[OceanView]

Initially I was interested in the watch but I wasn't sure I would use it over a long period of time.

1. So I am here to ask if people that bought one continue to use it and if so how often do they wear it?
2. What are the Pros and Cons of the watch?
3. Would you buy it again?

[PookiePrancer]

I rarely wear mine any more. I love how it looks, but the lack of "Ok, Google" and Now integration means I find my G Watch more useful. I think it would be different if I were more into Samsung's Tizen than Google's Android, but I'm not. I wouldn't buy one again, but I bought it (and the G Watch) to see whose take on a smartwatch I liked better and would be more useful, and it served its purpose.

Now I'm waiting for the new Moto 360.

Posted via the Android Central App

[ShaggyKids]

I wear mine everyday. I have simple needs that are filled by this watch. I can't say that I would buy it again or not until it comes time to replace it and I see what is available at that time. I'm guessing I will be sticking with Samsung products because I like the Note line for my phone.

[BarryH_GEG]

You're asking a bigger question - "what do people who have been using a wearable for a while think of them?" The primary uses of a wearable are:

• Notifications/productivity
  
  
• Health/fitness
  
  
• Trading snippets of information on a tiny screen for not having to take out your 4.7-5.7" device your wearable is tethered to

I've had a Gear since V1 was launched in September, 2013. I'm a big productivity user and find getting notifications on my wrist and being able to accept/reject calls without having to pull out my phone are extremely helpful in managing my priorities. So I'm a wearable convert but certainly don't represent the universe of users. To see the disparity in opinions of whether wearables are worth the investment one just needs to look at the discussion around Apple Watch. It suffers the same slings and arrows all wearables do. It's slow, apps (of value) are limited, battery life is challenging, and looking at 1+" of information on your wrist is questionable when your larger and easier to see/use smartphone is just feet away.

As for the Gear S, it's a productivity user's best friend:

• It's a full-fledged phone shrunk to wrist size rather than a traditional wearable. I leave my Note 4 connected to my work PC with SideSync open knowing as soon as my Gear's out of BT range it'll connect via HSPA (or Wi-Fi), call forwarding sends all my incoming calls to it, and with a Gear Circle I can do anything with my Gear communication wise I can do with my phone including receive and initiating calls use my phone's address book or the logs transferred to the Gear via the phone.
  
  
• The biggest difference between the Gear S and other wearables are the discreet full-fledged apps Samsung provides. The e-mail and messaging clients on the Gear are real apps and you can compose and receive e-mails just as you can with your phone. Here for Gear is a stand-alone navigation tool for identifying where you, providing what's nearby, and getting walking and transit instructions. You can stream music using Milk, download music files to the Gear and use its stand-alone music player, find what's nearby in Yelp, and use Opera Mini to get web info on your wrist. There's more but the point is all of the above doesn't require the presence of your smartphone and no other device on the planet can currently do those things.

I think a lot of people are enamored with what the Gear S "can do" but end up disappointed because while certain features are sexy their lives just don't lend themselves well to really using them. I was in a large casino recently and was going out for the night. I didn't want to bring my phone (a bulky Note 4). So I left it in my 14th floor room and by the time the elevator hit the lobby my Gear S was remotely connected and call forwarding was on. When I go out to do errands in sweats I'll leave my phone home and use my Gear to connect to my car's handsfree system to receive/place calls and stream Milk. When I'm at work over half my time is without my phone because I'm comfortable leaving it at my desk charging with the Gear taking its place.

So what kind of user are you? That more than anything will determine whether a wearable or Gear S is for you.

