is really cool! I was changing the TV at a bar and nobody knew it was me. It's very discreet. I even have the "power off" app which is great when there's just too much noise. As far as I know, the gear 2 is the only one with such a thing. I don't even need my phone to use it either.
12 - Built-in apps; this thing comes with so many right from the factory it's really good value. Think about it: Dial the phone, call a contact, check the weather, get notifications, for almost any app on the phone, play music and videos directly from the watch, control the media player on the phone, record voice memos, voice controls, pedometer, heart rate, sleep tracker, exercise tracker. reply to text messages, check my schedule for the day, tomorrow etc, stopwatch, timer. That's a LOT of things that you can do from your wrist.
13 - Autonomous apps; A lot of people get this part wrong. They think the watch has to be constantly tethered to the phone. This is not the case. Many apps require the phone to work because of internet connectivity or GPS but there are lots of apps which don't. Once you're paired with your phone, power off your phone and try some of these: Pedometer, Heart rate, Exercise (except hiking and biking which require GPS), camera, Gallery, music player (and videos), sleep tracker, stopwatch, timer, IR remote, voice memo and of course, the watchface itself. That's a lot of things that regular watches can't do.
14 - Lots of apps; Yeah so there isn't 1 Million apps in the app store. But like I said before: this is a smartwatch, not a smartphone. You don't really need an app store that has 50,000 different variations of a LED powered flashlight. Yes. I wish there were more apps but given that the gear 2 hasn't even been around for a year, the samsung app store gives a pretty decent choice of apps. Lets not forget that some apps just aren't suited for your wrist. Do you really want to play angry birds on this thing? I already have a solitaire game and I barely use it because it's just not right for my wrist. Developpers are still trying to figure out what works and what doesn't on a wrist.
15 - Some apps, really work well though. Some of my favorites: anti-sleep alarm which is really useful for late night driving. Meternome which I use all the time when playing guitar. Calculator, I mean duh right? Casio had it back in the '80s. Alarm, especially the vibrate part so I don't wake up my wife. Swing by Swing golf; this is actually pretty damn good for us golfers. Runtastic, strava, bike computer, bike; all apps that are really handy for a cyclist. I just can't choose which one is the best for me. xbmcGear to control my media boxes (goes really well with IR remote), Expedia, which I always use when travelling. It knows everything about my bookings. DSLR remote, comes in handy with my Nikon 300. Calendar, of course! If you've got a clock, this is the next logical choice. A lot of these apps can work autonomously as well!
I could go on and on. The only downsides to this watch are that I have to plug it in about every 2 days and I need to press the button to see the time. I turned off the "wake on gesture" to save the battery. Still, charging is really fast; it's usually fully charged in 30-45 minutes. Nice!
As an owner of many watches, from high end Swiss luxury watches to cheap plastic digital quartz, I can tell you that this is currently my favorite for everyday use. And since I "get it" that this is a WATCH and not a "PHONE ON MY WRIST", My expectations were REALISTIC when I got the Gear 2 and I've been pleaseantly surprised by the Gear 2 and everything it can do.
How do the others stack up? Well, the Android wear ones seem to be lacking a lot of what the Gear 2 has; no camera, no speaker, no IR blaster etc. The Apple watch? Well the whole "you must ABSOLUTELY be tethered to an iPhone for ANYTHING to work" is a turn off for me. Not to mention the stupid crown AND button on the right side which will piss off many people wearing it on the right wrist and any golfer wearing it on their left. The Gear S? Well, the simm card thing is cool but deleting the camera and IR seems like it's taking away some useful tools I've gotten used to. The Gear 2 isn't the best, but it's really hard finding others which have better functionality and features. All the "better" options out there always seem to be missing something that the Gear 2 has.
Oh! forgot to mention this: Music player on the go!
I use the music player with connected Bluetooth headphones all the time. The Gear 2 has 4GB of storage so lots of room for plenty of music when I work out. I retired my iPod shuffle once I got the bluetooth headphones (Beats). That note 3 is just too big when I'm out jogging or at the gym.
I do this 2-3 times a week and having the music player secured on my wrist, where it can't fall off, and no wires to get caught up in, is much better at the gym. SO MUCH BETTER!
Have to agree.. I also love my Gear 2. Currently the best available iteration of smart watch rather than the recent set of Android wear smart watches without speaker or IR.
The speaker feature is great when you are alone driving in the car. Even playing the songs from gear 2 in low volume while sleeping really works for me. Hope it had a sleep timer thought
I have to say, i miss my gear 2. I went and traded mine for the gear s and there are days where I really wish I still had the gear 2.
