The definition of standalone in this thread has been clearly stated by OP many times: no connection to a phone.
My only concern, STANDALONE!
- Thread starter starcat42
- Start date
What Starcat and Drjim are wanting is a watch sized smartphone. There have been a few attempts (from Neptune, Omate, generic Chinese factories), all with serious shortcomings, and no efforts from major manufacturers. I don't think the current level of technology is capable of producing a decent 1" smartphone. Still, I think watch manufacturers are missing a larger market by not producing a watch that's even the equivalent of a dumbphone: something that can handle phone calls and notifications within a nice, intuitive interface, and a battery that lasts all day under this usage.
Three Chinese watches later, and I'm still searching. If novelty is more important than practicality, I suggest the K8, it can be found for ~$85. It's one of the few that has UMTS 850, so it will work on AT&T in some areas, but does not have the 1900 used by T-Mobile (and also AT&T). It runs full KitKat, so apps can be downloaded from the Playstore. The battery lasts all day only under very light usage. Bottom line: good idea but in the real world it's been too buggy for me. The Doogee S1 is suppose to have both frequency bands but I don't own it and haven't heard any reports from anyone who does.
I'm still reading reports here, but am leaning towards getting the U2 to use as my sole phone. Acquising to it's limited standalone capability, only for calls and texts. All other tasks would be handled by my iPad. I know that I'd be pushing the concept. We haven't reached the point where folks are willing to give up their smartphone.
Three Chinese watches later, and I'm still searching. If novelty is more important than practicality, I suggest the K8, it can be found for ~$85. It's one of the few that has UMTS 850, so it will work on AT&T in some areas, but does not have the 1900 used by T-Mobile (and also AT&T). It runs full KitKat, so apps can be downloaded from the Playstore. The battery lasts all day only under very light usage. Bottom line: good idea but in the real world it's been too buggy for me. The Doogee S1 is suppose to have both frequency bands but I don't own it and haven't heard any reports from anyone who does.
I'm still reading reports here, but am leaning towards getting the U2 to use as my sole phone. Acquising to it's limited standalone capability, only for calls and texts. All other tasks would be handled by my iPad. I know that I'd be pushing the concept. We haven't reached the point where folks are willing to give up their smartphone.
BOSSY TEXAS CHICK
Well-known member
- Mar 2, 2011
- 641
- 31
- 0
^ ^ ^ lol
What about Samsung Gear S2? (The 4G version) Isn't that a "true" standalone?
Samsung Gear S2 Classic | Read Reviews & Tech Specs | T-Mobile
BTC
It's the same. It needs to be paired to a phone running Gear Manager. Functionality will be very limited when you disconnected from the phone.
I'm going to return to something in another thread. For me, there a difference between needing to have your phone nearby (e.g., paired with BT), thus negating the big value of a standalone watch, and having it paired through cellular, meaning that the phone can be 100 miles from the watch, but still gaining all the benefits of the apps and information on your phone. That works for my definition of 'standalone.'
Also, Samsung is running Tizen which won't have many apps.
But you will still end up with a dumb watch, not a smart watch you expected. I have Gear S before Urbane 2.
all i want it to do is use wifi for skype so i can make calls / answer calls and use GPS for directions. with this i should be able to do that as long as i buy a sim card / data plan for 5 bucks right?
tech_head
Q&A Team
- Aug 25, 2010
- 783
- 15
- 0
I don't think Skype supports Android Wear at that level.
You Can Now Skype From Your Android Wear Smartwatch | TechCrunch
I'm not sure what are you referring to. Samsung Gear S won't do it for you. The Here Map app showed in the video is really useless and can't do any navigation without the phone tethered on Bluetooth (won't work over Cellular) and even then, it is walk navigation only. Skype doesn't make calls on any watch platform. As we already established before, watch apps are not that capable when stand alone.
All you want is a 1" smartphone...
No watch will do what you want satisfactorily in all likelihood. The watches running full Android OS will do it in theory, the question is how well.
