Database Users

MIMI W3 Smartwatch

Hi all,
Found this smartwatch and it looks pretty nice: *cant post links!* website is mimi-hk. The watch is the MI W3 smartwatch.
This is an update of a watch I can't find much info on, the MI-W2 watch, or the Podoor PW305 (which was updated also to the PW305 II) so if anyone has used them please rate!
It is not Android based, but that doesn't bother me. Android smartwatches run out of power too quickly and obviously I'm going cheap here. It seems it can be used for at least a good few days. The watch face is listed as translucent stays on all the time, which is key for me as I don't see the point in having a smart WATCH that is so smart it doesn't show me the time! Amongst the features, it also has things like: Backlight when you lift your wrist. Apparently IP67 waterproof. Answer calls. Reject calls. Read messages. Send messages (though this is pointless on a small screen). Metal body. Leather strap. It's actually a watch.
I have contacted mimi-hk and they will sell the W3 for £63.48, $102 ($90 + $12 delivery).
Everbuying sell the watch for $88.27 delivered, (£56.87) Has anyone used everbuying before? Would anyone recommend them, or recommend staying away!?
I think this watch looks decent, has all the features I'd need on a companion watch and is a decent price. Does anyone see why I shouldn't go for it?
Thanks!

Its bluetooth is 3.0 nor 4.0... This bluetooth is not energy eficient so battery life has not to be so good

Link Here
StuDB said:
Hi all,
Found this smartwatch and it looks pretty nice: *cant post links!*
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Stu,
I have seen this watch but also could not find any info on it! For info, link is here: www.everbuying.com/product609837.html
Looks like a good watch, if the battery can hold up!

Oh sweet, thanks for posting the link. Yeah battery life is a concern, but are there any cheap watches that have 4.0? I'm not really interested in spending more.
Also, Negriton, do you have any alternatives you might suggest, with Bluetooth 4.0?

I have purchased twice from Everbuying and it was a bad experience both times.
The last time I had to file a claim with Paypal and it took 6 weeks to get a refund.
They offered a " partial" refund... yea right.... Paypal agreed with me and I eventualy got a forced refund. AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS.
StuDB said:
Hi all,
Found this smartwatch and it looks pretty nice: *cant post links!* website is mimi-hk. The watch is the MI W3 smartwatch.
This is an update of a watch I can't find much info on, the MI-W2 watch, or the Podoor PW305 (which was updated also to the PW305 II) so if anyone has used them please rate!
It is not Android based, but that doesn't bother me. Android smartwatches run out of power too quickly and obviously I'm going cheap here. It seems it can be used for at least a good few days. The watch face is listed as translucent stays on all the time, which is key for me as I don't see the point in having a smart WATCH that is so smart it doesn't show me the time! Amongst the features, it also has things like: Backlight when you lift your wrist. Apparently IP67 waterproof. Answer calls. Reject calls. Read messages. Send messages (though this is pointless on a small screen). Metal body. Leather strap. It's actually a watch.
I have contacted mimi-hk and they will sell the W3 for £63.48, $102 ($90 + $12 delivery).
Everbuying sell the watch for $88.27 delivered, (£56.87) Has anyone used everbuying before? Would anyone recommend them, or recommend staying away!?
I think this watch looks decent, has all the features I'd need on a companion watch and is a decent price. Does anyone see why I shouldn't go for it?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

standef said:
I have purchased twice from Everbuying and it was a bad experience both times.
The last time I had to file a claim with Paypal and it took 6 weeks to get a refund.
They offered a " partial" refund... yea right.... Paypal agreed with me and I eventualy got a forced refund. AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Not what I wanted to hear as there is also 8% off at everbuying at the moment, but the right info none the less :good:
Guess if I do go for it, I'll spend the extra £15 and get it from the manufacturer!

StuDB said:
Thanks! Not what I wanted to hear as there is also 8% off at everbuying at the moment, but the right info none the less :good:
Guess if I do go for it, I'll spend the extra £15 and get it from the manufacturer!
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Click to collapse
I'm going to get the W3 soon (ordered from the manufacture) when I do I will post a full review.

s7yler said:
I'm going to get the W3 soon (ordered from the manufacture) when I do I will post a full review.
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Awesome stuff! I almost bought the Star Kingleton watch from your review, saw a note on the PW305 then a string of research followed, leading to the W3!
I also found the W2 on a website called Joe's Tech Review, he's supposed to be getting it and doing a review soon too.
I'm mostly interested to find out what this 'translucent' screen is all about.
At £63 it's almost worth the risk (not got heaps of cash here) and I'm getting impatient, good to know people will be reviewing soon!