Then I remember:
Every recent up date to gear manager I had to reset the watch.
Every time I really needed the camera to work
(Taking a pic of our parking spot at WDW, couldn't even do that because it was stuck in macro mode)
Drop the watch from my wrist taking it off and boom it quit working (This happened to 2 watches)
The gear s has not had any of these problems.
I definitely will keep my gear 2 once I upgrade to the gear s just for the camera alone. Only smart watch avaliable with a camera! Awesome sauce!
Started on the Neo, then tried various Android Wear watches, was waiting for a deal on the Gear S but then got a deal on the Gear 2 do happy, excellent battery life, looks super cool, love the call and camera functions.
For me it is the right balance of apps and notifications. I feel others try to almost make your mobile redundant with apps.
I find with the Gear 2 I barely take my phone out of my pocket. For me only annoying bits are S Voice is too limited and would be perfect with some WhatsApp quick reply function.
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
I love my Gear 2 and even with the Gear S available, I'll still stick with gear 2, unless they make a gear S 2 with a camera LOL
Pro's - well, almost everything has been said by the OP so let's keep it that way
Usage:
Fleksy Messenger - no need to pull up my huge slate Tab S 8.4 to read/reply to messages
Music App - paired up with Gear Circle, I could be on the go with music.
Gear alarm (app store) - does what it says. vibrates and does not wake up the one sleeping beside you lol
Stay awake( app store) - useful when driving during the night, you need to make weird circular gestures to turn off the alarm, keeps you awake
Instant Setting (appstore) - toggles phone state mobile data, wifi, bluetooth, silent/vibrate etc.
launch gear (app store) - toggles apps before pulling out my slate, use? so that everything is loaded even before I open the tablet
although the gear 2 with it's tizen OS lacks app count, it is usable enough on a day to day basis,
turning off the wake up gesture will save the battery bigtime, last me 5 days in one charge only using it to respond to sms and to check time.
overall, a $200 investment is worth it especially to those who wield device like me
Enjoying mine to the max
after having the original Gear, and installing the Tizen update, I really thought that I wouldn't need a Gear 2.
Discovering one barely used on eBay for a bargain price in the UK, swayed me enough to take the plunge...and I'm so glad I did!
The Gear S took my fancy, but I was amazed at how much I had come to rely on the camera for quick pics and video. The fact that these appear on my phone, then, through dropbox, appear everywhere, means iMovie on my iPad mini is a doddle!
That is 'my' usage case anyway. I use the stock fitness apps a lot and with the heart rate monitor, which can be accurate enough, I find this little gem of a watch becoming more and more useful.
The IR blaster for the tv is cool, the odd occasion when your hands are full and your phone rings (yes, a well placed 'swipe' with your nose will answer that important call on your wrist, and I'm actually enjoying using S Voice(although its gone bloody quiet again) for its message replies, appointment creation and task/memo reminders has made me realise that this really is a neat little package!
Looking through the app store, I'm seeing a few good apps come through, like Gear Navigator, S Alarm, BeatObox, Notepadd ++ and Notifications Wear style(alought this last one is still a WIP), there seems to be people willing to invest time in this device.
Now it is true that I am intrigued by the Apple watch (I am platform agnostic, owning both iOS and Android), but I know for a fact that if CES 2015 brings a Gear 3 with upgraded features, or the hint of a Gear S2 with a camera.....I'd stick with Android!
The only thing to date that has kept me from jumping on the Android Wear platform is the lack of sound/feedback/ no external speaker!
Well thats my thoughts on the watch....anyone else?
actually...thats not all...Has anyone else lost Fleksy messenger etc since upgrading Gear manager....they just dont seem to exist any more on the app store???
Zeuserx i REALLY APPRECIATED your post!!!
i am in a difficult moment. i own gear 1 but i NEVER modded it...... and BLOCKED the tizen update because i don't want tizen.
in my future i would find the time and skills to put a custom rom... why? just 2 things..... to use a record video with unlimited time...especially using a SPY app like SecretVideoRecorder that record/take picture while SCREEN IS OFF!!!
but............... i recently found a used gear2 and:
1) i prefer that do have CHANGEABLE bands, because what if i RUIN my gear 1 band? i noticed replacement parts are not so cheap.
