My wife has a Pebble and loves it primarily because when she's drilling wells she gets updates on her wells and the other wells that her group are drilling almost constantly. She can just glance at her wrist and see if she needs to drag her phone out or ignore it. For certain people it's a very good filter that allows them to use their phones less, which is a good thing.
I just want a Dick Tracy 2-way radio wristwatch. Is there an app for that?
Oh, wait, I'd still have to buy an iPhone. Warren Beatty and I are disappoint.
Will wrote: I just want a Dick Tracy 2-way radio wristwatch. Is there an app for that? Oh, wait, I'd still have to buy an iPhone. Warren Beatty and I are disappoint.
Gah! Beat me to it!
Meh. Another mostly useless expensive toy. I can think of much better things to drop $349 on.
As far as the celly killing the watch, for some of us that thing ain't the center of the universe.
Unless it turns into a jet fighter, I'm not interested.
I made a rule for myself a few years ago to never consider a category like this real until Apple had released their second generation.
I've owned a handful of databank watches, a Palm-based Fossil watch, a Sony LiveView that works with apps on Android phones.
These watches have always been a lie. They've always had too little reliability. They've wanted too much - a charge, a re-pairing, or a sync to reload data. The Live View gave me a glimpse of the promise of these devices though. There were a couple of times when it had a charge, the operating system hadn't killed the supporting app, and the Bluetooth connection was up. When it all came together, being able to glance at my wrist and decline a call or read a text was very natural and convenient.
I'm on Windows Phone right now, but I'm also only a few months from switching phones. Smart watch availability is a big part of my consideration.
Right now, the Moto360 and the Apple Watch are my front runners. I think I like the wider feature set of the Apple offering, and reviews suggest the Moto has poor battery life.
At least the preliminary reading I've done on the matter suggests to me that the Apple Pay system is going to be a big deal. Having that in a watch sounds nice.
That's certainly one way to get around the "no cell phone use while driving" laws that many states have enacted. 
petegossett wrote: That's certainly one way to get around the "no cell phone use while driving" laws that many states have enacted.
I think car use is what's going to drive some of these sales. It's significantly safer to have a call come it, glance at your watch and decide to take it or ignore it without fumbling for a phone. You don't hold it, you don't drop it, you don't dig it out of your pants or purse. Every no phone state that I know of says you can take calls on a hands free device. This is that. I'd rather have people constantly talking on their watch than holding their phone to their head and not having an extra hand for things like signaling.
mazdeuce wrote:petegossett wrote: That's certainly one way to get around the "no cell phone use while driving" laws that many states have enacted.I think car use is what's going to drive some of these sales. It's significantly safer to have a call come it, glance at your watch and decide to take it or ignore it without fumbling for a phone. You don't hold it, you don't drop it, you don't dig it out of your pants or purse. Every no phone state that I know of says you can take calls on a hands free device. This is that. I'd rather have people constantly talking on their watch than holding their phone to their head and not having an extra hand for things like signaling.
Yep, this^^^
Simple things like reading texts, accepting/denying calls, controlling music, or 'gasp' checking the time will be really useful without handling the phone itself. If its got a mic capable of hearing my voice at arms length, and can use my cars speakers in bluetooth mode to make calls while driving, thats even better.
Im not convinced tho that I want to mix my bank account with bluetooth payment via wireless data...thats getting a bit loose with my data-especially considering how easily hackers seem to be getting into big retailers systems lately...but I feel like that revolution is coming sooner rather than later.
I can see it coming in handy when I'm in the garage wrenching. When my phone rings, I'm not reaching in my pocket to dig my phone out because I'll get everything all dirty, including the inside of my pocket. I also don't want to clean my hands just to get my phone out and see that it was jut a telemarketer. But, I'm not spending $350 for that functionality. I've survived without it for 42 years without it.
Appleseed wrote: Unless it turns into a jet fighter, I'm not interested.
I had this when i was a kid. I LOVED it!!
Won't be interested in one until wireless charging and two week battery life are a thing. Plugging in a watch is lame.
In reply to PHeller:
You hit the nail on the head for me right there. If I have to charge the thing daily or even every couple days, then I am not interested. I have some watches, but I gave up wearing a watch for one of my New Year's resolutions for 2013 and haven't worn one since, other than a brief foray with a Fitbit.
Back in the early 2000's, I would've guessed that the trend for cell phones would be to continue getting smaller and smaller, but I was stuck in the paradigm that a phone was a phone and not a mobile internet terminal, camera, GPS, etc. I have an iPhone 5s, but am really not interested in anything larger. I wish my current phone was the size of the iPhone 4 or smaller. I don't want an iPad in my pocket like some of those ridiculous Galaxy phones. This trend may just end up with us carrying our phones up on our shoulders like boom boxes in the 80's.
Smart watches remind me of the blue tooth ear pieces. Sure people use them but the people that do look like looneys or twats. I can't imagine what people will look like walking around talking to their wrist.
93EXCivic wrote: Smart watches remind me of the blue tooth ear pieces. Sure people use them but the people that do look like looneys or twats. I can't imagine what people will look like walking around talking to their wrist.
This is true.
The main problem I see here is that I can't be the only one who has started using a cell phone as a pocket watch and quit wearing a wristwatch because of that.
MadScientistMatt wrote: The main problem I see here is that I can't be the only one who has started using a cell phone as a pocket watch and quit wearing a wristwatch because of that.
Yeah, same here. Not sure I want to go back to wearing a watch at this point.
DrBoost wrote:Appleseed wrote: Unless it turns into a jet fighter, I'm not interested.I had this when i was a kid. I LOVED it!!
$44.00 on E-Bay. I already have one.
This apple watch amuses me because people who haven't worn a watch in 10+ years (or EVER for millennials) are going to wear them now because they have a iProduct option.
93EXCivic wrote: Smart watches remind me of the blue tooth ear pieces. Sure people use them but the people that do look like looneys or twats. I can't imagine what people will look like walking around talking to their wrist.
Oh i'm sure they won't be talking into their watches. They will use the combo action of bluetooth headset and apple watch.
DrBoost wrote: I can see it coming in handy when I'm in the garage wrenching. When my phone rings, I'm not reaching in my pocket to dig my phone out because I'll get everything all dirty, including the inside of my pocket. I also don't want to clean my hands just to get my phone out and see that it was jut a telemarketer. But, I'm not spending $350 for that functionality. I've survived without it for 42 years without it.
I thought briefly about that, as well. But then I realized I wouldn't want to be wrenching with a huge watch on my wrist.
Basil Exposition wrote: I thought briefly about that, as well. But then I realized I wouldn't want to be wrenching with a huge watch on my wrist.
Or a $350 watch on my wrist, given how many watches I've smashed when a stuck bolt let go or something slipped.
MadScientistMatt wrote:Basil Exposition wrote: I thought briefly about that, as well. But then I realized I wouldn't want to be wrenching with a huge watch on my wrist.Or a $350 watch on my wrist, given how many watches I've smashed when a stuck bolt let go or something slipped.
Yeah this. My beater is a Casio MDV106 that cost $37. If I destroy it, so what it is a cheap Casio.
It is funny though over on the watch forum I spend time on a lot of them are saying that the iWatch may be a good beater/ gym watch. But if you compare it to watches that cost several thousand I guess that is true.
You have a "beater" watch .. and frequent a watch forum. I'm not judging. I promise.
Then again, if Apple allows you to apply AppleCare to the thing, if you do smash it, you can get two mulligans. Not many watch manufacturers will do that.
"hey I smashed my Seiko, can I have a new one"
"Sure...for the price of a new one."
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