StuDB said:
Awesome stuff! I almost bought the Star Kingleton watch from your review, saw a note on the PW305 then a string of research followed, leading to the W3!
I also found the W2 on a website called Joe's Tech Review, he's supposed to be getting it and doing a review soon too.
I'm mostly interested to find out what this 'translucent' screen is all about.
At £63 it's almost worth the risk (not got heaps of cash here) and I'm getting impatient, good to know people will be reviewing soon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here my UNBOXING of the MI-W3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcKetu-JIws
Specs can be found on my blog, link is on the description of the video on Youtube.

Hi,
Where did you buy it? I tried to contact Anna at mimi-hk but she told me the shipment fee was 100$.

MI W3 review By JTR1NING
I'm Happy to say that the Mi W3 from MIMI-HK.com has complied with all of its hype. Right out of the box I had a Premium detachable/interchangeable leather band and a alloyed/plastic waterproof smartwatch body. The design isn't as streamlined as the MI W2.It has more of a unisexed square digital look . In the boxes second compartment is the dual USB adaptor and Cable. Then at the very bottom of the box is the users manual that has been created with very detailed photos...even in the chinese writing a person can understand the directions. The Mi w2 feels a little heavier due to the thicker alloy on the front. The MiW3's Front alloy plate is thinner because it serves a Medical apparatus purpose...it, with the assistance of the metal plate on the rear, READS AND MONITORS THE USERS HEART RATE. This was a factor for the new smartwatches to implement. Most of the functions and layout is almost identical to MIW2. The added icons to the menu scroll is the Heart Rate Icon and the (APP) Icon. The gesture protocols are different. The way it is implemented on the MIW3 is as follows.... Goto, then press the Application (app) icon . Locate the Gesture Bright Screen menu..there you will see a new format of adjustable scrolling numbers... (01 to 23) on the left and (1 to 23) on the right. This is the 24hr/military time format. Setting this will make your watch go in total black screen until you shake/wake it up. This new feature along with the new TRANSPARENT screen display helps with battery life. The Transparency of the screen is a very good add on. Many smartwatch/ watch phone users have complained about pressing the button to see the time. With the implement of the gesture protocol, and now the translucency of the screen...always on top time view, the direction is forward not backward. The screen ,when in sleepmode will not respond to touch until activated by button press...THe Gesture Bright control is MOre useful when there is no Ambient light to see the watch screen...thus tilting the watch and the screen comes alive in pitch blackness. SPEAKERS/MICROPHONE : Without dismantling the MIW3 I can say that a different brand of Speaker has been used. The clarity and the distance the user can hear the information/caller from is much better than MOst of the watchphones I've used in the past.The microphone is highly sensitive and the feeling to hold the watch to the mouth is minimum. Removable wristbands are GENUINE LEATHER and standard. If you wanted a different look, just switch/change the wrist strap and your look will be Eye catching.....READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT MY SITE joe's tech review on the ning network

Any reliable way to buy this watch?
I do not find any option to buy on their website (mimi-hk). Also a couple of other vendors (everbuying, dealmachine etc.) do not have a very great review online. Any pointer will be highly appreciated.

s7yler - on your blog you didn't mention it has a mic?
I wonder if it is running the Nucleus OS?
It would be good if it can give 4 days battery life.

simple1i said:
s7yler - on your blog you didn't mention it has a mic?
I wonder if it is running the Nucleus OS?
It would be good if it can give 4 days battery life.
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Click to collapse
No info on OS that I can find, but OS is very similar to all other budget watches (nucleus style). I'm told by Anna that nromal usage battery is 60 hours. Standby is naturally much longer.. though I want to see the full review to knwo for sure!
You can buy using Paypal from Anna by contacting (I'm waiting for full review to purchase atm) - email address is [email protected]
I also want to by elsewhere as it's cheaper but also am put off by the reviews. Everbuying has 8% off until the end of October, but I have heard to stay away from them!
Hopefully S7yler will release the full review soon.