2) it's more compact, but i have to ask you if the SPEAKER PERFORMANCE is the same of the gear 1. i ask it because i think gear 2 uses less space and SMALLER HOLE to thespeaker compared to gear 1
3) i REALLY.....(and really!) like the IR blaster feature!! i'm a native PRANKSTER.... i like jokes.... and i would use the ir blaster lots of time and ok, sometimes just to really use it at my home.
but really.....................i could buy the gear2 only for THIS FEATURE!!!!!
but..... i find just 1 cons:
does not have a ROM with full android. just like nullrom. is it a big problem? i don't understand if with tizen i CAN INSTALL my preferite app/apk ( secretvideorecorder for example......) or not.
if i CAN install secretvideorecorder..... i'm in!
Speaker is fine. I can have a decent conversation on the phone in most enviornments except those which are just REALLY too loud, like a bar.
IR blaster is not only fun but also useful. As in my post: if you don't like what's on TV at a bar, just a few presses and you'll have total control of the TV. and since it's on your wrist, it's pretty stealth. Not to mention that the average joe just doesn't know that you can change TV channels with a watch. hehehe. I use it at home too. "Time to go to bed!", I just swipe 3 times, click the remote app, click power. "Awwww!!!!!" . "I said: bed time !"
I use the camera all the time when shopping. I take snaps of items to research, barcodes etc. Sometimes even videos. And I do this even when my phone is nowhere nearby. YOU CAN'T DO THIS WITH AN APPLE WATCH!
Still the best smart watch on the market
---------- Post added at 10:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:33 PM ----------
Shame Samsung only start great ideas but never finish them
Went to the Apple store to buy my sister a Watch as a present, so pretentious and whats with the you cant actually buy a watch in store and have to book an appointment to try one on ???
Third time playing in store with the Apple Watch - i don't like it, small screen, too busy, crap battery life and expensive.
Then it dawned on me, unlike bloody Samsung, Apple won't abandon this model and already updating it and building up more apps.
I still like not love my Gear 2, but really getting sick of Samsung's ditch the product after 12 mths, less in some cases (thats mobiles and wearables).
I had gear 1, and returned it. Just last week got gear 2 over gear s. Like it, but the experience would be better if s voice was more robust (faster and more features) and there were good apps.
I remember the gear 1 had snapchat, and I thought I was able to share pics. This was a good watch, samsung should of kept the OS
The best thing about gear 2 right now is that it's better battery and lot more responsive than gear 1...
Who cares about android on my wrist? Actually I do because that is were the development market is. This is why apple watch is going to be a killer in about 1 year.
I may return the gear 2? It's frustrating to not have s voice working. Google voice is soooo much better. I'm tempted to try to get android wear on my gear 2 if the camera works
---------- Post added at 02:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 PM ----------
Zeuserx said:
I got the gear 2 just a few months ago and prior to that I had the Galaxy gear 1, which I still think is good. The Gear 2, not the Neo, got a lot of things right. I'll go over several of the reasons why I'm keeping the Gear 2 and why it's my preferred wristwatch, even moreso that my Rolex Submariner.
1 - It's a watch, not a cellphone. Most people expected "smartwatch" to be the same thing as "smartphone". Once you adjust your expectations to something more realistic, you find out that it's really a great watch.
2 - The Gear 2 is much lighter than my Rolex, Suunto and even my Patek Philippe.
3 - It's a more accurate watch than all my other watches. Even though Rolex may say "officially certified chronograph", It's actually not that accurate. Any Seiko quartz watch is more accurate. Read up on that if you don't believe me! Mechanical watches have a way bigger margin of error over 24 hours than most quartz watches. Quartz technology is VERY accurate. Not too sure about the oscillator in the Gear 2 but I bet it's a pretty good one which is far better than any mechanical ones.
4 - Price; I got mine for $250 CDN. Some people may say that's pricey. Sure, if you compare that cheap digital watches. My Suunto which I use for freediving is $400! My Casio G-shock is $118 and doesn't do 1/3 of what the Gear 2 does. And don't even ask about the price of the Patek Philippe. Thank god I won that one during the president's club competition. Even most mid-range watches are in the $200-$300 range these days and don't have the prestige of the luxury swiss watches or the features of the Gear 2. You get a lot of "bang for the buck" from the Gear 2.
5 - Battery vs. winding. My swiss watches are mostly self winding "perpetual" watches. Yes, they keep going and going... so long as you wear them. If you put it down for 2 days, it runs out of energy and you can't tell time. Surprisingly, my gear 2 still has some power left over after 2 days of inactivity and it can still tell time... accurately. Given that my swiss watches cost hundreds of times more and do far less for a modern connected person like myself; it's a much better choice if you can put aside the luxury watch snob factor. I really like showing off my Patek Philippe and it's spinning balance wheel at the bottom. It impresses a lot of people. But after a day where I couldn't check my messages, make messages, phone calls and so on, I really miss my Gear 2.
