Are smart watches worth it or are they just a consoomer meme? They seem to have cool feature like HR and sleep tracking, plus being able to see your phone's notifications from your wrist is cool, but are these actually useful?
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if you're bothered about health and fitness then they're good
if you're not then they're just ugly overpriced watches
Getting thumped on the wrist is the most pleasant way to wake up to an alarm
I use the sleep tracking because I’m middle-aged and not sleeping through the night
Also my heart rate is too damn high and it’s nice to get that monitored so I can see the good-boy points as my resting heart rate comes down
And I’d rather stick my wrist out the window to pay for stuff than hold my phone out when I get fast food
I like mine but I can only barely imagine it being worth the price if I were in my 20s still
Oh, and the something is disabled in the US because of some Italian patent so I can’t get that on a new or replacement Apple Watch
Buy one and see yourself
They're shit because the battery will die after a few years leaving you with worthless e-waste. An analog watch can last more than a century if you take care of it.
an analogue watch can't do even a fraction of the things a smart watch can though
Phones are shit because the battery will die after a few years leaving you with worthless e-waste. Two cans and a string can last more than a century if you take care of it.
The AliExpress ones are ewaste, no experience with modern Android Watches, RIP Pebble they were literally the only people with the right idea.
Garmin ironically has inherited their methodology despite Fitbit (Google) being the people who scrapped the company for parts.
I was thought they were consoomerbait but about a month ago I picked up a Garmin because I was tired of holding my phablet to track runs and it's pretty nice. More accurate run-tracking than my phone, can listen to my music collection, and the app has valuable insights. Also has semi-decent strength-training activity detection and rep counting. it's far from totally reliable and I have to make changes in the app after every workout, but it beats carrying a notepad and/or phone around the gym.
At the risk of sounding like a complete shill, I'm going to echo . I had a Pebble Time Steel back in the day; thought it was great and was bummed to see Pebble die. Only recently did I find out about some of Garmin's watches and that they carry-on the tradition of low-power, always-on, non-touchscreen, MIP displays that I thought died with Pebble. I went with pic related (Forerunner 255s Music) because I'm a heavy runner and the extra stats like cadence, stride length, ground contact time are valuable for me. But for most anons, I'd recommend the Instinct 2.
Some features that I think IQfyeeks will appreciate...
>no proprietary app required for file transfer; can transfer music and activity files through your normal file manager
>based MIP, non-touch display (on some models)
>can use it entirely without a smartphone after initial setup; there's a web app and the watch can sync directly via wifi
>music models support local (DRM-free) music files
>solid battery; I get about a week from normal use, and the Instinct line should last notably longer
That being said, I disabled phone connectivity/notifications because I'm not an ADHD-ridden zoomer. So ymmv with the battery if you use that.
Tl;dr there are a few Garmin watches that are surprisingly based if you're interested in the health and fitness angle. Otherwise, just get a Casio.
Yeah, are there any with low-power screens that don't need recharging every couple of days? A watch needing to be recharged more than about once a month is useless.
Compatible with gadgetbridge too (a watch that needs a proprietary closed-source app just to function is also utterly useless e-waste). Any recs that fulfill both of these requirements?
Some Garmin watches have MIP displays and they can usually go around 2 weeks on a full charge, but they're more fitness trackers with smart watch features than full-on smart watches
>they're more fitness trackers with smart watch features than full-on smart watches
What does that mean?
t. has never owned a smart watch/band/tracker before
What are you looking for in a watch? The typical smart watch acts as an extension to your phone, with features like being able to respond to texts or answer calls, and they usually have their own app store
Fitness trackers mainly just track your workouts and other health stuff
Smart watches also have fitness features, but they're usually not as good as on a fitness tracker and are more expensive
Usually the most "smart watch" feature you'll find on a fitness tracker is just being able to see notifications
>and they usually have their own app store
Well for starters I don't need a proprietary app store. Ideally it would run android so I can install apks (e.g. with F-droid), or otherwise I'd want it to come with all features out of the box.
>What are you looking for in a watch?
Basically the two main things would be
a) sleep tracking - not so much fitness as just an accurate tracker of my sleep cycles, cause my sleep schedule is horrible and I feel like some hard data telling me when my cycles start and end will help me get some better sleep; and
b) optionally, text notifications - I don't need it THAT often but it'd be a nice bonus if I can read messages/emails. Replying to them would be even more bonus. I don't need calls.
I guess one other thing I've heard watches can do would be navigation, but I dunno if it's even practical on such a tiny screen.