Any experience with Aliexpress?
I got this link from Anna, but the price is way higher than other portals:
<Can't post links>

MI-W2 Smart watch
I just receivced my smart watch (after 3 weeks) and purchased on the gearbest site for only $56.00 + $17.00 S/H from Hong Kong.
I've only had it for a few days but I really like it.
MI-W2 version z2.8
MI-W2 Versatile Smart Bluetooth Watch with Dialer SMS Capabilities Remote Camera Shutter Functions.MI-W2 Versatile
Pros: .
Full cahrge in less than 1 hour
Haven't discharge in over 18 hours
Allows me to receive incoming call, text, email, and calendar notifications on the watch
Can make outgoing calls and send outgoing text messages.
Can add and deleted calendar events (syncs to my gmail account calendar)
Cons:
Unable to understand how to adjust call volume on the watch. I was able to access the engineer mode by pressing *20# to get to the menus and even found the audio section to choose my level. Somehow it gives 6 levels of volume but there is no way change the volume on the watch while in a call

[Q] Sony Smartwatch 3 or Moto 360 - small wrists

I am trying to choose the right smartwatch for me and I am sort of losing my mind. I really can't decide which one to get. So I have finally narrowed my decision down to two. Sony Smartwatch 3 and Moto 360. I like Sony when it comes to mobile hardware - I currently have a Z3 Compact and it would seem only logical to pair it with a smartwatch from Sony. But... I like Motorola as well. Never had any problems with them before.
Both have their pros and the cons. Moto 360 basically looks way better. It also has a heart rate monitor which I like but it isn't a must. On the other hand Smartwatch 3 has a much smoother interface, better battery, is cheaper and has micro USB for charging.
My main problem is this - I am a pretty small guy and I have small wrists as well. So a big watch would just look ridiculous on me. My wrists are about 46mm in diameter at the widest point where the watch would sit. So that's a big issue and the determining factor will be the size. I know that the Smartwatch 3 is slightly larger in one dimension, but it is designed much differently and is thiner. But it is pretty new and I haven't seen much comments about its size.
Anyone with similar issues? What would you suggest?

I own Sony smart watch 3 for the following reasons:
1. All round watches will have troubles with ui in one app or another, they just awkward to code for
2. Sony one is waterproof, has GPS, transflective LCD, great battery life and better chipset (moto uses prehistoric chipset same as in their motoactv from 2011)
3. I have medium sized wrist it fits perfectly, you could try one and return if it doesn't fit.
Overall I would not bother with any round watches unless to show off and from current wear offerings I feel like sw3 is the best and if you'll use GPS it is the only one.

I personally am a Moto 360 person myself. I have fairly skinny wrists and haven't noticed an aesthetic or comfort issue wearing it. In terms of app support: it is indeed harder for coders to deal with round screens but it seems like most have figured them out. The marker for round watches just seems large at this point which forces most to support them if at all feasible.
I also do not trust Sony when it comes to Android based devices. They always seem to release products in that space that flop and thereby do not get as much updates/support compared to peer manufacturers.
Good luck in your decision!

I get a SW3 today. I've also a small wrist and it fits very well.
Why I choose SW3 not Moto 360? A round watch is pretty cool, but I cannot tolerate its black bar below, it makes me crazy...
And also consider the battery, SW3 finally becomes my first android wear.

Same here, wanted a moto 360. But after looking at everything I bought SW3 yesterday. Never had android wear before or actually worn a watch. But SW3 for £130 was an easy decision. It should arrive on Thursday.
I am 2 meter tall guy so size ssd never a concern to me. Only thing I didn't like about SW3 was that weird watch band. A standart 22mm watch bands would be much better. But I will see how it feels when it arrives. Can't wait! [emoji2]

Well I have finally decided and bought a Moto 360. It has arrived yesterday so I've had about a day of "play time" with it. A bit mixed feelings for now. But not really a HW problem. Android Wear seems very much like a huge beta for now.
First my thoughts on hardware - I love the design. It really is a beautiful watch. And just a tad too large for my wrists. Smaller would be better but size isn't too big of an issue on the current model. It could be a bit thiner though. I don't particularly like the leather strap to be honest. The leather feels a bit too stiff for my liking. I've seen much softer leather bands on watches before. I would probably prefer one of those. Or maybe textile. But maybe it will soften up a bit with time.
Battery doesn't seem like a particularly big issue. I am at 55% right now (I started using it in the morning and it is 9 in the evening now) and I have been playing with it a lot today. Installing apps, using things, ... So it seems like it will last me a day just fine.
Pedometer seems useless. I can't check how accurate it is because it doesn't update in real time - the ****? Who thought that this was a good idea? If I make a step I want to see it change immediately. Not two hours later. Heart rate sensor isn't much better either.
And now for android wear... What was google thinking? What's the point of having the ability to read an email or to reply to it but no ability to delete that thing? I delete 80% of my emails after I read them. Why can't I do that on my wrist? What about a keyboard? We know it isn't impossible. So why isn't it there? Something similar to a standard numeric keypad that we can see on old mobile phones would work (T9 anyone?). Or a full fledged keyboard in some other form. Not because I don't want to talk but because voice input is useless for anything but English. And we will be seeing support for Slovene in ... let's be honest ... never. So I can't send a message to anyone, I can't send an email to anyone, start a navigation to somewhere, ... KEYBOARD!
Why do "apps" like Yatse remote hide/close when the watch goes to sleep? This makes it pretty much useless then.

Deleting emails is just swipe left, delete.. I do it all the time as 90% of what I get is spam anyway.
IME the watches work best as notification devices.. they're great for telling you that an email or tweet has arrived, or that you have to leave to get to an appointment, without having to fish in your pocket to work out whether it's an important message or not. During meetings a quick glance at the watch is pretty unobtrusive.
They're too small though to be general purpose devices, and they're not designed to be (hence no real launcher.. 'apps' is buried at the bottom of a menu). Once you get into serious amounts of interaction you're better off just taking the phone out and using that.

TonyHoyle said:
Deleting emails is just swipe left, delete.. I do it all the time as 90% of what I get is spam anyway.
IME the watches work best as notification devices.. they're great for telling you that an email or tweet has arrived, or that you have to leave to get to an appointment, without having to fish in your pocket to work out whether it's an important message or not. During meetings a quick glance at the watch is pretty unobtrusive.
They're too small though to be general purpose devices, and they're not designed to be (hence no real launcher.. 'apps' is buried at the bottom of a menu). Once you get into serious amounts of interaction you're better off just taking the phone out and using that.
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The funny thing here is this - I've found it performs the worst as a notification device. It performs great when I need a timer or when I need to quickly check one of my notes.
Notifications are just... meh. I want f*** email notifications. And no I don't have a delete option when I swipe left. I have reply, mark as read and open on phone. No delete. What is even worse - the thing doesn't vibrate when I get an email. Probably it has something to do with the email client I am using - the stock (AOSP) android one. Not gmail or something else. How am I supposed to have faith in a platform when even the thing that is most advertised doesn't work with the built in app?
The first thing I installed on there was an app launcher. I also found a neat app that enables you to send text messages with an actual keyboard. So at least there is that.

I have a "swipe left" to delete also. It depends what you use for your email. I use "Blue Mail"

tonyguy2000 said:
I have a "swipe left" to delete also. It depends what you use for your email. I use "Blue Mail"
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Click to collapse
Probably.
I am not happy with the fact that something so basic as deleting emails and vibrating when that email arrives is not supported with the app made by Google. On their own platform.
I was also hoping that Lolipop update would bring us some improvements in that regard - the watch got an update today and it didn't improve any of my issues.

i don't know which one is more suitable for you .
but people are often talking about moto 360 ,
sony watch i havent heard it many time .
so i guess this maybe be able to help you decide .

R5 1.54 inch MTK2501 Bluetooth 4.0 Smart Phone Watch for IOS Android

Does anybody have one of these?
http://www.banggood.com/R5-1_54-Blu...Watch-for-IOS-7_0-Above-Andriod-p-957208.html
It looks pretty good value to me.

banggood? or gearbest? I think gearbest is fastest / better service??

I'm waiting for mine to arrive from Banggood.

TylerDurdenK said:
I'm waiting for mine to arrive from Banggood.
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great. just let me know and write a review here in case people want to buy it. thanks in advance. happy holidays!!!!:fingers-crossed:

I am waiting one from Banggood also. Orderes on 11th this month. Shipped only on 19th this month. That's strange or might be not - it is Christmas time. Got tracking number but system not showing it yet. :crying:

Barcors said:
I am waiting one from Banggood also. Orderes on 11th this month. Shipped only on 19th this month. That's strange or might be not - it is Christmas time. Got tracking number but system not showing it yet. :crying:
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Click to collapse
Mine apparently shipped from the warehouse on the 14th, and the Post Office dealt with it on the 17th (I only know this after badgering them on LIVE CHAT) but my tracking number is still not working. Apparently it can take a week after the Post Office have dealt with it for the tracking number to start working!

