NA - Replacing Your Cellphone With a Smartwatch?

Matthew said:
I have not looked at the data sheet yet.

Water resistance?

Does it appear to be a "one drop" device?
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There are YouTube videos of people dropping the Gear S2 in a glass of water, without harm. The forums are full of people swimming and bathing with them.

Personally, I wouldn't do that, but it's nice to know that I can go to the beach and not worry about getting it wet.

As for shock resistance, it feels solid, but I'm not gonna test it for you. ;) So far, I've worn it while building a fence, snaking a drain, and installing a Wemo switch, in addition to just regular "life", and have banged it around pretty good. I did manage to scratch the bezel (not the screen, thankfully) when I dragged it against a brick wall, but you cant see it without a very close look and it works just fine.

So far, this thing is EXACTLY what I wanted.
 
Jay Honeck said:
There are YouTube videos of people dropping the Gear S2 in a glass of water, without harm. The forums are full of people swimming and bathing with them.

Personally, I wouldn't do that, but it's nice to know that I can go to the beach and not worry about getting it wet.

As for shock resistance, it feels solid, but I'm not gonna test it for you. ;) So far, I've worn it while building a fence, snaking a drain, and installing a Wemo switch, in addition to just regular "life", and have banged it around pretty good. I did manage to scratch the bezel (not the screen, thankfully) when I dragged it against a brick wall, but you cant see it without a very close look and it works just fine.

So far, this thing is EXACTLY what I wanted.
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Cool.

Now install McAfee and report back! ( :no: )
 
Just used the S2 to order an Uber ride from San Marcos to Austin.

I gotta say, it's pretty awesome to summon a driver by pushing a button on your watch!
:)

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Im actually impressed with your review. Unfortunately I feel the need to wear fancy watches because I like the statement a watch makes about a person. If I bought one of these (it's very tempting) I would look like a goofball with a auto on one wrist and a smartwatch/phone on the other.

I always wear a watch I just couldn't commit to wearing my only phone everyday and letting my other watches sit in the boxes. So I would need a second phone in my pocket and that negates the need for one on my wrist.
 
NJP_MAN said:
Im actually impressed with your review. Unfortunately I feel the need to wear fancy watches because I like the statement a watch makes about a person. If I bought one of these (it's very tempting) I would look like a goofball with a auto on one wrist and a smartwatch/phone on the other.

I always wear a watch I just couldn't commit to wearing my only phone everyday and letting my other watches sit in the boxes. So I would need a second phone in my pocket and that negates the need for one on my wrist.
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lol What's hilarious is that there are Rolex and Breitling watchfaces for the Gear S2 that look EXACTLY like the real deal. Not sure how they are getting away with that?

There are hundreds of watchfaces, and it's easy to design your own. I have made one of my plane in flight over the island. :)
 
They might NOT be getting away with the Breitling and Rolex faces. It's possible there are some legal notices being mailed out.

What about at night?

One of the things I like about my Casio G-Shock watch is the auto backlight. At night, if I tip the my wrist into a viewing position, the backlight automatically turns on for about 3 seconds.
 
Matthew said:
They might NOT be getting away with the Breitling and Rolex faces. It's possible there are some legal notices being mailed out.

What about at night?

One of the things I like about my Casio G-Shock watch is the auto backlight. At night, if I tip the my wrist into a viewing position, the backlight automatically turns on for about 3 seconds.
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The S2 can be set to either "always on" or "sensor" mode.

I leave it in sensor mode. When you turn your wrist to look at it, the S2 turns itself on. Since its the same Amoled screen that is in Samsung's smartphones, it's brilliant and clear.
 
Cool!


--

Oh, and did you used to have a calculator hanging from your belt back in jr high?
 
Jay Honeck said:
lol What's hilarious is that there are Rolex and Breitling watchfaces for the Gear S2 that look EXACTLY like the real deal.
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That's the problem, my Breitling was darn near 6k. I dont want to be leaving it at home in favor of my second cell phone/watch. I want to wear that thing.
 
Jay Honeck said:
I've had a cellphone since 1990. My first one was bolted to the floor of my van.

I LOVE my Galaxy S5. It is the ultimate device, IMHO, and does everything I've asked of it, flawlessly.

However, at this time of year especially, when I occasionally have to wear shoes and (*gasp*) long pants, I am reminded of what a PIA a smartphone can be. My cargo shorts all have a special "phone pocket" (Wrangler brand, and awesome), so with those I'm fine -- but with blue jeans I never know where to put the damned thing.

So, I stick it in my front pocket, and then can't retrieve it when I sit down. I don't dare put it in my back pocket, lest I crush a $500 device. If you look around you will often see phones on the tables in restaurants, bars, etc. Why? Cuz NO ONE knows what to do with the damned things.

A cellular smartwatch like the S2 resolves all that.
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Belt holsters are the way to go. Found a good one for my new S6 Edge on amazon, cost a whopping $10.99. Giant metal claw to grip pants with or without a belt, magnetic closure and it rotates to any position. The brand name is Cellet.

Clip it on and go. Don't have an available pocket to drop a phone in, and I'm NOT gonna carry it around in my hand, setting it down and picking it up everywhere I go.
 
S2 Update:

- Battery levels have stabilized at 1+ days between charges. Perfect.

- Phone usage continues to be excellent. I'm in the middle of a major remodel right now, and every time I'm hanging upside down and the phone rings, I am tickled to be able to answer it on my wrist.

