i have 2 questions
when the sony smartwatch is going to release ?
Do you thing that the smartwatch would be good? with XS
marcoplo said:
i have 2 questions
when the sony smartwatch is going to release ?
Do you thing that the smartwatch would be good? with XS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I saw Expansys US says April 11th. It maybe earlier elsewhere...SOURCE
2) I think it should work with Xperia S without issues.
not sure if its good but been told ive been allocated a free one when i preordered my xperia s with phones4u.
Not received it yet.
digiflip said:
not sure if its good but been told ive been allocated a free one when i preordered my xperia s with phones4u.
Not received it yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When did you order your phone? Mine was ordered around 6pm on the 20th Feb. When did you get the allocation email? I was really hoping to get one, that's what swayed me to Phones4U...
Thanks, Daniel
il check my emails be a sec
I think i order around 3pm on 20th feb
yeh i got my order for xperia s at 15:30pm
---------- Post added at 09:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 PM ----------
I got this email on the 24th feb
Congratulations! You've successfully pre-ordered your brand new Xperia S from Sony and you've also got yourself an abosutely free Sony SmartWatch!
What happens next?
Your Xperia S order has been processed and we've allocated a brand new phone to you
As soon as your Xperia S is in our warehouse, we'll post it out to you via Royal Mail Special Delivery
Expected delivery date is currently Tuesday 13 March. If there are any changes to this date, we'll be in touch via email to let you know as soon as we know
Please note that your Sony SmartWatch will be delivered after you've received your new phone. We'll send further details nearer the time about when you can expect to recieve it.
We'll also send you an email when your phone is dispatched, so you know to make sure you're available to take the delivery
In the meantime, sit back and relax knowing that you've done the smart thing in pre-ordering with us. We'll stay in touch with you until your phone is dispatched with the latest Xperia S from Sony news and advice about how to get the most out of your brand new phone as soon as it arrives.
Thanks again for placing your order with Phones 4u.
ps I got my xperia s on the 9th March
Thanks for the reply, seems I was a little too late! I also received my Xperia S on the 9th. Oh well, guess that's more money I have to spend...
I don't understand how, but I just received my SmartWatch (MN2) from MobileFun in the UK. Nobody has stock and MobileFun still say they don't have a confirmed release date...yet here I have one this morning delivered. I think what may have happened is that stores were given single units to display prior to the main release, and as MobileFun is an Internet retailer, they just passed it as normal stock! It was sealed and had never been used before.
Now I am not using it with a Sony phone. I have an HTC Evo 3D. Although it is working, I have hit 2 issues already
1) This phone is listed as compatible, but the email notifier does NOT work with HTC phones. All other apps, like text, calendar, call log, music player, weather , facebook and twitter do work fine.
2) If the bluetooth connection is interrupted for any reason, such as moving out of range, sometimes it does not resume correctly and the watch ends up in an infinite loop trying to reconnect to the phone. I have to kill the processes on the phone to reset this.
It installed a firmware update when I first installed the Liveware and Smartwatch application on the phone, so I am sure there will be further improvements for things like this in due course.
It says it includes a USB charger on some websites. It does not. It just includes a unique type of USB cable that you have to plug-in to a generic charger or computer.
The touchscreen works quite well, but the image is not that bright and there is a yellowyness to the colours. Swipe up to move to widgets, swipe down to move to app icons, swipe across to move between pages, and use two fingers to go back up a level! There is no speaker in the Smartwatch but it does vibrate. The screen resolution is adequate but limited.
jonstatt said:
2) If the bluetooth connection is interrupted for any reason, such as moving out of range, sometimes it does not resume correctly and the watch ends up in an infinite loop trying to reconnect to the phone. I have to kill the processes on the phone to reset this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for reporting. Great to see your micro review with key issues listed. Now, about the bluetooth, I just have to say I'm flabbergasted. Sony Corp. have had A COUPLE OF YEARS to get this right since the LiveView and they still manage to screw it up. I'm sorry, but it just isn't acceptable.
jonstatt said:
It installed a firmware update when I first installed the Liveware and Smartwatch application on the phone, so I am sure there will be further improvements for things like this in due course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure, at all. The LiveView received few and poor updates. Further improvements - well they cannot even get the basic functionality right so they shouldn't release it. I do hope you have a non-release version. This is appalling.
jonstatt said:
The touchscreen works quite well, but the image is not that bright and there is a yellowyness to the colours. Swipe up to move to widgets, swipe down to move to app icons, swipe across to move between pages, and use two fingers to go back up a level! There is no speaker in the Smartwatch but it does vibrate. The screen resolution is adequate but limited.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the vibration alert is key. Shame they haven't got the Bluetooth right, though. I would have got a Motorola MotoACTV. At least they do upgrade the software every few weeks, BUT it lacks that one crucial factor the vibration alert.
Still hoping Sony will correct things before release.
