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Some people like smartwatches, some don't. I thought it might be worthwhile to ask fellow Soylentists about a decent phonewatch. Maybe there is something nice out there?
About 1.5 years ago I replaced my old Nokia 5310c with an Omate Truesmart. The Omate has died this week - it fell for the third time from my desk, and this time it wouldn't charge (or connect to a PC) anymore. I guess that the USB wiring inside it got disconnected. So now I'm back to my old Nokia.
I was never completely happy with Omate: crappy software and not a single software update from the seller. Buggy apps desperately needed updates, which were in fact released by software authors, but not pushed as Omate updates. At least the Omate worked, and I was mildly content with that. I felt comfortable talking to it on my wrist. It made me pay attention to find a silent spot first, so that I troubled people less during my phone conversations. That was good, since I too hate listening other people yelling at their phones.
I never used a smartphone or a phablet because those are too big for my taste (my wife uses one and sort-of accepts it). I prefer smaller mobiles than bigger ones. They are supposed to be mobile after all, this is why I deliberately did not use the term "smartwatch" in the title because some companies think that smartwatch is "good enough" when it has a companion phone. Well, that is not the case for me, a phonewatch has to have a simcard slot in it. Also it must be able to record audio memos (e.g. to record some idea that I had), and a decent calendar. In fact I look forward to some opensource Ubuntu phonewatch, but it hasn't arrived yet. So until then I'll have to use something that might not be as good.
I looked into Samsung Gear S, but I am not entirely convinced. Do any of you fellow Soylentils had any experience with phonewatches?
Original Submission
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 22 2015, @01:33PM
In regards to the battery/size limitation for standalone phone watches, I forgot to mention the Gear S -- think it has a 2" screen for your convenience? Nope, it has a 2" screen to "justify" its physical size, which is determined by the battery needed.
BTW, I've got to hand it to Samsung for the Gear S as a market-developing tool. They've got a curved display, which will benefit smart watches of all types; they also want to have two lines, standalone and slaved watches. If they'd released a standalone last year with a 2" flat display, many reviews would have consisted mainly of "but it's almost twice the size!" and the product wouldn't stand a chance. If they'd introduced curved displays across the line, and simultaneously or subsequently introduced the standalone version, reaction to the curved display would've been enthusiastic, but the standalone would've suffered the same dismissive treatment. By introducing the curved display only on the standalone, they make direct comparison between it and the flat-screened slaved watches harder, giving it at least a decent chance to be reviewed on its own merits. Once the Gear S is accepted, they can still put the curved display in all new models, slaved or standalone.