Related
Is there anyway to use the touch screen as a scale? I mean is there a program that will let you measure the pressure your "finger" incurs on the screen? Now there has to be a way to convert that to grams/ounces. I would imagine that it would take a certain amount to even activate the digitizer and it could very well be the equivalent to a minimum of .5g and that's fine with me. An operating range from .5-5g would be optimal.
I just thought this would be very useful.
i believe that there is a point og g to activate
and thats if
a timer deside when the contex menu come about
normal touch screens even pasive digtizers on tablet pc's
only do on and off registration
active digitizerts on tablets though support preasure measuring
That's your idea of an "ultimate application"? More like the fastest way to break your screen
jomo25 said:
That's your idea of an "ultimate application"? More like the fastest way to break your screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it to be one of the ultimate applications because it transforms your phone into something completely different silmutaneously increasing it's resourcefulness as a digital "swiss army knife" for the modern world. What other application does that (short of a TV remote)?
Are you familiar with the force of 5 grams? I don't believe you are or you wouldn't think it would break your screen. I guarantee that you put, on average, at least 8 grams of pressure everytime you touch your screen.
Chef Ben said:
Is there anyway to use the touch screen as a scale? I mean is there a program that will let you measure the pressure your "finger" incurs on the screen? Now there has to be a way to convert that to grams/ounces. I would imagine that it would take a certain amount to even activate the digitizer and it could very well be the equivalent to a minimum of .5g and that's fine with me. An operating range from .5-5g would be optimal.
I just thought this would be very useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't all your Coke get stuck at the corners of the screen
haha u read the words outa my mouth ;x that would be gangster tho
Alternatively you could try making some scales into a phone.
Haha, i realize 5g is very light...But as mentioned above the only thing I can think of that would be useful to weigh between .5 and 5g would be some white powdery substance
Otherwise, if I new it was less than 5g, I wouldn't weigh it. Problem is someone might try to weigh something much heavier and yes, break the screen
Or I could replace and reinforce the external GPS antenna cover and make it a bottle opener also.
Or I could program it to emit the proper frequency to start my "keyless" car key.
Anyways, this is all just for fun, so, don't worry, I'm not trying to tweak you.
wizzzard said:
Wouldn't all your Coke get stuck at the corners of the screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cocaine is a drug and I don't do drugs. I had something a 'lil more "green" in mind.
jomo25 said:
Haha, i realize 5g is very light...But as mentioned above the only thing I can think of that would be useful to weigh between .5 and 5g would be some white powdery substance
Otherwise, if I new it was less than 5g, I wouldn't weigh it. Problem is someone might try to weigh something much heavier and yes, break the screen
Or I could replace and reinforce the external GPS antenna cover and make it a bottle opener also.
Or I could program it to emit the proper frequency to start my "keyless" car key.
Anyways, this is all just for fun, so, don't worry, I'm not trying to tweak you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now you're onto it. The possibilities are endless. I give it another 5 years before we see similar applications. Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston right now is already texting barcodes as boarding passes that can be scanned.
Chef Ben said:
Cocaine is a drug and I don't do drugs. I had something a 'lil more "green" in mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, oregano! Makes sense with your screen name being Chef
A little more green? Smokin a little herb are we? Or are we selling?
I think we're onto something here. We need better touchscreens that can handle more force.
Imagine the perfect windows mobile diet phone which can tell you how much weight you've put on, find you a diet plan online. And order a pizza when it can tell you don't care anymore.
Who cares about fingertip scrolling when we finally bring the phone into the real world and make it fix other problems too.
I think a built-in stun device would be cool. And a personal alarm. A decent torch. A proper flash camera with a zoom feature. Maybe we make the zoom strong enough and big enough to take a person's weight. Who needs stepladders anymore!
I think a built in printer could help but needs to support full A4 sheets. Maybe it can scroll up and down a page until it's printed. And can we adjust the camera so it can act like a proper scanner? A portable colour photocopier is born!
I'll stop there but as you can see, the possibilities with this magical device are amazing!
LOL
i really think theres no such thing as ultimate application
i really depend on how this application will help your needs and so that way it will be very useful
peace
speoples20 said:
A little more green? Smokin a little herb are we? Or are we selling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry council...I don't recall.
littld said:
I'll stop there but as you can see, the possibilities with this magical device are amazing!
LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should of course be able to monitor ovulation, blood pressure, heart rate (full ECG), blood oxigen level, blood sugar level, prothrombin ratio and last, not least my need for coffee.
And my next SIP should read my mind. Voice control and T9 are a bit old fashioned, right?
