[Q] Gear S vs Gear 2? - Samsung Gear S

Hi
I thought about get one of those watches (Gear 2 vs Gear s), so which is superior?
Can someone please list cons and pros with both and some unique features, that both have.
Tried Google a bit, but can't make up my mind so want the pros and cons from you guys!
Thanks in advance

I had the original Galaxy Gear but skipped the Gear 2 because I thought it was basically the same thing.
The Gear 2 has a camera and an IR blaster to control your TV.
The Gear S doesn't have either of those.
The Gear S has a larger curved screen which I like.
If you need something that takes pictures and video then get the Gear 2.
Otherwise get the Gear S.

I have Gear 1, Gear 2 and Gear S
Gear S Wifi and SIM for 3G, GPS.
With Gear S you can keep connected at your phone even out of BT range. You can receive notification from your phone through Wifi or 3G even if you forget your phone at home.
Big screen so easy to reply with keyboard.
You can track sport activity with buil-in GPS even without phone.
Ambiant sensor for automatic brightness.

dersie said:
I have Gear 1, Gear 2 and Gear S
Gear S Wifi and SIM for 3G, GPS.
With Gear S you can keep connected at your phone even out of BT range. You can receive notification from your phone through Wifi or 3G even if you forget your phone at home.
Big screen so easy to reply with keyboard.
You can track sport activity with buil-in GPS even without phone.
Ambiant sensor for automatic brightness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed.
I actually went through the same dilemma. Watch some youtube videos of both of them hands on and see which on suites you better. The connectivity of the Gear S is what sold me. The "remote connection" via wifi/3G, as stated by previous poster, is a huge factor for me as I tend to forget my phone around the house/car/or even leave it at home. This allows you to receive your notifications over the air. The gear 2 has bluetooth and its done. May not sound too bad but the bluetooth range can be very spotty. Sometimes my bluetooth will cut out after less than 10ft (not sure why).
Gear 2 has the camera and ir blaster that's basically it. For the price difference I went with the Gear S it just made more sense in the long run.
The Gear S has one major feature not discussed, although its kinda useless at the moment there is only 1 app in the app store that supports it, the barometer. A lot of people think this sensor is completely useless but its not. On top of giving barometric pressure info it also records elevation changes and much more. GPS is good but is not accurate enough alone to measure these changes and relies on the barometer. Hence why a lot of new Samsung phones have this sensor.

Yes, Brometer and UV sensor on Gear S.
For example I made 2 same exercices (more longer on 2nd week) 2 weeks, first with Gear S in standalone et second next week with phone only.
With Gear S Altitude : 369-372m is right value by Gear S barometer
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3dhZYESs_5bQUZwRzJNSC1DZlU&authuser=0
With Phone 247-252m with GPS totaly Wrong
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3dhZYESs_5bdnZvS0haamd2V0k&authuser=0

The name of the barometer application? I can't seem to find anything on the store.

cydiamante said:
The name of the barometer application? I can't seem to find anything on the store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gear O' Clock: Geoscope. Its $1.50 and a clock so I apologize kinda misinformed saying it was an application.

Yes, Geoclock is good for use like a compass app : compass + altimeter/barometer
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3dhZYESs_5baU1tNTJ1T0NSZFU&authuser=0

