Database Users

No IR port...

yeah I sound stupid, usually you ahve to check in details the specs before buying device (I do own a TP2)
Anyway no IR port sucks... I like controling my home appliances with my phone and this si not possible with the TP2
Have the competing phones (iPhone, latts Acer, Xperia X2, N97, etc...) kept an IR port ?
*Edit* Sorry this thread should be in the General section of Rhodium, if someone could move it that would be better

Alcibiade said:
yeah I sound stupid, usually you ahve to check in details the specs before buying device (I do own a TP2)
Anyway no IR port sucks... I like controling my home appliances with my phone and this si not possible with the TP2
Have the competing phones (iPhone, latts Acer, Xperia X2, N97, etc...) kept an IR port ?
*Edit* Sorry this thread should be in the General section of Rhodium, if someone could move it that would be better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In these day and age, mobile devices are excluding IrDA port already.. its pretty useless for file transfers.
Besides, if you are looking at remote controls, recent devices have only included lower class consumer IrDA ports. Which means they only function at very very short distances.. you are better off using your fingers on the buttons..

Hi, trolling in on the converstion here...
I have an old IPAQ PDA that came with a decent range IR port and stock Nevo Software.
It was awesome! I could control TV's, Videos, etc with it just by matching a code through trial and error.
I used to have great fun in shopping centre's turning off display tv's, then watching sales or demo people standing around scratching their heads as to why it would turn off or on or change the channels all by itself - hours of fun..!
Juvenile, yes - but lotsa fun.
Newer devices did shorten the IR range, which did make an IR port all but useless as a remote - shame, it was a handy thing to have with decent remote software like Nevo.
(Sometimes progress is not progress at all)
Cheers
Jabberoo

jabberoo said:
Hi, trolling in on the converstion here...
I have an old IPAQ PDA that came with a decent range IR port and stock Nevo Software.
It was awesome! I could control TV's, Videos, etc with it just by matching a code through trial and error.
I used to have great fun in shopping centre's turning off display tv's, then watching sales or demo people standing around scratching their heads as to why it would turn off or on or change the channels all by itself - hours of fun..!
Juvenile, yes - but lotsa fun.
Newer devices did shorten the IR range, which did make an IR port all but useless as a remote - shame, it was a handy thing to have with decent remote software like Nevo.
(Sometimes progress is not progress at all)
Cheers
Jabberoo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I expected such models.. If the topic starter or anyone can name a few models which they had used the IrDA port with an effective range, I bet it would be old school PDAs.. Models in recent years have just really short ranged IR.

I also like the remote controling function.
I don't know why,for the designer,usually it's difficultly to carry out an useful funcation but easily to cut off an useful function.

Are there no Bluetooth to IR devices that would work?

No I've only seen a IR to Bluetooth devices on the market and that is the opposite of what your looking for it would be great if it was available. Somebody should put a request in to a developer who has experience with fabricating new hardware.

behold the solution to your problem!
no worries, I am working on a universal IR adaptor for phones, its coming along great; I killed my LEDs a while back so I had to wait for a new shipment and had problems with that, but delays aside, we are still set for a September release of our first products and delaying the boosted IR module to later this year (we will focus on software and regular rage IR instead).
Check out the links in my signature!

Heart rate monitor

My doctor told me today I should get a heart rate monitor with an alarm. So I can easily look at my wrist, see I'm getting stressed out and chill myself out. I figured this may be my excuse to get a smartwatch, but I want to make sure it will do what I want before spending the money.
So.. if I got, say, an Asus Zenwatch, is there an app I can run that will notify me when my heart rate is high? The one my doctor uses has a red LED that lights up above a set number and I'd like to closely duplicate that - NOT necessarily having my HR always visible, but the alert always visible. Thanks in advance!

qoncept said:
My doctor told me today I should get a heart rate monitor with an alarm. So I can easily look at my wrist, see I'm getting stressed out and chill myself out. I figured this may be my excuse to get a smartwatch, but I want to make sure it will do what I want before spending the money.
So.. if I got, say, an Asus Zenwatch, is there an app I can run that will notify me when my heart rate is high? The one my doctor uses has a red LED that lights up above a set number and I'd like to closely duplicate that - NOT necessarily having my HR always visible, but the alert always visible. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you should ask your doctor exactly what he recommends. So many problems here.
1. zen watch uses ekg by touching the bezel with your free hand. Nothing automatic about it. I suppose if you get in the habit of catching yourself feeling stressed and checking your pulse, this might work, but reviews say it's not accurate.
2.No android watch automatically does continuous monitoring. Moto 360 includes an app to do spot checks. I don't know if that software has an alarm function.
3.There are a few 3rd party apps that will check your pulse at some interval. No idea if they have an alarm function.
4.Most importantly: if this is something you are seriously counting on for your health, an android wear watch as a hrm is a bad idea. Not the gear live, the 360, nor the gw-r have highly reliable PPG sensor. Also, some people are able to get good, reliable readings at their wrist. Many are not.
PPG/optical heart sensors for continuous reading suck a (relative) lot of power thanks to the LEDs shining onto your skin. The best consumer ones for exercise use on the market last 10 hours, max.
A chest sensor (back to EKG) lasts MUCH longer. I can't see wearing that all day, though. If your doctor's plan is to get you to use something for maybe a week so you learn when you're stressing, I can see dealing with this for a while. But as a long-term solution? No, thanks.
I'm very curious to hear what exactly your doctor has in mind. I think a fingertip pulseox reader that you can slip on as needed would strike the best compromise of accuracy and convenience.