On sonymobile sweden homepage the smartwatch is listed as "New" now, before is was listed as "coming soon", i think it was today they change that.
Sorry for my bad english.
Guys is it that bad
or are you so demanding
I was hoping to have fun with some accessories for Xps.
But now i very concern about it IS IT WORTH's IT since i dont want to put my money on the mud
Cheer up
seem's that sony wont get any more profit from me !!! Too bad SONY
I also got mine from mobilefun. Works well except for email notifications with LTE galaxy note. I get a device not supported message. It does reboot a couple of times but auto reconnects.
Battery life is good so far, I am pleasantly surprised. It also looks good.
It is quite good. It just isn't super reliable yet with those odd disconnections. The more apps you add in the more it does those random reconnects. The hardest test is the viewfinder app which really stresses the Bluetooth connection. The mail app will only work with Sony phones. Just have to hope someone develops an htc one. Battery life really is good.
I preordered mine and it should arrive 5th of April here in Germany. Since I have learned that BT-issues may be caused either by the gadget and the phone itself I give it a try.
But as an old Sony-victim (MBW 100, MBW 150, both dead short after the 2-years-warranty), I will return it immediately for refund when BT does not work properly.
Give you a report as soon as I have my hands on it.
arrived a bit ago
mine arrived last friday,
I'm semi impressed, but to be honest I don't think they should have called it a "Smartwatch" i think Smart Remote, or Extended Display would have been more correct.
1. if it doesn't get a BT connection to a phone it will not do anything,
2. if it looses the link ( phone with dead battery, turn off bluetooth to save that last bit of battery you have left ) it has a fit and will loose time eventually flash's the time then goes to a connection type screen like when you first got it.
3. VERY FEW USEFUL APPS, yes new events, and social network apps are working but aren't really over the top, the ViewFinder app sadly wasn't even done by sony yet in the original Live View the same feature app existed made by sony. what gives? there are only a handful off useful things for apps and gmail notifier isn't one of them. it just says if you have a mail and how many unread , doesn't tell you anything more. so really it's a bit of a letdown.
All in all i'm fine with it, and i put up with it, but I see why now some of the standalone android watch's are more expensive. can't say IMWATCH would be any different but i suspect it would be as it has storage on it suggesting you can load a few things and run it without the bluetooth but if you wanted updated info then it would need to re-link to the phone. this would be much more attractive then what sony did. so hopefully they'll catch on and at least allow you to keep TIME and maybe an onscreen setting as to 1 bluetooth on/off to save battery and just use as a watch sometimes, ( maybe an app? ) and have it not go into dead mode. fair enough if you power it off it loses everything and will require linking to the phone. Also MULTI DEVICE WOULD BE NICE, i have more then one android device that can run the software thusly if i want to take my Galaxy Note one day, my HTC SENSATION XE another, or my p920 another day, i should be able to choose which one i want to use with the phone that day and not have to keep re-pairing it. just maybe they can limit it to one connection at a time bt remember maybe up to 4 paired devices ( or at least 2 )
( meh why rant here as Sony never reads here mosta the time anyway )
Received my free Smartwatch from Phones 4 U today. Not had chance to play with it yet to give a review but thought I would mention as it would seem the accessories are now becoming generally available.
where are you guys buying these in the uk? Cant find any retailers
He's got one, and he's made a little video on it.
You can do some great things with the watch, seems cool. Hopefully when more apps start to pour through it will get even better
I just receive mine this morning.
A gift from thephonehouse with my Xperia S
Some basic apps from sony works perfectly.
But other apps (japanese most of them) working as they want...
Like an app : it command your camera and you can see in your watch live images. This apps launch your camera or not
A workaround to enable email notification on non-Sony phones with the new SmartWatch - note requires knowledge of Tasker.
posted on augmentedtraffic dot wordpress dot com (post is titles Sony Smart Watch Observations)
(I cannot provide link since I haven't posted enough here).
Someone can give me one?
Related
As today is he official launch in the UK... who picked up already his device and what are the first impressions?
As said in my Q thread, I picked it up yesterday (despite most stores saying they couldn't sell it yet). I was the second person to get one from the big Phones4U in Leeds.
After palying with it all afternoon Yesterday and most of this morning (yeah I should be working!), I love it. It's soooo silky smooth. All my favourite games run perfectly, I've even tried the N64 emulator and it ran effortlessly.
The only niggles I have:
- There's no longer NFC (would have been nice to be future-proofed on that, even though I couldn't use it right now anyway)
- I miss my notification light, but obviously not enough to stop me buying this beast
- It doesn't have the shiny music player from the original Galaxy S
- The clock widgets don't bring up the alarm when you press them
- Oh and my apps didn't download when I synched my Google account, so I had a fun time last night manually putting them all back on.
As you can see, trivial stuff that isn't really important.
Ask me anything, I'll try and answer as often as I can, but I do need to get some work done (if I can find the motivation and pull myself away from this phone!)