Related

[Q] Gear Fit and Cycling

Dear Community,
i recently tried the Gear Fit in a Samsung Experience Store. As i chose "Cycling" the Gear Fit told me to connect it with my phone, so it could use the GPS module for training statistics. It is only possible to use the Cycline option in connection with a smartphone? Or does it nevertheless measure my BPM and time without the use of the phones GPS module? It would be very weird to carry my phone all the time when i go cylcing...
Thanks, zack
zack89 said:
Dear Community,
i recently tried the Gear Fit in a Samsung Experience Store. As i chose "Cycling" the Gear Fit told me to connect it with my phone, so it could use the GPS module for training statistics. It is only possible to use the Cycline option in connection with a smartphone? Or does it nevertheless measure my BPM and time without the use of the phones GPS module? It would be very weird to carry my phone all the time when i go cylcing...
Thanks, zack
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately all the excersize functions require GPS, thusly a phone to function. Even if you have a phone connected and the GPS off it halts saying you aren't moving. At this point that is the limitation. Hopefully that will change so the fit can be used for stationary bikes, etc.
From my Galaxy Note 2
TheFletch said:
Unfortunately all the excersize functions require GPS, thusly a phone to function. Even if you have a phone connected and the GPS off it halts saying you aren't moving. At this point that is the limitation. Hopefully that will change so the fit can be used for stationary bikes, etc.
From my Galaxy Note 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so i cant just run with the gear fit, without having my mobile with me?? does the gear fit then not measures my taken steps and by bpm?
zack89 said:
so i cant just run with the gear fit, without having my mobile with me?? does the gear fit then not measures my taken steps and by bpm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Others please correct me if I've missed something. The steps can be measured all the time, but continuous bpm is only measured in excersize mode which needs GPS. It's a horrible answer but I believe a correct one.
From my Galaxy Note 2
Using running/hiking mode does not require connection to phone
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Hiking actually requires GPS. Hiking and biking I guess it´s because of ascent/descent measuring ?
Lukeenho said:
Hiking actually requires GPS. Hiking and biking I guess it´s because of ascent/descent measuring ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, great. Good to know. I'll do some more thorough testing.
From my Galaxy Note 2
For Run and Walk you don't need phone.