I want a phone that also works as a lightsaber.
if you smoked the "oregano"
all applications you come up with seem ultimate
and all old cake leftovers taste like the best thing in the world
(or so i've been led to believe...)
You are better off getting to know your “oregano” and learn to estimate the weight accurately. Maybe if you would need this for “sugar” or “brown sugar”, weighting something under 5g’s would be in some use.
Chef Ben said:
I believe it to be one of the ultimate applications because it transforms your phone into something completely different silmutaneously increasing it's resourcefulness as a digital "swiss army knife" for the modern world. What other application does that (short of a TV remote)?
Are you familiar with the force of 5 grams? I don't believe you are or you wouldn't think it would break your screen. I guarantee that you put, on average, at least 8 grams of pressure everytime you touch your screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and why do you need to weigh grams on your phone?
Hey everyone, I just wanted to post this because I think the majority of people are misinterpreting how Glass is going to be used.
Recently, there have been a lot of reviews of what we've seen from Glad so far, and it looks like it won't be app driven at all. Instead, there will be cards for each command we give it, and if companies want to add integration for glass, they have to create a card interaction that Google can recognize.
What this means is that, while there's a TON we could do with Glass, it's not going to be something we're watching all the time as we're walking down the street, or sitting on the couch. It's built as a reference tool, just like Google.
I imagine it more as Google Now, but without the phone. Simply, say "OK Glass" and ask your question or say your voice command.
I am only writing this because people keep taking about the risk associated with having a screen always feeding us data and becoming a distraction. To me, it looks like the screen is just there to give us a visual confirmation that it's dying what we tell it, and to give us am idea of how a picture came out or video angles, etc.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
phishfi said:
Hey everyone, I just wanted to post this because I think the majority of people are misinterpreting how Glass is going to be used.
Recently, there have been a lot of reviews of what we've seen from Glad so far, and it looks like it won't be app driven at all. Instead, there will be cards for each command we give it, and if companies want to add integration for glass, they have to create a card interaction that Google can recognize.
What this means is that, while there's a TON we could do with Glass, it's not going to be something we're watching all the time as we're walking down the street, or sitting on the couch. It's built as a reference tool, just like Google.
I imagine it more as Google Now, but without the phone. Simply, say "OK Glass" and ask your question or say your voice command.
I am only writing this because people keep taking about the risk associated with having a screen always feeding us data and becoming a distraction. To me, it looks like the screen is just there to give us a visual confirmation that it's dying what we tell it, and to give us am idea of how a picture came out or video angles, etc.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is running a custom version of android, and will be open to third party modification. Google glass', like android smart phones, potential is only limited by the creativity of our best developers.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app
I have also read many misinterpretations of how glass will look. Some people still think it is a full vision heads up display From what i have seen from developers on youtube, the reflective projector that Glass uses cuts off after a predefined amount of seconds in order to conserve battery power...seeing as it only has the potential to last a single day (which is good) taking into consideration you aren't recording video and taking picture after picture. In order to bring the screen back up, one would simple swipe/touch the panel on the side of Glass. Hope this helps :/
RawBrokerage said:
I have also read many misinterpretations of how glass will look. Some people still think it is a full vision heads up display From what i have seen from developers on youtube, the reflective projector that Glass uses cuts off after a predefined amount of seconds in order to conserve battery power...seeing as it only has the potential to last a single day (which is good) taking into consideration you aren't recording video and taking picture after picture. In order to bring the screen back up, one would simple swipe/touch the panel on the side of Glass. Hope this helps :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to use it as an always on HUD and/or recording device you'd have to get an external battery pack and keep it plugged in.
RawBrokerage said:
I have also read many misinterpretations of how glass will look. Some people still think it is a full vision heads up display From what i have seen from developers on youtube, the reflective projector that Glass uses cuts off after a predefined amount of seconds in order to conserve battery power...seeing as it only has the potential to last a single day (which is good) taking into consideration you aren't recording video and taking picture after picture. In order to bring the screen back up, one would simple swipe/touch the panel on the side of Glass. Hope this helps :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly! I'm sure that using the map features or even filming a couple roller coaster rides would end up dropping you down to empty in a hurry. Either way, it is definitely not going to be a full blown phone replacement. It's just a quick reference resource kind of thing!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
weehooherod2 said:
If you want to use it as an always on HUD and/or recording device you'd have to get an external battery pack and keep it plugged in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd get a baseball cap battery for it!
Sent from my HTC One Silver, using XDA Premium.
- Android Revolution HD by mike1986.
I think that misinterpretation of Glass is coming from multiple sides.
On one hand, there are people who think that it's going to be a HUD. (I wish. Maybe a future version will be, based on the most recently uncovered patent filings related to full-lens display.)
Other expect that it will be always on.