Oh, one final thing. A quick battery comparison - My Desire HD, at this time of the morning (after I've been playing music and on the internet via 3G/H), would be down to around 50%. This is currently on 70% and I've been playing with it all morning. Just an initial observation, but a positive one.
your thoughts about the weight and the feel of the phone (esp. the back cover)?
I'm amazed at the weight, it feels like a dummy phone (compared to my DHD and old N1).
The build is nice and sturdy for a plastic phone, but the back cover is very thin - I'm scared I'll snap it every time I remove it. Fortunately I shouldn't need to go back in there now that I've stuck my SD in
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
will it work on ATT frequencies?
Did they lock down 850/1900 so American customers cannot use it?
when you press down on the back cover of the phone..did it creek or seems like its pressing down on pressure..making it feel like its a little loose/flimsy?
also did the phone run hot while using it for sometime?
d3sm0nd said:
As today is he official launch in the UK... who picked up already his device and what are the first impressions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly, I received this email from phones4u this morning after being promised 27th April receipt.
phones4u said:
Thank you for your recent order.
We are working hard to complete your order as soon as possible. Once your goods are ready for despatch, we will email you with confirmation of the delivery date.
Yours sincerely
Customer Service Team
--
Scanned by iCritical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
r2001uk said:
As said in my Q thread, I picked it up yesterday (despite most stores saying they couldn't sell it yet). I was the second person to get one from the big Phones4U in Leeds.
After palying with it all afternoon Yesterday and most of this morning (yeah I should be working!), I love it. It's soooo silky smooth. All my favourite games run perfectly, I've even tried the N64 emulator and it ran effortlessly.
The only niggles I have:
- There's no longer NFC (would have been nice to be future-proofed on that, even though I couldn't use it right now anyway)
- I miss my notification light, but obviously not enough to stop me buying this beast
- It doesn't have the shiny music player from the original Galaxy S
- The clock widgets don't bring up the alarm when you press them
- Oh and my apps didn't download when I synched my Google account, so I had a fun time last night manually putting them all back on.
As you can see, trivial stuff that isn't really important.
Ask me anything, I'll try and answer as often as I can, but I do need to get some work done (if I can find the motivation and pull myself away from this phone!)
Oh, one final thing. A quick battery comparison - My Desire HD, at this time of the morning (after I've been playing music and on the internet via 3G/H), would be down to around 50%. This is currently on 70% and I've been playing with it all morning. Just an initial observation, but a positive one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are saying in the future the NFC antenna will be in your sim card and there will be software in the phone that can link to that, so dont be too disheartened, you may get it after all, but just not how you expected
JD
k87 said:
when you press down on the back cover of the phone..did it creek or seems like its pressing down on pressure..making it feel like its a little loose/flimsy?
also did the phone run hot while using it for sometime?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would love to know this also.. a lot of HTC devices have loosy back covers!
Can You run Tegra2-Games?
No creaking on the back cover, it's nice and tight. I can probably see it starting to give over time though.
How do I check Tegra2- specific games (or where can I find one, still don't know if we have Exynos or Tegra) and how do I tell if the US bands are available?
P.s. thanks Jupiter
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Thanks..just one more thing. Does the phone run warm/hot while using it constantly? ex: watching a movie, playing games etc
r2001uk said:
No creaking on the back cover, it's nice and tight. I can probably see it starting to give over time though.
How do I check Tegra2- specific games (or where can I find one, still don't know if we have Exynos or Tegra) and how do I tell if the US bands are available?
P.s. thanks Jupiter
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem
I like the idea of NFC too Especially after selling my Nexus S(which has it) and moving to this beast.
JD
Can't say I've noticed any heat, maybe I just haven't put it through it's paces yet though. I'll keep an eye out, so to speak.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
How fast is it to find GPS satellite
I'll check gps a bit later - can't get a signal in this office
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Which accessories you got in the box??
dpdpkpcom said:
Sadly, I received this email from phones4u this morning after being promised 27th April receipt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As i had the same email, i called them and they have promised delivery tomorrow morning, she said it was a mistake at the warehouse, as they had it there yesterday.
hope this helps
Hi, congrats on your purchase! I had two brief questions.. can the dock be modified on the homescreen (can you choose which apps go on it), and some photos from other reviews it seemed like people got chargers with EU plugs, did yours come with a UK one? These aren't really pressing issues but I'm just interested really.
mobile-freak said:
Which accessories you got in the box??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Manual, charger, extra usb cable and earphones (with different size inserts). No bundled memory card if anyone was expecting one. Nice, small, black box.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Hello all,
Long term lurker, decided to finally register and just give a few points about my experience for those that are still on the fence about the LG Optimus G.
I personally love this phone, I've had the iPhone for a while moving from the 3g to 3gs to the 4 and handled the 4s plenty (wifes phone) and the iPhone 5 did not impress me much. I won't go into what I felt was lacking in the iPhone but mention my hesitation(s) on coming to android and specifically this phone.
