# Do you wear a smartwatch?



## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

Looking in to smartwatches. Never owned one.

Is there such a thing as a stand-alone smartwatch, meaning it can function without being linked to a phone? The functions I am interested in are:

1) Make payments. Apple pay or Google Pay.
2) Make phone calls (again, on its own as a stand-alone device


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

Apple has a Watch that requires a SIM card so it will work away from your phone. Never looked into them or pricing.


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## SpinalCabbage (Feb 5, 2020)




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## NicFit (Jan 18, 2020)

I’ve been using an Apple Watch for four years, you have to have an iPhone to set it up but if you have the sim version you can leave the phone at home and only take the Watch. My Apple Pay works away from my phone and they have a way that your Watch mirrors your phone number so you can make and receive the same calls that you would your phone. I can also call an Uber and use HomeKit to control my lights and other devices on my watch. You can also listen to music though wireless headphones or at least AirPods, not sure if they have to be AirPods or not. The Watch 7 is suppose to have a mini keyboard for texting, I’m waiting on it to be delivered on Nov 2 to try this out. The older watches don’t have this feature and I’m upgrading my watch 3 because of it. Two things you can’t do on a watch and that’s surf the internet and take a picture, but other then that you can do most stuff from your watch that you can on your phone


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## forqalso (Jun 1, 2015)

NicFit said:


> I’ve been using an Apple Watch for four years, you have to have an iPhone to set it up but if you have the sim version you can leave the phone at home and only take the Watch. My Apple Pay works away from my phone and they have a way that your Watch mirrors your phone number so you can make and receive the same calls that you would your phone. I can also call an Uber and use HomeKit to control my lights and other devices on my watch. You can also listen to music though wireless headphones or at least AirPods, not sure if they have to be AirPods or not. The Watch 7 is suppose to have a mini keyboard for texting, I’m waiting on it to be delivered on Nov 2 to try this out. The older watches don’t have this feature and I’m upgrading my watch 3 because of it. Two things you can’t do on a watch and that’s surf the internet and take a picture, but other then that you can do most stuff from your watch that you can on your phone


It doesn’t have a camera, but you can operate the shutter on your iPhone or start recording a video with your Apple Watch.


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## NicFit (Jan 18, 2020)

forqalso said:


> It doesn’t have a camera, but you can operate the shutter on your iPhone or start recording a video with your Apple Watch.


Only works if I have my phone with me, I have to keep my phone around so I can take pictures. Only reason I lug my phone around sometimes when doing stuff. I wish it would have a couple of cameras, one so you can FaceTime and one where you can take photos of stuff. Then I could ditch my phone on trips, can’t if I want to take a photo


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## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

So in spite of all the advances we still don't have Dick Tracy 2-way video watches???


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## NicFit (Jan 18, 2020)

_Tron_ said:


> So in spite of all the advances we still don't have Dick Tracy 2-way video watches???


Dick Tracy? I like the Venture Brothers for two way video watches. But yeah, I don’t know why they haven’t put a camera or two into the watch


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## forqalso (Jun 1, 2015)

NicFit said:


> Dick Tracy? I like the Venture Brothers for two way video watches. But yeah, I don’t know why they haven’t put a camera or two into the watch


There’s this accessory


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## NicFit (Jan 18, 2020)

forqalso said:


> There’s this accessory











Amazon.com: Wristcam, Smart Dual-Camera Band for Apple Watch (Apple MFi Certified), 8MP Sensor, Full HD Video/720P Sport Mode, (New) Pro. Image Stabilization, WiFi, BT 5, IP68 Water Resistant, Siri integration : Electronics


Amazon.com: Wristcam, Smart Dual-Camera Band for Apple Watch (Apple MFi Certified), 8MP Sensor, Full HD Video/720P Sport Mode, (New) Pro. Image Stabilization, WiFi, BT 5, IP68 Water Resistant, Siri integration : Electronics



www.amazon.com





Found it on Amazon. Too bulky for me, it’s on the right track but Apple needs to build the cameras into the Watch. I think eventually they’ll have a good camera setup, I’d buy it but it just looks too bulky


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## The Gift of Fish (Mar 17, 2017)

_Tron_ said:


> Looking in to smartwatches. Never owned one.
> 
> Is there such a thing as a stand-alone smartwatch, meaning it can function without being linked to a phone? The functions I am interested in are:
> 
> ...


I never saw the point in them. AFAIK, you have to charge them every couple of days. That would be a real PITA. And you can't just glance at the watch to read the time because the display is off to save battery, so you have to press a button.

When I use Google Pay I just hold my phone to the terminal. And for making phone calls, I imagine you'd look quite goofy holding your watch up to your head to talk and hear. And if you use a BT headset with it then you might as well use one with your phone.