[OceanView]

You're asking a bigger question - "what do people who have been using a wearable for a while think of them?" The primary uses of a wearable are:

• Notifications/productivity
  
  
• Health/fitness
  
  
• Trading snippets of information on a tiny screen for not having to take out your 4.7-5.7" device your wearable is tethered to

I've had a Gear since V1 was launched in September, 2013. I'm a big productivity user and find getting notifications on my wrist and being able to accept/reject calls without having to pull out my phone are extremely helpful in managing my priorities. So I'm a wearable convert but certainly don't represent the universe of users. To see the disparity in opinions of whether wearables are worth the investment one just needs to look at the discussion around Apple Watch. It suffers the same slings and arrows all wearables do. It's slow, apps (of value) are limited, battery life is challenging, and looking at 1+" of information on your wrist is questionable when your larger and easier to see/use smartphone is just feet away.

As for the Gear S, it's a productivity user's best friend:

• It's a full-fledged phone shrunk to wrist size rather than a traditional wearable. I leave my Note 4 connected to my work PC with SideSync open knowing as soon as my Gear's out of BT range it'll connect via HSPA (or Wi-Fi), call forwarding sends all my incoming calls to it, and with a Gear Circle I can do anything with my Gear communication wise I can do with my phone including receive and initiating calls use my phone's address book or the logs transferred to the Gear via the phone.
  
  
• The biggest difference between the Gear S and other wearables are the discreet full-fledged apps Samsung provides. The e-mail and messaging clients on the Gear are real apps and you can compose and receive e-mails just as you can with your phone. Here for Gear is a stand-alone navigation tool for identifying where you, providing what's nearby, and getting walking and transit instructions. You can stream music using Milk, download music files to the Gear and use its stand-alone music player, find what's nearby in Yelp, and use Opera Mini to get web info on your wrist. There's more but the point is all of the above doesn't require the presence of your smartphone and no other device on the planet can currently do those things.

I think a lot of people are enamored with what the Gear S "can do" but end up disappointed because while certain features are sexy their lives just don't lend themselves well to really using them. I was in a large casino recently and was going out for the night. I didn't want to bring my phone (a bulky Note 4). So I left it in my 14th floor room and by the time the elevator hit the lobby my Gear S was remotely connected and call forwarding was on. When I go out to do errands in sweats I'll leave my phone home and use my Gear to connect to my car's handsfree system to receive/place calls and stream Milk. When I'm at work over half my time is without my phone because I'm comfortable leaving it at my desk charging with the Gear taking its place.

So what kind of user are you? That more than anything will determine whether a wearable or Gear S is for you.

Wow, thanks for the detailed post.

Honestly, I think I would not use the Gear S to the extreme that you are using it for.
Although all those options and functions are great, in real like I would probably prefer using my phone over the small screen of the watch. The only time that I would actually use the watch is for when I go on bike rides. Currently I use a phone holder but my phones have come off them and knocked off when I hit some hard spots on the road. This causes damage and possibility that I could loose my phone.

The feature that puts the Gear S above the rest is the fact that it can have it's own Sim chip and be used independently which is why I am re-considering it.

[PookiePrancer]

Wow, thanks for the detailed post.

Honestly, I think I would not use the Gear S to the extreme that you are using it for.
Although all those options and functions are great, in real like I would probably prefer using my phone over the small screen of the watch. The only time that I would actually use the watch is for when I go on bike rides. Currently I use a phone holder but my phones have come off them and knocked off when I hit some hard spots on the road. This causes damage and possibility that I could loose my phone.

The feature that puts the Gear S above the rest is the fact that it can have it's own Sim chip and be used independently which is why I am re-considering it.

Well if you're looking for stand-alone, it can't be beat. And frankly, S-Health is a lot better than Google Fit. Try to snag one on sale.

Posted via the Android Central App

[InfamousUnknown]

Had mine on every day (week or weekend) since it came out in the US in November.

I really never bother looking for extended apps for it... the basic covers what I need including remote phone usage and notifications.

[Sammuel1973]

Imo, it's still the best overall smart watch because of its standalone feature, but because listening to music and the number of calls I need to take, I wouldn't consider buying it again. The battery needs to improve or a replaceable back would be awesome. I am a power user, so I want my watch to last at least a whole day.