qoncept said:
My doctor told me today I should get a heart rate monitor with an alarm. So I can easily look at my wrist, see I'm getting stressed out and chill myself out. I figured this may be my excuse to get a smartwatch, but I want to make sure it will do what I want before spending the money.
So.. if I got, say, an Asus Zenwatch, is there an app I can run that will notify me when my heart rate is high? The one my doctor uses has a red LED that lights up above a set number and I'd like to closely duplicate that - NOT necessarily having my HR always visible, but the alert always visible. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just release an app for continuously checking heart rate in background : http://forum.xda-developers.com/android-wear/general/app-heart-rate-os-android-wear-google-t3031964
It's new so more features will come, you might want to check if it suitable with your case

qoncept said:
My doctor told me today I should get a heart rate monitor with an alarm. So I can easily look at my wrist, see I'm getting stressed out and chill myself out. I figured this may be my excuse to get a smartwatch, but I want to make sure it will do what I want before spending the money.
So.. if I got, say, an Asus Zenwatch, is there an app I can run that will notify me when my heart rate is high? The one my doctor uses has a red LED that lights up above a set number and I'd like to closely duplicate that - NOT necessarily having my HR always visible, but the alert always visible. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of the current batch of android wear watches can accurately measure heart rate, let alone continuous measure, due to their sensors and the algorithm being used. Mio alpha/ mio fuse are the only accurate wrist band available in the market. You may wanna check it out.

I've got both a Mio Link and the Gear Live and have used the Mio for the last year during my runs. I wore both on my last run, and at steady state they aren't any more than 2-3 BPM apart. It's a different story when heart rate is going up or down. The Mio tends to track heart rate more closely (maybe a few seconds lag from reality). If I stop running and my heart rate starts to drop from the 150s, the Gear just stays in the 150s while the Mio shows it accurately. Could be the one LED vs 2 LEDs on the Mio, it puts out quite a bit more light. I'm also sweating pretty heavily by that time. Sweat and weaker lights, all other things equal, would give inaccurate readings if any at all.

I highly recommend everyone read this article and view the related video there too.
And also read why Apple decided against heart rate and other health sensors in their watches.
None of these wearables work like a chest monitor, the wearables are doing a lot of guess work and are not what you need if you want accuracy or something to show a doctor. I typically use my LG G Watch R during workouts, but I also have a real chest monitor, for when I want to see the real deal.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

Darnell_Chat_TN said:
I highly recommend everyone read this article and view the related video there too.
And also read why Apple decided against heart rate and other health sensors in their watches.
None of these wearables work like a chest monitor, the wearables are doing a lot of guess work and are not what you need if you want accuracy or something to show a doctor. I typically use my LG G Watch R during workouts, but I also have a real chest monitor, for when I want to see the real deal.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
That cnet article implies the PPG sensor is gone, but the wsj report that it's based on doesn't say they've axed it, just other functions like glucose monitoring. Nothing on the apple website about heart rate has been removed, either.

sirrelevant said:
That cnet article implies the PPG sensor is gone, but the wsj report that it's based on doesn't say they've axed it, just other functions like glucose monitoring. Nothing on the apple website about heart rate has been removed, either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean the ZDNet article.
If you have WSJ access, read paragraphs 1 & 2 of this article. It's pretty clear, they wanted a heart rate monitor and decided against that, and against a host of other health features.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

Thanks for all the input guys, I guess a smart watch wasn't in the cards for now. I'm more concerned about constant monitoring than absolute accuracy. I ended up buying a Fitbit Charge HR over the weekend. There's no alarm like I hoped for, but I can easily look at it and get what seems to be a relatively consistent reading. I don't think this is a permanent solution but it'll work for now.
Now to start digging up Fitbit hacks. Thanks again!