Samsung gear s fitness

I think it is the best fitness companion and here's why.
It has phone.
Heart rate monitor.
Music player with Bluetooth headset.
Light weight.
Tracks steps
GPS.
@NeatSheep
NeatSheep said:
I think it is the best fitness companion and here's why.
It has phone.
Heart rate monitor.
Music player with Bluetooth headset.
Light weight.
Tracks steps
GPS.
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the pedometer on the note 4 is much better then on the gear s. It says I have walked way more then my phone does. Off by about 700 steps from the phone. Watch showing more. I was in the car most of the day today so not sure how I did 2k steps.
rfs830 said:
I think the pedometer on the note 4 is much better then on the gear s. It says I have walked way more then my phone does. Off by about 700 steps from the phone. Watch showing more. I was in the car most of the day today so not sure how I did 2k steps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much of this is because you literally do not have the phone in your hand as much as the watch on your wrist?
I am coming from the fitbit line and this watch tends to give me less credit the fitbits do.
So, I just get a base line number and improve about it.
Look at the photos. To me the watch is much better
@NeatSheep
By the way it's measuring my steps, speed, location heart rate at the same time with a chart and a map. You can see that in the photos
@NeatSheep
NeatSheep said:
By the way it's measuring my steps, speed, location heart rate at the same time with a chart and a map. You can see that in the photos
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will have to test it out at work as im always walking there. Maybe it is better. I never had a pedometer that was not my phone so maybe this is more accurate.
NeatSheep said:
By the way it's measuring my steps, speed, location heart rate at the same time with a chart and a map. You can see that in the photos
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the s health app give you verbal specs for while you are out? Like split times, or lap times and such?
Yes you you choose an exercise it will start recording the time, distance, speed, calories burned, location on the map and heart rate.
@NeatSheep
The problem with a pedometer on your wrist is that it will register steps just from the movement of you hand. If you are like me and move your hands a lot when you speak, or point a lot at a board (I'm a teacher) it registers way more steps than a pedometer attached to your hip or a phone in your pocket.
I also note that when I'm sitting at my desk, flipping pages of an article or assignment will register steps too ?
To be honest. If it making you move more the it's doing its job. And the normal steps they don't do much and it can tell you the healthy pace that really matters.
And you can only depend on the star an exercise function and it can tell the time you moved so you look at the chart and remove the steps that you know that are not correct.
There is may ways to solve the problem but i say if it's making you feel good and makes to want more and move more then why not.
@NeatSheep
richlum said:
The problem with a pedometer on your wrist is that it will register steps just from the movement of you hand. If you are like me and move your hands a lot when you speak, or point a lot at a board (I'm a teacher) it registers way more steps than a pedometer attached to your hip or a phone in your pocket.
I also note that when I'm sitting at my desk, flipping pages of an article or assignment will register steps too ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had two Nike Fuelbands, and believe you need to look at any wrist device like they do. They all give you "points", whether they call them Fuel or steps, etc. Just establish a baseline and improve from there. I put my hands on my knee during biking at the gym, and get points this way, and don't worry that the elliptical is not real steps either, and I use the poles on this machine instead of keeping my hands stationary on the smaller arm rest handles. Improvement is the key. I lost 88 lbs. this year and credit my Gear 2 very much in helping me push my goals daily. I have it set still at 11000, but today got 16,000 points for example. Have fun with it. I am loving the new Gear S too.
True. If you use it to establish a baseline and set goals, it should be a good way to motivate yourself and improve.
I just laugh when it says I've 8,000 steps and I know if just sat on my ass in the office and car all day
richlum said:
The problem with a pedometer on your wrist is that it will register steps just from the movement of you hand. If you are like me and move your hands a lot when you speak, or point a lot at a board (I'm a teacher) it registers way more steps than a pedometer attached to your hip or a phone in your pocket.
I also note that when I'm sitting at my desk, flipping pages of an article or assignment will register steps too ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have never gotten that to work flipping pages.
Go through a normal day and see the number steps you get. Then set your goal higher than that. Nothing will be perfect, but that gets "you" moving more, and isn't that the goal?
---------- Post added at 08:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:22 AM ----------
highlordkram said:
I had two Nike Fuelbands, and believe you need to look at any wrist device like they do. They all give you "points", whether they call them Fuel or steps, etc. Just establish a baseline and improve from there. I put my hands on my knee during biking at the gym, and get points this way, and don't worry that the elliptical is not real steps either, and I use the poles on this machine instead of keeping my hands stationary on the smaller arm rest handles. Improvement is the key. I lost 88 lbs. this year and credit my Gear 2 very much in helping me push my goals daily. I have it set still at 11000, but today got 16,000 points for example. Have fun with it. I am loving the new Gear S too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats! [emoji2]
1) Does it have Nike+ app already?
2) Has anybody used any semi pro watch in the past? Forerunner, ambit? Just wondering how Gear S compared to those devices.
Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
Yes it has a Nike+
And most pedometer not professional.
I have a Garmin GPS watch. I can compare them together if you want
@NeatSheep
NeatSheep said:
Yes it has a Nike+
And most pedometer not professional.
I have a Garmin GPS watch. I can compare them together if you want
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have many questions.. if you can answer - that's nice. I have experience with Garmin Forerunner 620 and Endomondo mobile app. Both suites me fine. And I just want to know if Gear S can replace them.
1) How often would you need to charge it if you would do 1 hour running every second day?
2) Is heartbeat recorded during the running or after the run? Is HB recorded by Nike+ app?
3) Can Nike+ app:
- Show average pace of the last kilometer? (after each km)
- Vibrate or in any other way inform every 1km?
4) In one of the videos I've seen Endomondo icon in Gear S. Have you tried it?
- Can Gear S+Endomondo work without!! the phone? That would be ideal solution for me.
- That stuff Endomondo records during workout? GPS coordinates? Heart rate?
Ok lets see. First i have garmin forerunner 910xt and i stopped using it and replaced it with gear s.
1. I charge my gear s sometimes every 2 days and the fact that the charger has a battery is good for me because sometimes i change it on the way to work.
2. I didnt run with the watch but walked really fast and it kept recording my heart rate during that time.
3. Nike+ works without phone after setup(UPDATE )************
4. Endomondo don't work without the phone
@NeatSheep
If Even Nike+ can't work without a phone - that's a no go for me
Does that mean that only Samsung fitness apps can utilize the mobility and GPS of Gear S?
Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk
NeatSheep said:
Ok lets see. First i have garmin forerunner 910xt and i stopped using it and replaced it with gear s.
1. I charge my gear s sometimes every 2 days and the fact that the charger has a battery is good for me because sometimes i change it on the way to work.
2. I didnt run with the watch but walked really fast and it kept recording my heart rate during that time.
3. and 4. Endomondo and nike+ don't work without the phone
@NeatSheep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you getting away with charging every 2 days? When i use the gear s for my runs it needs a charge every 11 hours.
Ninja, how long are your runs?
Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

