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!
Click to expand...
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!
Related
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?
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
I got mine yesterday and so far I don't know what this watch was made to do. I love the curved design and the large screen, but why add a SIM card and make it not a stand alone device? Personally I would rather have a thinner watch.
Controlling this device is a head ache to me, the scrolling is sometimes glitchy, the keyboard is oddly shaped and apps don't load information like it should. I owned the first Gear watch and thought it was a cool first step in the right direction of smart watches but some how I feel the first Gear worked better.
I am taking mine back and waiting for a thinner one to come out that functions smoother.
Hawkhell said:
I got mine yesterday and so far I don't know what this watch was made to do. I love the curved design and the large screen, but why add a SIM card and make it not a stand alone device? Personally I would rather have a thinner watch.
Controlling this device is a head ache to me, the scrolling is sometimes glitchy, the keyboard is oddly shaped and apps don't load information like it should. I owned the first Gear watch and thought it was a cool first step in the right direction of smart watches but some how I feel the first Gear worked better.
I am taking mine back and waiting for a thinner one to come out that functions smoother.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kind of, one biggy is not being able to add tasks or reminders. I don't know why but that buggs the crap out of me. I was able to with the first and 2nd gen gear watches. It was said this watch would have more support and more apps but from the looks of it the parts of the SDK for this watch seem to be broken thus slowing down app development.
Where are the thousand apps that was said to be avail at launch? I only see maybe 300 apps? (I have a note 4 that should show all of them you would think)
The watch is cool, don't get me wrong. I like it and I like the ability to make calls and receive calls and notifications when I am away from my phone... Im just dumbfounded that you can do something as simple as add a reminder or a task lol. S voice is hit or miss too. S voice on the Gear 2 was on point! (I kinda miss my gear 2)
I think it needs many sw updates and apps to reach its full potential.
ronaldheld said:
I think it needs many sw updates and apps to reach its full potential.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the big question is if there is development. I already feel that gear 2 was abandoned and the gear s isn't far behind
I am thinking the smartwatch development cycle is so short, that a given watch is abandoned before it's peak is reached.
Hawkhell said:
I got mine yesterday and so far I don't know what this watch was made to do. I love the curved design and the large screen, but why add a SIM card and make it not a stand alone device? Personally I would rather have a thinner watch.
Controlling this device is a head ache to me, the scrolling is sometimes glitchy, the keyboard is oddly shaped and apps don't load information like it should. I owned the first Gear watch and thought it was a cool first step in the right direction of smart watches but some how I feel the first Gear worked better.
I am taking mine back and waiting for a thinner one to come out that functions smoother.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is still a standalone device so I'm not sure how you mean it isn't.
As for the glitches it could either be hardware issues or software, but thinness doesn't seem to be anything that could help.
We are early adopters and with that comes risk but I haven't had problems that would disappoint me to the point of wanting to return it.
It is an advancement for me. But hurry up and take it back if it irritates ya. It isn't for everyone.
if anything I think this watch has exceeded my expectations. I expected to hate the size, hate the batter, hate the useability. I have been please on every aspect.
Sure we need more apps. Some of us are working on that.
If you were expecting custom ROMs and someone porting android then this is not for you. That will likely never really be the case.
gottahavit said:
if anything I think this watch has exceeded my expectations. I expected to hate the size, hate the batter, hate the useability. I have been please on every aspect.
Sure we need more apps. Some of us are working on that.
If you were expecting custom ROMs and someone porting android then this is not for you. That will likely never really be the case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh God no, the farther away from Android I can go the better. I only want root so I can dig around in it to learn.
Where are sound files kept, what is the file structure. Pull and push for light modding.
This watch reminds me of the N900. Sooooo much potential ...
My issues with this watch ates the swype key doesn't work all the time. It completely doesn't choose the word I was spelling. The dang call forwarding almost never works. I constantly get error messages that it can't connect to my phone remotely, my phone will be sitting in a good signal area. And a few times i had to restart the gear because all of a sudden it couldn't read the Sim card. These little issues make me regret buying it.
Hawkhell said:
I got mine yesterday and so far I don't know what this watch was made to do. I love the curved design and the large screen, but why add a SIM card and make it not a stand alone device? Personally I would rather have a thinner watch.
Controlling this device is a head ache to me, the scrolling is sometimes glitchy, the keyboard is oddly shaped and apps don't load information like it should. I owned the first Gear watch and thought it was a cool first step in the right direction of smart watches but some how I feel the first Gear worked better.
