08-28-2015, 10:51 AM
So after a few days with the smartwatch I have to admit it's pretty cool. Would I have paid $350? Naw, but discounted and with store credit to burn it was definitely worth it.
In a well lit room it looks just like a normal watch. The screen is always on, but it has an "ambient" mode that reduces color and brightness and removes the second hand to save battery. If you touch the screen, home button, or hold your wrist up, it goes into "interactive" mode with a more detailed display of the watch face. In sunlight it's a little dim unless you crank up the brightness all the way, and in a very dark room it has a little bit of an unnatural glow (but has a "theater mode" to turn the screen off and disable notifications until you press the home button again)
Most of the features are designed to be used sort of passively. For instance, Google Now will show me how long it'll take to get back home, but if I dismiss the "card" there is no way to get it back in the app list, I just have to wait for google to think I might want to drive home again. Similarly, it'll show you a cute little animation of your steps, but if you dismiss that and open the actual fit app, it shows you a less sexy chart as a full screen app, not the little notification card. Same deal with weather.
I like that I can reply to texts and FB messages directly on the watch by using the voice message feature. Great for when you're puttering around the house and don't want the whole phablet in your pocket. It supposedly lets me pick up phone calls but on the actual phone, no James Bond talking into your wrist stuff, not really sure how that works if the phone isnt in the immediate vicinity, I suppose you just go sprinting for the phone hoping they dont get confused and hang up before you get there...
Another nifty feature is it turns into a music remote control. Even when playing spotify on my PC, the client on the PC tells my phone what's playing, which in turn comes up on the watch, and I can skip songs right from my wrist, pretty nifty.
Ultimately it's just a big and somewhat clunky watch that makes it a bit easier to check weather at a glance and a bit harder to miss a text message. I think my favorite feature is that I can change the watch face every day to suit my mood. Today I'm rocking a 70's look.
"Interactive Mode"
![[Image: XSeeAme3iCjQXb3IiMEVPo3UhDTTLDVWOvr5vwW9...GA=h900-rw]](https://lh4.ggpht.com/XSeeAme3iCjQXb3IiMEVPo3UhDTTLDVWOvr5vwW9tYzXk973X0G-tCESk9I9zjPLfGA=h900-rw)
![[Image: ABEgf9fsYKwBHTwW9OqdS3_rc7KRyMOmXVx0WPl6...6M=h900-rw]](https://lh3.ggpht.com/ABEgf9fsYKwBHTwW9OqdS3_rc7KRyMOmXVx0WPl6obImLU7669THszQprE45U3QfU6M=h900-rw)
One last thing, I prefer the physical design of the motorola in those pictures, but I really like that this LG screen is actually completely round and doesn't have that "flat tire" look that ruins the illusion of a lot of faces.
In a well lit room it looks just like a normal watch. The screen is always on, but it has an "ambient" mode that reduces color and brightness and removes the second hand to save battery. If you touch the screen, home button, or hold your wrist up, it goes into "interactive" mode with a more detailed display of the watch face. In sunlight it's a little dim unless you crank up the brightness all the way, and in a very dark room it has a little bit of an unnatural glow (but has a "theater mode" to turn the screen off and disable notifications until you press the home button again)
Most of the features are designed to be used sort of passively. For instance, Google Now will show me how long it'll take to get back home, but if I dismiss the "card" there is no way to get it back in the app list, I just have to wait for google to think I might want to drive home again. Similarly, it'll show you a cute little animation of your steps, but if you dismiss that and open the actual fit app, it shows you a less sexy chart as a full screen app, not the little notification card. Same deal with weather.
I like that I can reply to texts and FB messages directly on the watch by using the voice message feature. Great for when you're puttering around the house and don't want the whole phablet in your pocket. It supposedly lets me pick up phone calls but on the actual phone, no James Bond talking into your wrist stuff, not really sure how that works if the phone isnt in the immediate vicinity, I suppose you just go sprinting for the phone hoping they dont get confused and hang up before you get there...
Another nifty feature is it turns into a music remote control. Even when playing spotify on my PC, the client on the PC tells my phone what's playing, which in turn comes up on the watch, and I can skip songs right from my wrist, pretty nifty.
Ultimately it's just a big and somewhat clunky watch that makes it a bit easier to check weather at a glance and a bit harder to miss a text message. I think my favorite feature is that I can change the watch face every day to suit my mood. Today I'm rocking a 70's look.
"Interactive Mode"
One last thing, I prefer the physical design of the motorola in those pictures, but I really like that this LG screen is actually completely round and doesn't have that "flat tire" look that ruins the illusion of a lot of faces.
Now: 07 Porsche Cayman S | 18 VW Tiguan
Then: 18 VW GTI Autobahn | 95 BMW M3 | 15 VW GTI SE | 12 Kia Optima SX | 2009 VW GTI | 00 BMW 540i Sport | 90 Mazda Miata | 94 Yamaha FZR600R | 1993 Suzuki GS500E | 2003 BMW 325i | 95 Saab 900S