looking for a watch

[dontlookatme]

there is the

motoactv
Sony Ericsson LiveView
Wimm One Wearable Android Device
Sony Ericsson mbw watches
Micro Cruz Android Watch
inPulse Smartwatch

is there any other? i want a watch. my sony ericsson mbw 150 screen has been getting darker and barely useable in a dark environment. plus i keep losing the charger. i want a watch that is easy to use and has a nice battery that can last a while.

i remember seeing a few more other watches, but cant seem to remember or find them at the moment.

water proof or ressistant at least, from sweat and the occasional rain and some splashing from washing hands.

the motoactv is the top of my list, but if there is something almost as similar but cheaper.



i found a website that has the sony ericsson liveview for 30 bucks. holy toledo.

Sony Ericsson LiveView (EU) #SELIVE_EU - Expansys USA

is this a trust worthy site? at least they have paypal. but for 30 bucks u cant go wrong with that.

 

[dontlookatme]

Nvm. Its no longer available. But for 30 bucks. Cheap. Wonder if it was a working or broken model. Or a mistake.

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[dontlookatme]

Imwatch and Sony Ericsson smart watch. Both interesting competitors.

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[HeadAcheJoe]

Grabbed the LiveView for the $30. They have a "sports pack" for $67the that includes the Live View
Sony Ericsson Fitness Experience Pack XP111 #XP111 - Expansys USA

I'd definitely prefer the MOTOACTV, but don't have the cash. Plus, you have to buy the wriststrap separately?! From my understanding, the upcoming Smart Watch is just LiveView 2, and will go for $150.

 

[dontlookatme]

Yeah the motoactv would be great if it went down to 150. Then I have a better chance at getting it. And does any one else have the liveview? Is it really that bad?

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[HeadAcheJoe]

I was looking at XDA yesterday, and there seems to be an effort to "improve" the LiveView, though it appears the three main devs working on it have all been stalled a bit with daily lives. Hopefully, it will continue. If you're the hacker type (which I used to be...), you can also check out openliveview [dot] com-- the compilation of the XDA efforts from the forums into one place.

I should be getting mine over the next couple of days and will report back. I've got a Droid X2, so my experience will vary slightly from what you would expect with the Razr, I imagine.

I am a swim coach now, so I expect a few splashes, as well-- hopefully nothing too destructive. The biggest "gotcha" I've read about the LiveView with Moto phones is the text messaging seems to have problems due to the MotoBlur, which doesn't really bother me, as I'm mainly looking for a watch and music control with a fitness app (SportyPal Pro is the LV-affiliated app, apparently, though I currently use CardioTrainer).

 

[HeadAcheJoe]

Re: looking for a watch - LiveView review

Okay, 1 week+ review. The LiveView came in last Saturday just in time for my birthday.

After a little over a week, I'd say skip it, unless you can find it for <$30 again, or if you have a ton of disposable income and don't mind paying $100+ for a better product down the road. If I had paid $150 when it came out new, I would swear off Sony as a brand entirely. I'm eager to see if some decent hacks come available for it, and I'm still determined to wear it on a semi-regular basis. But, admittedly, when I'm racing out the door to go coach practice at 5:30am, I grab my old standby HR watch, rather than making the decision to mess with the LiveView that early.

...

Out of the box, I was impressed with the aesthetic appeal. It's a great size, including the screen-- not as much screen real estate or thinness as an iPod Nano used as a watch, but just what I was looking for. It actually has a smaller footprint than the heart rate monitor watch I typically wear, and feels lighter.

The display itself is not going to give you that sexy, hi-def vibe, but it's clear enough and fits a surprising amount of text on the tiny screen that is legible... just not in direct sunlight.

APPS/PLUG-INS
It has a pretty limited app/plug-in library available. Kudos to those folks that have spent time developing for it, and I'm happy to donate to them.

GMAIL - non-existent. There is an old plug-in in the Android Market, but all the recent reviews say it doesn't work anymore.
TEXT MESSAGING - doesn't work with Droid X2, and I hear the story is the same with all Motorola phones
FACEBOOK - works when the LiveView stays "; I recommend not enabling the News Feed. I did this with the thought that this would periodically push data to the LiveView, and therefore, hopefully, keep a better connection; that didn't pan out
FIND MY PHONE - cute, if pairing stays on
TIME - IT WORKS!!! I'll give it that even if sync fails after the initial pairing, the LiveView still manages to pull the time off your phone and show it on the display
Default CALENDAR - this has never worked for me. Supposedly, it alarms when something is coming up on your calendar-- not that I've noticed.