The biggest reason I was hesitant was that the phone came with ICS with a "planned upgrade" in the future. This is a not an issue IMO- if you are thinking of coming from iPhone to android ICS is more than sufficient and you will be more than happy with it. The phone is very snappy and smooth, no hesitation. If you want Jelly bean just to have Jelly bean you can either be patient with it (like i will be) or root your phone so I really think both parties can be satisfied with this issue. The ICS issue is definitely a non issue for me after playing with the phone and seeing how snappy it is.
The screen is great, I get compliments all the time but sunlight visibility is an issue (it's an issue with the iPhone as well) so that is just something to think about if you are out in the sun a lot etc.It's a minor issues for me but can be a bigger problem for others. Going to the issue where it gives the error regarding its inability to brighten any further due to temperature it rarely happens for me-even when it does most of the time it goes to 87% which is still pretty bright. It is a little annoying sometimes that while on the phone you see it dim as the brightness level lowers automatically without you wanting it too. It is what it is.
LTE is great (my fastest speed in Atl area was 57 download 21 upload!!!), my average speeds have been about 20 download 13 upload. I also love google maps and its navigation feature where it literally is a GPS-even better IMO as it shows a picture of your destination on your phone as you arrive (from google street view-it even shows my home as i pull up if i select to give me directions to my place), I thought that was pretty neat and very handy when you head to a restaurant or a friends home etc you haven't been to.
I knew an issue going in would be accessories, and it sucks that many waited for the Otter box to come out but it only fits Sprint. I went ahead and purchased the body glove from the ATT store and I'm pretty happy with it. Thank God I haven't "tested" its protection yet but it seems like it would do well from a fall.
Battery life was pretty bad at first and took time to adjust, especially coming from an iPhone. After numerous full charge and discharge cycles (about 5 days worth) the battery life greatly improved! I use my phone a lot, mainly texting (minimum 40 outgoing texts a day i'd say), maybe 30 minutes of phone calls a day and a lot of browsing/checking my email and it lasts a whole day. I keep my phone on the quad core setting (i rarely go to "eco mode") and its highest brightest setting with gps on and sync feature off and by midnight my phone would be around 35-40%.
I was on gsmarena, phone arena etc religiously seeing if I should pull the trigger on this phone as I was eligible for an upgrade and wanted to get a phone that would last 2 years. I thought about waiting till the next samsung flagship phone comes but that would have been at least 6 months I believe and with ATT it seems I can get an upgrade every 18 or so months so I feel it is best for me to upgrade my line ASAP whenever possible. Bestbuy had the phone at 99 bucks thanksgiving week and that was when I pulled the trigger.
Overall I'm very very happy with my phone :good: and my first android experience on a phone (i have a tablet)
For those that are hesitant like i was, you will not be disappointed.
A side note for those that may be able to answer two questions for me: can I put my contacts facebook profile pic as their pic in my contacts? I have everything synced to "on" from my sync settings on my system settings to my contacts to facebook saying to sync but it only loads a couple to my contacts (about 5%)
Also for group messages I send out, can I receive texts in that same group message I sent?
Welcome to Android. Enjoy
Sent from my LG-E970 using xda app-developers app
Search the play store for an app called "haxsync." It'll do what you want regarding contact pictures.
As for group messages, I don't use those so I cannot comment.
DeathmonkeyGTX said:
First off, questions go in the Q/A section. However, since this is your first post I'll answer your question anyway, but please use the Q/A section for any other questions you might have.
Search the play store for an app called "haxsync." It'll do what you want regarding contact pictures.
As for group messages, I don't use those so I cannot comment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol what... He wrote a very long general post and tagged two small questions to the end. This isn't a question thread is perfectly acceptable where it he posted it.
That said uninstall Facebook clear contact data. Give Google a couple minutes to do is thing after manually syncing. Then reinstall Facebook manually create the account in accounts and sync and then sync it and your contact pictures should update just fine.
To answer your question about group text messages (a la iPhone,) the stock Android Messages app doesn't do that. However, Go SMS Pro or Handcent are two SMS/MMS replacement apps and work great. I use Go SMS Pro and there's an option to enable the group texting/MMSing.
That's one great example of the power of Android... Don't like a stock app? Replace it!
A
whiteguypl said:
Lol what... He wrote a very long general post and tagged two small questions to the end. This isn't a question thread is perfectly acceptable where it he posted it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol I was thinking the exact same thing.
Sent from my LG-E970 using xda premium
lol tough crowd! Didn't think bout putting the questions in Q n A at the time. Post was meant to be geared towards those still thinking bout the LG. Thanks to those that answered.
Cheers
Sent from my LG-E970 using xda app-developers app
Hey all,
Just ordered my G-Watch this evening hoping it won't take too long! Really hate the damn £10 delivery fee :/
Anyone got there's yet or who's still waiting like me? ?
Yes mate got mine on Saturday. Taking it out into the wild today. Hopefully you should get yours tomorrow.