And the seemingly vast majority of the people covering Glass for the news and/or vocally lambasting it think that taking pictures and videos is the main/only feature. While it's nice that Glass might be able to fill the same need as the Looxcie, I think that this is a nice-to-have rather than the Glass' killer app.
danguyf said:
I think that misinterpretation of Glass is coming from multiple sides.
On one hand, there are people who think that it's going to be a HUD. (I wish. Maybe a future version will be, based on the most recently uncovered patent filings related to full-lens display.)
Other expect that it will be always on.
And the seemingly vast majority of the people covering Glass for the news and/or vocally lambasting it think that taking pictures and videos is the main/only feature. While it's nice that Glass might be able to fill the same need as the Looxcie, I think that this is a nice-to-have rather than the Glass' killer app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point! I think the picture/video aspect is a great selling point, but the big grab should be the quick response features included in Google now. For example, asking Google now how old Jason Bateman is comes back with an almost instant reply saying his age (44), and his birthday (sometime in 1969).
I think that quick info questions like that, fast communications (texts or their equivalent), and longer term resources (reminders for something you need at the grocery store, maps, or a touristy "what's that" function for recognizing places or translating text on signs). There's a lot of cool features, but the only way they're gonna work with a battery that small is if it's very little activity through the device. I use the term quick reference because it's the most sensible way to make it work, to me.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Yeah. The ability to receive notification, directions, and many other types of information without taking my phone out is, IMHO, the killer app.
I am a huge fan of Looxcie. I love the idea of a continuing recording buffer of video, and the ability to tap one button to save the last 30 seconds. There are so many little moments that I have witnessed over the years that I wish that I could have saved. I would be thrilled if Google included this functionality. (Though I assume we won't see it until battery tech gets even better, as at the moment I assume it would kill the battery. Witness the Looxcie, which has no display and only lasts about four hours.)
That's not the point of Glass, though. If it was, they wouldn't have included the prism display. They would probably have just released something like the Looxcie, and let it attach to your glasses.
So when I see people posting pics of the SpyGear kids toys with camera glasses, laughing that "Google got scooped!", it makes me sigh.
On the topic of battery life, I believe that there are some pretty ingenious fixes for battery life. What comes to mind first is WiFi charging. Whether or not all the components could fit inside the glasses is another issue, but it's still a possible solution.
Possibly the most hilarious misinterpretation of glass is being able to watch Netflix. That's a definite no.
Also I'm going to come out and say that I'm almost positive that Google Keep was created for Glass. If you think about it, it's an unusually simplified interface consisting of simple notes in a card interface. The interface is perfect for Glass.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app
SacTappingUni said:
On the topic of battery life, I believe that there are some pretty ingenious fixes for battery life. What comes to mind first is WiFi charging. Whether or not all the components could fit inside the glasses is another issue, but it's still a possible solution.
Possibly the most hilarious misinterpretation of glass is being able to watch Netflix. That's a definite no.
Also I'm going to come out and say that I'm almost positive that Google Keep was created for Glass. If you think about it, it's an unusually simplified interface consisting of simple notes in a card interface. The interface is perfect for Glass.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's no way WiFi charging is going to come around for at least a few iterations. Probably not for years.
As for passive charging, they could finally start putting a piezoelectric system in place (charging via motion).
The Google Keep comment I'd genius really... Imagine making a checklist for all the groceries you need, and then having them up as you're getting everything. You can check items off on your list by saying something (like "check item 3), or using the touch interface on the side.
In fact, what if it starts recognizing all of the isles (from your continuous use of similar grocery items on Google keep and it recognizing when you check things of and taking a picture or recording whatever it can to pick up your location in the store.) That would make it so it reminds you of the things you need when you enter that isle, or taking care of checking your list off as you pick the things up (making Google Goggles more elaborate in the process).
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Hello all,
I wonder if I may ask your collective opinion. I've been an HTC user since the Desire and have had a One X for the last 2 years. I'm due to upgrade in a month on EE 4G in the UK and have decided to go down the Note 3 route.
I have a varied lifestyle which means I can be in a variety of quite different environments with different use profiles for my devices (how's that for jargon?).
I'm looking for some advice around the best options to protect and power my phone.
I run an industrial and agricultural engineering business, as such my working environment can change from extreme to office boardroom on a daily basis. Extreme can involve outside in the Scottish winter so cold and wet. Industrial means drop risk and impact and screen protection, scratch protection, solvent and oil protection. We also restore old land rovers so mineral oil on hands is a frequent risk as is scrabbling around on dirty garage floors. I need to protect the phone from this environment but also retain full functionality.
