Abandoning smart watches

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#3070870 3-May-2023 16:04

I’m on my fourth smartwatch. They have gone from being a novelty of some value, to being of value with some novelty.

It means my phone can stay in my pocket or briefcase, with the added bonus of warning me if I’ve left my phone behind as soon as I get out of BT range. I have different watch faces depending whether I’m at home, work, driving or out and about. Each one has different complications on the face to operate things. At the end of the day it normally has 60% battery remaining and just gets put on the wireless charger on the bedside table.

I too, am pretty ruthless with what notifications come through to it. Otherwise you may as well be one of those people interacting with your phone every few minutes.
It has voice assistants (Google and Bixby) that I would only use very rarely. I probably only use half of what the device is actually capable of.
Of late it’s usefulness has increased by installing an app to communicate with my car (easier than fishing out my phone).

I have multiple legacy mechanical watches in my drawer gathering dust. I have no intention of going back to them.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

SheriffNZ

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#3070897 3-May-2023 16:31

This is a real and constant dilemma for me at the moment. I have run regularly all my life and now I cycle. I'm into my health and fitness and enjoy watching the progress via my Garmin Fenix 7. In the last 6/7 years or so, I've had a (Garmin) Forerunner 25, 235, 935, 945 LTE and now the Fenix 7. I've also had a vivosmart 3, and have an Edge 520 for my bike.

At the same time, since I was a kid, I've had a thing for mechanical watches. I bought myself an Omega Seamaster in 2007 and wore that constantly until I got my first Garmin. Since then, I've bounced between the Garmins and the Omega. Last year I expanded the mechanical collection with a Tudor.

I like looking down at my wrist and thinking the mechanical watch I have on my wrist, I could wear for years, take on adventures all around the world and it would just keep ticking. Despite getting 19 days of battery life out of my fenix (without activities), I think about running out of battery in Africa and it worries me (realistically, if I'm 19 days away from a power point in Africa, I've probably got more concerning things going on that worrying about my resting HR (or the time). There is also the fact that I've never been to Africa, and aren't likely to go in the next few years I also like the thought of passing my mechanicals down to my son or daughter and they can remember me by them.

At the same time, I like looking down at my wrist and seeing whether my training is "productive" (currently it's "unproductive") when wearing my Garmin. I also wonder whether it's more motivating for me to get out if I can easily see what's going on with my body. I also think, if I'm getting out and being active, it's teaching my kids some good habits. The notification piece doesn't really bother me (although I have them on, but I could go without them). A silent vibrating alarm is useful though. The 19 days of battery life is good, despite what I said above.

I've done the double wrist thing on occasion, but having a 42mm mechanical on one wrist, and a 47mm Garmin on the other is probably pushing things, although to be fair, I've never worried too much about what other people think.

This is my confession. I need help...

neb

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#3070900 3-May-2023 16:36

alasta:
As for the 'constant intrusion', I just turn off all the notifications with the sole exception of time sensitive diary entries.

I'm not sure how feasible that is in practice. It'd be like having a line of cocaine and straw next to you and being told "just ignore it", I think you'd actually need to go cold turkey with the instant gratification separated from you.

johno1234

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#3070901 3-May-2023 16:36

Haven't bought a smart watch yet as so far none of them will stream audio to hearing aids (which all iPhones and late model Android phones can do).

Once that problem is solved, I will get one, primarily so I don't have to carry a phone around. I do have to carry a phone as a) be available if family or friends need me, or clients during business hours if I am away from office, b) it is a payment instrument (on Kiwibank so no Apple Pay but it has a credit card pocket) and c) need the authenticator apps for many client systems and web accounts etc.

I would manage intrusiveness the same way I do with the phone - keep it on silent and turn of most notifications.

neb

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#3070904 3-May-2023 16:38

Batman:
MikeB4: Now to my point, anyone else here abandoned smartwatches and gone back to traditional watches?

yup after 1 week

Does having a gadget-obsessed friend show off his smart watch and responding "yeah, nah" count as abandoning? I did look at it for a few seconds in between those two events.

scuwp

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#3070907 3-May-2023 16:46

I was lucky enough to be gifted a Galaxy smart watch. It's not something I ever seriously considered before. The novelty value has worn off and I now see little value other than notification convenience.

