Android Wear Hopefuls Call Timeout On Smartwatches (cnet.com) 117
Things are not looking good for Google's Android Wear. Three of the top Android Wear smartwatches maker have confirmed that they won't be releasing a smartwatch in the waning months of the year. From a CNET report:While LG launched a watch in the first half, it'll have been more than a year since Huawei and Motorola offered an update on their wearables. That marks a reversal from last year, when all three companies launched Android Wear smartwatches at the early September IFA trade show in Berlin in what was supposed to be a resurgence of the platform. At this year's show, Chinese maker Asus was the only major tech company to return with a new Android Wear watch. The poor showing underscores the general lack of enthusiasm for smartwatches, which the industry has touted as the next hot trend in tech. Consumers, however, continue to question the usefulness of these gadgets. Even Apple, which leads the market for smartwatches, saw its shipments fall 55 percent from a year ago in the second quarter, according to IDC. "Smartwatches still have yet to make a significant impression on consumers as a must-have device," said Ramon Llamas, an analyst at IDC. Time stands still for some in the smartwatch market.
grounds for optimism (Score:5, Funny)
Consumers, however, continue to question the usefulness of these gadgets.
Not optimism in the smartwatch market, optimism about humanity in general.
Smartwatches (Score:5, Insightful)
For whatever it's worth (exactly one anecdote), I really like my smartwatch (it's a Gear Live, square face, fairly early vintage.) Picture here. [flickr.com]
It puts text, email, slack and other notifications right where I can see them without having to reach for anything, turn it on, etc. That alone is worth a lot, as most things can be ignored until later, but for the ones I want to know about and respond to immediately, I can. Timers are very useful, I use them for many things from timing aquarium water top-offs to cooking and reminding me to let the dog back in. The watch faces are very clever and pretty, and I like them a lot, even though I answer to no one and very rarely care what time it is. The tracking of my heart rate and steps is nice too, as I need to pay attention to my health. Doesn't hurt to be able to ask it questions, either. All of this is either nearly or completely hands-free. For instance, rotate wrist so the watch is up, it wakes up. Then say: "Ok google, set a timer for five minutes." Easy. Awesome. Super-useful.
This stuff is quite practical (even the time... most people need to know, even if I don't.)
Just like any gadget, it's not for everyone, I'm sure. But I really don't think you can put a smartwatch in the general category of "doesn't make sense." Instead, put anyone who says that in either the "doesn't make sense for me" category, or in the "I don't understand smartwatches" category, for which you can, if you like, lay the responsibility for at the watch manufacturer's feet -- specifically, marketing. Most smartwatch ads I've seen haven't been very... smart.
Re: Smartwatches (Score:2)
Reason I bought a smartwatch initially was for the GPS and compass features for outdoorsy stuff, and I never wore it for anything else. But after a while I noticed how useful it was when apps started showing different notifications. Like for example, it shows which direction I need to turn next while using google maps navigation, which is useful in case I missed what the voice said, and I can skip crappy gangsta rap songs easily while using play music without having to take my eyes off the road.
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I didn't think about / know about using it to control music playback. There are lots of songs I'd just as soon skip. Super. Thanks. :)
Gangsta rap:
There are two kinds of music I absolutely despise: rap, and country. Also country-rap. Which some have called c-rap, and with which appellation I wholeheartedly agree.
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C-Rap... very nice.
I also prefer to spell "Country Music" without the "o". :)
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I thought c-rap was short for Christian rap...
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No, that would never fly. That is taking the Christ out of Christian...
Re: Smartwatches (Score:2)
Some rap is good, like MC Hammer and Coolio. What I can't stand is any music that has no rhythm.
Modern rap is mostly some derp taking about how he's "pimpin the hoes" or holding up a 7-11.
Modern r&b and modern hip-hop basically sound like that same shit these days as well, it's as if all three genres have become the same. If I wanted to listen to people with no rhythm talk about how they want to fuck the world, I'd watch C-SPAN.
As for country, pretty much the only singer I listen to is Johnny Cash.
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Actually, I love the heavy bass and drums behind a lot of rap music. If they would just shut the heck up, I'd enjoy most of it thoroughly.
But... no. Sigh.
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Most TVs operate at a fixed refresh rate. It sucks because the hardware is typically physically able to run at a bunch of lower rates but everything's locked down.
