New to Androd Wear - Looking for help to climb the learning curve.

twis

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Oct 9, 2016
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Hi everybody.

Just picked up a Zen Watch 2 and have some questions. I am using it with a Blackberry Priv. Got the device all synced up with no problem and very happy with it so far. Just want to learn how to make it more productive. 90% of what I have seen so far seems to focus on the watch face.

1) I like the way new notifications (BBM, Text, E-Mail) show up on the ZW2. but can I / how do I review older messages? On the Blackberry I love the Hub which allows me to see all of my messages in one place. Is there an app like this for AW / ZW2 that lets me scroll through all of my different messages?

2) With respect to the watch face, I am using what came with the ZW2. One of the pieces of information I want on the watch face is the weather at home. Right now the only way weather (temp) is shown is if I have location services enabled on my phone. I just want to set a location and have that temp show up on the watch face. Location services is a largely unnecessary service on my phone day to day.

3) Do apps remain active on the ZW2? Similar to android phones, is there a way to see and close active aps to improve performance / battery life, or is closed on the watch mean it is actually closed?

4) When I open the ZenWatch Manager it shows I have 5 Apps and lists only the Asus apps. but when I swipe left on my watch I have dozens of apps, many of which, like Google Hangouts, I will never use. How do I remove these from my choice of apps?

4B) Is there a good "launcher" that I can put on the phone that allows me to have quick access to the 5-10 apps I use the most. Not sure yet what they will be.

5) What are the must have productivity apps to get the most out of my new toy/tool?

Thanks

Twis
 

BobLad

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May 17, 2015
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Wear Mini Launcher lets you set a hot zone on the watch face. When you swipe from this area, you get a bar with whatever apps you want. For several kinds of exercise, I know you have something similar, but Google Fit works great with the watch. For shopping, I find Cinnamon very convenient. You set up your "buy" items on the phone. When you're in the store, they appear on your watch so you don't have to walk around with the phone in one hand. You can arrange the items to list in the order they appear in your favorite supermarket, store, etc. Wear Volume lets you adjust the volume, etc., of the music playing on your phone without taking the phone out. Water Drink Reminder nags you with a sound on your phone and a notification on your watch to drink some liquid. Feel the Wear lets you adjust the vibrations on your watch so you know why it's vibrating based on the pattern. I don't know whether your watch has NFC, but for a watch that does, Android Pay is a killer app. Just touch the watch to the terminal when checking out of a store. Holo Compass works well, if you have need for it (lost in the woods?). I don't use it much, but keep it handy, just in case. Also try Wear Calculator and Wear Charging Widget.

Happy Wearing!