I started off tracking everything! All my workouts, walks etc. I obsessed over things like heart rate and pace, and the watch was loaded with as many apps and information as I could get on it. Slowly, I have whittled things down to the bare minimum.

I have concluded two things. First, the watch was tethering me even more to my phone, I wanted to be less connected not more. Secondly, I had all this information but it actually made no physical difference to me. My workouts and hikes remained pretty much the same even with the pretty graphs and obsessive tracking. I am also sick of charging it.

I now cant wait for it to die so I can justify spending money on a robust traditional watch.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

neb

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#3070909 3-May-2023 16:48

MikeB4:
Other benefits of a traditional watch is they are not an ecosystem lock. One can check the time very discretely, don't have to worry about the lighting up theatre, no theatre mode needed. No flight mode needed. One less charging device needed and no cursing that you left it behind on a trip.

I have a Lorus (= Citizen but without the Citizen pricing) watch with day and date display that I'd had for about 20 years and whose styling I really like, a few years ago it died while I was overseas working so I walked into a watch shop at the nearest mall and got a new one to replace it, only noticeable difference was that now the alternate dates are in French instead of German (or maybe the other way round).

That would be utterly impossible with any smart watch, firstly because none will ever last close to 20 years and secondly because if you do replace it it'll have a totally different design, and software, and setup process, and apps, and configuration, and ...

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alasta

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#3070921 3-May-2023 17:20

neb:
alasta:

As for the 'constant intrusion', I just turn off all the notifications with the sole exception of time sensitive diary entries.

I'm not sure how feasible that is in practice. It'd be like having a line of cocaine and straw next to you and being told "just ignore it", I think you'd actually need to go cold turkey with the instant gratification separated from you.

I don't get the whole obsession with notifications. The only thing that needs my immediate attention is phone calls and calendar appointments. Anything else can wait until I've finished what I'm currently doing.

neb

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#3070932 3-May-2023 17:35

alasta:
I don't get the whole obsession with notifications.

It's the same dopamine hit that makes gambling so addictive. What notifications, and the manual equivalent of pulling out a phone and refreshing, give you is partial reinforcement (B.F. Skinner vs. Pavlov's continuous reinforcement) where the uncertainty of the reward triggers a dopamine hit when you do get it. So everyone is carrying a slot machine in their pocket that's available any time they want to get a gambler's high.

With notifications it's even more immediate. Thus my "going cold turkey" comment, if you manage it you're actually kicking an addiction not just giving up a gadget.

chatterbox

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#3070942 3-May-2023 18:02

Absolutely HATE smart watches!

I was browsing the apple store when the boyfriend called and asked what I was doing. I hadn't made up my mind I wanted or needed a smartwatch. And one showed up for Christmas which was awkward, you have to put on a fake thank you smile, it's awesome.... hated the fact he wasted money on it. The thought was nice but... I hated it.

I hate charging devices. The less the better. The main function of a watch is to tell time. The date is nice and a seconds hand is nice. I have my phone for everything else. Unhappy the apple watch had a different charging cable to the rest of the devices and it wasn't easy to walk into a shop to buy it if you forgot it while travelling.

Hate intrusive notifications, texts, calls. I just wanted the time. Took me forever to even bother wearing it then figured I should make an effort for the boyfriend. Wore it. Hated it. Went back into the drawer. Then I sold it.

The exercise info is nice but... don't care. I just don't care. I don't have to upload to Strava. The phone has a bigger screen to read messages on and icons to push etc

I did buy a watch for swimming, an exercise friendly watch, a going out watch, an every day watch, a fun watch and even then... it's still a cheaper investment than a smartwatch and it makes me happy I don't have to charge these things. I do not need a watch that cuts out and doesn't function because I haven't charged it! The other bollocks smart watches come with things like taking your heart rate which I can do with my finger which is attached to me and free!

I consider myself to be a practical person and I just didn't find smartwatches practical for me, my work, my lifestyle. So buh bye... :)

tchart

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#3072072 4-May-2023 07:36

Handsomedan:

I blame Pebble - that was where it all started for me.

Ah Pebble, fond memories. I loved my Pebble and that was the perfect smart watch.