At least 120 Hz panels handle nearly all content cleanly. The only thing you'll get screwed on is PAL (25 fps) shit.
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Nearly all TVs run at 120 Hz now and call it 240 Hz (or 480 or even 960). 3D is supported on nearly all major TVs, even if it's not advertised in a big callout on the box. The trick is no one cares and no one bothers to buy glasses or seek out 3D content.
Even if 3D is pointless, 120 Hz is great because 24 FPS content, 30 FPS content, and 60 FPS content all pa nicely. About the only thing that doesn't are the abortions that were the Hobbit movies in 48 FPS. I don't think there's been a release at that fr
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"Look at 3d TV for example; despite all the hype, people just didn't buy into it, and now you have to look petty hard for the 3d models."
When we bought a new TV last fall, pretty much all the mid-range models we looked at came with 3D built-in. It just seems to be a tickbox feature now, rather than a selling point... and is pretty much zero cost for the manufacturer (a bit of software, and a Bluetooth chip if they don't already have one).
What's the bluetooth for? Our 3D TV doesn't have bluetooth (I don't think so; never seen it as a menu option, but then again I wasn't really looking for it).
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First Post Haiku (Score:2)
First post!
Time twixt see and post
Is longer than others clicks
You came in third place
Perhaps it's because. . . (Score:1)
Re: Perhaps it's because. . . (Score:1)
As someone who has been wearing and using a smartwatch for well over a year, you're absolutely correct. That's exactly what I use it for all the time and it's what I love about it. Screw apps, I only use a dashboard for turning WiFi on and off and sometimes tethering.
Also since it's a Pebble it lasts well over a week. No way I'd plug that thing in every second day or so.
It also feels like it saves a bit of battery life since the display isn't turned on as much.
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The only smartwatch app I've ever really used (well, it's not really an app) is the vibrate functionality on them.
Noisy environments such as datacentres, construction or forestry sites where you can't hear your phone ring are prime uses for the smartwatch vibrate. It means you no longer need to have you phone on your person to to catch incoming messages - important in areas where the phone is subject to physical damage in your pocket or to external forces such as when working in forestry. Hell, I've even da
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where you can't hear your phone ring are prime uses for the smartwatch vibrate.
My wife's fitbit does that. She doesn't use it for fitbitting, but it buzzes and tells her to fish her phone out of her bag.
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Oh, she definitely is using it for something else too, something the OP can't do for her.
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Smartwatches are mostly useful for looking at notifications and deciding whether I need to act upon that information or if I can just make a mental note and swipe right. It saves me time picking up and/or unlocking my phone to see a notification. There's not really any compelling smartwatch apps that wouldn't be more useful as a fullscreen smartphone app.
I feel the same way. I've been using the same original Moto 360 and it does what I need it to just fine. The most complicated thing I might use it for is for control Spotify without picking up my phone or for showing me real-time directions while navigating. Other than that there doesn't seem to be much that can be improved on to justify an expensive upgrade.
Found two other useful things ... (Score:3)
Smartwatches are mostly useful for looking at notifications and deciding whether I need to act upon that information or if I can just make a mental note and swipe right. It saves me time picking up and/or unlocking my phone to see a notification. There's not really any compelling smartwatch apps that wouldn't be more useful as a fullscreen smartphone app.
The watch can control a presentation being played from your smartphone. This allows you to travel real light.
The tap on the wrist during turn-by-turn directions is nice. You don't have to turn down the stereo for fear of not hearing a reminder on the phone.
When thinking about what could be compelling I'd start with what is unique for the watch. The first thing that comes to mind is that the watch has a heart rate sensor, so something utilizing that would go beyond "I don't have to reach for the phone"
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so you pay $200 or $300 or more to save the one second from picking up your phone. i was going to get a fitbit or an apple watch to run with but i'll be taking my phone with me anyway in case i need to call for help, so i don't see the point.
and i'm not that OCD or senile yet to care about my exact heart rate when i run. i have a few routes and try to beat my last time, and i only need a phone for that
Android Pocket Watch is good enough (Score:2)
You just need big pockets.
Try rebranding the "smartwatch" into the "SmartBracelet". Then the entire band can be the display.
Android Tablets dying too (Score:1)
The only major smart watch that works is Galaxy Gear with the twist dial, always on display, and 3-4 day battery life. The rest seem clueless. Who wants a watch that they can't just look at the read the time. Who wants a watch that would be dead after a long flight. Apple's watch I bet isn't selling the way it should, given the fanboy nature. I don't like the bubble interface and square face. They should copy ideas from Samsung and improve on them.