Darnell_Chat_TN said:
You mean the ZDNet article.
If you have WSJ access, read paragraphs 1 & 2 of this article. It's pretty clear, they wanted a heart rate monitor and decided against that, and against a host of other health features.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No access for me. Is this it?
"But these features didn’t perform consistently on some people, including those with hairy arms or dry skin. Results also varied depending on how tightly the person wore the Watch, they said. Instead, Apple opted for more pedestrian pulse-rate monitoring, these people said."
(from bgr.com)

sirrelevant said:
No access for me. Is this it?
"But these features didn’t perform consistently on some people, including those with hairy arms or dry skin. Results also varied depending on how tightly the person wore the Watch, they said. Instead, Apple opted for more pedestrian pulse-rate monitoring, these people said."
(from bgr.com)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that paragraph is near the very end.
They were looking to make a far more advanced heart rate monitor. They may mirror what is in other wearables, but it's nothing like they envisioned. And a given that present wearable heart rate monitors are not medically reliable. This article reflects more of the WSJ article.

I agree that if you put one of these hrm on 1,000 people once or twice, the accuracy probably isn't that great. When you run almost every day with one, you pretty much figure out how to get accurate readings. I've been using that Mio Link for at least a year and a half, and I can say when it's connected to my watch (probably 95% of the time) it's pretty dead on. The whole range, from about 55 to 200. The only unknown is the time lag, as I don't have a reliable means to measure that.

[Q] Smartwatch in $60 range?

With so many options of clones what's a good solid one in the $60 range?
I was thinking about trying the Soyan M9?

Ok I was wondering since I was reading some other threads do any of these watches able to do Google now?

the ranking of this watch in Amazon is passable
but few customers bought it and few customers reviews
i don't recommend it

I know I'm late to the party, but anyone else thinking about getting this watch - it's pretty alright. It's definitely better than the U8, and definitely not able to do anything fancy though. It definitely is midrange, and it looks nice to boot. I want to flash it, but I haven't even looked into firmware flashing before I got this. So if anyone knows what I can do, let me know.

Please don't call them clones! These watches have been around for years before Gear, Pebble, etc. Soapbox away, I just got my GV08. A few flaws, sure, but for $60 I wasn't expecting miracles. This all comes down to the features. I've not seen voice commands on the lower price points yet. Waterproofing seems to be another issue. And most of these manufacturers are in China, so good luck with support. Beyond that I can say the construction seems sturdy. The touch screen is remarkably accurate. Any camera without a flash does poorly unless in full sun. I was glad to see my device accept an H2o SIM card with no issues. It now identifies its network as AT&T and allows me to make calls. And with bluetooth pairing to my Galaxy S4, I can avoid running up those minutes as well. I'm digging for firmware upgrades and driver support at the moment. One missing feature that I would like is a CALENDAR sync. And bluetooth filesharing is possible but terribly slow. It's going to see some stress in the next few weeks and if it self-destructs I'll let you in. Otherwise for the price I believe this was a good purchase.

GV08s Comment
LukosTheWolf said:
Please don't call them clones! These watches have been around for years before Gear, Pebble, etc. Soapbox away, I just got my GV08. A few flaws, sure, but for $60 I wasn't expecting miracles. This all comes down to the features. I've not seen voice commands on the lower price points yet. Waterproofing seems to be another issue. And most of these manufacturers are in China, so good luck with support. Beyond that I can say the construction seems sturdy. The touch screen is remarkably accurate. Any camera without a flash does poorly unless in full sun. I was glad to see my device accept an H2o SIM card with no issues. It now identifies its network as AT&T and allows me to make calls. And with bluetooth pairing to my Galaxy S4, I can avoid running up those minutes as well. I'm digging for firmware upgrades and driver support at the moment. One missing feature that I would like is a CALENDAR sync. And bluetooth filesharing is possible but terribly slow. It's going to see some stress in the next few weeks and if it self-destructs I'll let you in. Otherwise for the price I believe this was a good purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a GV08s which is a nice smartwatch but it keeps disconnecting from my Galaxy Note 2 and will not keep a BT connecting. I also have a U8 which is not as nice, but connects without a problem. The problem appears to be with the GV08s...just not sure if it is this particular watch or if the GV08s has a problem...also I cannot change the weather to our local weather...nice screen, can see it in the sun and also the menus are great, just wish it would hold a BT connection.

Best Smartwatch?

I'm looking into entering the smartwatch game but I want something fantastic if I'm throwing that much money on something that ultimately tells time. Basically does anyone know of a watch that
-has Android Wear 2.0
-heart rate monitor
-fitness tracking capabilities
-can make phone calls with internal watch speaker
Much appreciated!
ps. I already posted this in the Nexus 6p Accessories forum because I didn't really know where to post it. I will delete accordingly.

