The Moto 360 with its 2.5 days battery life seems like the best option to come.

Not to mention sex appeal, even down to it's accessories.

 

Looks like it's a nice size from this pic.

 

All those people saying it is too big are just kids that have never even seen a watch before smart watches.

The Moto 360 is just about the same size as any high-end round face watch.

 

i wantssss

I hope its not too much price wise. I just bought a dining table and well I forsure can't buy one this month. I kinda wanna hold out for gen 2 when I buy a new phone... but lets see if they can make me throw my money at them.

 

So we all know that Motorola has an announcement sept 4th, involving the moto 360. (unless they have a different watch coming out as well, which seems highly unlikely).

This is very interesting though:
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/17...t-of-features/

Specifically, look at the comment by Bryan Mills. He seems to work for Best buy, and he said:

$249 confirmed. Shipment is on its way. Looks to be a large batch.

So it's actually quite possible that it's going to be announced, and immediately available on sept 4th. Or else why ship it out so early?
It's almost a no brainer at $250, given the previous first hand reports of it.

- Frank

 

That guy is also a known A-class troll, so YMMV.

 

BB leaked the ad for it as well...

 

Argh, I hate the internet.

 

I wonder if I'll be able to hold off at all till the holidays, but then technically I'll have less money to spend then cause i'm buying other people presents. Hmmmmmmm this is tempting.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/19/a...es-smartwatch/





ASUS getting teases its entry into the smartwatch game. Sounds like it's going for the entry-level end of the spectrum. Color me interested...although as with any type of electronic device, I feel like I ought to hold off until the 2nd gens.

 

A NEW CHALLENGER HAS APPEARED!

 

Interesting. Surprised this wasn't really leaked. I wonder if they have a full circle or the little piece the 360 has.

 

Appears to be full circle, but larger bezel as a result.
The Moto 360 kind of squeezes everything into the 'little piece' so has a smaller bezel.

Choice is good.

- Frank

 

It was leaked, but nothing about the full circle. Mostly just enraged internet keyboard warriors not doing their jobs.

 

Samsung's making a round Android Wear watch now too, and Asus is doing a rounded corners rectangle oblong shape watch:

 

Have to wait for whatever Apple has in store. One way or another, the next round or smartwatches will all be on par with each other. Currently, the android ware offering leaves a lot to be desired outside the Moto 360.

 

Clearer view of the LG G Watch R

 

Where is the smartness?

 

Duh you gotta be smart to read an analog clock

 

I guess.....

 

So many jokes can be made at Whiskers' expense!

 

I guess...

 

That is a contender right there.

 

Samsung Gear S Tizen smart watch





IT CAN MAKE CALLS!

LG G Watch R


Specs

Chipset: 1.2GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 400
Display: 1.3-inch P-OLED Display (320 x 320)
Memory: 4GB eMMC / 512MB RAM
Battery: 410mAh
Operating System: Android Wear™ (compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 and above)
Sensors: 9-Axis (Gyro/ Accelerometer/ Compass), Barometer, PPG
Color: Black
Materials: Stainless Steel frame; interchangeable 22mm calf skin leather strap
Other: Dust and Water Resistant (IP67)

 

?

That's a screen, certainly, just like the Moto 360. (with no sliver, but bigger bezels as a result)

 

Yea, that's what we need - a phone with a tiny battery.
Think current smartwatches have crappy batteries? Throw a 3G antenna on top of that, and let's see.

Dumb.

 

not dumb at all, I'll admit, I thought it was lame and just too geeky when the Gear first came out... it's something I won't do in public, and actually thought talking with a watch is just dumb and too "Dick Tracy"like... but it's actually come in rather handy, when I'm at home... phone calls come in and the phone is in a different room... OR when I'm driving, yes... people can hear me fine.

My Gear 2 Neo can last about 2-3 days on a single charge... maybe a little less if I use to talk and/or the heart rate monitor

 

Very definitely not dumb! I will also "confess" .. I have a Galaxy Gear (v1 paired with my Note3) Best Buy had a sale on several months ago to clear the original model Gear and I even got a deep discount (open box / store display) unit .. cost me $60 so i thought "why not? if nothing else it'll be an interesting toy"

Its great! I thought it would be too "geeky" as well , but i find it very very useful. I think the Gear got a bad rap as a 1'st gen device . the battery lasts 2 full days .. i shut off bluetooth at night. And then charging it takes only about an hour so i really don't understand all the moaning about its battery life at all .. the Note3 lasts about the same and it has a monster of a battery. (i know .. apples and oranges but still ..) And the device just plain "works" .. and works well .. does not feel like a 1'st gen device.