TylerDurdenK said:
Mine apparently shipped from the warehouse on the 14th, and the Post Office dealt with it on the 17th (I only know this after badgering them on LIVE CHAT) but my tracking number is still not working. Apparently it can take a week after the Post Office have dealt with it for the tracking number to start working!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can take longer, my tracking did not activate until it arrived at local post office, came from the Netherlands.

Has anybody actually got there hands on one of these yet?

Mine hasn't arrived yet.

Aron_H said:
Has anybody actually got there hands on one of these yet?
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Click to collapse
Yes I got it yesterday. And i am so disappointed. Disappointed because there is NO heart rate monitor at all! This option was the main reason why i decided to take it. Bluetooth connection between watch and sgn2 is dropping after few minutes. Both software - on watch and on phone is piece of s...! Only 2 watch faces: analog and digital.
This morning battery is already empty.
Screen looks good enough. Responsive touch. Clock i see is acurate. If it is true - it is sinchronysing with phone. There is simple control of media player: play stop forward backward and volume. It plays music directly on the watch. Sound is... listening at night when you are sleeping is more or less enough. There is no option to play music on phone.
I did not find how to control camera i couldn't take any picture. It looks like they payed attention to design of the watch - it looks good but else is left.

Barcors said:
Yes I got it yesterday. And i am so disappointed. Disappointed because there is NO heart rate monitor at all! This option was the main reason why i decided to take it. Bluetooth connection between watch and sgn2 is dropping after few minutes. Both software - on watch and on phone is piece of s...! Only 2 watch faces: analog and digital.
This morning battery is already empty.
Screen looks good enough. Responsive touch. Clock i see is acurate. If it is true - it is sinchronysing with phone. There is simple control of media player: play stop forward backward and volume. It plays music directly on the watch. Sound is... listening at night when you are sleeping is more or less enough. There is no option to play music on phone.
I did not find how to control camera i couldn't take any picture. It looks like they payed attention to design of the watch - it looks good but else is left.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very useful review, thanks! So u recommend us not to buy it? And can u maybe take some photos of it [also wearing it] and place on XDA?? that would be great:good:

Rene_ajax said:
very useful review, thanks! So u recommend us not to buy it? And can u maybe take some photos of it [also wearing it] and place on XDA?? that would be great:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I didn't say like that. It is more or less worth that money. I just bought not that one I wanted. I have read as much as i could find on internet about that watch. And a lot of places i have found info that this watch have heart rate monitor but in reality NOT. I cant figure it out how it happened. On the seller listing there were pictures showing like it is but not mentioned in the specification. So i can blame only myself for not clearing this question before bidding.
Later on i will post a few pics if you want.
And sorry for my English. I am doing my best.

Tell me please if you can see those pictures here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wcpa43ietvredco/AAAGpI1HZKoo6tipl7xEVQgZa?dl=0

Barcors said:
Yes I got it yesterday. And i am so disappointed. Disappointed because there is NO heart rate monitor at all! This option was the main reason why i decided to take it. Bluetooth connection between watch and sgn2 is dropping after few minutes. Both software - on watch and on phone is piece of s...! Only 2 watch faces: analog and digital.
This morning battery is already empty.
Screen looks good enough. Responsive touch. Clock i see is acurate. If it is true - it is sinchronysing with phone. There is simple control of media player: play stop forward backward and volume. It plays music directly on the watch. Sound is... listening at night when you are sleeping is more or less enough. There is no option to play music on phone.
I did not find how to control camera i couldn't take any picture. It looks like they payed attention to design of the watch - it looks good but else is left.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sorry to hear this device is not what we probably all hoped for!! If it had remote camera working it would be worth me buying one. I do thank you for saving me the time,money and disappointment Sir.

Remote camera is working. I found finaly how it works.

I was wondering how can we use this smartwatch. I mean, what are the possibilities for it? Can I read incoming whatsapp on it? Mails?
That should be useful for me. Thanks!

Barcors said:
Remote camera is working. I found finaly how it works.
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Click to collapse
Oh well maybe things are looking up for this device after all
Thank you for the pictures!