For me, smartwatches are an attempt to solve problems that I don't have.

They are also compromised in what they try to do. I.e. they're never going to be as good a watch as a watch, or as good a cellphone as a cellphone. For example, my sub-$100 solar radio-controlled watch has been going for 5 years without a charge or battery change, I have never had to adjust the time and it is accurate to the split second.

I would think twice about getting one. I think the novelty value of being able to read texts and updates etc on a watch soon wears off, and the lack of practicality doesn't make up for it. The same thing happened 30 years ago when calculator watches first came out. Everyone was thinking, "wow, this is just like James Bond!", but then they realised that they didn't actually need a calculator on their wrist and they disappeared a few years later.


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## NicFit (Jan 18, 2020)

The Gift of Fish said:


> I never saw the point in them. AFAIK, you have to charge them every couple of days. That would be a real PITA. And you can't just glance at the watch to read the time because the display is off to save battery, so you have to press a button.
> 
> When I use Google Pay I just hold my phone to the terminal. And for making phone calls, I imagine you'd look quite goofy holding your watch up to your head to talk and hear. And if you use a BT headset with it then you might as well use one with your phone.
> 
> ...


Charging is easy, I just take it off and put it on its charger when I sleep, never in 4 years had the Watch shut off on me because it didn’t have the battery. You can go for days without charging it so skipping a night or two is fine. Easier then keeping your phone charged. It’s a magnetic charger too so no fumbling with cords. My watch is an extension of my phone, not completely necessary but useful. There are times when I’m doing stuff and can’t get to my phone but I can use my watch because it’s always on my wrist. Thousand times more useful then those calculator watches, those were a gimmick, until you try one you won’t know. They are definitely better then a regular watch, never have to set it because it’s internet synced, I can change the face and customize it plus change the bands when I feel like it. It’s not a cell phone but compared to a non smart phone it’s does everything. It’s not a smart phone replacement and probably never will be, though at this rate it could be. All it’s really missing is the cameras. Apple has integrated the watches so it’s a good experience, as for the Android side I don’t know, but I’m happy with my watch and tomorrow I’ll have the new watch 7 delivered


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## forqalso (Jun 1, 2015)

I’ve had a good experience with mine. It lights up automatically when I raise my wrist to check the time. In the middle of the night, when it’s on its charger and I need a time check, I bump the night stand and the watch lights up with the time. It keeps perfect time and changes time zones as needed. When I was using my phone for navigation when I was on vacation, the watch made a sound like a car’s turn signal and when I looked at it, it displayed an arrow and said left turn 50 meters. 
I’m upgrading from the original model to the 7 next month, only because of the new features, such as its ECG and fall detection, which sounds an alarm and calls 911 if you fall and remain immobile for one minute. Hopefully, no one will need these features, but I’ve had health issues and a couple of falls recently so for me it’s needed.


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## NicFit (Jan 18, 2020)

forqalso said:


> I’ve had a good experience with mine. It lights up automatically when I raise my wrist to check the time. In the middle of the night, when it’s on its charger and I need a time check, I bump the night stand and the watch lights up with the time. It keeps perfect time and changes time zones as needed. When I was using my phone for navigation when I was on vacation, the watch made a sound like a car’s turn signal and when I looked at it, it displayed an arrow and said left turn 50 meters.
> I’m upgrading from the original model to the 7 next month, only because of the new features, such as its ECG and fall detection, which sounds an alarm and calls 911 if you fall and remain immobile for one minute. Hopefully, no one will need these features, but I’ve had health issues and a couple of falls recently so for me it’s needed.


Can’t wait until tomorrow for my watch 7, it’s an always on screen and


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## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

The Gift of Fish said:


> I never saw the point in them.


For me, this is the reason...









Rideshare robberies / carjackings are up - What can...


A number of threads have discussed what actions drivers can take to defend against attacks and robberies. Most of them morph into firearms discussions. That's fine, but this post asks a different question. What ideas do you have to mitigate the loss if you choose not to put up any resistance...




www.uberpeople.net


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## forqalso (Jun 1, 2015)

NicFit said:


> Can’t wait until tomorrow for my watch 7, it’s an always on screen and


Well, did it arrive yet?


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## NicFit (Jan 18, 2020)

forqalso said:


> Well, did it arrive yet?


Yes on Nov 1 as expected. It has a lot more notifications I need to disable as I don’t like. Kinda like a demo mode thing, Apple turned on all the new features and gotta tune it for what I want. It’s a big improvement over my watch 3. Still breaking it in, but so far it’s still feels like an Apple Watch should but better then what came out before it. Not like the iPhone which feels stagnant as an upgrade, this feel like new tech


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