[mountainbikermark]

Been wearing mine every day since February.
Would I buy it again? Yes because I don't like Google Now so I don't want the ui of Android Wear watches . Still the biggest screen available. Still the best battery life for watches with more than just Bluetooth radios. Still the only one with a built in phone capability. Still the only one that's truly standalone capable. It's still the only one that includes a battery in its charging cradle. I'm going to be paying for my Note4 for quite a few more months so I'm fine with needing a Samsung phone to use it to its full capacity.
I use many apps that are standalone every day, some can partner with the phone while others are watch only . I charge my watch every other day whether it needs it or not but most days it's down to about 20% at the end of day 2 .
The only cons for me are a lack of computing power. I'd like it to have a built in copy/paste ability instead of app dependent. I'd like it to be snappier when opening pdf files. I'd like to be able to play videos from my gallery at higher resolution so I don't have to edit videos on my phone before copying to my watch. It's a first generation so who knows what next years will be capable of.

Support Our Troops !!!
<><
Beast Mode 4

[sirCLD]

All day... Every day. A regular watch feels like a ball and chain on my wrist... I wore one and didn't even make it till noon before I swapped it for my Gear S. Yes...I will buy the next one...but only if it takes a SIM card.

Posted via the Android Central App using the Note 4

[Jamez Avila]

Initially I was interested in the watch but I wasn't sure I would use it over a long period of time.

1. So I am here to ask if people that bought one continue to use it and if so how often do they wear it?
2. What are the Pros and Cons of the watch?
3. Would you buy it again?

1. I bought one and I use it everyday. I have a nice watch collection but I haven't worn any of my other watches since getting the Gear S.
2. The pros are all the things that it can do even as a standalone phone. No other smartwatch can do what the Gear S does. It now has an Instagram client, a Twitter client and I use Opera browser as a Facebook client. They have a youtube client as well. I also use the exercise trackers for hiking and walking. My calendar and contacts are synced so I can go without my phone and not freak out. There's plenty of watch faces in the app store. I can stream music on the watch. I can transfer my music on the watch and listen to it and I can also transfer full length movies and watch them on the watch. No other watch can do all these things, period.
The cons: I need to charge it every night but I charge my phone every night so it's no different.
3. Yup, I would buy it again.

[Deucesjack]

I have a Note 4, Gear S and a Gear Circle. I absolutely love this combo and I would buy all three again in a heartbeat. I would definitely buy another Samsung watch but only with a sim card. I would love for the next watch to have a regular band or adapter, wireless charging, a camera, and a sim card. Samsung does that and I'm all in.

[mountainbikermark]

I have a Note 4, Gear S and a Gear Circle. I absolutely love this combo and I would buy all three again in a heartbeat. I would definitely buy another Samsung watch but only with a sim card. I would love for the next watch to have a regular band or adapter, wireless charging, a camera, and a sim card. Samsung does that and I'm all in.

Here's a regular band with adapter you might like.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00X9...cUvbUpU4541983
I posted photos in the "non oem bands with colors" thread on this forum.


Support Our Troops !!!
<><
Beast Mode 4

[Deucesjack]

Already own it. Best accessory I ever bought for the gear s.

[xendula]

I bought mine in November and wera it all the time. I needed it for when I go running, so I could leave my phone behind.

It tracks my daily runs and the sim card in it gives me the freedom to leave my phone behind. An update a few months back made it impossible for me to use it connected to my Note 2, so I use it purely in stand-alone mode now.

I made the mistake to try and update Gear Manager, and since it wants to reset my Gear S to factory settings, I selected to just let it be, so I am not making full use of its features.

[skatergirl]

I bought mine in November and wera it all the time. I needed it for when I go running, so I could leave my phone behind.

It tracks my daily runs and the sim card in it gives me the freedom to leave my phone behind. An update a few months back made it impossible for me to use it connected to my Note 2, so I use it purely in stand-alone mode now.

I made the mistake to try and update Gear Manager, and since it wants to reset my Gear S to factory settings, I selected to just let it be, so I am not making full use of its features.