Daily Life with the Gear S

After having the Gear S for over a week, I have to admit that I am appreciating the convenience it offers in my daily life. Let me start off by saying that I have been using a Pebble smartwatch up until I got the Gear S. Although the Pebble is great for what it is, I believe that the Gear S has done more to make my day easier.
Battery life is nowhere near the Pebble, but that was to be expected. On average, it is possible for me to go without a charge for 2.5 days. More often, I do fall in the 2 day range. Some of you are probably wondering how I achieved this. The trick is to connect it to your phone via bluetooth for most of your day. I noticed that if I do not connect the Gear S to my phone, battery life drops quickly. At the end of a work day, if my Gear S is not connected to my phone, I am usually left with 41% by the time I go to sleep. However, if my Gear S is connected to my phone for a majority of the day, I am usually left with about 70% throughout the day. When I'm sleeping, I turn on airplane mode to save more battery. Remember, your charging dock can act as a portable charger since there is a battery inside of it. You should take the charging dock with you if you are a heavy user. I would not call myself a heavy user. I accept several calls on the Gear S, approximately 20 text messages, and my email notifications are sent to the watch. I would call myself an average user.
There are also some other settings that I have to maximize battery life. I turned off GPS, motions, and wifi. Bluetooth is always on and data is setup to automatically connect. My screen brightness is setup to automatically adjust. All of my notifications are vibration only. I work in an environment that does not allow ringtones to go off. I haven't had the chance to test how my battery life would be if I setup my notifications to use sound instead.
The Gear S is convenient to me because it allows me to stay in touch without carrying a device that fills my entire pocket. This is especially true if you have kids. If you watch your kids all day, there will be many times when your hands are full. It has been much easier to accept calls using the Gear S instead of reaching for my phone.
Since the Gear S is water resistant, I was also able to take my family to the beach and not worry about damaging the Gear S. Usually when I'm at the beach, I have to worry about my Note 3 due to the sand. Because of the Gear S, I can leave my phone somewhere safe such as the car or at home.
Exercise is another activity where the Gear S really shines. The main reason why I take my phone with me while I'm out jogging/running is so my family can contact me. With the Gear S, I have less weight to carry. With a phone in my pocket, the phone always bounces around and I have to be careful about how fast I run so my phone will not fall out. This was when I really decided that the Gear S will be replacing my Pebble. The pebble is a champ when it comes to battery life, but I still had to carry an additional device when I'm out running.
I also notice that because of the limited features of the Gear S, I seem more involved with my co-workers and family. Before having the Gear S, I would always be looking at my phone during social gatherings. Now that I leave my phone at home, I can focus more on the people around me while staying in touch.
Another feature that I use often is the sound detector on my phone. I have my sound detector setup to send notifications to my Gear S when my newborn is crying. I'm shocked that this actually worked.
One of the biggest downsides of the Gear S is that I cannot use Google Now. I'm a rather heavy user when it comes to Google Now. Although I cannot use Google Now on the Gear S, I can still get notifications from Google Now such as traffic updates, weather updates, reminders, etc. Another issue is the keyboard. I can easily type using the keyboard. For me, the best way to use the keyboard is to use swype. The short comings of the keyboard present itself when I try to enter a word with only two letters such as "at" or "by". It always detects either the first or last letter. I'm getting better at typing such words, but it is still an issue.
Overall, depending on how your daily life is, this device may serve a purpose for you. At first glance I was not fond of the screen size. The curved screen definitely helps keep the watch comfortable to use. Don't be intimidated by the larger screen. I'm 5' 4". Needless to say, I am very short. It is a big watch, but when comparing it to my old analog watch, they were about the same size and thickness. Not a big leap to me in terms of size. My advice is to try it for a few days. Most carriers will let you return the watch if you don't want it. I was a fan of the Pebble because it does its job well. I think the Pebble still does a better job with notifications than the Gear S, but like I said earlier, the Gear S offers more to make my day easier.
I pretty much agree with everything you say, and would add that my Gear S tracks my exercise, especially my runs: I now know distance, speed, heart rate, etc. without having to run with my Note 2, which does nit fit in any of my pockets, and required a waistpack (very sexy).
As stupid as it sounds, I also appreciate the hourly reminders that I need to move! My work is sedentary.
Appreciate your review, and the fitness and telecommunication functions are really the strengths of the Gear S.
Just something funny I noticed: if the limited functions of an electronic device is forcing you to be more involved with family/friends/coworkers, then it is not doing its job ?
I changed my keyboard to one of the compact keyboards. That seems to work the best for me on text input.
I agree with your review as well. Just the convenience of feeling like I'm reachable without having to be so "concerned" about where my phone is makes life so much better. My kids can reach me any where, and given that my oldest is a new driver, that is extra important to me. The girls almost always call me when I am at the barn with the horses. So nice to be able to answer their call and still have both hands free to handle my 1200lb animals.
