My only concern, STANDALONE!

[starcat42]

I posted this before but it did not go through. I would love it if someone could answer my concerns.

I am looking for a standalone watch. i do not have a phone or any plans.. i work from home over skype. so "paring" with another phone is not an option for me.

Can i use this watch or does it NEED to be paired?

I am perfectly fine buying a simcard / plan for the watch.

The main things i need it to do are:


1-A: Google maps - so i can navigate if i am in a new area

1-B Google maps OFFLINE. this is a biggie, because if i manage to get to an area with wifi, i need google maps to work offline, i hear this is a thing now, can anyone confirm? and how it works?

2: Skype, i can make calls over skype

3: Fitness stuff

4: read email.

Bonus: if anyone can tell me if this watch will work overseas, say Japan? japan has a rediculous wifi /cell network i am mainly only concerned about Google maps in japan.

 

[foxbat121]

No, it won't do what you wanted. All you can do is make/answer calls and send or receive text messages if you have a working SIM card. Other than that, nothing else will work. Period.


AW watch, Apple Watch and Samsung Watches are not stand alone devices. They are the extension of your phone. If you don't have a phone, these are not for you.

 

[starcat42]

SIGH, they keep advertising this as standalone, but apparently its not at all. im getting so tired of this ball and chain thing with the smart watches.

is there ANY watch that does what i need?

 

[tech_head]

Actually it will almost do what you want. Get a cheap junk phone or tablet and pair it. It just needs to be a recent version of Android. The phone does not need to be active on a plan only wifi. Get a plan for the watch. You can do Maps. Email will be an issue if away from the other device.


Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[starcat42]

That is the problem. i have an iphone 4s ,no plan.. and i basically use it as an mp3 player. it has wifi and what not but i almost never use it.

point is, i dont want to be tethered because my phone is never on or charged, the problem is that my phone needs to rely on wifi, which is the entire point. if i wanted to be on that, i'd use my phone so i dont need the watch.

the entire point is i want to be able to rely on the watch, and only the watch, no pairing, no relying on another device.

 

[foxbat121]

look at the size of any smart phone and the battery. Then take a look at the size of a watch. Technology has not advanced that much yet that a watch sized device can perform same amount of tasks as phones while has a battery that can last a day. It is just physically not possible yet. Something gotta give.

Urbane 2 actually has the largest battery on any smart watch, 570mah. But it pales to any smartphone, typically in the range of 2000mah to 3000 mah. Most smart watches today only have a battery of 200 to 300mah.

 

[starcat42]

understand, im not really worried about the battery life. im more worried about getting the phone to simply do what i want. i went to a verison and att store today and they told me ii only have to pair it to get the apps on the device, once i had the apps on the device THEN its stand alone as long as i have a sim card. is this true?

 

[foxbat121]

No, majority of the apps won't work without connect to the phone. Period. The only ones that do work standalone is ones that simple and don't need network, e.g. clock, alarm etc.

As always, store clerks usually don't have any clue.

A watch that can't last a work day will have no market. So no one will make it.

 

[tech_head]

That is the problem. i have an iphone 4s ,no plan.. and i basically use it as an mp3 player. it has wifi and what not but i almost never use it.

point is, i dont want to be tethered because my phone is never on or charged, the problem is that my phone needs to rely on wifi, which is the entire point. if i wanted to be on that, i'd use my phone so i dont need the watch.

the entire point is i want to be able to rely on the watch, and only the watch, no pairing, no relying on another device.

Then it won't work for you.
It's not a full featured Android device.
I did say it has most of what you want.
If you want a device that you can use as a phone, text message, fitness and maps, then it will work as long as you have a data plan.

I you want a device that also has lots of apps like mail that run naively on the device, then this won't work.
What you want doesn't quite exist, yet.

 

[starcat42]

ok i understand. so if i buy this and buy say, a 5 or 10$ Data plan with tmobile or something THEN it will do what i need correct?