6 - The changeable wristband is a godsend. I have 3 wristbands besides the original; a large rubberized one which I wear when going skiing, my el-cheapo just to prove the point that for $15, you can class it up and a really nice stainless steel (heavy one) which I just got. It's so easy to change wristbands on this watch. Much easier than any other wristwatch I have, even my cheap plastic ones. Kuudos Samsung
7 - Button on the front. This is one area where samsung has it right and Apple will get it wrong. The Gear 1 had it on the right side which is just wrong. Not too bad when you use your right hand to press but for those who like the watch on the right wrist, you find yourself putting your hand over the screen when pressing the button or using your thumb instead of your index finger; which doesn't work quite as well. As a golfer I can tell you that a crown on the right side of a watch is a pain! This is where Apple will really get it wrong. When you swing and you pronate and supernate, you'll find the crown snags on your glove. That's why most left handed golf watches are built with the crown on the left. Samsung go it right by putting the button on the front.
8 - Size, this thing is smaller than most Breitlings and even smaller than my Patek Philippe. So while it is larger than most watches, even the square and rectangular ones, it's by now means unwieldly.
9 - Camera; It takes decent pictures and for really quick snapshots, it's far faster than reaching for your phone. I just double press the front button to get to camera mode and then I can snap. Great for those "did you see that?" moments
10 - Heartrate monitor; not as accurate as the HR monitors on my gym equipment or even those blood pressure monitors but it does the job pretty well most of the time.
11 - IR blaster; ok, this thing is really cool! I was changing the TV at a bar and nobody knew it was me. It's very discreet. I even have the "power off" app which is great when there's just too much noise. As far as I know, the gear 2 is the only one with such a thing. I don't even need my phone to use it either.
12 - Built-in apps; this thing comes with so many right from the factory it's really good value. Think about it: Dial the phone, call a contact, check the weather, get notifications, for almost any app on the phone, play music and videos directly from the watch, control the media player on the phone, record voice memos, voice controls, pedometer, heart rate, sleep tracker, exercise tracker. reply to text messages, check my schedule for the day, tomorrow etc, stopwatch, timer. That's a LOT of things that you can do from your wrist.
13 - Autonomous apps; A lot of people get this part wrong. They think the watch has to be constantly tethered to the phone. This is not the case. Many apps require the phone to work because of internet connectivity or GPS but there are lots of apps which don't. Once you're paired with your phone, power off your phone and try some of these: Pedometer, Heart rate, Exercise (except hiking and biking which require GPS), camera, Gallery, music player (and videos), sleep tracker, stopwatch, timer, IR remote, voice memo and of course, the watchface itself. That's a lot of things that regular watches can't do.
14 - Lots of apps; Yeah so there isn't 1 Million apps in the app store. But like I said before: this is a smartwatch, not a smartphone. You don't really need an app store that has 50,000 different variations of a LED powered flashlight. Yes. I wish there were more apps but given that the gear 2 hasn't even been around for a year, the samsung app store gives a pretty decent choice of apps. Lets not forget that some apps just aren't suited for your wrist. Do you really want to play angry birds on this thing? I already have a solitaire game and I barely use it because it's just not right for my wrist. Developpers are still trying to figure out what works and what doesn't on a wrist.
15 - Some apps, really work well though. Some of my favorites: anti-sleep alarm which is really useful for late night driving. Meternome which I use all the time when playing guitar. Calculator, I mean duh right? Casio had it back in the '80s. Alarm, especially the vibrate part so I don't wake up my wife. Swing by Swing golf; this is actually pretty damn good for us golfers. Runtastic, strava, bike computer, bike; all apps that are really handy for a cyclist. I just can't choose which one is the best for me. xbmcGear to control my media boxes (goes really well with IR remote), Expedia, which I always use when travelling. It knows everything about my bookings. DSLR remote, comes in handy with my Nikon 300. Calendar, of course! If you've got a clock, this is the next logical choice. A lot of these apps can work autonomously as well!
I could go on and on. The only downsides to this watch are that I have to plug it in about every 2 days and I need to press the button to see the time. I turned off the "wake on gesture" to save the battery. Still, charging is really fast; it's usually fully charged in 30-45 minutes. Nice!
As an owner of many watches, from high end Swiss luxury watches to cheap plastic digital quartz, I can tell you that this is currently my favorite for everyday use. And since I "get it" that this is a WATCH and not a "PHONE ON MY WRIST", My expectations were REALISTIC when I got the Gear 2 and I've been pleaseantly surprised by the Gear 2 and everything it can do.