I agree with pretty much everything said here; including the limitations of Google services. I've been a big fan of a lot of the Google services the last few years especially Google Now. THough I am able to receive Google Now notifications, I can't do a Google search like I can on my phone. I get a Google Now notification for weather or traffic every 5 minutes. This is not only redundant, annoying and unnecessary, it is also a battery killer, so I turned that off.
The only other thing I wish it could do is respond to Google Hangouts. My wife and I have been very heavy Hangouts users the last couple years since we can message each other on our computers at home or work and switch seamlessly between our computers, phones and tablets. With the watch, I can read her incoming messages, but I can't respond to them until I am able to get my phone out or get back to my desk. I am hoping that Samsung or a third party implements this very soon. There actually is a Gear app that supposedly does this, but it cost me $1.49 and I couldn't get it to work.
This is my first smart watch. I was going to get the Moto 360 or the LG G Watch R before the Gear S came out. Therefore, I have no hands-on experience with any other watch, I think if some of the Google services could be implemented into the Gear S, it would be the best smartwatch on the scene. All I think it needs is Google search and the ability to respond to Google messages (Gmail and Hangouts).
This app works just right for hangouts. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pacosal.gear.notificationsgears
NinjaMom said:
This app works just right for hangouts. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pacosal.gear.notificationsgears
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the app I used. It was $1.49 four days ago. Does it work better now than it did last week? I noticed the rating is higher than it was when I first got it as well. I would be happy to pay for it, if it works, but I just ran out of time and patience.
It must. I have no problems replying to hangout messages.
Thanks. Maybe I'll try it again.
Been using this also, had maybe 2 recent updates to the app. It's not perfect but works 95% of the time for me using voice dictation to reply to wharsapp messages etc. Worth the money.
Sent from my SM-T320 using Tapatalk
thanks for the info about that app. I just got it myself. I was looking for a way to reply to hangouts also as I will be changing over to my google voice number as my main number. I wanted to still be able to replay to hangout messages. Thanks for this
Can the Gear S stream from some music streaming app to a pair of bluetooth headphones without your phone? I would find this really handy at the gym.
NVM. Found the thread addressing this.
tjl_48 said:
Can the Gear S stream from some music streaming app to a pair of bluetooth headphones without your phone? I would find this really handy at the gym.
NVM. Found the thread addressing this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Without a phone, You can store music on the Gear S and connect bluetooth headphones. You can also stream Milk music from the Gear S with the Gear S version of Milk music installed.
With your phone connected, you can control the music or podcast on the phone from the Gear S when they are connected via bluetooth.
Since the Gear S has it's own number from what I've read is there anyway to link it with my primary number?
alhadee12 said:
Since the Gear S has it's own number from what I've read is there anyway to link it with my primary number?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what you mean by "link it with my primary number."
When your phone and watch are in range they are connected via bluetooth, so any calls notifications, etc, will be from the phone over bluetooth. When they get out of range, the phone will automatically forward your calls to the Gear S. If you turn off call forwarding and bluetooth, the Gear S can act as a completely independent device with it's own phone number.
The Gear S also has Wifi connectivity and all of these connections can be turned on or off and configured differently in settings.
I'm still trying to figure out how it all works together and how to make it do what I want. SOmetimes it will not do what I think it should and I can't figure out why. For the most part all of this is automatic and it all works pretty well, though.
MrAwesome75 said:
I don't know what you mean by "link it with my primary number."
When your phone and watch are in range they are connected via bluetooth, so any calls notifications, etc, will be from the phone over bluetooth. When they get out of range, the phone will automatically forward your calls to the Gear S. If you turn off call forwarding and bluetooth, the Gear S can act as a completely independent device with it's own phone number.
The Gear S also has Wifi connectivity and all of these connections can be turned on or off and configured differently in settings.
I'm still trying to figure out how it all works together and how to make it do what I want. SOmetimes it will not do what I think it should and I can't figure out why. For the most part all of this is automatic and it all works pretty well, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I meant by "link", will it use the phone number of my phone. I've come to learn some of the things you stated. It uses my phone line when connected via Bluetooth. Once it's put of range it uses its assigned phone number.
It will always use your phone's number as long as they are connected via bluetooth. When they get out of range the phone will forward to the watch. So incoming calls and texts to the phone will be forwarded to the watch as well. I haven't thoroughly tested this yet, but I believe in that case sending texts or making calls from the watch will show they are from the watch number and not the phone.
It's hard for me to test this and as far as my understanding of forwarding, that seems to make sense since forwarding only works in one direction. This is why I am trying to figure out how to get Google voice working on the watch. Because it has the potential (in theory) to make all calls and texts between all devices seamless. But so far Google voice doesn't seem to work on the watch at all.
MrAwesome75 said:
It will always use your phone's number as long as they are connected via bluetooth. When they get out of range the phone will forward to the watch. So incoming calls and texts to the phone will be forwarded to the watch as well. I haven't thoroughly tested this yet, but I believe in that case sending texts or making calls from the watch will show they are from the watch number and not the phone.