I found myself started enjoying this smartwatch after these few days using. It is a lot of difficulties to set up this guy but now i believe it cad do his job. Just sad there is no heart rate monitor on it. Let see how it goes further ...

Barcors said:
I found myself started enjoying this smartwatch after these few days using. It is a lot of difficulties to set up this guy but now i believe it cad do his job. Just sad there is no heart rate monitor on it. Let see how it goes further ...
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Click to collapse
thaNKS FOR YOUR INPUT. I can see the photos dont delete them cuz I also want to buy this watch.
how does it wear, comfortably or not?
and does it have a camera on the top of the watch, or what is that supposed to be?

Rene_ajax said:
thaNKS FOR YOUR INPUT. I can see the photos dont delete them cuz I also want to buy this watch.
how does it wear, comfortably or not?
and does it have a camera on the top of the watch, or what is that supposed to be?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wears comfortably enough. And it is not so big like it looks. Silicon band is somewhere in the middle - not so hard and not so elastic. I have no problems with band. I have ordered gold color but I don't know... it looks for me like bronze, not polished or shiny.
Camera - NO there is NO camera on the board. That small window on the top of the watch is that what have tricked me. I was thinking that there is heart rate monitor but its not. There is NO nothing at all. I disassembled this watch and I am pretty sure.
One more thing. Yesterday I decided to try with another ROM on my SGN2. Installed "Android Revolution HD 31.0". Now I can tell that connection between SGN2 and this watch is much better than it was with Slim Colorz. During this day there were no interruption with watch.