Also, thinking about it, is wireless charging common for watches? It feels like it'd be a no-brainer to have a small little stand that you hang your watch on whenever you're at home or whatever and it just charges passively, rather than having to plug it in. I have no idea if this is completely standard or a rare/nonexistent feature. I think if this is widespread, I won't mind charging it nearly as much, so could accept even a backlit LCD screen.
Get a Garmin. One that uses a non-touch trans-reflective display. It'll will do everything you need. Everything else out there is pure bloat and unnecessary.
>recently added but allegedly good support in gadgetbridge
Very interesting, thanks anon.
When you say "everything I need" does that even include stuff like navigation? Or just the basics (sleep tracking + notifications)? Either way seems based.
It has GPS for tracking runs and hikes and stuff but not really anything like Google Maps style navigation. Full on navigation would really be for a full blown smart watch like an Apple Watch. But then you're sacrificing battery life and durability in a major way. Also, Apple.
Yeah. Apple's definitely out of the question (the gadgetbridge requirement precludes it, since I haven't checked but I'm basically completely certain no equivalent for apple watches exists).
Good enough, it won't supplant my Osmand for checking where to go next, but hike tracking is neato.
Yeah, I really do think that the Garmin Instinct is the smart G-Shock that Casio should have made. When comparing the Instinct to any of Casio's actual smart G-Shocks, it pisses all over them in terms of functionality and UI.
For running, tracking your sleep, just general health and fitness stuff they're pretty helpful, but outside of that you're better off just getting an analog watch.
totally worth it if you install Chana on it
Can confirm. That app is extremely based, always using it at uni boring lessons. In fact I just replied from it.
I use mine to track my sleep, weight, and workouts. The notifications are a nice bonus especially when I'm working with my hands and I can't easily pull my phone out of my pocket. I've been wearing my Garmin Instinct for about 2 years and it just werks. It's tough as shit. 28 days battery life (more if I'm outside in the sun a lot). Always on trans-reflective display with button only navigation. I hate how most other smart watches try to be mini phones with moronic touch LCD screens that waste battery life.
I used to own a Garmin Venu 2s, I enjoyed it in the beginning - it was a lot of fun looking at my sleep and fitness stats, looking at the stats that it would gather during a long walk, run or bike ride. After a little more than 6 months of use I sold it. I was charging it once every 5 days or so and I just got tired of having yet another thing to charge in my life... I went back to my Casio Tough Solar which of course has fewer functions but it shows time, it has alarms, a timer, a stopwatch and I will never need to charge it.
I bought my gf a Fitbit Charge 5 and she seems to love it, exactly for the reasons that you mentioned - heart-rate tracking is very helpful for her during runs, getting notifications on her wrist is also very comfy, so you might enjoy having one
I don't even use a watch. Been trying to live a relaxed zen life where I just do things as they come. Never using an alarm, never keeping track of time, never even looking at how much I have in my bank account.
Honestly? Best decision I ever made. In the beginning I would wake up a little late for meetings and miss them, but in time even that stopped because I would just go to sleep whenever I got sleepy and immediately fall asleep.
Teddy had it right, most of our problems are because of all the tech we have around us, and adding more tech to fix them will just create new ones.
I kinda want one that can connect to a nearby camera and display a video stream from it, without having to involve a phone at any point in the process.
But I don't know of there are any that can do that or if the only real option is writing a program for the Pinetime that does this.
Bought a Samsung galaxy watch for my dad who is pretty tech illiterate. I thought he was not gonna be using it much but ended up using for his walks. I still need to help him check things but it's not been a complete waste.
I'll probably get one for myself next year simply for the ability to take calls and check notifications without having to pull out my phone
There needs to be some AI integrations where you can just tell your watch to put shit on your calendar or start a workout or call yo b***hes.
My favorite feature of a watch is not having to worry about the battery for 2-10 years, i'll get one when they sort that out.
Unless you're autistic about tracking your data, there's no point in having one without a heart rate monitor. Almost every feature on these things is a toy rather than a medical grade device
t. runner with a Venu 2
I was offered the oneplus watch 2 for 150 and was already eyeing a Garmin watch for health so I snagged it. Has two CPUs and can run in a low-power mode for only the watch face and health monitoring. Also the health app is open source with no monthly fee. So I went for it as a decent alternative for the more expensive Garmin.
The only other scenario where a smart watch makes sense other than health is if you work at a job that mandates you are always on site. For whatever reason uppity old folks don't have an issue with you looking at your watch in a meeting but they lose their shit when you pull out your phone. And often times they won't let you have a laptop in the meeting for whatever asinine reason (as if I have the penmanship to take notes or remember your rambling after we walkout).
Is the Pixel Watch worth it?
One or Two?