Why would the app update want to reset your device to factory settings? Anyone else reading this, has it happened to you?

[xendula]

Why would the app update want to reset your device to factory settings? Anyone else reading this, has it happened to you?

I have no idea why. I tried installing an older version of the APK over and over, and the app closes down if I refuse to update it to the newest version. Pretty much a nightmare.

See attached screenshot. If I select cancel, the app shuts down. I haven't bothered calling Samsung for help, because surely all they'll say is to reset the watch. I don't have the best opinion of their support.

[Jamez Avila]

I have no idea why. I tried installing an older version of the APK over and over, and the app closes down if I refuse to update it to the newest version. Pretty much a nightmare.

See attached screenshot. If I select cancel, the app shuts down. I haven't bothered calling Samsung for help, because surely all they'll say is to reset the watch. I don't have the best opinion of their support.

Just go ahead and update it. They added some new watch faces. Besides, any apps that you've paid for are still available; you'll just need to redownload them.

[xendula]

Just go ahead and update it. They added some new watch faces. Besides, any apps that you've paid for are still available; you'll just need to redownload them.

I hear that Nike+ plus and sHealth are now combined, which slows down GPS tracking to a crawl, so that is something I don't want to update. I think Samsung should make updates optional, not force customers into them.

Plus some users have issues with their SIM cards suddenly being blocked by the networks. Not saying there is any correlation, but hearing this makes me weary of changing anything on my watch.

[mountainbikermark]

I hear that Nike+ plus and sHealth are now combined, which slows down GPS tracking to a crawl, so that is something I don't want to update. I think Samsung should make updates optional, not force customers into them.

Plus some users have issues with their SIM cards suddenly being blocked by the networks. Not saying there is any correlation, but hearing this makes me weary of changing anything on my watch.

Uncheck auto update in the Samsung apps store and also make sure auto update is unchecked itself. I forgot to uncheck the Gear Fit Manager, it updated, it isn't working worth a hoot now.

Support Our Troops !!!
<><
Beast Mode 4

[Jamez Avila]

I hear that Nike+ plus and sHealth are now combined, which slows down GPS tracking to a crawl, so that is something I don't want to update. I think Samsung should make updates optional, not force customers into them.

Plus some users have issues with their SIM cards suddenly being blocked by the networks. Not saying there is any correlation, but hearing this makes me weary of changing anything on my watch.

I've updated and everything is running fine. I haven't noticed any battery drain issues. I'm still charging it at night daily, nothing different than before. SIM card is not affected by the update.

[Jamez Avila]

I've updated and everything is running fine. I haven't noticed any battery drain issues. I'm still charging it at night daily, nothing different than before. SIM card is not affected by the update.

And when I say that I charge it every night, I don't have to but I do it out of habit. It last two days.

[maj71303]

Just got mine last month and it is much more useful than android wear IMO. The fact that calls can be forwarded to the device automactically when I leave the range of my cellphone is so much better than always having to carry the phone with me. If other than apps IMO the Gear S is better than android wear.

[mark_stagg]

Hi.. I too am looking to purchase the gear s as my next upgrade. . I have read in some posts about call forwarding when the phone becomes out of range from the watch.. my question is do both the phone and watch require a sim card to run this function.. reason I ask is it would be very expensive to have two contracted sim cards.

Posted via the Android Central App

[Jamez Avila]

Hi.. I too am looking to purchase the gear s as my next upgrade. . I have read in some posts about call forwarding when the phone becomes out of range from the watch.. my question is do both the phone and watch require a sim card to run this function.. reason I ask is it would be very expensive to have two contracted sim cards.

Posted via the Android Central App

Yes it does. The Gear S has its own SIM card which is how it can make and receive calls on its own. It can operate without the SIM card but then you won't be able to use the autoforward feature. The carriers don't charge you the same amount for a smartwatch SIM...it's only like 10 bucks added to your plan.