(Plug-ins I downloaded)
Time Runner - nifty workout app, if pairing stays intact
Music (control the music app) - this is actually my favorite when it's working; definitely worth donating to the developer
Any new watch skin - there isn't a huge selection; some are pretty cool looking, but don't seem to hold sync. Ah Watch did the best, and would at least kick out to the default watch, if sync is lost. Live Watches is my favorite stylistically, but will stick on the same time, and not update if pairing is lost.
Calendar Plug-in - GREAT plug-in that shows upcoming appointments for a couple days out

WHEN IT WORKS
I love controlling my music with it, whether in my car or having my phone in my pocket. This was my number two criteria for the purchase behind telling time.

The watch skins really are neat and some stylish, but they just don't stay sync'ed.

The caller id is handy when phone is in pocket. This has worked occasionally.

WHY IT FAILS
The connection issues are ridiculous. The LiveWare Manager and LiveView application do NOT seem to do much as advertised to help maintain the connection. Plus, they keep bouncing you around to each other and the Bluetooth connection manager.

It's pretty much a dumb terminal. I was hoping more for a device that interacted more with my phone-- more like a remote for my phone. Unfortunately, it loses connection WAY too much to be more than time display. (hey, it's a watch, right?)

A lot of the issues could be due to my using a Motorola phone (DX2) versus a Sony phone, but I can't buy too much of that-- it is afterall, a bluetooth device.

 

[dontlookatme]

Damn. Did u buy it at the website that I posted? Cus so did I and haven't gotten it since I posted the link. I got an email saying they were sorry and will try to get me another as soon as they can. But after hearing this, I wonder if I can get a refund or credit.

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[dontlookatme]

Ok I got mine on the 9th of march and I haven't had much time with it. And yes it cuts off connection most of the time. I feel as if the Bluetooth isn't as strong as it needs to be. It works great when the phone is up close withing a foot or two. After that, not that great. I don't get any message or calls notifications. But twitter feeds work most of the time. Music player works great. Sporty pal works, but u still have to use the phone to start the exercise. The camera plugin works. Open watch doesn't work. Wish it did so maybe the connection could stay. My mbw 150 worked great but since my screen got dimmed beyond useable, I don't use it any more. But for 30 bucks. I can't really complain. I'm glad I didn't get it when it came out, and paid full price. But ill give it a week, if I'm not satisfied, then ill sell it on craigslist.

Btw battery is good so far. Its been on most of the time and half way done barely. Been on since 4-9-12 til 4-11-12 midnight.

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[HeadAcheJoe]

Range hasn't been much of an issue for me. I actually left my phone inside and was doing some yardwork and it remained "connected".

What I find is that if you pair it once and only want it to tell time, it works great and battery lasts several days.

It will pop up caller id occasionally, and I randomly had it alert an old text msg today (from Mar 3rd?!) when I paired this morning.

I tend to think it is more an issue with how Moto handles power saving features when the phone is idle. Maybe it just doesn't have a good BT profile for this type of device? The MOTOACTV just seems to have more smarts, so likely plays better with the phones.

I think the premise is there for an excellent device, but more SW work is required on both ends. I'm eager to see what the dev community comes up with, but I'm pretty resolved to save my pennies for a next Gen smartwatch.

 

[dontlookatme]

I'm looking at the smartwatch as my next watch. It does everything I would like for it to do.

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[KillerTurtle]

I've got the inpulse It's simple and works great if you have a compatible phone. Motorola phones and phones running Cynagenmod work. Battery life depends on the app, but usually around 12 hours is what I get.

 

[HeadAcheJoe]

KT, I looked at the inpulse watch, and found some terrible reviews online-- mostly issues with pairing and quality of construction. After the LiveView, I was very gun shy about it. Did you experience this?

I went ahead and saved up/bit the bullet, and found a MOTOACTV on ebay for $178 after shipping. After doing more research on it, it definitely is different than the other smart watches that act as remotes/dumb terminals for your phone.

It won't control the music player on my phone, but it has resident storage for that, and my usage in that case would be primarily for workout anyway, which it offloads from the phone.

It *should* play nicely with my Droid X2 and give me text msgs on the watch, as well as caller id-- both of which I'm happy about.

Will report back later.

 

[dontlookatme]

Live view sux. And I would like a little review from the motoactv. Thanks

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[HeadAcheJoe]

Ok, finally checking back in with a 5-day usage review of the MOTOACTV. Summary: I love it, but it's very different functionally from the LiveView, or even from what the LiveView promises to be. Other than a few hooks to the phone, it really is a standalone device.

First things first-- VERY FEW connection issues with my phone, relative to the LiveView. That being said, I seem to lose connection whenever I play Pirates of the Caribbean: Master of the Seas. I also had it drop today when I was mowing the lawn and listening to music on the MOTOACTV. The good news is that it's MUCH easier (and faster) to reestablish connection.

SIZE/FIT/FINISH - Love the aesthetics of the watch, including the wrist strap and the buttons. The screen is not astounding, but does kill the LiveView. The unit takes up a LOT more real estate on my wrist ("forearm" may be more appropriate??), but it's pretty low profile. Overall, I've gotten a LOT more compliments on the MOTOACTV.