JPNZ

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#3072085 4-May-2023 08:23

Handsomedan:

I still have a lot of notifications muted, but my phone is always on mute and my watch discretely taps me on the wrist to let me know about whatever it is that I need to know.

Charging it every 36-48 hours doesn't bother me overly.

I also use it when Mountain Biking and track my rides.

When 2Degrees eventually make wearable eSims live, I'll barely use my phone when I am on the go

Ive been dealing with the same thoughts as the OP for quite a while. I'm seriously contemplating the benefit vs cost ratio as I'm due either a new battery or replacement for my S4 Apple watch.

I use Strava and apple health a lot, sleep analysis is good as is walking or running without my phone and having music on BT via airpods.

I just hate the constant charging, thankfully I work in an office all day where charging is easy but a longer battery would be GREAT

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jonathan18

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#3072106 4-May-2023 09:46

freitasm:

jonathan18:

That Withings ScanWatch Horizons may well be the watch to pull me away from a traditional smartwatch, though that’ll be partly determined by how it manages notifications (eg, does a text alert give you who it’s from and/or any of the message, or just that you’ve received it?) - will watch some YT reviews to see it in action, though interested to hear how users of the watch find its ‘smarts’ features (as opposed to its health tracking).

It shows the message and sender (number or name). The message scrolls twice across the little screen, and you can manually scroll it left/right by rotating the crown. From the Withings app you can select which app notifications will be sent and which ignored.

Be careful when buying from importers or Amazon US. The US version requires you to submit an ECG reading to a US physician (online via the app) who will then give the ok to enable the feature.

The European and Australia/New Zealand versions come with this feature enabled out of the box.

Thanks for the info. I've watched and read a few reviews and it's certainly the 'hybrid' watch I'm most interested in - though how did you find the standard ScanWatch in comparison, and are there many differences (other than aesthetics) between them? Is the standard version as robust as the Horizon? (I'm looking for a daily wear, so needs to put up with all scenarios of usage.)

Edit: Also, how do you find the battery life (of both watches)? While they may claim 30 days, many report this is pretty optimistic.

Are there any other decent dress- or diver-style hybrid watches (in the same style as these Withings models) that are worth looking at?

I also need to determine for sure I'm happy to go without the additional smarts of my current smartwatch such as music control and the ability to reply to a text - my feeling is they're nice-to-haves but not really essential. Just have to weigh them up vs the desire for a 'proper' watch...

shk292

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#3072107 4-May-2023 09:46

tchart:

Ah Pebble, fond memories. I loved my Pebble and that was the perfect smart watch.

I'm still wearing the Pebble Time Steel that I bought in 2017 after reading that Pebble had been bought out and production was ceasing. Every so often I look for a good alternative but they all seem flawed in some way, or are really expensive.

Things I like about the Pebble (some apply generically to smart watches):

It lets me leave my phone on silent/buzz (quite important in an open plan office) and I still get to answer phone calls or be reminded about calendar items if I'm the other side of the office
I can be in a noisy environment and not miss calls/messages
It only needs to be charged once per week, so even if I'm going away for a week I can charge before and not worry about taking the cable
It's reasonably water resistant - I don't wear while swimming or showering but do while sailing etc
It tracks my paces and makes me feel guilty if I'm sedentary all day
I can control music playing from my phone without touching the phone (eg if I'm preparing or eating a meal)
It has a countdown timer and stopwatch that I use every couple of days

I don't think I could go back to a non-smart watch. I would like one that is slightly more modern and which could have larger text (being >50). But the Pebble soldiers on and I'd feel guilty about throwing it away

Gordy7

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#3072112 4-May-2023 10:17

freitasm:

This. I still have my original Withings Activite (the first of their models, which was still made in Switzerland back then). I did get a Withings Scanwatch a few years back and currently wearing the Scanwatch Horizon, which is "diver" design.

The fact that you don't have to have the notifications running all the time, can get up to a month of battery life, it looks like a real watch and has some good functions like heart rate, spO2, ECG makes it a great device.

Very nice watch. 😃

Can the Horizon watch display day/date as a fixed screen setting?

Is the magnetic charger easy to connect when the watch is fitted with the steel band?

Edit: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/withings-scanwatch-horizon

Gordy

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