ZGPAX S29 Quick Review

Hi everybody
I know there are a few reviews of the S29 around but I didn't find them useful for my decision to purchase the S29 so I'm going to throw in my own 2 cents (I'm Australian - if you don't know what 2c means then just google it). Hopefully if you are reading this review you are considering buying an S29 and probably (like me) you are faced with an overwhelming array of different devices and options. My plan is to present information that is helpful.
I decided that I wanted to get a smartwatch about three months ago because I'm a teacher and I don't like it when I miss important texts or phone calls from my wife. When I'm in class I will not bring out my phone, and sometimes I'm so busy teaching I don't even notice the phone vibrating anyway. Sometimes, if I had known that I had gotten a text or phone call, I could have gone at the end of the lesson to the staffroom, sorted things out in a minute, and proceeded to the next lesson.
I was also in a situation where the watch I used for running was really irritating me, and it had no way of telling me how I was going, other than the time it took me to run. If I run the same route, it's fine, but if I do extra bits then I have no way of comparing.
I'm also a bit stingy and a bit wary of buying into the next big thing when the price is high. The prices of first generation smartwatches have come down a fair bit in the last 6 months but I would have to spend at least $120 if not more for something that didn't have a great review of battery life and for something that my wife was telling me was a waste of money.
So, my criteria was that it needed to be cheap, have a battery that would last easily through a full day, show me texts and emails, have some kind of pedometer. I was also looking for some sort of storage just in case (some watches have very, very small amounts of storage) but things like camera, photos, and music weren't a big part of this decision for me.
I narrowed it down to about 10 chinese smartwatches that ranged in price from $30 (U8) to $80. Bear in mind that these were AUD.
As I was wading through all the information I decided that I was really drawn to the fake G2 look. Something about the colour and the icons just seemed attractive - it was just a personal taste thing. It wasn't a game changer for me, but looks count for something.
I really wanted a Bluetooth 4.0 or 4.1 but I decided that it was really going to go above my price range (I didn't really want to spend more than $60AUD) and that pretty much knocked that out. That really meant that the No.1 range was out.
After a lot of deliberation I ended up with the S29 and I have to say that I am really glad that I chose it. I managed to get it from Aliexpress for $55AUD (around $34USD) and I got it from China to me in about 2 and half weeks which is pretty good (so kudos to Aliexpress for that).
Having used it for half a week now, I can tell you a number of things about it. It's never going to beat any kind of Android wear for functionality and the software is fidly, but for what I wanted it is perfect.
The look and feel is great - very comfortable and just like the photos.
The software that you can download by QR scanning is useless on Lollipop so don't bother. I am using the Mediatek app (make sure you get the version that was released April 2015 or later) and it makes sure I get all my texts and emails. I have turned off my accuweather notifications (it didn't show the temperature) and chromecast notifications because they were just annoying and I could probably turn off a lot more. I haven't tried Facebook because I don't allow FB notifications on my phone (too many, too annoying, too distracting).
I have been for a run with it, and I'm pretty sure the pedometer works really well. I say pretty sure because it says mileage, but reads km. I knew the distance I ran and converted it from miles to Km and it was spot on.
Battery life is great. I've had a few days worth of fiddling around and changing things and hardly used any battery to do it. I'm up to day 2 without charging and it's still more than half full (according to the icon). I changed the screen on time to 15sec because I just don't need it to be longer and 15 seconds actually feels like a very long time once I've done what I need to do - it's not like a phone where I might be reading a lot of text and not touch the screen for a while etc.
Sound through the speakers is tinny which I expected but it's clear enough for me to listen to if I want - I just can't control the volume using the phone, and I can't get it through the audio icon (it goes for the bluetooth on the phone and opens up my podcast app - who knows why?) but I can get it through the file manager. The Camera is great for low resolution grainy photos but that's about it. The remote camera for the phone works really well. I accidentally had a conversation with my wife through the bluetooth (I haven't got a sim in it even though there is a spot for it) and it was clear enough and I didn't have to hold the watch up to my mouth and ear.
I have sent texts using the tiny keyboard without too many problems, but it's probably easier to get my phone out really.
I was pleasantly surprised by the "multimedia" function which is just sound or video recording - I haven't tried video, but sound was good enough and simple enough for a quick memo.
The interface is quite good. There's no real lag and mostly it's easy to get to the feature you want.
Here are my problems with it...
There is nothing on the screen normally so to see the time I have to press the button. I can't therefore surreptitiously look at the time.
The bluetooth is quite aggressive and wont let me turn it off if it is connected to my phone. I have to go to my phone settings to swap to my car bluetooth. Thankfully I have "trigger" (an app similar to IFTTT but simpler) and it there were enough options to create a rule to hand over the connection to the car and then back again afterwards without any dramas. I think the fact that I have the 450MH Battery is certainly an important part of the battery life with BT3.0 and I think they have made a good choice with it.
There is no way of recording the pedometer readings. I've tried a few apps but they just don't play nicely with the watch. It's no biggie to me, but if you were interested in that kind of thing then you would want to spend a little bit more for a No.1 watch and use Fundo (though be careful which app you download because fundo isn't a unique app name...) You'd also get a heart rate monitor which might be useful. The S29 tells you that it records your calories burnt, but really it just calculates your steps and comes up with a number of calories that you might have burnt.
The pop up notifications are just enough information to tell you who sent you a text and the first line, likewise with email but it's the name with a subject. I'd probably like a little bit more, but lets face it - it's a watch.
These are only very minor problems and I'm really happy with my purchase. My plan is to use it for about a year and then get something with android wear (or Tizen ... maybe).
At the very least I feel like I know the one feature I will have to have on my next watch is the ability to turn on the screen just by turning my wrist.
I hope this has been useful if you are making a decision about a smartwatch.

Hi! Im planning on buying this ZGPAX S29. Have you tried the Watchmaker app with this? Does it really work?? Thanks in Advance!

OnePlus Watch

Hello.
So I managed to get a OnePlus Watch when pre-orders went live about a month ago. It was delivered today. After spending almost 24 hours with it, here are my thoughts (might be a little long winded).
1. It is missing ALOT of basic features, chief among which are tap-to-wake and no Google app support. The no Google support is major seeing as you cannot sync apps to the watch properly. My LG urbane does a million more things than the OP watch does.
2. Heavy focus on fitness. I like that they're trying to get people more active but come on, at this point it's basically a fitness tracker. For the price they're selling for, there are much better options out there that are dedicated to fitness. This is meant to be a proper smart watch from a company that is trying to take on the big boys like Samsung and Apple (obviously they have very little chance against Apple but, they can at least give it a go). With their recent products like the OP 8 and 9 series, they're starting to tell the world that they're no longer going to hold back and that their Nord line is for users that are on a tight budget but want something "premium feeling". To come out with a smart watch that focuses heavily on fitness and 0 Google support or features was a mistake.
3. It was clearly rushed to market. Very obviously, it was rushed to market before it was even ready. Personally, I believe that the hardcore OP fans put pressure on them to release a budget friendly smart watch. OP caved and just released what they had. Given more time for development and refinement, this could have been a solid product and I would have happily paid around the £200/€200 mark for it.
4. Notification issues. This has to be in top 3 gripes about the device. When you receive a notification on your phone, it pops up on the watch like normal but, you can't do much with it. If it's a group chat notification and you're getting quite a few messages, the notifications will not stack into one. Instead, you'll get several notifications on the watch about it. Dismissing a notification from the watch also doesn't dismiss it from the phone too and vice versa. There have been several times where I've dismissed from the watch, only to look at my phone later and it still showing up there or vice versa.
5. Poor step counter accuracy. MKBHD pointed this out in his review. I thought that maybe it could have been an issue with his review unit but no, it's an actual thing with the watch. A normal work day would get me 5000-7000 steps according to my LG urbane, the OP watch only registerd 3300. How?
That's my little rant over
Anyways, what's your experience with the watch been like so far? Overall, this watch has a lot of potential but it was let down due to OP wanting to get it to market as soon as possible. This needed a lot more development time and refinement. I'll keep a hold of it for now and see what improvements they bring in the near future.
5H1R42