*However*, have you noticed that only mid range and low end
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*However*, have you noticed that only mid range and low end Android tablets are getting updates? The latest to get an update is the Galaxy Tab A 10 inch. It's not just Android Wear that's struggling, Android is too.
My 3 year old 8.4" Tab S surprised me a couple of days ago with an update to Marshmallow. I really didn't think that was ever going to happen.
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"isn't selling like it should"? now there's a signpost you can never pass.
especially when Apple went from 0 to the #2 watch seller in the world in 1.5 years.
Pebble (Score:3, Informative)
Meanwhile, Pebble looks to be doing just fine with their smartwatches. However, they use color e-ink (better battery life), are much cheaper, and don't need a new line of service activated. They connect to the internet via Bluetooth on your phone. Perhaps the other manufacturers should strip their watches down and focus on what consumers would want: a durable watch, with battery life past a day or two, and doesn't cost extra with phone service.
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-Generic Executive
Re:Pebble (Score:5, Informative)
Looks like you have no idea about Android Wear watches, but really really wanted to write something. They connect over Bluetooth as well, although some have WiFi so the user can still get notification even if the mobile phone is not in the proximity. And as for the price, the monochrome Pebble costs the same as a LG W100. Pebble Time Round has about the same price as LG W150 or the first generation Motorola Moto360 but both can do more than the Pebble watch.
Still, the good old MOTOACTV is a better smartwatch than the modern ones.
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I think Pebble got this right. I don't think of mine as a "smart watch". It is an auxiliary display for some apps on my phone, with some buttons to send some basic commands back to the apps. It does this very well, and that is all I need it to do. If you still have to carry a phone anyway, there is not much point in making the watch any smarter.
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Of course, you can do what I do and wear one of the excellent Seiko 5 watches (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=seiko+5 ), generally regarded as the best watch value on the planet, and frequently making lists of best watches under $500, even though they're an order of magnitude cheaper than that! On top of that, it will still be a good, fully functional device many years from now, which is definitely not true of ANY smartwatch. (Let's see you try to get rep
Watches are about style, not function (Score:2, Insightful)
Apple got this right, and it's showing.
Very few products appeal to my wife in the technology sphere, and the Apple Watch was done of them.
Android watches remind me of the 80's digital watches.
Taking a time-out, ha ha, is probably a good idea.
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Really? Because Android Wear watches tend to look like actual watches people would wear, while the Apple Watch looks like a miniature iPhone prop someone decided to strap to their wrist for some reason.
But you might be right - by making the Apple Watch distinctive, instead of functional, Apple has made it into a piece of jewelry people wear to show off that they're the type of asshole who owns an iPhone. Being ugly but identifying is probably more important to Apple than being stylish and functional.
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Because Android Wear watches tend to look like actual watches people would wear
You should probably tell that to consumers then, because they don't seem to be buying and wearing very many of them, hence this article.
The OP was right, most consumers wanted a fashion accessory that could do some smart things.
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Some watches are about function (Score:3)
Watches are about style, not function
As a scuba diver and a private pilot I disagree. :-)
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To each his own, but I think the Apple Watch is butt-ugly, and one of the clumsiest of Ives' designs.
Not enough bang for the buck (Score:3)
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I'm in a similar situation. My limit is $200, but I want the battery of the bigger ones in the size of the smaller, and the stylings of the nicer ones.
I'd pay $200 for a 2nd gen moto 360 of the smaller size if it had the battery.
But they're both $300 and I'm not confident of the battery.
Just adding that I'm less concerned about the price than you, but still too expensive.
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If you're worried about the battery, buy a Pebble. The battery lasts a good week. Even more if you shut it off at night like I do. It's also significantly less expensive and is very open to developers.
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I'm skeptical that the e-ink will be satisfying on the interactivity with my cards.
Also, I don't need a weak's battery, I need 20 hours.
And last I looked, the pebble steel wasn't under $200 either.
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I have too many, so I could sell you a lightly used LG W100 for, say, 50 euros, but the shipping cost is probably prohibitive.
Independent Smartwatches (Score:1)
I don't see the point of a smartwatch that requires you to carry your phone around all the time. If a smartwatch could operate independently then I think it would be much more useful. While I don't think a watch would need 4G service, the addition of free 3G, like Amazon has for the Kindle, would be a game changer.
