While I love gadgets, the idea of wearing something on my wrist whose sole purpose is to interrupt me with notifications (most of which I would not want) and that offers an extremely bright display is pretty much the last gadget I'd want.
Even with the new color temperature adjustments on the iPhone, looking at the screen in the dark is quite unpleasant.
I'd love to have this passive features, but the problems I have with smartwatches is that most of them are ugly, and I'm trying to minimize notifications in my life.
None really I'm afraid. I enjoy having notifications on my wrist sometimes but most days I just slap on a regular watch instead since they're more fashion than utility item for me honestly.
Indeed, there's no way the screen is going to look that bright in real life, even IF they put all the battery output behind it.
And that's a big reason why smart watches will never look as good as a real watch - the screen is just a big dumb surface with some vague electronic light. Compare with intricate mechanics, colors and materials of a proper watch.
I'll still switch to a smart watch, once they nail power consumption and features (it needs to substitute a phone, including phone calls), but good looking it ain't.
I'm with you on that, at least in the short term. I honestly don't see a single proper use case why I would want to put some dorky 'smart'watch (which isn't really that smart because it can't work without a cellphone) that I need to take off every night and recharge (maybe even recharge during! the day like with the Moto360 apparently).
How hard is it to take out your phone, which is with you in your pocket or on your desk already anyway to see a notification?
My ideal smart watch doesn't exist yet, and I don't think it will for quite some time.
I want a watch that has a few minimal buttons, bluetooth, a vibrate notifer, and no screen. Outwardly, it would appear to look like any other watch. Heck, maybe it could even look good!
I realize that the convenience of being able to see a notification without having to pull the phone out is nice, but I would much rather simply not miss any notifications. There's so much more you could pack into a wristwatch if you didn't have to worry about the screen, and still get tons of value out of it. With context-aware buttons, you could still control your music, remotely activate your phone camera, and all that other fun stuff.
I say start with a watch first, then see what you can fit in with that.
I don't want one of these, but I'd buy a watch with a Mirasol display and a wireless connection to the iPhone in my pocket for push notifications and iPod control.
Though I have some philosophical and design issues with Apple, the biggest thing, the #1 requirement of any smartphone for me, is a notification LED for messages. I like seeing at a glance who or what is notifying me. Why is an LED so important? Because I want to identify a message quickly, without my phone always in my pocket (e.g. it's on my desk or next to the bed). With a watch accessory, for many, that need would go away.
I'm a completely naive fan of smart watches (as I don't own one and probably won't any time soon) just because of the possibility to reduce much of what the smart phone provides down to a less attention stealing device. Maybe the notifications are the major problem (I'm naive on this) but I figure that that big screen with an internet behind it is just cognitive cancer. Take the screen away and you're left with music phone calls and an awkward text messaging interface.
Don't know if cellular/network connectivity and battery life can hold up to be practical, but if a device were somewhat larger just to accomodate this I'd think about (less naively).
There are plenty of smartwatches with transflective displays today (e.g. most Garmins). Unlike normal LCD or LED displays they're perfectly readable in direct sunlight (with a reduced color gamut), they have great refresh rates, and basically become normal LCD displays when they have to. They do consume power more aggressively than e-paper/e-ink though: Garmin watches last a few days, while my Fossil hybrid smartwatch lasts a couple weeks.
I just wish they made laptops with them. I'd buy a laptop I can use at the beach with sunglasses in a heartbeat.
Am I the only one who wants a dumber smart watch? I'll be carrying my phone at (almost) all times, so I don't need the watch itself to have a power sucking processor and the battery to go with it.
I'd be happy if it just used some low-power communication to relay information from my phone. It doesn't need a big touchscreen either. Imagine a "smartwatch communication standard" that let normal good-looking watches with months or years (or perpetual) battery time display info from all smartphone platforms would be fantastic. That way I could get an expensive watch and not have to worry about whether it's going to be an expensive paperweight in a few years. I'm happy to buy a $1000 smartphone, but a $1000 watch I want to use for a decade, even if its smart features don't work any more.
What killed the smart watch for me is the watch form factor. I don't want stuff strapped to my body. I had to stop wearing a watch many years ago for a few months and I couldn't do it again since I lost the habit. It just feels unnatural. I understand that it can be laughed at, because I wear glasses. An extremely lightweight notification device inside my glasses would be the right form factor for me.
It’s funny because for me a smart watch is the perfect compromise - you still get a bunch of the useful features of a smartphone like navigation, timers, a calculator, music, Apple Pay, etc but with none of the really damaging web-based attention black holes.
I often go out with only my watch, and it feels so freeing to have only the good side of technology accessible.
I am very strict with the notification settings, otherwise the constant buzzing on the wrist would be worse than a phone.
I don't see the point of these overpriced smartwatches and glasses that can barely do one thing (display notifications), but I want my future full AR/VR glasses, so I'm glad the early adopters pay for it.
Right now, what I'd want is a very simple, slim, long-lasting watch that would notify me of emails, messages, phone calls and notifications based on their origin (business account, work account, personal, random). It doesn't even need a display, different vibration modes and LED's would do fine.
This is one of the few reasons to actually have a wearable with a display right now. Not trolling either, I just feel like the only really compelling applications for smartwatches are in situations where you can’t have a phone on you.
Even with the new color temperature adjustments on the iPhone, looking at the screen in the dark is quite unpleasant.
I would much prefer an e-ink smart watch.
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