The Obvious Definition and Perhaps Acceptable New Definition of 'Standalone'

[drjim]

I may be beating a dead horse here, but there seems to be enough confusion about the meaning of 'standalone' to warrant further discussion and clarification.

The obvious meaning of 'standalone' is that the watch doesn't need any connection to a phone to function. As StarCat puts it in another thread, 'i just want to be crystal clear........ for example lets say i.......destroy the phone with a hammer. light it on fire, then ground it up into a fine pulp and make sand paper out of it......' This watch seems to be standalone in some basic ways (e.g., calls, texting, clock), but not in more sophisticated ways that we expect from a smartphone. But I would suggest that this is not due to the fact that it lacks the capabilities to be a true standalone (it seems to have everything it needs, e.g., LTE, memory, processor) to be what one contributor called a '1" smarthphone.' The reason, I would argue, why it isn't yet that 1" smartphone that many of us want is that there aren't enough apps to fully leverage its full capabilities. That I would assume will come with time as the watch gains traction.

The key for me is what is the meaning of 'tethered' and 'paired?' And this is where the definition of 'standalone' may be tweaked enough to be of value for those of us who are looking for a 1" smartphone. My definition of standalone is not whether it is entirely disconnected from a phone, but rather the distance of the watch to the phone when it is connected. Standalone for me means not having to have my phone with me for the watch to be a 1" smartphone. If I have to carry the phone in my pocket or backpack, there's no point.

When I think of 'tethered' or 'paired,' I think that means the watch is connected to a phone with BT in very close proximity. But there is some indication that 'connected' to a phone does not mean having it nearby. Here is some support for my new definition of standalone from other threads:

1. "It DOES however connect to the server if your phone is on and the watch is untethered. I'm not sure how but it must somehow connect to your phone remotely."

2. "Because all the watch apps are nothing but a front end proxy to your phone app."

These comments suggest to me that the watch is constantly connected to a phone (assuming it is on) through cellular, thus leveraging all of phone's apps. If the watch is connected to a phone that is, say, 5 or 10 miles away from me, e.g., when I'm out for a run or running errands around town, all of those desirable apps will work, whether Exchange email, Google Voice text messages, or my Exchange calendar and contacts. In a sense, the watch is simply a conduit through which the smartphone operates on your wrist.

If my understanding and reasoning is sound (and I'm sure everyone will let me know if they are or are not in no uncertain terms!), then I'm willing to stretch the definition of 'standalone' to be softened a bit to "the watch will work even when a phone isn't close by, but it is still on."

So, those are my two cents on this oddly confusing issue. I can't believe that LG doesn't provide more clarity on this so prospective buyers can make a more informed decision.

I look forward to your feedback.

 

[json405]

I'll put in my two cents too. This is not meant to be condescending in any way. This is just my opinion.

Standalone definition for a smartwatch and smartphone/tablet are different things to me because the functionality and reason why these two devices were created are different.

If you think about it. When smartphones/tablets came along, people expected it to act like a laptop or 4 inch computer. I'm not sure why they even thought that a small phone with apps can replace a laptop at the time of inception but some people did and they were extremely disappointed. Eventually, smartphones evolved to something more and people can sort of use a smartphone like a mini computer but will never replace a real desktop or laptop. Smartphones/tablets are for portability so the user can take a piece of their laptops/desktops with them to create emails, creating documents etc. Smartphones definitely replaced dumbphones and landlines. That's what they were created to do and they met and exceeded all expectations. I can get into Palm Pilots and Windows CE devices too but I won't.. =)

Like the smartphone did with the computer, smartwatches were created to take a piece of their smartphone with them. So to me, the reason why the smartwatch was created was to take some of the mundane but necessary tasks of a smartphone such as tell time, get notifications, answer calls, answer texts etc and have them more accessible to the user when they do not have their smartphone. With the release of a LTE connected Android Wear device and the Gear S, I believe the "standalone" definition for smartwatches have been met. If you throw in extras like streaming music, browsing the internet and even watching videos then that's just gravy to me.

The LG urbane 2nd Edition can do all those things though it sucks at some of them but it still can do it. To me it's a step forward and the evolution of smartwatches is on it's way.

So I think people need to curb their expectations just a bit when manufacturers tote the "standalone" tag on some wearables. I wouldn't be surprised if we do end up having a 1" smartphone on our wrist but it's not going to be anytime soon.

 

[drjim]

Not condescending at all. Your thoughts are very reasonable. And expectations may, indeed, be too high. I'm just trying to connect reality with expectations.

I would like someone who knows more than I (which, I'm sure is many) to tell me if my understanding is accurate re: watch and phone connected through cellular and, thus, the smartwatch can be used with most of the phone's functionality without having to keep it nearby. As a result, the watch is just another interface, with most of the same functions, as our phones.

 

[foxbat121]

That depends on the apps you use. Many 3rd party apps only works when connected via BT because before this watch, there is no AW watch that can connect via Cellular. And only a year or so ago, Google started add wifi support to AW. But as time goes on, the app devs may catch up and improve the functionality. For example, when I got my Nov edition of the watch, Google Maps app on the watch can only do navigation when it is connected via BT. Now, the app has been updated so that you can do navigation over cellular and maybe even totally disconnected from the phone.

However, one thing that seems remain the case is that the watch needs an corresponding AW app for each phone app in order to be able to interact. Not all Android apps have AW counter parts. So you can't do much on the watch for those apps.

 

[foxbat121]

But every person have different expectations. There is no way to force a consensus of this out of everyone. My take, all the smart watches are practically an extension of your phone. It works along side your phone, not replacing your phone. Some watches, with cellular radio, allow you the option to have your watch operate far away from your phone but still not replacing your phone.

 

[drjim]

That depends on the apps you use. Many 3rd party apps only works when connected via BT because before this watch, there is no AW watch that can connect via Cellular. And only a year or so ago, Google started add wifi support to AW. But as time goes on, the app devs may catch up and improve the functionality. For example, when I got my Nov edition of the watch, Google Maps app on the watch can only do navigation when it is connected via BT. Now, the app has been updated so that you can do navigation over cellular and maybe even totally disconnected from the phone.

Other posts have stated clearly that the watch can communicate with the phone over cellular, enabling the phone to stay at home. Can anyone else provide additional clarity to this question?

 

[foxbat121]

As I said, some 3rd party app just refuse to work if it is not connected via BT. Cellular connection does work but is not the equivalence of BT connection.

 

[json405]

If your phone is at home connected to data and your watch is also available with a data connection, cloud sync is able to communicate the two devices. However, not all apps are available through cloud sync. As foxbat has mentioned, there are stand alone apps that can be used with or without cloudsync or a Bluetooth connection but there are not that many.

 

[drjim]

Really helpful, guys, much appreciated. A few follow-up questions.

1. If the watch is connected to the phone, will all email and calendar events come through, even from Exchange?

2. Is there somewhere we can get a list of which AW apps work standalone with the watch and which will work when paired (by BT or cellular)?

3. For cloud sync to work, does the watch have to have the same data plan as the phone? For example, I have AT&T for my phone, but the AT&T plan for a watch is pretty pricey whereas T-Mobile or Truphone seem to have reasonable options. Would the watch using a T-M or Tru sim card still communicate with my AT&T phone?

Many thanks!

 

[foxbat121]

To answer your question.
1. Yes, exchange access is all dependent on your phone. If your phone can access it, it will send over to the watch.

2. None that I know of.
3. No. It all routes through internet. So anything that can reach the internet works.

 

[drjim]

I think I've just decided that the watch meets my personal definition of 'standalone.'

Yay!!