Well I have had this device for a week. I think the hardware is light years ahead of the software. It looks great, its fun to use, and LG did an amazing job of designing the hardware, but I'm trying to figure out whether its nice to have or need to have, and whether to keep it or not...
What I keep feeling as I use this device is that while it does what it says its supposed t do, what I really want this to be is a standalone device that interacts with my phone the same way any other connected device does (i.e. read email on one device doesnt show as unread on another), but that doesn't actually NEED the phone. If I cant reply to messages, or view them properly without my phone being nearby then whats the point of it having a SIM card and paying $10+ per month, if I always have the phone with me anyway???? If thats all it can do then I would be better off with the equivalent that is just an extension of my phone that I purchase one time.
In its current form its neither one nor the other. Its great, but doesnt quite complete the trail from receiving a message to reading it fully and replying... Even if they fix the connectivity issues that sometimes occur, I still cant leave my phone behind and just go out with the watch, which is what I really want. So I am also in the 'want a 1" phone' camp.
With some better apps, such as a proper launcher, and dedicated apps for email, whatsapp and maps... that DONT require tethering, then this will be a winner, for me.
Perhaps I will return it and buy it again when the software is more mature... [except that I am having fun with it as a gadget!!!] ??? Dont know what to do...!
What I keep feeling as I use this device is that while it does what it says its supposed t do, what I really want this to be is a standalone device that interacts with my phone the same way any other connected device does (i.e. read email on one device doesnt show as unread on another), but that doesn't actually NEED the phone. If I cant reply to messages, or view them properly without my phone being nearby then whats the point of it having a SIM card and paying $10+ per month, if I always have the phone with me anyway???? If thats all it can do then I would be better off with the equivalent that is just an extension of my phone that I purchase one time.
In its current form its neither one nor the other. Its great, but doesnt quite complete the trail from receiving a message to reading it fully and replying... Even if they fix the connectivity issues that sometimes occur, I still cant leave my phone behind and just go out with the watch, which is what I really want. So I am also in the 'want a 1" phone' camp.
With some better apps, such as a proper launcher, and dedicated apps for email, whatsapp and maps... that DONT require tethering, then this will be a winner, for me.
Perhaps I will return it and buy it again when the software is more mature... [except that I am having fun with it as a gadget!!!] ??? Dont know what to do...!
Hey eker,
I am in the same boat as you are. As I have been exploring the last week or so, you can leave your phone at home because the watch communicates with it through cellular as long as the phone is on.
No doubt there needs a lot of 'standalone' app development, but that won't occur till there's demand.
At this point, it is definitely in the 'want' rather than 'need' (massively improve the quality of my life) category!
I am in the same boat as you are. As I have been exploring the last week or so, you can leave your phone at home because the watch communicates with it through cellular as long as the phone is on.
No doubt there needs a lot of 'standalone' app development, but that won't occur till there's demand.
At this point, it is definitely in the 'want' rather than 'need' (massively improve the quality of my life) category!
Hi,
I just ordered mine on ebay yesterday.. I am really unsure about my purchase but figured i should try it and then find out if it works out for me or not.
I have a few questions you guys might be able to answer:
Can i use this watch with a Android WIFI tablet i would leave running with Android Wear and connected to my home network ? Would that set up work ?
I understand that AW has it's limitation and that a lot of apps are not ready for true standalone mode. But, can this set up work and allow me to roam freely with the watch and get most of application working (since they will be talking to the tablet over the internet).
I currently own the a Huawei watch (which i love), a Nexus 6p and a Garmin Fenix 3 (for running training). I'd like to get rid of all of this and end up with just the LG watch and a nice Android Tablet. Maybe i am overly optimistic but i really am curious to see if i will abandon my current working setup for this new one...
Also, i'd prefer not to have to activate an additional data plan for the tablet, hence my question regarding WIFI use
Max
Max
I just ordered mine on ebay yesterday.. I am really unsure about my purchase but figured i should try it and then find out if it works out for me or not.
I have a few questions you guys might be able to answer:
Can i use this watch with a Android WIFI tablet i would leave running with Android Wear and connected to my home network ? Would that set up work ?