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If you are such a Luddite that you don't have a smartphone on your person at all times, then a smartwatch probably isn't for you.
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Yeah, I'm a Luddite because I see no point in buying a smartwatch so I can save the 5 seconds it would take to look at my phone instead of the watch.
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Well,, they still function as a watch when not connected, so you aren't totally tethered if you are interested in what time it is.
They lack a killer feature (Score:4, Insightful)
I still don't get why I should want one. I still have to carry my phone anyways. And it can show me the time just fine, so I don't even need a watch.
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Notifications and fitness tracking. If you are the kind of person who doesn't like their notification sound going off at high volume* then they are a good alternative. If someone can invent a good heart rate monitor with good battery life that would be nice too, for people managing illness and weight as well as fitness buffs.
* Why can't they make it so that the notification/ring sound volume is proportional to ambient noise?
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There is already the vibrating and the silent mode (with LED notification). I don't need a second device. Fitness tracking, maybe. But they already sell heart rate monitor watches without Android and they run just fine, with longer battery.
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Solution looking for a problem (Score:5, Insightful)
"Smartwatches still have yet to make a significant impression on consumers as a must-have device," said Ramon Llamas, an analyst at IDC.
They mostly are a solution looking for a problem. Smartwatches are useful in some very particular circumstances, mostly where it is inconvenient or ill-advised to carry a smartphone. Those circumstances are not widely applicable in most people's every day lives and therefore there is limited market need for smartwatches. Relatively few people of my generation and those younger wear a watch routinely. People want to wear fewer devices, not more so at best it tends to replace a watch for those who were already prone to carrying one. For the rest of us it actually ADDS a device to carry when the trend it actually to carry less. My smartphone replaced my point-and-shoot camera, my PDA, my calendar, my MP3 player, my laptop in some circumstances and oh yeah it makes calls. Plus it can do everything a smartwatch can do except be small.
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Haptic feedback is another partial differentiator, it can tap you on the wrist to get your attention. Partial because a vibrating phone in your pocket is also haptic. But if the phone is say mounted on the dash for turn-by-turn directions then that watch haptic feedback is nice, you don't have to turn down the stereo to a
Corner cases (Score:3)
Smartwatches also have heart rate sensors.
There are a few corner cases where smartwatches are advantageous but these have been insufficiently explored to date. Smartwatches have two primary uses. 1) a highly portable data-logging sensor suite and 2) a compact display for compact messages. These are useful things but for most use cases a smartphone can serve the same purpose AND have a lot more capabilities besides. The corner cases where a smartwatch makes a big different don't apply to most people most of the time and so it should surprise no
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Today the only reason I feel justified in owning a smartwatch is that I am a developer.
Utterly wrong (Score:2)
There are a few corner cases where smartwatches are advantageous but these have been insufficiently explored to date.
FitBit disagrees with you.
You may think of a smartwatch as something that has to have a display with time, but why?
The real name should be something more along the line of "TechBracelet" and humanity has explored them and already find them very useful.
Why do you doubt that over time the fields in which they have already found to be generally useful, will expand further...
Can't believe I am re
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Not to slam fitness wearables, but the market research shows that 2/3 of them wind up living in a drawer within six months. They're just not all that compelling for most people (yet?)...
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They mostly are a solution looking for a problem. Smartwatches are useful in some very particular circumstances, mostly where it is inconvenient or ill-advised to carry a smartphone.
Wait, what? If it's inconvenient, I get that. But ill-advised? If it's ill-advised to carry a cellphone, it's just as ill-advised to wear a smartwatch. If it's a clearance issue, it has all the same issues. If it's a theft issue, it's on display on your wrist and it's actually more of an issue.
My smartphone replaced my point-and-shoot camera, my PDA, my calendar, my MP3 player, my laptop in some circumstances and oh yeah it makes calls. Plus it can do everything a smartwatch can do except be small.
That is the real problem. If you already have a smartphone, the only thing it can't do that a smartwatch does is signal to other people that you have too much money so you waste it.
Ill-advised (Score:2)
Wait, what? If it's inconvenient, I get that. But ill-advised? If it's ill-advised to carry a cellphone, it's just as ill-advised to wear a smartwatch
You can swim with a lot of smartwatches. Not so much of a good idea with smartphones - even IPXX rated ones. There also are places where smartphones are prohibited for security reasons or where they might prove socially problematic but where smartwatches would be acceptable.