Today my LG Watch Sport has arrived (USA Import). Very nice smartwatch! Processing and handling genius. Am excited about the new google fit functions. I will try it today

Anyone pre-order the Misfit Vapor?

It looks really cool, Amazon keeps having these flash sales on Amazon for $151. Right now you can pre-order it for $199 on their site. What do you guys think of it? Any-one get theirs yet?
https://misfit.com/products/misfit-vapor

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who ordered one/has one as well. Honestly, I'm stunned that a non-flat-tire, not ginormous, waterproof, android wear 2.0 smartwatch with a touch bezel is not getting more notice/media coverage.
It's like all the big review sites said, "Yeah, it's available on the 31st....so what. We had to wait for it too long, so we don't care". It's rather crazy in my mind. There are a few old reviews I can find (when the watch still ran the proprietary OS) but as far as I can find, there are no current reviews with the watch running AW 2.0. Why!?
I really hope some proud new owners chime in and let us know how the watch performs running AW, and some details on real-world use.

The only one that I've seen receive their's is this person. For $199 new, that's pretty good isn't it? A refurb Huawei watch one would cost me $150 at least.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MisfitVapor/comments/7ak9e0/i_received_my_vapor_and_am_willing_answer_any/

Oh, sweet! Good thread there with some pretty good initial info on the watch. Thanks for sharing the link.

Hi I just recieved mine last night and I am now looking around on the web for info/help with it. Ill give my first impressions of it here, Id like to be able to share my thoughts with Misfit so maybe they can take the feedback and improve it.
First off I am a formar Fitbit Surge user and liked it for the fitness attributes it had, before ordering the Vapor I bought a CHEAP $40 Kingware KW18 watch from China to see if id be ok wearing a larger watch such as these are. It had many short commings but also did some cool things.
First impression is the watch is well made and it has a great interface, I really like the touch navigation around the bezel.
Now for what I dont like about it:
- Heart rate monitor has to be manually activated each time and just does a short test. I want to have it on all the time and have the data graphed in the app, I understand that probably is a battery drainer but how about being able to turn it on during workouts so I know what my peak heart rate was riding my cycle up a huge hill for instance.
- Phone call answering - It lets you see an incomming call and decide to hang up or answer it from the watch, but if you answer it from the watch the call actually goes to the phone. You should be able to see the call and if your phone is handy answer it on the phone or if its not (say phone is in my pocket and i am driving) answer it on the watch and talk to the person through the watch as a speaker phone. THe cheap KW18 can do this.
- Displaying of info on the watch face - Id like to be able to select what info is displayed on the watchface, such as steps or calories burned. Seams simple enough, Fitbits, Garmins both can do this and is an expection for most people of a fitness watch.
- Sleep monitor, so I could be missing something when I set it up for this but when I synced it this morning it said I got zero sleep, gee I didnt feel that I got no sleep, I am tired but I did sleep some... If it cannot sense I am in a restful position on its on I hope it doesnt expect me to select something in the watch to say Im now sleeping....
- Charger - It is a non intrusive connection held onto watch with a magnet which is great but it doesnt stay on well at all. The cheap KW18 has a much better charger cable/interface.
- Misfit App - THis is on me as I could have downloaded this before hand and checked it out but basically it is pretty useless. Has very little info in it, does not food/water tracking and has no graphing ability that I could see. Will need to use the watch for a while to see if once there is data it then has graphs available with your daily/weekly/monthly activity...
Sorry to sound negitive but they tout it as a refined fitness watch but fitness is low on their prioritys from what I can see.
~ Phil

mpilihp said:
- Displaying of info on the watch face - Id like to be able to select what info is displayed on the watchface, such as steps or calories burned. Seams simple enough, Fitbits, Garmins both can do this and is an expection for most people of a fitness watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can change the default watch face info at bottom of screen. Go to change face screen and click settings icon and you can change the 3 icons from in there to link to any app on watch incl Google Fit for steps, calories etc

dpjohnston said:
You can change the default watch face info at bottom of screen. Go to change face screen and click settings icon and you can change the 3 icons from in there to link to any app on watch incl Google Fit for steps, calories etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thanks I did manage to figure that out, a user manual would be nice. It still is not very accurate on the step counting and it isn't tracking sleep at all either.
~ Phil

I have a few to sell if anyone is interested

So update on my Vapor i was told by tech support it does not do sleep tracking at all and heart rate monitoring is a snapshot only when you trigger it.
Have no idea how they can tout the Vapor let alone Misfit as fitness focused.
Im sending mine back and looking at the Garmin vivoactive 3 or the Samsung S2.
Phil
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