I am taking mine back and waiting for a thinner one to come out that functions smoother.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually am loving it. Screen is great, connection or remote connection works well, and I love the scrolling on it, as it seems smooth and more fun. I had Gear 1 and 2, and find this far superior so far. Battery very good, even with Always on mode going I get a full day. Bluetooth works well with my headset at the gym, and emails seem to work better, as I can read full Exchange emails, as long as I clear out the notification after each one. News updates are really cool looking too.
I'm not terribly disappointed - I think the device itself is a feat in design however, I do have gripes with the software capabilities and not being able to respond to things like notifications directly from the device.
I think when more apps/updates are developed for the device, the experience/usability will drastically improve.
simpletona70 said:
My issues with this watch ates the swype key doesn't work all the time. It completely doesn't choose the word I was spelling. The dang call forwarding almost never works. I constantly get error messages that it can't connect to my phone remotely, my phone will be sitting in a good signal area. And a few times i had to restart the gear because all of a sudden it couldn't read the Sim card. These little issues make me regret buying it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yours is defective. Exchange it.
RChang said:
I'm not terribly disappointed - I think the device itself is a feat in design however, I do have gripes with the software capabilities and not being able to respond to things like notifications directly from the device.
I think when more apps/updates are developed for the device, the experience/usability will drastically improve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just my Gear S yesterday and I'm impressed with the design just like I am with the Note 4. I bought the Notifications app to be able to reply. I'm still trying to figure that out. The Gear S looks huge but surprisingly feels like a normal watch to me. I can see it wouldn't feel right if you have tiny wrists though. I'm going to test the watch out for 14 days and see how much I'll use it.
I just feel Samsung didn't put much effort in this device as they have in their phones.
I personally hate that it has its own sim card and it seems that it without a sim slot and the chipset for 3g and wifi it could be a thinner device and still do what most people need it to. I just find it silly to have WiFi and 3g when you can't download it's own apps and not to mention the price difference.
I really thought it would have better apps first and 3rd party since Samsung isn't new to the watch market.
I do like the way the watch looks aside from it being thicker than I think it should be. I own a Note 4 and Note 3 and I think the Note 4 looks better but the Note 3 feels better in hand. Also I fail to understand why the Note 4s screen sticks out further than its bezels unlike the Note 3 where the bezels are out to protect the screen.
I am totally in love with mine. I love that it has its own SIM card slot, which is also why I bought it. For active people, it's a great device, because they can leave their cell phones at home (they are just too darn big these days).
I wish it had a few of the apps I use on my watch, and in general many more apps, and that Samsung would be straight-forward about which tablets work with it and which don't.
Also, I never saw the point of a wrist worn second display to your phone, but now that I have the Gear S, I can even see the appeal of the other (SIM-less) smart watches.
What I hate, though, is that Samsung sells it carrier-locked in the US. The sheer amount of work I have done so far in trying to get an unlocked version is insane, and I am still not done.
simpletona70 said:
My issues with this watch ates the swype key doesn't work all the time. It completely doesn't choose the word I was spelling. The dang call forwarding almost never works. I constantly get error messages that it can't connect to my phone remotely, my phone will be sitting in a good signal area. And a few times i had to restart the gear because all of a sudden it couldn't read the Sim card. These little issues make me regret buying it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May I ask, which carrier version of the watch do you have, and what kind of SIM is in it?
I'd like to know because I am currently using the T-mo version with a T-mo card and have not had any such problems, however, I also have an unopened ATT version that I am waiting to get unlocked (I'll return the tmo one).
xendula said:
I am totally in love with mine. I love that it has its own SIM card slot, which is also why I bought it. For active people, it's a great device, because they can leave their cell phones at home (they are just too darn big these days).
I wish it had a few of the apps I use on my watch, and in general many more apps, and that Samsung would be straight-forward about which tablets work with it and which don't.
Also, I never saw the point of a wrist worn second display to your phone, but now that I have the Gear S, I can even see the appeal of the other (SIM-less) smart watches.
What I hate, though, is that Samsung sells it carrier-locked in the US. The sheer amount of work I have done so far in trying to get an unlocked version is insane, and I am still not done.
May I ask, which carrier version of the watch do you have, and what kind of SIM is in it?
I'd like to know because I am currently using the T-mo version with a T-mo card and have not had any such problems, however, I also have an unopened ATT version that I am waiting to get unlocked (I'll return the tmo one).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My swipe is more accurate than I thought it would be but less than on the keyboards I use on my Note 4.
Hawkhell said:
My swipe is more accurate than I thought it would be but less than on the keyboards I use on my Note 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to say, I can't figure out how to best use the keyboard. It detects the actual letter I want to type maybe 50% of the time at most.
Hawkhell said:
I just feel Samsung didn't put much effort in this device as they have in their phones.