However, I also find myself in the corporate boardroom where I need smart and sleek and unobtrusive and don't really want an oil stained lump of rubber in the table or desk.
In addition, at home I have two young children who have sticky fingers, accident prone (I've replaced my wife's iPhone screen and case 3 times now, who help themselves to phones and tablets to play games etc. I don't mind thus too much as it keeps the little buggers off my alienware M18.
At work we frequently find ourselves in remote locations where signal can be patchy and offer away from power sources for a while so I'm also looking to iccassionally beef up the battery. The remote locations can gobble up battery with roaming increased and whilst I know you can adjust settings, it can be a pain in the butt to remember to do this.
Strikes me I need a rugged, oil proof case and screen protector with the option of an extended battery capacity both of which can be removed to return to stick when in the office/socialising etc. Something with a holster would be good as well so I can pick up without rummaging in pockets which all too often contain knives, screw drivers etc.
What would you recommend? I've seen a few different options but am getting to the confused stage!
Secondly, I've recently developed osteoarthritis in my left hand, this makes using a phone the size of a One X with one hand tricky so the Note 3 will be even more of a challenge. So annoying and painful is this I very nearly opted for an iPhone 5s and breaking my vow never to own an apple product as Jobs was the antichrst and I can't stand Apples hypocritical, smug, controlling, 'aren't we just so wacky and cool', twat, Bollox corporate image- just because it is skinny enough to be easier to hold in my left hand when used as a phone or thumb texting.
I then recalled...just a minute, these days there are a plethora of solutions for this problem, there is no need to sacrifice my deepest principles!
Now I'm not a huge fan of Bluetooth ear sets they don't sit well with helmets, goggles, spectacles etc. So I have been interested to see the Galaxy Gear watch which looks like it might be an option despite the fact that I don't necessarily want to be bothered by phone and text all the time...sales calls, the bank, irate customers etc....
Question is...is the current GG watch worth getting or am I better waiting six months for the new one? I'm not sure if the latest one is waterproof and shockproof as most reviews tend to be about its gadgetry rather than its construction as a watch.
Lastly, I do a lot of miles behind the wheel in different vehicles, from family and work cars to vans and classic cars. Is there a decent generic vehicle dock avaliable for this phone, one which can be moved between vehicles easily and which allows me to easily access the phone as well as spotify and audible. I've gone back to my Garmin sat nav as in the uk anyway, Google maps app went from brilliant to utter push about six months ago. I've list count of the cash I have wasted on various phone mounts for cars and given the huge size of the Note 3 am thinking about somthing specific.
Thanks in advance for wasting valuable time pondering the best way forward for my hectic lif. I'm determined not to trash thus phone and secondly, to actually get the best out of its productivity as I'm getting busier and busier and need to use the devices smarter, one if the reasons I don't is the environment challenges.
Cheers
Rich
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk
Hi everyone,
As said on tittle, I'm looking for a smart watch with the following requisites:
- Android complete 4.2 or higher
- Cell phone itself (gsm/wcdma)
- IP68?
I need it for swimming/surfing/similar, due to my work, I need to be contactable (calls/email) everytime, and sometimes I go swimming/surfing.
I bought an Imacwear M7, but the people said it's not ip67 and that it will die if I use it on the sea.
Does anyone tried this? Any other smartwatch? Any other options?
I'm a little bit lost, need your opinion and/or experience
Thanks a lot
none of the standalone (phone) watches will be fully water proof, because of microphone/speaker, if ever there will be one
some of them might claim water resistance but i wouldn't wear them not in shallow water, let alone the sea
the Sony Smartwatch 2 for example, claims to be ip57, but can't survive a shower. that watch doesn't even have a microphone or speaker
might be build quality related though
Swimming and surfing plus speaker and mic? That's 1 ATM (10m/30ft) rating at a minimum. No such creature exists, yet. It is possible to do, but companies would rather sell fashion smartwatches with laughable IP ratings instead.
Send it away and have it Liquipelled. http://www.liquipel.com/
SerialKilla said:
Send it away and have it Liquipelled. http://www.liquipel.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't waste your money. Tried that on three smartwatches, as well as a fourth project smartwatch of my own. It doesn't work. The treatment wears off when it comes in contact with pretty much anything. Oil deposits in the air from cooking, your skin, cloth, sand, dirt.
airtemisa said:
Hi everyone,
As said on tittle, I'm looking for a smart watch with the following requisites:
- Android complete 4.2 or higher
- Cell phone itself (gsm/wcdma)
- IP68?
I need it for swimming/surfing/similar, due to my work, I need to be contactable (calls/email) everytime, and sometimes I go swimming/surfing.
I bought an Imacwear M7, but the people said it's not ip67 and that it will die if I use it on the sea.
