Smartwatch, what problem are they trying to solve?

[Red Storm]

I must be the only one who thinks that in 5 years you'll be able to "slap bracelet" your phone onto your wrist. Just need a little more advancements to make everything smaller, lighter, and most of the components flexible, but we are getting there.


The clasp (preferably ceramic, and would house all non-flexible elements) would be easy to do magnetically, wireless charging is already in devices, and flexible displays (OLED) are doable right now, it's the SoC and battery that would be hard. Maybe something like SMA shielded by flexible insulation would give the phone rigidity in "phone mode" when current is applied.

While that may doable in 5 years, I sure as heck wouldn't want one. I do not want a phone on my wrist. It appears a few people in this thread do want just that, and I hope they get the option for it. But for me, I want a smartwatch that doesn't require lots of fiddling, gets me my notifications, does fitness related things, has Google Now, looks nice and lasts more than a day. I think the next gen Moto 360 will be exactly that.

That fenix 2 seems like something that solves a problem and works well. More smart watch than the smart watch apple etc.. Are trying to push.

It's ugly though.

If all you want is a fitness watch, then sure it works, but for me the primary use of a smartwatch is instant access to notifications and Google Now, so these fitness watches are useless to me, especially for a device I will be wearing all day, every day.

 

[rudeguy]

A smartwatch that has to be charged daily...nope.
It has to be a week at least before I would consider it. Looking forward to "charged the smartwatch but forgot to charge the smartphone" threads.

That's like saying you won't use a cell phone because you have to charge it daily. Plug it in when you go to bed. What's so hard about that?

 

[Red Storm]

That's like saying you won't use a cell phone because you have to charge it daily. Plug it in when you go to bed. What's so hard about that?

You don't even plug it in, they all (or most of them anyway) come with cradles you just drop the watch onto. Pretty sure the Moto 360 works on most QI wireless chargers.

 

[Rakehellion]

That's like saying you won't use a cell phone because you have to charge it daily. Plug it in when you go to bed. What's so hard about that?

Some people sleep in their watches.

 

[Fire&Blood]

That's like saying you won't use a cell phone because you have to charge it daily. Plug it in when you go to bed. What's so hard about that?

Nothing really, charging daily is not that inconvenient. I guess the hate comes from my unreasonable expectation for the smartwatches to functions as carefree as traditional watches. Probably just too old school for it and since phones killed the need for me to have a watch already, I expect too much from it to justify the purchase. It's neat to have the smartwatch functionality, especially since we are no longer allowed to phones at work.

There is something about these smartwatch and NFC presentations that turns me off. A lifetime of being used to pulling the phones and wallets out of my pockets and swiping my CC's makes it hard to justify a $200-300 smartwatch purchase.

 

[rudeguy]

Just to piss you off, I'm going to buy a Moto 360 at lunch.

 

[Phoenix86]

I must be the only one who thinks that in 5 years you'll be able to "slap bracelet" your phone onto your wrist. Just need a little more advancements to make everything smaller, lighter, and most of the components flexible, but we are getting there.


The clasp (preferably ceramic, and would house all non-flexible elements) would be easy to do magnetically, wireless charging is already in devices, and flexible displays (OLED) are doable right now, it's the SoC and battery that would be hard. Maybe something like SMA shielded by flexible insulation would give the phone rigidity in "phone mode" when current is applied.

 

[Fire&Blood]

Just to piss you off, I'm going to buy a Moto 360 at lunch.

Oh yeah? I'm buying a xbox360 at breakfast. Let's see whose purchase pisses the other off more.