I personally hate that it has its own sim card and it seems that it without a sim slot and the chipset for 3g and wifi it could be a thinner device and still do what most people need it to. I just find it silly to have WiFi and 3g when you can't download it's own apps and not to mention the price difference.
I really thought it would have better apps first and 3rd party since Samsung isn't new to the watch market.
I do like the way the watch looks aside from it being thicker than I think it should be. I own a Note 4 and Note 3 and I think the Note 4 looks better but the Note 3 feels better in hand. Also I fail to understand why the Note 4s screen sticks out further than its bezels unlike the Note 3 where the bezels are out to protect the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
--
The Note 4 has a 2.5D glass screen with the chamfored aluminium contour to give it a more premium look. It has definitely made a difference and makes the phone feel silky smooth. I really don't think the plastic trim around the Note 3 protected it much and it certainly wasn't attractive. People complained like hell to Samsung regarding premium design, they listened and they delivered and people are still moaning.
As for the Gear S, well looks are subjective and I for one believe it looks stunning. The thickness is down to many factors like a decent speaker, bigger battery, sensors and the sim tray. Comparing it to the Galaxy Gear and the LG G watch r, it's about the same in thickness. The fact it curves round the wrist makes it seem less bulky.
It's not silly to have a 3G and Wifi feature, it's what makes the watch stand out from the others. It's not meant for downloading apps, it's for use when your phone is unavailable. I believe you are missing the whole concept. If you want a thin fashion watch then this isn't the right watch for you and I doubt Samsung ever intended it to be fashionable. It's a techies dream and as far as I am concerned is the best smartwatch out there right now. Granted it is expensive but early adoption is always so. The same reason there aren't thousands of apps for it just yet.
My answer to the original question of whether I am disappointed with the Gear S. . it's an easy and resounding NO!
--
Sent from my SM-T705 using Tapatalk
Hawkhell said:
I just find it silly to have WiFi and 3g when you can't download it's own apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But what even just wifi gives you is at, say your office or home, you can leave your phone sitting on your desk or nightstand and roam freely about the place and still get calls and notifications on the Gear S.
Which to me, is awesome. And clearly better than the Gear Live (which can only helpfully remind you you've left your phone out of range when you walk into the next room)
---------- Post added at 08:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:08 AM ----------
xendula said:
I have to say, I can't figure out how to best use the keyboard. It detects the actual letter I want to type maybe 50% of the time at most.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are three keyboards. Perhaps one of the others will work better for you?
schettj said:
There are three keyboards. Perhaps one of the others will work better for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try out the others. Haven't even checked for other keyboards - duh!
I am planing on getting a gear s but I have hear nothing but bad things about does anybody hear like the device and if so what are the pros and cons you have found of this device is it woth get it g or should I wait for the next gen gear to come out
Sent From The EDGE
jolly_roger_hook said:
I am planing on getting a gear s but I have hear nothing but bad things about does anybody hear like the device and if so what are the pros and cons you have found of this device is it woth get it g or should I wait for the next gen gear to come out
Sent From The EDGE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haters gonna hate. Thats the only way to look at it. Its a cool piece of hardware but theres haters for everything. Hell you tell people the battery will last 2-3 days and they scream bloody murder, "oh it sucks, thats horrible!". Then you tell them the Apple iWatch battery will only last 8 hours and they are all like " oh well thats probably ok" (I dont actually know what the iWatch battery is like). I did just go on a little rant here. It should give you some insight into why people talk bad about it.
Thanks I'll check that out
Sent From The EDGE
cipherswitch said:
Haters gonna hate. Thats the only way to look at it. Its a cool piece of hardware but theres haters for everything. Hell you tell people the battery will last 2-3 days and they scream bloody murder, "oh it sucks, thats horrible!". Then you tell them the Apple iWatch battery will only last 8 hours and they are all like " oh well thats probably ok" (I dont actually know what the iWatch battery is like). I did just go on a little rant here. It should give you some insight into why people talk bad about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I'll check that out
Sent From The EDGE
Love mine. Yes charge it daily. Do i really need to not sure but rather it last than run out half wau through. Disnt have apps i wanted. So wrote my own. So now it pretty much does everything i want. I quite often leave my phone at home if popping to shops etc. Has step counter and sleep log. The apps i have downloaded are quite cool but dont use them often.
The two i wrote. Access cctv and view from watch. Control domoticz home automation from watch. Yup lazy can turn lights on and off from bed and couch. The tizen ide for programming is not too bad.
Anyways to sum up i love it
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Free mobile app
I just got mine yesterday and so far I like it. I had the original Gear 1 and a Moto 360. I will say that the Moto 360 seemed to work better with Google stuff such as Hangouts, but it was far more limited as a device compared to the Gear S. I loaded the Gear Notification Extender, and now I can reply to both Gmail and Hangouts using the Gear S, very nice!