It's hard for me to test this and as far as my understanding of forwarding, that seems to make sense since forwarding only works in one direction. This is why I am trying to figure out how to get Google voice working on the watch. Because it has the potential (in theory) to make all calls and texts between all devices seamless. But so far Google voice doesn't seem to work on the watch at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google Voice works great with my Gear S. Incoming and outgoing calls and texts.
If you want to know how, I explained it in a thread on Android Central.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=461234
jlczl said:
Google Voice works great with my Gear S. Incoming and outgoing calls and texts.
If you want to know how, I explained it in a thread on Android Central.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=461234
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your response. I did read your post about Google Voice. It was hard to fully understand. I did everything you're supposed to do (I think). It still doesn't work for me.
nguyen4514 said:
After having the Gear S for over a week, I have to admit that I am appreciating the convenience it offers in my daily life. Let me start off by saying that I have been using a Pebble smartwatch up until I got the Gear S. Although the Pebble is great for what it is, I believe that the Gear S has done more to make my day easier.
Battery life is nowhere near the Pebble, but that was to be expected. On average, it is possible for me to go without a charge for 2.5 days. More often, I do fall in the 2 day range. Some of you are probably wondering how I achieved this. The trick is to connect it to your phone via bluetooth for most of your day. I noticed that if I do not connect the Gear S to my phone, battery life drops quickly. At the end of a work day, if my Gear S is not connected to my phone, I am usually left with 41% by the time I go to sleep. However, if my Gear S is connected to my phone for a majority of the day, I am usually left with about 70% throughout the day. When I'm sleeping, I turn on airplane mode to save more battery. Remember, your charging dock can act as a portable charger since there is a battery inside of it. You should take the charging dock with you if you are a heavy user. I would not call myself a heavy user. I accept several calls on the Gear S, approximately 20 text messages, and my email notifications are sent to the watch. I would call myself an average user.
There are also some other settings that I have to maximize battery life. I turned off GPS, motions, and wifi. Bluetooth is always on and data is setup to automatically connect. My screen brightness is setup to automatically adjust. All of my notifications are vibration only. I work in an environment that does not allow ringtones to go off. I haven't had the chance to test how my battery life would be if I setup my notifications to use sound instead.
The Gear S is convenient to me because it allows me to stay in touch without carrying a device that fills my entire pocket. This is especially true if you have kids. If you watch your kids all day, there will be many times when your hands are full. It has been much easier to accept calls using the Gear S instead of reaching for my phone.
Since the Gear S is water resistant, I was also able to take my family to the beach and not worry about damaging the Gear S. Usually when I'm at the beach, I have to worry about my Note 3 due to the sand. Because of the Gear S, I can leave my phone somewhere safe such as the car or at home.
Exercise is another activity where the Gear S really shines. The main reason why I take my phone with me while I'm out jogging/running is so my family can contact me. With the Gear S, I have less weight to carry. With a phone in my pocket, the phone always bounces around and I have to be careful about how fast I run so my phone will not fall out. This was when I really decided that the Gear S will be replacing my Pebble. The pebble is a champ when it comes to battery life, but I still had to carry an additional device when I'm out running.
I also notice that because of the limited features of the Gear S, I seem more involved with my co-workers and family. Before having the Gear S, I would always be looking at my phone during social gatherings. Now that I leave my phone at home, I can focus more on the people around me while staying in touch.
Another feature that I use often is the sound detector on my phone. I have my sound detector setup to send notifications to my Gear S when my newborn is crying. I'm shocked that this actually worked.
One of the biggest downsides of the Gear S is that I cannot use Google Now. I'm a rather heavy user when it comes to Google Now. Although I cannot use Google Now on the Gear S, I can still get notifications from Google Now such as traffic updates, weather updates, reminders, etc. Another issue is the keyboard. I can easily type using the keyboard. For me, the best way to use the keyboard is to use swype. The short comings of the keyboard present itself when I try to enter a word with only two letters such as "at" or "by". It always detects either the first or last letter. I'm getting better at typing such words, but it is still an issue.
Overall, depending on how your daily life is, this device may serve a purpose for you. At first glance I was not fond of the screen size. The curved screen definitely helps keep the watch comfortable to use. Don't be intimidated by the larger screen. I'm 5' 4". Needless to say, I am very short. It is a big watch, but when comparing it to my old analog watch, they were about the same size and thickness. Not a big leap to me in terms of size. My advice is to try it for a few days. Most carriers will let you return the watch if you don't want it. I was a fan of the Pebble because it does its job well. I think the Pebble still does a better job with notifications than the Gear S, but like I said earlier, the Gear S offers more to make my day easier.
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Hello
What app do you use call sound detector?
Thanks