thanks for your reviews.
MKBHD made me hesitating ; ''buy for what is is, not what it will become''
Cyberpunk like, rush ****, and then is a kinda waste of money.
Anyway, since I did NOT own any watch, and I was looking for a simple smart watch that looks classy (not like a gadget) , I hit on that watch. It was a good 'deal' here in canada, since 20$ off, no duty fee, no shipping and only 1 tax.
Hopefully one plus wont let this watch down. They are pretty good for old phone updates anyway, I guess they will do it on this watch.
I also wish some dev do great port on this watch, I dont know it it will be possible tho...

Any idea how to change the firmware? I got one from aliexpress, when they went out of stock in the US, and it can't be paired with the oneplus health app, only with the chinese oppo app.
I think the firmware is way behind (A38, vs B48 as of today), and I would like to have the oneplus app and updates... Half of this app is in chinese.
Thanks

RSchmauk said:
Any idea how to change the firmware? I got one from aliexpress, when they went out of stock in the US, and it can't be paired with the oneplus health app, only with the chinese oppo app.
I think the firmware is way behind (A38, vs B48 as of today), and I would like to have the oneplus app and updates... Half of this app is in chinese.
Thanks
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Thank you, I will try it.

Is there any hacky way to pair it to a iPhone for some alerts, until official iOS support arrives?

Hello guys. Help me pls
Updated to the global firmware and the exclusive watchfaces cyberpunk edition disappeared. Can you help me with the return of the cyberpunk firmware?

Contact 1+ and ask them about the watch faces, and see if you can liberate some firmware for our hopeful/eventually getting google wear on this B# either via official means or otherwise with the help of the sleepless xda unsung heros.
So I got the watch about the first wave from the store app (which I have not been able to reinstall since after the crash the 7pro had otw to 11) and I'm very impressed with the slick hardware... Shame on them not going the 'lazy' route and doing the Google wear thing, but instead doing their own thing and seemingly not even half-assing many a feature available on a cheap Chinese 30$ watch (with 3g/lte mind you) just because their æsthetic/simplicity metric. If I had nfc ability, the ability to just get coords via gps, or even midi sounds for timers then I could understand not using the hardware to full potential, but as some of the hardware isn't even being used right now, or at least the software provided doesn't allow it's use, the positive isn't much but here is what I got:
The damn thing at least lasts forever, even with 24/7 heart/0² monitoring... (I use only low light levels, no aod)
The first day I had it, I jumped in a pool and everyone was trying to tell me that maybe I should take it off, but it recorded all my strokes & movement amazingly well (if only it was exportable to kml/anything). I shower with it too, w/e.
Charge time is warped to a good ratio of charge/use, so realistically not much miss in data if monitoring is what you're after...
It's quite nice looking, responsive, and screen is anything but dainty. I don't think it's ever lagged.
The fact it does play music via BT is quite decent for a musician, as you can play someone your music on the fly considering there is a speaker with bt on in the vicinity. It's storage is huge as the space that could have gone to good use leaves gigs available...
I hope that oppo seriously gets to convince them that they must make wear a thing so we can choose to kill our batteries like we intend to, rather than have them force 2weeks battery life because it's good for them, rather than our choice to live with that allowance, or be realistic about how ridiculous we know we are being watching netflix on it...
It should be my call afterall. We'll see how it plays out, at least my sister with the iwatch was like "You don't have to charge it everyday, 2weeks!?” That made it almost acceptable...