How do the others stack up? Well, the Android wear ones seem to be lacking a lot of what the Gear 2 has; no camera, no speaker, no IR blaster etc. The Apple watch? Well the whole "you must ABSOLUTELY be tethered to an iPhone for ANYTHING to work" is a turn off for me. Not to mention the stupid crown AND button on the right side which will piss off many people wearing it on the right wrist and any golfer wearing it on their left. The Gear S? Well, the simm card thing is cool but deleting the camera and IR seems like it's taking away some useful tools I've gotten used to. The Gear 2 isn't the best, but it's really hard finding others which have better functionality and features. All the "better" options out there always seem to be missing something that the Gear 2 has.
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It's 2015, we need to do more from our wrist.
The limitations right now appear to be software related. And developers drive the innovation if they get excited and see market. Samsung has killed their gear 1 start by abandoning android.... Android wear on gear s with a camera would of been great progress.
Actually, I like my gear2 is because it can run on android wear. although the porting is not so perfect enough
I'll go over several of the reasons why I'm keeping the Gear 2 and why it's my preferred wristwatch...
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Amen to all the reasons mentioned. In addition, I like the scratch proof glass. I can't avoid bumping/hitting hard objects with my Gear 2 but the glass is still smooth. I also love the contrast of the amoled screen.
With Watch styler and some tweaking on the json file while the watch is connected to my laptop, I can mimic any watch face or design my very own.
What I hate with this watch is the very low resolution display and the absence of ambient sensor that is needed to automatically adjust the brightness of the screen.
From my experience with smartwatches public reaction to them is usually love it or hate it. Just wondering if people got any interesting stories to share concerning reactions.
One I got last week involved a friend. He knew I owned a Pebble Steel. Upon seeing the S2 Classic on my wrist he inquired why I was no longer wearing a smartwatch? This brought a stupid grin to my face as a I casually pointed the face of the S2 towards him and rotated the bezel so the widgets would flash at him and show him that I was indeed still wearing a smartwatch. He realized his mistake and mocked me for being so cocky with my demonstration.
It's been all positive. Some people called my S2 3G classy looking (default white band), some cool & sporty (navy & red band), & some awesome (phone calls and ringtones, remote start my car). A couple people mistook it for the Apple Watch while complementing it on its design & sleekness.
I cant wait for Samsung Pay. It will blow people's minds even more.
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A client saw my S2 Classic and commented "Is that one of those Apple watches?". To which I replied "No it's one of those Samsung watches".
I recently had someone serving me at a shop ask me about my watch. After me basically convincing him how awesome it was he showed me his normal analogue watch and said he really liked this one though so I just replied, I can get that watch face on here too if I want haha that made him stop and think a bit. I used to get a lot of people ask me about my silver gear 2 with silver strap as it looked so different however I think people won't get as many comments about the gear s2 as unless they see you playing with it I don't think they'll know it's a smart watch....which just confirms how brilliant it actually is! ?
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I showed a co-worker a family picture on my S2 classic. He wears a Seiko monster and I think when he saw me turn the bezel to scroll through my gallery app he was surprised at the functionality of the bezel. He called other coworkers over and said you guys should look at this. I think he liked how you could scroll through widgets and gallery pictures while viewing the screen and that it looked very similar to his dive watch. He asked to see the watch again later when I had it on an olive drab Maratac strap and he liked the idea of wearing a zulu style strap on a smart watch. I wear it so I can slide the buckle to the side so my wrist is not resting on the buckle when I am typing. The strap feels similar to smooth seat belt material and I prefer the sonic welded seems instead of the double stitching because I can hardly notice the watch on my wrist it is so comfortable.
Ahahaha, the reactions I get are hilarious (but largely positive). Most people don't even notice I'm wearing a Gear S2 Classic. To everyone I've been around it just looks like a normal watch (which to me is a hallmark of great smartwatch design).
About a week after I got my watch I went out with friends to dinner (the first time I had seen them since). For about an hour they had no idea I was wearing a smartwatch until my best friend noticed the screen turn on when I was checking the time (we had to wait for tables to free up). She freaked out and went "no way, is that a smartwatch?!?" then proceeded to show all of our friends the watch. I let her play with it for a bit before dinner and she was totally absorbed by it. She freaked out even more when I showed her what the bezel did.
Another time I was browsing in an electronics store and I was playing around with a Tab S2 on a Samsung display table. This guy walked up next to me and started looking at the Gear S2 and S2 Classic next to me. I got a message from a group chat, so naturally I swung my arm up and checked it.
I think the guy stared at my wrist for a solid minute or two in awe.
Edit: I just wish Samsung Pay would launch for older NFC-only devices, and in NZ.