The available software style options (theme colors and clock faces) are pretty limited, but I managed to find a combo that I was happy with.

SOFTWARE - The UI is MUCH better with the latest update than the original. I actually went a day and a half with the Dec '11 update because when I first got it, plugged it in, and updated it, it only updated to the next s/w version (?!). So, I had to update twice to get the latest. It has a decent amount of options, stopwatch functionality, flick-to-wake (though, this is sometimes harder to activate than desired), and custom workout activities, which is what I use.

The included MOTOCAST USB software that is provided to sync music files is weak. If you use WMP or iTunes, I guess it works okay. I don't use either, but did load up WMP just so I could make my own workout playlist to sync to the MOTOACTV.

BATTERY LIFE - I haven't had a day where it has gotten below 40% (I charge overnight), and that included a day that I worked out twice (once for an hour, and once for only about 30mins) with the screen on the whole time. I'm up at 5:30am, and it goes on the charger around 10:30pm.

INTERACTION WITH THE PHONE - This is where I'm a little disappointed, but probably due to my own expectations.
Text messaging works great. They pop up as notifications, and I can read them with a single button push w/o having to go to a plug-in.
Caller ID works great. I haven't tried taking a call with a mic'ed up headset yet (left the included headset in my wife's car, and have been using my other headphones).
Weather alerts work... well, they do.
Workout sync was screwy. I couldn't get it to work over 3G, and had to utilize my Mobile Hotspot to get it to work?!?

And, that's about all the interaction, which was why I was disappointed. I'm hopeful some devs get to work on things like music player remote for the phone or streaming from the phone, Gmail/Email notifications, and quick response options for the text messaging.

ONE MAJOR FLAW with respect to the phone interaction is the omission of a vibration motor and speaker on the MOTOACTV. In the rare situation when the LiveView was working, I recall being very aware that someone was calling even when I couldn't hear my phone because it would vibrate. The MOTOACTV only lights the screen and blinks the notification light. I was coaching the other day with my phone on vibrate, and my wife was diligently trying to get a hold of me (7 missed calls?!?). I didn't know because I was walking up and down the pool deck and couldn't feel my phone, nor see my watch.

WORKOUT FEATURES - I haven't used this enough to really comment, other than to say, you have some serious "set up" to do to really take advantage of this thing. The step counter and calorie (burned) counter are way in, in my estimation, otherwise I would have lost a few pounds this week. (I didn't.) There are some calibration and fit tests, but they require me getting on a treadmill AND out to a track, which I'm hoping to do today (Friday). Hopefully, these will fine tune the counters a little bit.

I was disappointed to find out my Heart rate monitor didn't work. I thought it was an ANT+ HRM, but MOTOACTV didn't think so. I would recommend one to really take advantage of the workout features.

CONCLUSION/WISHLIST/DEVELOPMENT - Aesthetically and connection-wise, it trumps the LiveView hands down. In practice, it also wins functionally, but only because it retains connection. If the LiveView held connection, it has more of the features I would typically look for in my daily usage, and mainly because I'm NOT taking full advantage of the MOTOACTV... yet.

20/20 hindsight, I would've saved the $30 and put it towards the MOTOACTV. It's sexy, well built, highly functional (especially, if you use it to workout), and it does play well with my phone. I certainly don't have buyer's remorse with the MOTOACTV.

I do wish MOTO would hurry up with GMAIL/EMAIL notifications on the MOTOACTV. It also would've been nice to include some type of vibration motor and speaker on the actual unit.

I am excited that there is some serious development going on with respect to hacking the MOTOACTV. There are a couple of YouTube videos out by guys that have put on Honeycomb or their own UI, and they look fantastic. I'll wait until I see more to make sure it retains the features I DO use, then I might pursue.

 

[p08757]

I just ordered mine on Tuesday and it should be here tomorrow.

HeadAcheJoe - Thanks for your review, and heads up on your heart monitor not working. I will buy the Moto Heart monitor now.

I'm getting this for tracking my workouts, heart rate monitoring, and the golf application. After I use this for a while, I will post my review.

Again thanks!

 

[dontlookatme]

Ok. Just bought a motoactv and i can only put music in it via computer only? Wish it was able to download via motocast, since it is connected to it. And i got my 8 gig motoactv for 149.99 plus tax.

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[dontlookatme]

So far i like the motoactv watch but i hate the fact that i cant sync music from my phone to the watch directly via Bluetooth. I have to use a computer. And using the lapdock doesnt work with it. I have to use my wife's laptop. Or the school's computer.

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[Bultaco]

When you say, "Almost as similar"........do you mean, "Similar"?

 

[Bultaco]

my sony ericsson mbw 150 screen has been getting darker and barely useable in a dark environment. plus i keep losing the charger.

Gee, do you suppose these two "coincidences" are.............reLATED!?!?