Aaaaand its here.
xD
Updating it now!
Arrived but haven't opened the box.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Arrived but I'm at work so I wont get until 6 !
J
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Should never have cancelled my play order >< still haven't got my refund so can't order another from Amazon and theyre going fast on there ><
What I get for wanting a different color ffs
Got mine today! My first order was 26th, I cancelled on 2nd to try and order from Mobilefun, then re-ordered again from Google the same day. It still shipped on the 4th and it was delivered today. I'm quite impressed that I didn't lose my place in the queue
Mine shipped at 10AM today Pretty sure I'll have it by the time I'm back from work tomorrow can't wait! How's everyone finding there's so far?
Got mine this evening, the Parcelforce shipping was not fantastic but got there in the end, had to pick up from a local post office as I missed the initial delivery (note to self, get all future orders sent to work.) Though the watch had been here in London for three days before they got it over to me.
The watch itself is very impressive, literally 'road tested' the navigation on my bicycle tonight, OK, it opens the maps app fully on the phone and the screen is on (even when in your pocket, but you can power that down.) So some tweaks needed, but to be fair, got me home...as a car user. They also need to tweak the 'mode of transport' option. But overall it's great being able to get travel directions on your wrist (one of the reasons I bought the G watch actually) so that ticks a box.
I love the currency conversion, language translation features, "OK Google, convert £100 into mexican pesos", "OK Google translate 'hello world' into German" etc, works like a charm.
Some nice apps that I installed after doing some checks online
Calculator:
(Look it up on Google, I am not allowed to post links , search for "Google Wear Calculator")
Duolingo (This will give you a small 'Flash Card' language game on your wrist...awesome really )
Since it works with notifications, you can obviously change tracks on Spotify etc. Yet to test it with Netflix when paired with Chromecast, looking forward to that
This presents the opportunity to use some of the phone functions while the phone is charging up and you are watching TV for example.
Overall, love the device, comfortable on the wrist, beautiful, easy to use, well worth the money for the Navigation, Translation and Currency/Unit etc conversion features alone.
Some small (intermittent issues) with Bluetooth disconnection but the connection quickly returns, not a major obstruction but a quiet annoyance.
I am sure that Google will iron the bugs out over time and also that 3rd party devs will start to wear enable their apps. This device is easily worth the money
got mine about an hour ago and so far so good
needs more watchfaces hopefully someone will get to making some awesome gaming themed custom ones also any idea how I get the weather card back? swiped it away and can't seem to get it back lol
Roxas598 said:
got mine about an hour ago and so far so good
needs more watchfaces hopefully someone will get to making some awesome gaming themed custom ones also any idea how I get the weather card back? swiped it away and can't seem to get it back lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just use "ok Google" and ask about weather. It will add it back.
Lorimere said:
Just use "ok Google" and ask about weather. It will add it back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried that card doesn't stay
Turning your wrist doesnt seem to activate the screen very often either atm
Roxas598 said:
got mine about an hour ago and so far so good
needs more watchfaces hopefully someone will get to making some awesome gaming themed custom ones also any idea how I get the weather card back? swiped it away and can't seem to get it back lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only way I've found is to restart the gwatch or re-pair it XD
Roxas598 said:
Tried that card doesn't stay
Turning your wrist doesnt seem to activate the screen very often either atm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure your wrist is perpendicular to the floor and facing you, the watch knows which was is 'up', takes a bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it's simple.
Hi,
I had been awaiting the Gear S arrival forever...I almost gave up on it with the lack of information and when the Asus was supposed to come out the very same day, I was very uncertain which was the watch for me. In the end, the Gear S was available from T-Mobile (my carrier) and the Asus was nowhere to be found at BestBuy, so I bought the GearS.
It has been a long time since I have looked forward to getting any kind of new IT device. I had been looking into smart watches for a few months and this is my first one, here my first thoughts and impressions:
Size/Attention Getter:
It is big. I am female, 5'6" but I don't think it is too big. Other people may disagree, but it is just super-cool, techie looking.
It is not great with every outfit, though. I can already imagine there may be times I would prefer a different looking one. T-Mobile had only the black bands at the time, perhaps different bands in the future ay make a difference.
Watch faces:
Nowhere in their pre-launch advertising did I see a hint that the watch faces don't stay as is to save battery power. I liked the stock watch faces it came with (the dark blue and white one) and when I realized those are not on display all the time, I was disappointed. Now I have gotten used to it. Picking a watch face means you need to like its "alter ego" in power savings mode too, because you may end up seeing it more than the regular one. Fortunately, the white stock face has a nice alter ego, so I am ok with it now. Initially was a bit of a let down, though.
Apps:
I had no pre-conceived idea as to which is better, Android Wear of Tizen. Heard there were fewer apps in Tizen, but then, how many would I realistically run using my watch anyway? Well, I still don't know if waiting for the Asus would have been the smarter choice, but the first time I looked into the Gear S appstore, I was really disappointed. One particular bit in the Asus pre-launch movie was the ability to control presentations with your watch. How cool does that sound? Well, nothing like that in the Tizen App store. Later, they all of a sudden showed up, but for some very strange reason, initially there were very few. Again, bit of a let down at first that got better at the end of the week when I took another look. Still hoping more useful things will show up in there eventually.
Notifications:
I have to admit, the advertising worked like a charm on me, I never paid enough attention to details. E.g. facebook "notifications" vs. a "facebook app". After the initial "how awesome is this" feeling, a few days later I became a bit annoyed when I could see someone had posted something, but I could not see what.
Battery life:
It lasts me throughout the day. What more can I expect? I charge my phones (personal Note 3 and work Blackberry) every night, now I just add the Gear S to my evening ritual. One thing to make note of: I worked all day and then had to take a red-eye to the east coast. Even though I put the GearS in Airplane mode, I should have just turned it off altogether, 11hours on a plane, what was I thinking?
S Health:
Love the tracking of steps. I am not a runner, but it feels good to know I actually walk a lot more than I thought I did - after all, I don't take my phone with me just to walk into the kitchen, the garage or the back yard every time...
The Sleep Monitor is a bit more of a gimmick, IMHO. To clarify: the watch does not know if you are asleep or awake, it only knows you pushed a button confirming you are going to sleep now and when you pushed a button confirming you are awake now. In between it measures your movement. It kept me pretty much awake the first night with the display coming on and off every now and then...Since I have to charge it at night, I no longer use the sleep monitor.
S-Health does not sync with the S-Health app on my phone, but I never noticed it. I use S-Health more for monitoring the "moment" and do not look back over time...so it works for me.
Music Player:
no bad...but I sat on the beach the other day and could not hear it at all over the sound of the waves. Not a huge problem, since the waves are nice too...and the watch was never intended to replace a real sound system. I don't actually use it much on a day to day basis.
**** Tracey effect:
Walking my dogs and talking into my watch is awkward. Driving while talking on the watch is awesome! Forgot my hands-free device at home? No problem with the watch! I have a VW Diesel which can be a bit noisy inside and I could hear and be heard well.
Figuring out all needed settings:
The watch is a complicated device. There are so many different settings and ways one may use it, that I think many are having problems. I read all the issues other people had and was able to resolve mine with the help of this forum and others. I have both watch and phone on one carrier, have one of the recommended phones, so it was only a matter of time and preferences to get it set up. Here are a few that made a difference to me:
Getting all texts, calls all the time, regardless if sent to phone or watch: Here in the US, we do not have multi-Sim cards, so my watch has a different phone number than my phone. If I send a text from my watch while not connected to my phone, I know the person I sent this to will simply hit reply. If I reconnect via BT to my phone, it is important to have the setting for mobile networks set to always on. Otherwise you won't receive their response until you disconnect from BT later...
Call forwarding when connected remotely (not via BT) That one bugged me the most, it just did not seem to work. Turned out to be user error (isn't it almost always and I had accidently added my phone # and not the watch # in the Gear manager app on the phone as to where to enable call forwarding to.
For now, these are the things I have played with. I downloaded "Find my Car" (should be super helpful next time I park in a gigantic airport or Costco parking lot), Opera Mini, Yelp and a presentation aid "PreGear", but have not yet tried any of them out, since I have been traveling for work and was super busy. I will take a closer look at them later when I have more time.
What bugs me and has me still looking at the Asus Zen Watch
I am still bummed out over the facebook notifications. I have no idea if Android Wear works any differently and you can actually see what people posted, but I will take a closer look at that one when I see it for the first time.
My phone has a lock pattern. Many times if you want to see something on the Gear S, but can't, it will give you the option of "Show on device". Well, but it won't unlock my phone for me. Pain in the neck. I could have sworn I saw it can unlock your phone, but that may have been for a different smart watch.
Schedule: would be nice if I could figure out how to add anything to it, have not been able to yet. So for now, I have not a single appointment anywhere to be shown. Would be nice if true. There are other calendars one can download from the Gear App store, but I have not had enough time to look into which will work for me.
When getting onto an airplane I now have another device that I have to remember to put into airplane mode (2 phones, 1 iPad, 1 Kindle and now my watch! I don't mind too much, but if this list gets much longer, I will need to request advance boarding for the additional time it takes to do so lol
The band sometimes gets a bit uncomfortable when it is very warm outside.
It is a large, geeky device, while most of the time I think this is great, there will be others when I may prefer something more elegant.
I wished I could get my work emails on it but this may fall into the category "be careful what you wish for". We use Blackberries still but are moving to iPhones next year. There are no apps that allow me to connect to the BB Enterprise server. Even if they existed, chances are my work would not permit it anyway for security reasons...and why would I want to see 200+ emails on my wrist anyway, most of them containing attachments I would not be able to open...
That's it, sorry for the length, but perhaps someone can make a more informed buying decision, rather than the deeply emotional "I have to have it NOW" one I made! I probably would have still purchased it that day, but I would have saved myself the letdown factor when it simply did not do all the things I took for granted...
Thank you for your help. I'm trying to decide between the two myself
just a few things
bennie joe said:
What bugs me and has me still looking at the Asus Zen Watch
I am still bummed out over the facebook notifications. I have no idea if Android Wear works any differently and you can actually see what people posted, but I will take a closer look at that one when I see it for the first time.
My phone has a lock pattern. Many times if you want to see something on the Gear S, but can't, it will give you the option of "Show on device". Well, but it won't unlock my phone for me. Pain in the neck. I could have sworn I saw it can unlock your phone, but that may have been for a different smart watch.
Schedule: would be nice if I could figure out how to add anything to it, have not been able to yet. So for now, I have not a single appointment anywhere to be shown. Would be nice if true. There are other calendars one can download from the Gear App store, but I have not had enough time to look into which will work for me.
When getting onto an airplane I now have another device that I have to remember to put into airplane mode (2 phones, 1 iPad, 1 Kindle and now my watch! I don't mind too much, but if this list gets much longer, I will need to request advance boarding for the additional time it takes to do so lol
The band sometimes gets a bit uncomfortable when it is very warm outside.
It is a large, geeky device, while most of the time I think this is great, there will be others when I may prefer something more elegant.
I wished I could get my work emails on it but this may fall into the category "be careful what you wish for". We use Blackberries still but are moving to iPhones next year. There are no apps that allow me to connect to the BB Enterprise server. Even if they existed, chances are my work would not permit it anyway for security reasons...and why would I want to see 200+ emails on my wrist anyway, most of them containing attachments I would not be able to open...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very thorough. Just a few things.
Facebook [Notifications]: I've been playing around with the Tizen for Wearables SDK (software development kit). The Gear S and Gear devices employ something called Rich Notifications. What has to happen in order for Facebook to be able to provide more detailed information and interactivity for notifications that are pushed to the Gear S, is that Facebook (and the rest) need to update their app with the ability to work with Rich Notifications. The same goes for each and every other Android app developer/company. But ... whether they do that is up to them. If they don't see any value in it (if none of their users are asking for it, but are instead blaming Samsung--not saying you are at all), then they won't do it.
Lock pattern: There is a setting in Gear Manager on your phone that allows it. Open Gear Manager, scroll to the bottom and choose Settings. Scroll half-way down to Auto Lock and check the box.
Schedule: This is one of the Gear S's shortcomings. We used to be able to "add an event" using S-Voice on other Gear devices, but for some reason we can't with the Gear S. I can see all of the events on my calendar, but only because I use S-Planner. If you aren't using S-Planner, then your calendar won't "sync" with what's on the Gear S. The same goes for texts, email, and some other things. If you aren't using the TouchWiz (stock Samsung apps on the phone), then it won't play so nice with the Gear S. Same thing goes for using Samsung calendar and text messaging while owning and using an Android Wear device. Google has closed down what can be used fully with Android Wear, to their proprietary apps. The rest have limited functionality and display the same "Send to Phone" message to do anything interactive. That may change for both Samsung and Google, since they are starting to open up and release their SDKs, but while Samsung is opening up, Google is starting to tighten up.
Email: I think Samsung is working out the kinks with the Email situation ... but it could be a moment. The email app on the device isn't quite a stand-alone email application. When you add email accounts (e.g., corporate Exchange, which is what I do) through Gear Manager, for example, it also adds it to your phone ... so it's a bit of a challenge. The problem I have is that with it, I can't reply to or compose new email messages, though others with newer phones like the S5 and Note 4 can. There's a combination of Galaxy device model version, Android version, and Stock Email app version that causes variance in the available features when it comes to email. And it's aggravating. But we'll just have to wait and see what happens.
I didn't use use Android Wear for long, but while I did I found it to be too much like having Google Now on my wrist, and not enough of it being an actual extension of my phone or a productivity device. I don't know if that makes any sense ... But I did sell it after a few weeks of use because I found it to be of minimal use. Your mileage will certainly vary, but if you have the opportunity you should try to play around with an Android Wear device. You may be surprised. I won't say whether that will be positively or negatively ... but do try to check it out.
Thanks!
So how do you suggest users let e.g. Facebook know to change their ways? Any particular venue that might be more effective?
Thanks for the info on the lock pattern, I will check that out!
Have you tried Facebook in Opera Mini?
You can read and respond to Facebook messages in there.
bennie joe said:
Thanks!
So how do you suggest users let e.g. Facebook know to change their ways? Any particular venue that might be more effective?
Thanks for the info on the lock pattern, I will check that out!
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Click to collapse
Twitter and official FaceBook support. Maybe the Gear S communities on FaceBook too. I don't use it so I really don't know! Also try hitting up Samsung Support on FaceBook.
Great post by the way. It will definitely be useful to some people who are on the fence.
New app "encouragement"
Thanks again for the suggestion of contacting the apps which I currently like on my android device. Oddly enough, it did not occur to me to contact them, since I figured why would they listen to me? But there is power in numbers!
I have reached out to 2 of my favorite apps, my fitness pal and facebook and will send more in the future as I miss using them on the Gear S.
Here is what I did:
For facebook:
On your profile page on my samsung Note 3 on the very bottom you have the option of reporting a problem. Then it breaks it down to 3 options: general feedback, Something isn't working and abusive content.
I chose something isn't working, because on my Gear s, it isn't I figured, general feedback receives a lot less attention than a reported problem...
My fitness pal:
Under help is a section FAQs/Feedback where you can send them emails. Done!
I encourage everybody to do the same with their favorite apps.. There is power in numbers and only if we reach out can our voice be heard! If developers do not know how many people are out there wanting to use their app on a specific platform, why would they bother spending time and resources on it! As long as everybody keeps the message positive and points out they already purchased the Gear S, they should listen and can actually measure demand ...
Yes, I just started using it last night, not a bad interim solution. Thanks for the tip!
Hello,
I found that some of the Samsung S features may fill some of my needs however I have a few questions:
Does it work well with Note 3?
I would like to use it for fitness, is it any good for that? (running, indoor exercise,)
is there any standalone app that can be used for running (without phone)? I know that in Android wear we can use ghostracer and endomodo. Is there anything like that?
Is it worth getting it now for 289 €?
Thanks
Yes
Yes
Dunno..think so
Yes
Thanks.
Some people in reddit said that it doesnt worth so I am a bit undecided.
I have already tried 2 wear devices and I am swapping for this one. Just returned de sony smartwatch 3 and ordered the gear S. Lets see if I am happy with it.
The thing is that the new ones coming now arent better for the purposes that I need. That is why I also decided to choose the gear S.
Pysech said:
Thanks.
Some people in reddit said that it doesnt worth so I am a bit undecided.
I have already tried 2 wear devices and I am swapping for this one. Just returned de sony smartwatch 3 and ordered the gear S. Lets see if I am happy with it.
The thing is that the new ones coming now arent better for the purposes that I need. That is why I also decided to choose the gear S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be happy with it, it's a great watch
sefrcoko said:
You should be happy with it, it's a great watch
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Click to collapse
Thanks I just received it
I also own the gear S and for what your looking for your will love it. I have about 350 mp3s loaded on my gear, I have the gear circle bluetooth headphones, so when I need to take a short trip out i can leave my phone at home, and still receive text, calls, email, and listen to my music while our and about. The large curved screen is incredible, stands out from all other smartwatches, and for its size its suprisingly light. Good luck.
Just want to add, that the new Samsung smart watch uses an eSim.
I still pop the sim out of my S5, and shove it in my watch when I want to leave my phone, and I don't pay any extra per month. Can't do that with an eSim.
Had the watch for about three weeks now and I love it. It is so nice to leave the phone home at times and still be in contact with others. As far as I know, this is the only watch that has the ability to make and receive calls as a stand-alone device. Never really got the whole "smart watch" thing. If your watch needs to be in the vicinity of the phone to receive notifications then why not just pick up your phone,,,,,the Gear S can work alone (albeit with limited functionality)if you turn blue-tooth and gear manager off. I do it all the time to save battery and I get almost three days life. My moto 360 gets maybe a day and does nothing more than my phone does. Heck it was just a few weeks ago that the 360 was able to work off of the internet connection which helps but, still thats at home (where my wifi connection is) and thats the same place as where my phone is located so again why not just use the phone LOL.
ampm325 said:
Just want to add, that the new Samsung smart watch uses an eSim.
I still pop the sim out of my S5, and shove it in my watch when I want to leave my phone, and I don't pay any extra per month. Can't do that with an eSim.
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Click to collapse
I agree with that. More importantly in my country where the eSim will take a long time to arrive.
Archangel said:
Had the watch for about three weeks now and I love it. It is so nice to leave the phone home at times and still be in contact with others. As far as I know, this is the only watch that has the ability to make and receive calls as a stand-alone device. Never really got the whole "smart watch" thing. If your watch needs to be in the vicinity of the phone to receive notifications then why not just pick up your phone,,,,,the Gear S can work alone (albeit with limited functionality)if you turn blue-tooth and gear manager off. I do it all the time to save battery and I get almost three days life. My moto 360 gets maybe a day and does nothing more than my phone does. Heck it was just a few weeks ago that the 360 was able to work off of the internet connection which helps but, still thats at home (where my wifi connection is) and thats the same place as where my phone is located so again why not just use the phone LOL.
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Yes, that is why I decided to choose the S over the 360. Additionally, the new 360 (not the sport version) doesn't has GPS which was one of the features that made me choose the gear S. I am happy with it so far