- The S2 is slowly breaking me of all the ingrained cell phone habits. When I want to know the weather, for example, I'm finally starting to flick my wrist, instead of automatically reaching for the phone.

- Texts, and responding to texts, is easier now that I discovered the "canned answer" feature. This is a list of the most common responses, accessible by rotating the bezel. For 90% of texts, this is easier and quicker than voice response or (heaven forbid) typing on the Itty bitty screen.

The Gear S2 continues to delight.
 
Excellent review/hagiography. I'm waiting for a pocket watch version I can wear in my vest pocket with a chain. Seriously though it sounds very cool and we are so close to Dick Tracy.
 
Three month update:

I still love this Smartwatch. I love getting phone calls on my wrist when I'm under a sink, or an airplane. No more cellphone falling out of my pocket or getting crunched.

Downsides? Samsung has been slow to add new apps. All the basics are there, but I was really hoping to have Google Pay on the watch so that I could pay for stuff simply by waving my watch over the reader. Alas, no app for that yet.

Otherwise, I'm still a happy camper, and the number of available let watchfaces is simply stunning. I mean, we are talking THOUSANDS. Today, I'm wearing Rolex.
 
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I usually take my watch off when I'm working under a sink. Or a car. Or on electronics. Or...
 
denverpilot said:
I usually take my watch off when I'm working under a sink. Or a car. Or on electronics. Or...
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If I'm reaching into an engine, I will, too. But most of the time I don't, and my hands are full of grease/paint/oil/whatever, and THAT is when the phone rings -- and it's usually work.

The watchphone is fabulous, for that.
 
It's too small for real email, Internet, planning type use.

I'm a watch guy but I also don't like battery powered watches, kinda a strik and a miss for my weird demographic.

They remind me of the old dick tracy communicator watches :)
 
saddletramp said:
I find my Apple watch very useful. The biggest advantage for me is being able to look at texts & emails while driving to determine if I need to pull over to respond.

I also have Foreflight on my Apple watch. Small screen granted but in a pinch it's better than nothing.

I have a bunch of Seiko, Citizen, & Luminox chronographs I'll probably never wear again.

I'm an older dog but believe smart watches are here to stay.
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I love my Apple Watch as well, as it is not a replacement for the iPhone, but an added convenience to it. Here is my experience(s):
  • Using it as a phone: Don't bother. If they really wanted to replace a phone, they'd put the microphone near your pinkie, and the speaker near your thumb, so you can just do the natural "hand as a phone" thing. Plus, I don't like everyone hearing and contributing to my conversations. I wear a bluetooth headset for a reason, and that's so I can hear the conversation, and no one else is subjected to that. Plus, I hate the speakerphone "ambush" where people answer on their speakerphone, and the person on the other end says something that others shouldn't hear, and then it's out there...
  • The phone thing... I like, when I get a call, just to look at my wrist to see who is calling, rather than pulling out the phone. Time saved: 2-3 seconds
  • Checking my blood sugar: Again just looking at my watch to see it (I have a Dexcom CGM that has a Watch app). Time saved: 6-8 seconds
  • Exercise and nagging me to stand every hour: OK, that's a choice I made, but in the last 3 months, I've lost 20 lbs, with 40 more to go. Time saved: 5-10 years (OK, that's just an opinion)
  • Never losing the remote to my Apple TV, since it's on my wrist. Time saved: 3 seconds to 20 minutes (How does the couch eat all those things?)
  • Having UTC on my clock face: Time saved 2-4 seconds to add 7 hours, plus having it correct at DST changes, wherever I go
  • Having the 6 digit code for my bank password easily available: 6-10 seconds
  • Using it to start/pause I (heart) radio: 6-10 seconds
  • Battery life improved on the phone because I'm not pulling it out to look for stuff: -10 to -20 minutes, as I use that extra time to play Plants v. Zombies or Frozen Free Fall
  • Having the weather on the watch face: 8-10 seconds
  • Using it for Apple Pay: 7-10 seconds, and the enhanced security
  • Having the time on my wrist - OK, my wife thought I'd use it for 2-4 months, and then give it up, and I'm not sure if I'm trying to prove her wrong (hey, I have to have 1 or 2 of those per year, for my sanity), but I've been using it since 6/1/15, and haven't gone a day without wearing it.
  • Using it for remote camera on our family's last vacation: 30-40 seconds/picture
To sum it up, I like it because it just makes things convenient, and though the "savings" are in seconds, over the day, it adds up. It does require that you change your habits slightly, and it took about a week or two to really "get" it. For those that don't think that a watch is a convenience, I'd give one a try. I have my Citizen ECO-Drive watch on my desk as a nice throwback, and it looks nice too.
 
Jay, thanks for your PIREP.
I'm finding conflicting info on Samsung.com re texting to/from the S2 - can texts to your forwarded cellphone be received, can texts go directly to your stand alone number, and can you reply to each w canned messages?
Thanks
 
wrbix said:
Jay, thanks for your PIREP.
I'm finding conflicting info on Samsung.com re texting to/from the S2 - can texts to your forwarded cellphone be received, can texts go directly to your stand alone number, and can you reply to each w canned messages?
Thanks
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Yes to all.

And you can send voice-dictated texts, although Samsung's S Voice is sketchy sometimes.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Yes to all.

And you can send voice-dictated texts, although Samsung's S Voice is sketchy sometimes.
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Thanks!
I'm sold - especially in view of the highly anticipated soon-to-be-made-official development of the S2 talking to iPhones sometime this Spring.
 
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