It’s been a little over a week since I picked up a LG G Android Ware device to play with.
My initial impression seams to hold, it’s ok, but it’s not going to change my world.
We got hold of some Samsung G Lives this week so I’ve swapped to see if there is any difference between them.
The Samsung looks a bit better, but the out of the box experience was not as good, it wasn’t charged (unlike the LG), it needed updating as soon as it was started (the same as the LG) but it hid the update progress meter down in the settings so it wasn’t obvious that it was doing something when I powered it on. The charging cradle is a fiddly little thing to fit and feels really cheap compared to the really nice magnetic tray that came with the LG.
The only extra feature the Samsung has is a heart rate monitor built into the back of the watch. This is interesting but does require the watch to be warn tight round the wrist. I normally like to let my watches move around a bit so it’s taking a bit of getting used to and I’m not sure I’ll keep it that long. The only real use for the heart rate monitor is going to be during exercise, which is when I’m even more likely to want the device to be loose on the wrist.
So far I’ve not been impressed enough to with the Android Wear devices to buy one for myself or even to borrow one from work to use for an extended period of time. I will keep an eye on the app developments to see if anybody can come up with a truly compelling use case for one. It will also be interesting to see if the Motorola Moto 360 is any different.
It’s not meant to change your world. Smartwatches are just an “addition” to you smartphone, and they’re great at doing that job. I’m quite happy with my Moto 360. Yes, the screen could be better as well as the battery life, but it’s a great addition and it’s quite stylish. Always attracting people.
I won’t deny they are shiny things, but I really haven’t seen a compelling use case for one yet.