Cardio exercise mode?

Last night I tried to use the Gear Fit for the very reason I bought it... to track my heart rate and calories burned during exercise. This is where I found my first real frustration with the device. I don't run or cycle. I do walk and hike on occasion but not really for exercise, just for fun.
When I exercise I do cardio in my house. I have tried and tried to see if there is a way to track this on the fit, either with just choosing another exercise or by adding a custom exercise. Problem is, if you choose one of the preset choices, it will not track what you are doing (even through it tracks heart rate). It will tell you that you have gone 0 distance and burned 0 calories. I just happened to be wearing my Polar also, so at least I got my readings from that, but I would love to move to using the fit only.
Has anyone found a way to track cardio? If not, this has to be a major oversight on samsung's part. I can't be the only person that wants to track exercise this way.
I'm afraid the GF was designed to be paired to a phone. It acts as a remote for data and control.
I've been using sports trackers for a few years. Try Endomondo, it works seamlessly with your gear fit.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.endomondo.android
endomondo.com
It also supports bluetooth (polar) and Ant+ Heart Rate Monitors.
You can set the Gear fit to record your steps (pedometer) or walking/HR (Exercise>Walking) which it will record but you have a limited history detail and capacity. This needs to sync with Samsung S Health. I have removed S Health from my samsung phone as it is the worst piece of software I have come across.
Good luck
Thanks for the reply. I guess I forgot to mention that I have it paired with a Note 3. I'm just asking about tracking cardio only (HR & calories burned) without trying to choose another exercise and trying to make it work (it doesn't)
Hi
I had this same problem, if you go into the s health app on your mobile, go into more on the top right of your screen, then choose manage items from the list it will show all the trackers that you use, switch on the sports one & this will track your aerobic excercise, although it works through the wrist band you have to activate it from your mobile each time. Hopefully Samsung will get it added to the gear fit if we complain enough lol. Hope that was helpful.
@janet22 how do you get the gear fit to track sport once you've started the activity on the phone in s health?
u can either chose a different sport or sync it with s health