If it's a theft issue, it's on display on your wrist and it's actually more of an issue.
A smartwatch is generally a LOT less conspicuous than most people's smartphones. Less valuable too.
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A smartwatch is generally a LOT less conspicuous than most people's smartphones.
Most people's smartphones are in their pocket when they're not using them, not waving around at the end of their arm. That makes it conspicuous at all times, when the phone isn't.
Less valuable too.
However, thieves aren't necessarily stupid; they can know that most smartwatches are communicating with a phone in someone's pocket, implying a potential two-fer. Also, a stolen phone may be IMEI-disabled after theft, decreasing its value. This is less of a concern with smartwatches.
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There also are places where smartphones are prohibited for security reasons or where they might prove socially problematic but where smartwatches would be acceptable.
Any place a smartphone is a security issue, a smartwatch is probably a security issue as well, unless you're referring to a generic non-DoD "no cameras allowed" policy and the watch doesn't have a camera. It's the ability to communicate wirelessly that's the problem, not just the camera. The DoD made my company remove a clock from one of our SCIFs because it used WiFi to get time sync.
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No, smartwatches are not where it is ill-advised to carry a smartphone.
They're because the user bought the WRONG smartphone for their lifestyle. As in, they got awed by the massive 8" screen that they went out and bought it, then realized that it was completely useless to them - they can't stuff it in their pocket in easy reach, so it goes in their bag. THey can't carry it in o
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wah wah I must have my 8" screen!
Somebody makes a phone with an 8" screen? Can you cite the make/model? According to this [phonearena.com], the largest smartphone on the planet has a 7" screen, but then the list is over a year old.
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I thought pretty much the same: smart watch is stupid, doesn't offer anything I don't already have, ... Then I received an Android Wear watch for my birthday, I really like it, I really like that notifications appears on my wrist and that my phone doesn't do anything at all, and, I really like have the time right there on my wrist. I'll definitely replace my current Android Wear watch with another when this one either fails, or the state of the art has moved far enough ahead that it would be worth it. I'
Garmin's about all I need (Score:2)
Correction (Score:1)
Smartwatches still have yet to make a significant impression on consumers as a must-have device,"
Correction:
Smartwatches have yet to be anything more than grossly overpriced novelties with stupidly poor battery life.
I'm actually interested in the Pebble, cause you can get up to 10 days of use out of it per charge, which is 9 days more than pretty much everything out there, short of actual normal watches.
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Pebble is very nice... very useful, very open, very extendable, and much cheaper as well!
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LOL I got modded flamebait.
Someone either hates their Pebble, or disagrees that watches should have more than a day of battery life. :P
Apple has won. (Score:1)
Lower the price point (Score:1)
I use moto360 religiously. Some places where it shines:
- You can ignore notifications and phone calls much faster. Don't have to shuffle with your phone.
- Weather/pedometer information are great.
- More sticky calendar reminders.
Some things that are lacking:
- Dedicated gps. I know that the new apple watch has it, but I'm not sure how good the battery life is. I use a Garmin watch for running, but the battery sucks for longer runs. Not sure if Apple has nailed it.
- Pricepoint: Make these watches sub $150 and
Title (Score:2)
The title does not appear to be English. The words are all English words, but the title makes no sense at all.
Someone gave my a Galaxy S2 Smartwatch (Score:2)
Oh, my S2 ended up on Craigslist.
I love my Motorola 360 v2 (Score:2)
I love my second gen Motorola 360. Having used it daily for a year, I don't think I could go back to not having one. It's just so convenient to have it buzz on your wrist when you have a notification, and to be able to glance down at it and see what it is. Honestly that's mostly what I use it for. I don't use any apps on it or anything, it's really just for notifications. The heart rate monitoring is neat, but I rarely look at the data in Google Fit.
It's also stylish (I have the black one with black metal b
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Let me know when the batteries last a week or a month and I'll think about being mildly interested... (Another reason we need full color e-ink!)
Just a bit lame (Score:2)
Smart watches are a bit lame. People who wear them are a bit lame as well and generally fit into the
1 I'm a fanboy/girl
2 I'm trying to look smart
3 I'm trying to look like a newage technical person
4 All of the above.
Whereas something like Google glasses might actually be useful.
Needing the dofull (Score:1)
Garbage.