I *love* the specs I'm seeing in the new Gear! 3G + WiFi .. Holy connectivity batman!! Assuming the software is equally "smart" (see what i did there ;-) the Gear should never have to be out of touch with the mothership - that's awesome!

My original Gear purchase was an opportunistic experiment. My second Gear purchase is already guaranteed.

 

The only dumb dumb is you for making that statement without knowledge. Current smartwatches last about 2-3 days on average, with the Pebble at 5-7 as the highest. This one is running Tizen which sips on battery and should not be compared to Android Wear at all. Even with 2G and 3G antennas, it will have similar, but probably better battery life compared to similar Android Wear offerings.

 

I had a longer response which I lost so I'll keep it bullet point short:

1) I'm not against making/taking calls through the watch. This can be done, however, though Bluetooth LE.

2) Do you really need/want to keep your phone that far away? Such that Bluetooth LE is no longer viable and 3G the only option? Most people keep their phones close by, if only just to use the camera. I guess you can just leave 3G shut off 99% of the time, but that doesn't exactly make it a strong selling point.

3) I don't think there is a precedent for a watch connecting via non-Bluetooth LE that has a consistent day+ of battery life. I don't know much about Tizen, I'll confess. We'll see.

- Frank

 

A fellow member (Stapler) got me re-looking at these devices since I really love timepieces.

Still, as neat as these things are, I still am all for the "old fashioned" gears and springs analog watch.




And as a comment to above about the size of the dial, GENERALLY speaking, "dish-plate" sized watches (i.e. over 50mm diameters) are for rappers and people who are over-compensating.

Anything in the 40mm-48mm is more than enough. But, I think in the context of smartwatches given the data they are displaying, I could see a case for larger faces since you want to display more.

 

What I am really pleased to see in the Gear is WiFi! Bluetooth doesn't come anywhere near close to covering me when I am at the office (we have our own building with multiple floors) but WiFi will make that a non-issue and WiFi coverage for communication and Bluetooth to detect proximity .. makes me drool! :-)

 

I think that the value and utility of a device with 2G and 3G capabilities will
vary based on the usage profiles of the potential owner.

For the heavy usage texting / surfing / video community its probably not a
good choice.

But for people who:

1) hate carrying loads of crap in their pocket(s)
2) want/need to be able to make/take voice calls
3) can live with limited (voice dictation) text and email usage

this kind of smart watch could become the primary device, obviating the need
for a "phone" per se. That user may well want to own a larger footprint device
(phablet/tablet) for the times they want to surf, email, take photos etc. Such a
device can act as a mini storage-server for their primary device, their watch,
when they are in close proximity (Bluetooth or WiFi connected) and if they want
to incur the expense, it can even do so when when connected by 3G.

 

with my Gear 2 Neo, I can have just about any "old fashioned" analog watch

today, I'm going with a Tag Heuer Monaco
<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/57553669@N03/15064386302/player/" width="1024" height="768" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>

 

If that was a round housing, it would be pretty cool.

 

Yeah, I've read about that feature. It's quite cool. Gives you lots of possibilities on what sort of "face" you want on your smartwatch.

 

To answer 1, 2, and 3 in one simple sentence:

The Samsung Gear S does not require a phone to be attached to it to make calls.

 

So are you paying for two mobile plans?

 

That watch doesn't exist yet, so that's not a valid answer.
There's plenty of devices whose specs exceeded reality. We'll see.

I remembered the omate smartwatch and looked it up - it has 3g. It seems to be able to last a day, but it has a pretty massive 600 mah battery. And whiskers is right, you need a separate data/phone plan for it. I'd forgotten about that.

I could kind of see leaving the phone at home if I'm just out running an errand, however I think I'd want something that notifies my watch (mightytext?) if someone tried to call me while I was away.

- Frank

 

It boggles me anyone would consider a watch with its own network. The watch is not a good phone replacement as far as I can tell