I understand that AW has it's limitation and that a lot of apps are not ready for true standalone mode. But, can this set up work and allow me to roam freely with the watch and get most of application working (since they will be talking to the tablet over the internet).
I currently own the a Huawei watch (which i love), a Nexus 6p and a Garmin Fenix 3 (for running training). I'd like to get rid of all of this and end up with just the LG watch and a nice Android Tablet. Maybe i am overly optimistic but i really am curious to see if i will abandon my current working setup for this new one...
Also, i'd prefer not to have to activate an additional data plan for the tablet, hence my question regarding WIFI use
Max
Max
Where did you get the watch on ebay? At what price (I only saw really jacked up prices)?
Thanks!
I got it for 460$ US. Which is expensive but since i live in Canada, there is no other way for me to get this watch.
the issue is that you can get a notification of an email, but you cant read or respond to it without a phone (at least not on my Note5 running Samsung's mail app), so you need the phone with you. Which IMHO negates the benefit of the watcxh... and is why I am on the fence as to keeping or returning it...
That's weird. I read in another thread that if you get an email on your phone it will be pushed to your watch. And there are several apps you can use (e.g., Nine) that allows you to read them as well.
It would work for the most part with a Wifi only tablet and the 2nd edition but I wouldn't say that this watch can replace a Nexus 6p but you can certainly say it would replace the Huawei and somewhat the Garmin Fenix 3.
So in my opinion, completing abandoning your current setup will leave you handicapped in terms of daily use.
Hmm thanks. Like i said, i'll test it out.
One thing for sure, i need a solid phone for voice and text. That's for my work. I don',t mind using a bluetooth headset for most of my calls (and carry it with on me if needed) but the phone capabilities of the watch must be solid enough for me to be confident i will not miss my work calls.
Regarding the training features, the Garmin Fenix 3 is one hell of a watch and although i use it mostly for running, i've become acustomed to the myriad of features and benefits the watch (and the Garmin connect website) offers. I'll be able to settle for less if i can use the LG for (at the minimum) intervall training and long runs (20km). If that watch can do this using Ghostracer or Endomondo, then it might replace my Fenix 3..
Regarding the Nexus 6p, i have to agree this will be hard to replace. I might end up keeping it for a while, connected to WIFI only, and see if i'm happy with the watch running in stand alone mode (using the SIM card of the Nexus..). If that set up works fine then i'll sell the Nexus and get a good Android tablet. If it does not, i might sell only the Garmin Fenix 3 along with my Huawei watch and put my SIM card back on my Nexus phone while i continue using the LG as a connected device (like i did with Huawei) with the added advantage of having a built-in GPS sensor allowing me to use it as a training watch...
Time will tell
Max
One thing for sure, i need a solid phone for voice and text. That's for my work. I don',t mind using a bluetooth headset for most of my calls (and carry it with on me if needed) but the phone capabilities of the watch must be solid enough for me to be confident i will not miss my work calls.
Regarding the training features, the Garmin Fenix 3 is one hell of a watch and although i use it mostly for running, i've become acustomed to the myriad of features and benefits the watch (and the Garmin connect website) offers. I'll be able to settle for less if i can use the LG for (at the minimum) intervall training and long runs (20km). If that watch can do this using Ghostracer or Endomondo, then it might replace my Fenix 3..
Regarding the Nexus 6p, i have to agree this will be hard to replace. I might end up keeping it for a while, connected to WIFI only, and see if i'm happy with the watch running in stand alone mode (using the SIM card of the Nexus..). If that set up works fine then i'll sell the Nexus and get a good Android tablet. If it does not, i might sell only the Garmin Fenix 3 along with my Huawei watch and put my SIM card back on my Nexus phone while i continue using the LG as a connected device (like i did with Huawei) with the added advantage of having a built-in GPS sensor allowing me to use it as a training watch...
Time will tell
Max
Similar threads
- Question
Trending Posts
-
-
-
-
-
Question How to factory reset without Samsung account android 15
- Started by postald
- Replies: 4
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram