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Can't find a smartwatch with all the features I want. Help!

A

Ayr

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 8, 2014
266
0
I've been searching for a smartwatch even though I know Apple are probably about to drop one - I don't think the iWatch will be aimed at users like me :(.

I want

GPS
MP3 player
Bluetooth (definitely no headphone jack)
Ability to sync data to Strava (3rd party site connectivity)
Waterproof
Heart Rate Monitor (preferable but not essential like the rest)

The closest I found so far was the Adidas miCoach but it has no 3rd party connectivity - which is bizarre considering the sports environment right now (every man and his dog is on Runkeeper, Strava etc with their friends, no one will leave that).

Is there anything out there I can buy? Seems to be loads of smartwatches, but none of them have the basic things I want in one package. iPhone does it all perfectly fine, which is what I use now - but it's bulk that I want to lose on runs.

iWatch will be great in some way I'm certain but I think they will be doing some Nike software proprietary effort and try to compete with Strava and other sites. Probably no GPS either.
 
Ayr said:
I've been searching for a smartwatch even though I know Apple are probably about to drop one - I don't think the iWatch will be aimed at users like me :(.

I want

GPS
MP3 player
Bluetooth (definitely no headphone jack)
Ability to sync data to Strava (3rd party site connectivity)
Waterproof
Heart Rate Monitor (preferable but not essential like the rest)

The closest I found so far was the Adidas miCoach but it has no 3rd party connectivity - which is bizarre considering the sports environment right now (every man and his dog is on Runkeeper, Strava etc with their friends, no one will leave that).

Is there anything out there I can buy? Seems to be loads of smartwatches, but none of them have the basic things I want in one package. iPhone does it all perfectly fine, which is what I use now - but it's bulk that I want to lose on runs.

iWatch will be great in some way I'm certain but I think they will be doing some Nike software proprietary effort and try to compete with Strava and other sites. Probably no GPS either.
Click to expand...

The iWatch will likely have GPS, and will likely be able to sync with Bluetooth. The rumored Healthbook app will likely be able to do things apps like Strava do, as far as tracking runs, etc.
 
Are you looking for a self-contained SmartWatch?

I would imagine most of that stuff will/should be available once the Google Wearables SDK takes off and devices start shipping using that environment. The issue seems to be that you want the WATCH to be your music player when in reality it'll control the music player on your phone, or you want it to be able to acquire a GPS signal for mapping when in reality you'll be able to see the maps displayed on the watch using your phone as the source. I would expect Strava would link to the Wearables capabilities to display info on the watch, but that will have to wait until the devices release.

I agree with "Southern Dad", your perception of smartwatch capabilities may be too advanced for what's out there. Right now, the concept is that it's a secondary display (and possibly control device) for information/apps from/on your phone and requires connectivity to that device in order to perform most functions.

BTW, I imagine most smartwatches will connect to the phone with bluetooth so that will be there but won't be the device you think it is.
 
Tyler23 said:
The iWatch will likely have GPS, .
Click to expand...

Are you sure ?

Acquiring and processing GPS signals takes quite a bit of processing power.
I'm not sure the battery of an iWatch is going to be able to support that extra energy.

Besides, what would you use the GPS signal for ?
Relative movement (vertically and horizontally) might be covered by accelerometers.

I doubt the iwatch is going to have maps and turn-by-turn guidance.

-t
 
You can't have it all in one product. It doesn't exist yet.

But buy a Forerunner 310XT (or a similar/better watch depending on your budget) and a Shuffle.

310XT:
- GPS
- Heart rate monitor
- Waterproof
- Syncing to Strava

Shuffle:
- MP3

310XT+Shuffle = $250

It'll be much lighter and less bulky than carrying a phone.

----------
turtle777 said:
Are you sure ?

Acquiring and processing GPS signals takes quite a bit of processing power.
I'm not sure the battery of an iWatch is going to be able to support that extra energy.

Besides, what would you use the GPS signal for ?
Relative movement (vertically and horizontally) might be covered by accelerometers.

I doubt the iwatch is going to have maps and turn-by-turn guidance.

-t
Click to expand...

If it really is going to be as health-oriented as the rumors says, people would carry it when they run, bike, etc. and then it really need a GPS to track the routes.
 
jafingi said:
If it really is going to be as health-oriented as the rumors says, people would carry it when they run, bike, etc. and then it really need a GPS to track the routes.
Click to expand...

I think you (and others) confuse health-oriented with sports-oriented.

-t
 
I believe that we are going to be looking at watches that enhance our smartphones not work independent of them. I love the features of my Pebble but long for the iWatch. Yes, I am a fanboy.
 
I want an smart watch just technology become a part of me. This is why I want an iWatch super bad. It would just be awesome.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Have a tiny bit of hope for tomorrow. :)
 
Southern Dad said:
You and me both but I'll use the Pebble for now.
Click to expand...

As will I. In fact I'm not so sure I will be interested in switching to an iWatch, since Apple will likely opt for a "vivid", non-persistent display like we see in Gear. Nevermind how impractical this is for a watch.
 
Last edited:
APlotdevice said:
As will I. In fact I'm not so sure I will would be interested in switching to an iWatch, since Apple will likely opt for a "vivid", non-persistent display like we see in Gear. Nevermind how impractical this is for a watch.
Click to expand...

But if it is an iWatch we know that it will work with our Macs, iPads, iPhones and of course, iCloud.
 
Ayr said:
I want

GPS
MP3 player
Bluetooth (definitely no headphone jack)
Ability to sync data to Strava (3rd party site connectivity)
Waterproof
Heart Rate Monitor (preferable but not essential like the rest)
Click to expand...

I had a Motorola Motoactiv which didn't have nearly this functionality at first...

It was android though so:
I was able to Root it
Install a custom launcher
Install google maps(with GPS support)
Install pandora
Install Play Music
Browse the web
Wifi/bluetooth connectivity

i thought it was water resistant :( unfortunately for me it was too late before I discovered that i shouldn't have used it while washing my hands.
I then discovered that there are ways to waterproof your device by spraying on Hydrophobic materials that come in Arosoll cans!
I've seen an example done on an iPhone that was submerged in water for 30 minutes successfully!

no heart rate monitor though
 
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