 

[starcat42]

i just want to be crystal clear. i am only talking about CONSTANT connectivity pairing. i dont care about pairing once and being done with it. for example lets say i buy a 10 dollar android phone.. <with no sim card> pair the watch to the phone then 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. as long as i have a data plan in the watch it self after its paired, i should be able to 1, make calls, 2, use google maps, 3, use OK GOOGLE, and 4, do fittness /pedometer stuff and 5, use skype for phone calls and 6, receive / make normal calls via cellular? number 6 is not very important to me as i have skype for making calls over data / wifi.

i am clarifying this because i am under the impression that once you pair the phone your Phone needs to be turned on / constantly in wifi for your watch to work.

 

[foxbat121]

You still need a phone for it to tether to. The minute the watch lost contact with phone, majority of its functions will no longer work. It needs constant connection to the phone.

 

[starcat42]

You still need a phone for it to tether to. The minute the watch lost contact with phone, majority of its functions will no longer work. It needs constant connection to the phone.

Sigh. ok thanks for answering the questions. guess its just a dream to wish for an watch independent.

 

[nrseife]

Look into the Omate Rise. It is supposed be a true standalone watch. It runs full Android however and I am not sure how trustworthy this company is.

 

[LeeHounshell]

A video showing standalone operation with this watch-phone is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvzQfAQTzIA

 

[drjim]

A lot of different, and often conflicting, information we're hearing since the re-release of the LGU2. My only interest in the smartwatch is in stand-alone mode. So, here are my questions:

1. Can I receive my Exchange email through the watch? If so, how? If not, how about routed through gmail?
2. Can the watch receive and send Google Voice text messages (I read somewhere that you can with the Hangouts app?
3. How big can you make the fonts (I need reading glasses for small fonts)?
4. Can I use Google Maps for navigation?
5. Is there a calendar app on the watch that I can sync with my Exchange calendar? If so, which?
6. If not, can I access my calendar and get event notifications through this long-distance pairing?

If it can do those tasks, I'm all in! Thanks in advance.

 

[json405]

Hey guys yeah I know it sucks "standalone" definition isn't what you expected. I wouldn't mind all of those things but I don't think Android Wear is ever gonna get there anytime soon. Heck all I want is a standalone music streaming app and it isn't even available yet.

This android wear watch has the biggest battery, most Ram and cellular connectivity but even I don't think it has enough of those things to run too many standalone apps without it being slow and die in like 4hrs.

I think the closest to a stand alone wearable is the Gear S.

 

[foxbat121]

A lot of different, and often conflicting, information we're hearing since the re-release of the LGU2. My only interest in the smartwatch is in stand-alone mode. So, here are my questions:

1. Can I receive my Exchange email through the watch? If so, how? If not, how about routed through gmail?
2. Can the watch receive and send Google Voice text messages (I read somewhere that you can with the Hangouts app?
3. How big can you make the fonts (I need reading glasses for small fonts)?
4. Can I use Google Maps for navigation?
5. Is there a calendar app on the watch that I can sync with my Exchange calendar? If so, which?
6. If not, can I access my calendar and get event notifications through this long-distance pairing?

If it can do those tasks, I'm all in! Thanks in advance.

all your questions are already being answered in this thread. Why repeat them? There is no contradictory information.

 

[evlarberryman]

Keep in mind everyone that there are great YouTube video reviews on these watches, features, and how to use them. It's a easy way to get to know your watch. I usually post in these forums for more technical questions and or problems I can't find answers to elsewhere.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[drjim]

I've seen conflicting information on other threads. Just the definition of 'standalone' is somewhat fuzzy. Does it mean that you don't need a phone at all (unclear) or just not nearby (it's connected through cellular). 'Standalone' with LTE should be self-explanatory (i.e., you don't need a phone), but again unclear. Is it that the watch is standalone, but doesn't have enough apps developed for it yet to be fully functional as a standalone?

Also, I haven't seen any comments about how big the font can be so readable for people who need reading glasses.