Does anyone tried this? Any other smartwatch? Any other options?
I'm a little bit lost, need your opinion and/or experience
Thanks a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Tempo Trainer Pro watch. U can find it here http://www.proswimwear.co.uk/ . It's includes a clip for dry land exercise. I am sure you will find it better then apple watch or Garmin.
I still havent found what im looking for...
Like I said before, no such creature exists. The best you can hope for is a regular smartwatch and then have somebody like me mod it to get it to a 1ATM (33ft) WR rating.
Hi lokifish Marz.... I´ve been thinking about doing that in my M7 smartwatch, but finally never tried it.
If finally doesnt appear that desired model, i will try to mod it for submersing
The M7 is like the Omate and is a serious pain to get IP67, much less anything better than that. About the only sort of easy way to get past a useless IP rating is fill the entire case with RTV silicone sealant, otherwise you are looking at a complete teardown and machine work.
I've been trying with liquid neoprene. It seals perfectly, very fluid, very good handling and also cheap!
Now I need to identify all the holes of the watch and work then properly.... It should work!
List of ingress points that need to be addressed to reach a minimum of 1 ATM water resistance needed for swimming/surfing;
Case back (requires complete redesign of seals or permanent sealing of back to case)
Case back screws and screw holes (requires complete redesign of seals or permanent sealing of screws into the case)
Buttons (requires complete redesign of button seals)
Camera (requires removal and filling of camera housing of replacement of housing glass)
Speaker (requires secondary sealing layer between speaker and outside)
Mic (requires secondary sealing layer between MIC and outside)
SIM Slot Door (requires sealing of screw holes and better gasket)
Charging contacts (requires the contact assembly in the case back be remounted and sealed using marine epoxy)
Display (requires the case be redesigned or pressure injecting sealant or marine epoxy from the backside)
Antenna ports (requires the bands be removed, the ports cleaned out. The bands then need remounting and a stiff silicone sealant be injected into the ports)
MIC and speaker secondary seal will negatively affect audio performance. This is however required as MIC and speaker damage will occur otherwise.
Display sealing issues are due to the lack of a large enough lip for the display to be mounted on to provide a proper seal
*Alternative approach (Untested)
Completely seal the display,PCB, SD Card, SIM Card, and battery in one solid block of silicone or some other water resistant material. Drawback is this seriously affects usability of the buttons, camera, MIC, and speaker. This also makes SIM, SDCard and battery swapping impossible.
(I've had over two years to think about this as well as attempt to get the TS and it's clones to pass a proper 24hr immersion test at 10m/33ft/1ATM. To date, I have not succeeded.)
Uffff.... so... you need to do a master.... its a marathon!
Thanks Lokifish... i think maybe i wont try...
i95,android 4.3,ip65,dial/answer phone call,you can know more from tinydeal.but i think Lokifish is right,no smartwatch can survive after a long time in the sea.
jack5847 said:
i think Lokifish is right,no smartwatch can survive after a long time in the sea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly true. If he wanted a companion smartwatch it's not the hard at all. The issue is with him wanting to be able to do that with a standalone, or otherwise known as a watchphone. That requires far more engineering. The closest he could get to any out of the box solution would be the massive Timex Ironman ONE GPS+ and all that would give him is something similar to SMS texts and that's it. The other option is a decently made standalone then seal it completely with a SIM inside. He would lose the mic and speaker function but would at least be able to send/receive texts and know who's trying to call him. Not a pretty solution but it would work.
I think i´ve got it!
Doodgee S1.
I dont link to any shop, but you can find it very easy. I´m waiting for some reviews...
airtemisa said:
I think i´ve got it!
Doodgee S1.
I dont link to any shop, but you can find it very easy. I´m waiting for some reviews...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, ignore any IP67 rated. IP67 is 1m/3ft immersion with absolutely no moving allowed.
I agree with Lokifish - I don't think that animal exists. I just bought the No 1 A10 to evaluate it for workouts, including swimming...
http://www.gearbest.com/smart-watches/pp_286212.html
...and am looking at the D5 for "office wear". I have to admit that I'm more attracted to the idea of "one watch to rule them all" - but - I'm also looking at $56 for the A10 (I bought it when it was on sale) and $130 or so for the D5 (or similar) so for the total outlay it's a pretty compelling use case. I was an original Omate TrueSmart backer and was profoundly disappointed. After spending $360++ for a watch that *wasn't* waterproof I went the "dedicated exercise computer as a watch" route - in the form of the Polar V800. I had to wait another year or so for smart notifications to show up (for Android) and Polar *still* hasn't done some basic data integration with 3rd parties like MyFitnessPal and the like. That was another $500+ and it *still* doesn't collect accurate heart rate data in the water. So - there's that... and of course there's no *real* smartwatch functionality to speak of.
I had considered the Garmin fenix 3 - and the recent addition of on-device HRM is interesting - but I'm mostly a swimmer so I'm going to be using a chest-worn device if I go that route. But *if* I did that it would be another $600-800 plus the cost of their data-recording HRM strap. As it stands now - I'm done with dropping multiple C-notes onto one-off projects and half baked tech from "the big companies". I'm going to nickel-and-dime my way through and figure out a way to make it work with multiple devices (with a LOT of help from my friends at XDA). I have the Bragi Dash coming in (sometime in February at last count) which I'm hoping will give me accurate HRM/oximetry data while swimming - and I'll be working to merge that data with the stroke/SWOLF data I gather from the wrist-worn device.
Side note: One of the advantages of the dual-device theory just occurred to me - in that I *can* carry a portable battery-pack charger and have one on charge when the other is on my wrist. So there's some element of continuity/back-up, should something go sideways with one device or another. When my TrueSmart would go dead I felt pretty naked, when it worked and was relatively performant from a battery perspective.
Anyway, I think this class of device will take some time to sort out as the companies figure out what the market(s) will bear in terms of durability and cost.
No.1 Sun S2 Smart Watch Review
Thanks to GearBest for the sample
First Impressions: Having already had a “first look” at the device, that being a read up online all about the thing, I had a fair idea of what was coming. The box seems alright, nothing too fancy. Inside there we have the watch. It looks nice in the flesh. Though I’m still not sure I love the triangular pattern round the edge, feels like it’s there just to make it look more watch like. Mind you given how often I smack the face of my other watches off of things maybe it’s there and so raised to act as a defensive measure?
Picking it up I rather like it. I like metal bands and while I’ve seen reviews say its strap feels so light and cheap I can’t say I agree. Maybe normal watch straps are made of lead but to me it feels nicely weighted. Very flexible too, I like very much. I have never loved tightly fitting watches, I like them a little loose on the wrist and with this I can. Don’t think the heart rate thing will like that but how often will I use that?
Specifications: Built-in chip type: MT6260, Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 3.0, Waterproof Rating: IP67, Health tracker: Pedometer, Heart rate monitor, Alert type: Ring, Vibration, Screen: LED, Screen resolution: 240 x 240 px, Screen size: 1.33 inch, Camera pixel: 0.3MP, Battery capacity: 350mAh, Standby time: About 90 hours, Product weight: 0.120 kg
Actually there are tons of more details in the full spec list but I’ve skimmed to the bits that I think matter. Some spec too are variable, like the band material. My one is metal, silvery metal but you can get black too or leather of varying colours. The bands are actually standard watch straps so you can change it for anything you want. You hear that Motorola, Sony!!!! Standard bloody watch straps! So if you don’t like the strap or just feel like a change you can use anything you like and you shouldn’t have any trouble doing so.
Screen: The screen is pretty nice. It does do the Moto 360 “flat tyre” thing. You know where the bottom of the round screen has a black flat cut off at the bottom. For the most part this doesn’t really bother me as I’m used to it but….. when you use a round dial its really noticeable that 6 is missing and the faces all seem to pretend that the bottom is there. I don’t know why, the 360 does this too, just acts like it’s there when it’s not. Otherwise though the screen is pretty damn good. I was expecting poo viewing angles give the low cost but it’s actually really wide. It’s not perfect but its works great all the way to angles you would never encounter in the real world. It can get rather bright too. I’m really impressed for the price.
UI: This if anywhere is where things drop. The UI is not Android Wear. The UI is a proprietary thing I think made by Mediatek. While China has absolutely got hardware nailed I cannot say the same in regards to software. It all works, functionally but it can be odd. Like there is just 3 fascia’s for the watch. The white backed one I don’t like as the flat tyre is so noticeable. The two black ones, one having silvery typeface and the other goldish. Now it so happens I really quite like the silvery one so I was happy to use it but I could find no way to add any more options. Then when you go past that first face you are greeted with a digital, in yellow with a call button and a message button below it. You cannot change this screen and it’s different from the one in the photos, the one it the photos doesn’t seem to exist anywhere which I found really odd. The UI on the whole is quirky, once you start delving into menu’s you often feel a bit lost. Now you’ll hardly ever do it but you know. The rest of the functions, there are all fairly easily accessed. Somethings on there though, I don’t get. Like what use is the video playback app or the video recording when the storage space is so super tiny? Like I said, quirky but for the most part it’s pretty simple.
Features: The Sun 2 has a couple of really unusual bits. Now you see how the face looks like a watch and it has the little dial on the side where you would either wind it up or set the time? Well obviously you do neither with it, so you may wonder what it’s for, just decorative? Hell no, that thing is a camera!!! Yes you read that right, a camera. Granted it’s a low quality, 0.3 mega pixel camera but the 10 year old in me thinks it’s kinda awesome. Come on a real camera in your watch, that is some James Bond type gadgetry right there!!! Oh and you know what else!?!?!? The damn thing has a speaker and a microphone built in so it can initiate and receive calls, on the watch!!! Now I get you may look weird taking a call on your watch but…… come on, that is so James Bond. I can tell you if I was 10 and had this thing I would be ecstatic. As a grown up, I love the idea but I think I might feel too self-conscious to use in public.
Weirdly you can also use the watch to playback music on from your phone. I don’t know why you would chose to do this. I hoped I could use the watch as a remote control for audio being streamed to a Bluetooth pair of headphones but the Sun 2 and the headphones (Blueudio T2S) refused to be both connected to the phone (Moto G) at the same time.
Where you can use the watch as a remote control though is for your phones camera. It’s a little bit odd, there is no live transmission so you can’t see on the watch what your about to snap on the phone. Still it’s kinda cool that you can. I’m not quite sure what you’d do with it, maybe some more James Bond spying perhaps?
The other features that you may want to make use of are the health stuff. Now things like the pedometer it seemed to act more like a stopwatch than being some background, always monitoring feature. Same for the sleep monitor and sedentary reminder. So I don’t know if it was me missing something but they just seemed realistically of minimal use. The “Heart Rate” and ECG apps seem to be pretty much the same thing. They don’t continually monitor but if you’re interested in your heart rate they will tell you. I found it be really very accurate too.
Build Quality: It feels rather solid. Now it doesn’t exude luxury it doesn’t look or feel like a piece of jewellery. It feels like a man’s watch. Some plain stainless steel, polished on the face, brushed on the band. It’s a pleasant, plain, functional object. It appeals to my sense of the functionally aesthetic. Well bar that triangular bevelling, I still have mixed feelings about that. It feels like decoration for decorations sake. The rest of the thing looks fairly chunky, functional, and manly. You can barely see them unless you take the watch off but near the strap attachments and the underside you can see that its screwed together. I like that.
Usability: Well it depends what you want to do. If you’re happy to pair it up, just let it notify you of calls and texts you’re golden. It does this very ably. If you want to start doing things on the watch, like initiate a call or god forbid send a text, not so much. The round screen is a pain and to make things more awkward the big bevelled facia makes it hard to hit things near the edges. It sadly is awkward to do much more than hit the answer button or to acknowledge the notification of something. Stick to the basics, which is what I really want a watch for anyway, you cannot over estimate how handy a vibrating notification on your wrist is in my opinion. In these days of giant phones, leaving your phone on your desk or pocket means you might miss the vibration but when it’s on your wrist, you notice.
Battery: The battery life I found to be quite variable. I had the thing set to light up with a flick of a wrist. It would seem that while sleeping some nights I did this a lot and others not so much. Therefore sometimes the battery would last nearly 3 days others it would be dead in the morning when I went to use it. You should really just get in the habit of charging it overnight anyway. Like you do with your phone, it’s what I would have done normally if I wasn’t specifically reviewing to see how long it would last.
What was more of an issue I found was the charging dock. It is a little dock that magnetically clamps to the underside of the watch. The thing is it didn’t always seem to quite get the contacts lined up. More than once I put it to charge and sever hours later I discovered it hadn’t been. That got really annoying, if it just had some light or something to let you instantly see if it’s charging or not would have solved this. There is not, if you want to see you have at wake it up and see if the battery meter is animating.
Connectivity: I’ve seen people say they have had issues connecting different smart watches to their phones, so this category is here but I can’t say I did. There is some issue with the variety of apps available. Having the latest “Meditek SmartDevice” app it paired saw each other and worked just fine. Its range seemed more sensitive than my android wear watches, if I left the phone and wandered to the other side of the flat it would start ringing and vibrating to let me the Bluetooth connection had been lost. When I wandered back it reconnected automatically. That is with multiple devices all over the place too.
Value: Ahh value, there is no getting around the headline fact that as “smartwatches” go this is cheap, hell’a cheap. Right now it’s for sale, with a little Xiaomi LED light thrown in, for US$63 or with the handy discount code GBSS2 its US$54. At present exchange rates that’s just £35. So £35, with the cool wee light and delivered to your door. So that’s pushing one tenth of what an Apple watch would cost you. While I found the Sun 2 more limited and a little quirky, if what you want, the most important aspect for a smart watch for me, the notifications right there on your wrist. You feel it vibrate where you rarely feel your phone in your pocket and you can glance to see if it’s worth bothering to dig your phone out. With phones getting stupid big this matters ever more. Tbh even if you just use it for a watch, it’s still kinda bargain priced.
Conclusion: So I have 6 different “wearables” in arms reach right now. Yes I have issues, I know. You know you can never really judge an item on its own without having some other thing to compare it to. You know, your mothers Victora Sponge is cake and all cake is nice, then you have a big slice of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte that’s had a generous drizzling of Kirsch. One is good, one is to die for. The Sun 2 then, it falls into the first category. It isn’t a device that will wow you, change the way you look at existence, have you pondering in awe of the miracle that is human creativity. The Sun 2 is a good product, a solid product that has a clearly defined parameter of functionality.
The Sun 2 is about just a few things, telling you the time, looking like a proper watch and notifying you of people trying to reach you. Both calls and text notifications come through perfectly. Its functionality that my long vanished, ancient Sonyericsson MBW-100 that I so loved, provided. The Sun 2 replicates those functions admirably and throws in some little extras. Most of those extras are things you probably won’t use. Like the camera, it’s a super cool novelty but not actually useful. It’s just a cool little gadget.
Would I buy one, I dunno. I’ve gotten used to my Android Wear watches that do lots more but then they cost a lot more too. This therefore I see appealing to the young, seriously 10 year old me would have freekin’ loved this thing beyond belief. The other group being those who want the notifications in a reasonably looking package. To both those groups it suffices perfectly. It also is a really cost effective way to see if you can get used to wearing a watch but mostly I see it being for those who are forever not noticing calls and texts. When something strapped to your wrist vibrates, you notice it. It is that simple. So do you think you fall in to those categories? If so it’s a nice, functional, pleasant, watch looking way to get that without having to throw down considerably more money.
Photos i tried to add but it wouldnt let me, no idea why. however if you want to see them they are all in here http://www.mobiletechtalk.co.uk/no-1-sun-s2-smart-watch-review/
No.1 Sun S2 Smart Watch Quick Review
Thanks to GearBest for the sample
Brief: Bargain Bond watch.
Price: US$63 but with code GBSS2 US$54 ( so about £35)
Specification: Built-in chip type: MT6260, Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 3.0, Waterproof Rating: IP67, Health tracker: Pedometer, Heart rate monitor, Alert type: Ring, Vibration, Screen: LED, Screen resolution: 240 x 240 px, Screen size: 1.33 inch, Camera pixel: 0.3MP, Battery capacity: 350mAh, Standby time: About 90 hours, Product weight: 0.120 kg
Accessories: It comes with its little dock/charger and a micro USB cable to link it to a USB socket.
Build Quality: It feels very sturdy, chunky, and functional. I’ve seen people say its band feels really light but I don’t think it is, not in the least. It’s all rather weighty and solid.
Comfort/Fit: Great. I like metal banded watches and I like them to sit loose on my wrist. If you like more snug you can remove links or just change bands. Oh or you could pick it with the leather and not metal band.
Aesthetics: I mostly like it. It comes is several options so you chose what you like most I guess but that triangular bevelling still looks a bit flashy to me. I kinda think I might have preferred the black metal one, that being less reflective. It’s hard to say but it certainly gives you plenty of options.
UI: Hmm quirky. Works but I doubt you’ll use most of it. What use is the image viewer or file manager? Much of it seems rather superfluous to me.
Functionality: Where the Sun 2 excels is acting as a notifier for calls and texts, I regularly don’t notice my phone as I always keep it on vibrate. Vibrating in my pocket isn’t something I always notice but you do when something strapped to your wrist vibrates and lights up. That is handy beyond words in my opinion. Also I have to mention the camera, super cool but not so functionally useful. I did though have an issue with the limited number of fascia’s available, just 3. That was bluntly disappointing and I couldn’t find any way to add more. Lastly you can use the watch to make calls, it’s got a mic and speaker built in, super cool but I’d feel super silly using it in public.
Battery: Variable. Screen on time hammers the battery so clearly in my sleep I would set it off and that slashed the battery life. Though if you take it off at night you’ll easily get a few days out of it.
Connectivity: Great. Would drop if I left the room with the phone but that’s what its supposed to do. Never had it give any problems.
Value: It is a bargain priced device. Sure it’s not got the functionality of Android Wear watches or the Apple watch but it’s just a sliver of their price tags. If all you really need is notifications then this will got the job done considerably more cheaply.
Pro’s: Bargain price tag. Chunky feel. Standard watch band fittings.
Con’s: UI is interesting. Limited fascia’s. Docking charger not always catching.