Smart Watch

Hey,
Curious as to if any one uses a smart watch with their Note 8, if so which one and how has the experience been?
jwat_10792 said:
Hey,
Curious as to if any one uses a smart watch with their Note 8, if so which one and how has the experience been?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had a Gear S3 Frontier for some months with my Note 7. What's different is the battery life, already good on the Frontier, is even better paired with the Note 8. Hoping an update will come exchanging SVoice for Bixby. SVoice sucks, I never use it. The watch is excellent if you have to attend a lot of meetings. Checking notifications doesn't disrupt anything or draw stares.
jwat_10792 said:
Hey,
Curious as to if any one uses a smart watch with their Note 8, if so which one and how has the experience been?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ticwatch 2 works great and looks the best imo than any other smartwatch
Old school motto 360 gen 2. Perfectly in sync. Battery life on either device is stellar in my daily use.
I use the Gear s3 - love it - they go perfectly together.
I use the Gear 2. The original Gear and the Gear 2 are the only ones able to take pictures using the device's builtin camera. It's the feature that I use all the time when traveling. You can still find them available.
350julio said:
Ticwatch 2 works great and looks the best imo than any other smartwatch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how's the battery life on the ticwatch 2? also can you reply to messages?
jwat_10792 said:
Hey,
Curious as to if any one uses a smart watch with their Note 8, if so which one and how has the experience been?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the Samsung Gear S3 LTE.
Its been great. I can't think of any negative experiences with it and it syncs flawlessly with S-Health.
krazieboy said:
how's the battery life on the ticwatch 2? also can you reply to messages?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's actually amazing even with the always on display you can get 2-3 full days out of it depending on how much you actually use it's features and yes you can with voice, you can also add quick replies and make phone calls through it's speaker
Gear S3 Frontier LTE
Using both Gear S2 Classic and Huawei Watch with Note 8. Both work fine.
I have the gear s3 paired with my s8 now, next week I am get the note. While almost the same phone. I would say it's a great to use.
What I love about my gear s3
1. I can pair the watch to the phone and my Bluetooth headphones to the watch. This way i can control my songs off my s3.
2. Heart rate. Having high blood pressure I like to see my heart rate. It looks weird at work or social events taking out the phone and placing my finger on the back of the phone. With the watch I press a button and it reads it.
3. Watch faces! I love I can change the look of the watch. It's such a great thing. It's like owning a hundred different kind of watches.
4. Watch bands. I can change the look on the fly. It takes seconds to change bands.
5. Battery life is double edge sword. The phone does discharge a little more due the Bluetooth, but using the watch to check time, read messages and other good things also helps the phone battery.
6. For work it's a great thing. You can ignore calls without taking out ur phone. See messages and reply without getting in trouble.
The bad.
1. The cost of these watches is high.
2. Battery life on the watches are not that great as they say. I mean yes it can hold a charge for about two days which means less charging. With me I notice I have a whole day and the next day I need to charge it midday. Kind of piss me off. give me two days of 12 to 14 hours. I do not want to charge it at night when it's 60 to 70%
3. The looks you get talking to your watch lol. Might not be bad sometimes lol.
4. I wish more apps are available. Samsung messed up. They should of made it andriod based .
Pebble Round. Older watch but still one of the thinnest smart watches I have owned. Very basic for notification and etc came from a S2 Classic. Considered the S3 Frontier but I lucked out on eBay with this watch.
My only gripe is the persistent notification that you cant clear from the gear manger, and it shows on the lock screen too. ugh
jwat_10792 said:
Hey,
Curious as to if any one uses a smart watch with their Note 8, if so which one and how has the experience been?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the original LG Urbane as well as the Gear S2 classic and love them both with my Note 8.
I use the original Huawei Watch and it's been great so far. Very nice looking watch too.
+1 for the Gear S3 LTE, although I never actually use the LTE portion.
fschambe said:
+1 for the Gear S3 LTE, although I never actually use the LTE portion.
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Click to collapse
+1 for Frontier LTE. Got an update for the tizen software a few weeks ago, and while paired, battery life dramatically decreases. Other than that, great pair.
gear S watch with curved rectangular screen. It may be 3 years old but works like a champ and constantly get complements.
Ian B
+1 Gear S
Works great for calls while working with hands (main feature i use it for).
And +1 constant compliments...i love the real estate the screen has.
Sent from my God Mode 8

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