I do like the option of using something like the Opera Mini Browser to view Gmail and such. And I can't wait to try it out this spring while cycling, it would be nice to leave my phone at home or in the car when riding my bike.
Hope this helps.
its a fantastic piece of kit
to be fair i've struggled with it a bit understanding the settings and permutations but the functionality seems to be improving day by day.
the choice of useful apps isn't massive but that hasn't been a problem for me personally,
I'm not a great fan of the interface on my related S4 smartphone but i can live with that
the liberation of just having the watch (ok with your compatible samsung plugged in or turned on somewhere else) is the main attraction for me
i dont understand the haters especially those deriding the battery life, the appearance (it looks great on your wrist in real life), the concept ( i don't think i need one why would anybody else?) or the need to have a samsung phone to go with it ( I'm not charmed by that either that but Samsung are no worse than others in that regard and there are I guess technical reasons why it has to pair with something short of being a brick on your wrist) at least with the Gear S that pairing can be at a distance or indeed you can just use it as a phone on its own
some people have posted here and on android central that they have returned the watch but most actual users who see the use case for them, have checked out the limitations, have persevered or been patient with some of the glitches and understand why its the best in its class
i see your a "senior member" so apologies for showing granny how to suck eggs - apart from that buy it - or hang on a little longer to see if there really is a Gear S 2 coming soon!
alanshortt said:
its a fantastic piece of kit
to be fair i've struggled with it a bit understanding the settings and permutations but the functionality seems to be improving day by day.
the choice of useful apps isn't massive but that hasn't been a problem for me personally,
I'm not a great fan of the interface on my related S4 smartphone but i can live with that
the liberation of just having the watch (ok with your compatible samsung plugged in or turned on somewhere else) is the main attraction for me
i dont understand the haters especially those deriding the battery life, the appearance (it looks great on your wrist in real life), the concept ( i don't think i need one why would anybody else?) or the need to have a samsung phone to go with it ( I'm not charmed by that either that but Samsung are no worse than others in that regard and there are I guess technical reasons why it has to pair with something short of being a brick on your wrist) at least with the Gear S that pairing can be at a distance or indeed you can just use it as a phone on its own
some people have posted here and on android central that they have returned the watch but most actual users who see the use case for them, have checked out the limitations, have persevered or been patient with some of the glitches and understand why its the best in its class
i see your a "senior member" so apologies for showing granny how to suck eggs - apart from that buy it - or hang on a little longer to see if there really is a Gear S 2 coming soon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
chrisreese said:
I just got mine yesterday and so far I like it. I had the original Gear 1 and a Moto 360. I will say that the Moto 360 seemed to work better with Google stuff such as Hangouts, but it was far more limited as a device compared to the Gear S. I loaded the Gear Notification Extender, and now I can reply to both Gmail and Hangouts using the Gear S, very nice!
I do like the option of using something like the Opera Mini Browser to view Gmail and such. And I can't wait to try it out this spring while cycling, it would be nice to leave my phone at home or in the car when riding my bike.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dagaz said:
Love mine. Yes charge it daily. Do i really need to not sure but rather it last than run out half wau through. Disnt have apps i wanted. So wrote my own. So now it pretty much does everything i want. I quite often leave my phone at home if popping to shops etc. Has step counter and sleep log. The apps i have downloaded are quite cool but dont use them often.
The two i wrote. Access cctv and view from watch. Control domoticz home automation from watch. Yup lazy can turn lights on and off from bed and couch. The tizen ide for programming is not too bad.
Anyways to sum up i love it
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for all the replies very helpful now I just have to decide if I want to get the vzw version with its own number or wait for T-mobile to get them in Stock so I can have root
Sent From The EDGE
jolly_roger_hook said:
Thanks for all the replies very helpful now I just have to decide if I want to get the vzw version(as its my service provider) with its own number or wait for T-mobile to get them in Stock so I can have root
Sent From The EDGE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent From The EDGE
I would get one that can be rooted. Mine may go back because of the lockdown.
What type of lights are you turning on and off? And what brand camera? I didn't see your apps on gear store
Thats because i wrote the apps for myself.
My home lights via domoticz
Accessing a cctv server system to view live images.
Might adapt them for the store at some stage but presently just because i wanted them.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Free mobile app
I have the WEMO light switches and wished there was an app for it on my watch. And I have foscam cameras, not necessary for a watch but I thought it would be cool.
kieso said:
I have the WEMO light switches and wished there was an app for it on my watch. And I have foscam cameras, not necessary for a watch but I thought it would be cool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No apps maybe, but you can go to the website for your Foscam using the Opera browser on the watch. Cheers!
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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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