Few Questions - Asus ZenWatch 2

Hello
Looking at purchasing my first ever Smart watch and the reviews of the Asus ZenWatch 2 seem pretty good.
Just have a few questions:
1) Does the watch need to be connected to my phone in order to work, or can you use Wifi on it?
2) If you connect via BlueTooth, will this also allow me to access the internet and make calls/texts using my voice?
3) How much would the BlueTooth train my phones battery?
Cheers

oxfordmark said:
Hello
Looking at purchasing my first ever Smart watch and the reviews of the Asus ZenWatch 2 seem pretty good.
Just have a few questions:
1) Does the watch need to be connected to my phone in order to work, or can you use Wifi on it?
2) If you connect via BlueTooth, will this also allow me to access the internet and make calls/texts using my voice?
3) How much would the BlueTooth train my phones battery?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine at Christmas, and for one of the cheapest watches available in happy with it so far
1. Technically you can use it just on WiFi, but I seem to have problems with most features when only on WiFi. Voice recognition in particular, might just be my slow Internet connection at home but not sure.
2.Bluetooth to your phone will allow all features so you can definitely call and text using your voice.
3. I haven't noticed an obvious difference in battery life!
Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

I"ve ordered mine 2 months ago (the smaller version)
and I've noticed extra battery drain
haven't tried to use it on wifi alone

Related

Just received C3 serial Prime

Just received a new Prime today, serial is C3, I have not had time to do any extensive testing but I am pissed off to find dead pixels and white pixels so I guess ill be returning the unit until I get one with no damn spot on it, the lightbleeding the GPS doesnt bother me but dammit the dots are irritating!
I do not know if anyone else has a C3 model yet so before I return it in a few days please feel free to ask me any questions to compare it with the other models.
I had a C1 before.
Cheers!
How's the wifi?
David522d said:
How's the wifi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well in never had any real problems with it with my last unit but its fine right now no dropping or whatever.
Am gonna try go outside and see how far the signal can go and the strength and so on.
+1 on wifi check.
Depending on what type of internet connection you have but still, does it sseem to be better than your previous Prime ?
can you check wifi with streaming bluetooth?
I did not know there were different models. I got mine few days ago and it's C3.
I see that most people complain about wifi - it works fine for me, it has better range than my Galaxy S.
It has newest firmware in - dated 20-Feb I think. It rebooted itself twice for no reason, but apart from that everything works smoothly.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA
I'm on my 3rd first had dead pixels and white spot (LCD mura) and 2nd had mura too. This or is fiber. All C2 serial..
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium HD app
That's pathetic that threads reporting problems with the Prime get low rating. I guess some people are trying really hard to hide the problems with the Prime.
Techie2012 said:
That's pathetic that threads reporting problems with the Prime get low rating. I guess some people are trying really hard to hide the problems with the Prime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now now.. Change that to "some of the primes"!
Techie2012 said:
That's pathetic that threads reporting problems with the Prime get low rating. I guess some people are trying really hard to hide the problems with the Prime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm happy with my prime purely for the fact that i got sick and tired of waiting for a decently powered android tablet, and the prime fits the bill in practically all areas apart from the for mentioned problems already discussed i.e. gps, wifi, wifi + bluetooth etc etc.........
usb to ethernet
-This was always a preference for me as i don't like leaving on my wifi for extended periods of time, just gotta wait till someone figures out how to hook the adapter to the tablet directly.
Saying that i like the fact that when i need wifi, i can log onto my router using the prime and turn it on and then remove the tablet from the dock, then, when im finished with the wifi, i turn it off, dock the tablet, and let it connect over ethernet automatically.....very nice
GPS
Waiting for someone to figure out how to allow apps to use my phones gps over bluetooth
or better still, gps over usb, to preserve battery
Saying that, i feel the same disgust as you my friend, were not apple fanbois fellas, stop acting like em.......if there are issues with the prime, ignoring them wont fix em, and what message will that send to asus..........."its alright guys, your next product is allowed to have defects"..............i don't thinks so
I got my C3 a couple of days ago. Other than the GPS that I knew was not going to work very well inside, if at all, its been working fine. It does work good outside though. Wifi is as good as any other devices I have on my network and range is the same as other devices. I haven't however tested it while using Bluetooth at the same time since I don't really use it that way.
As far as the screen I have no dead pixels and only the slightest light bleed at the top just below the camera. I didn't even notice it until I used the app for checking the screen for dead pixels. It is so small that I not sure I want to return it for another because like I said I don't even see under normal use.
I must say I was a little apprehensive about buying it because of all the threads here with some of the problems some of these have. Add in the fact there were none anywhere near me that I could play with first hand to see if I even would like the little thing it was a big leap of blind faith for me. But it was also the threads with the many happy would buy it again owners that conived me to go ahead buy it and I'm glad I did.
In short I'm happy with it. A buddy and I compared his new iPad(3) with my TP and the first words out of his mouth was WOW that is nice. There was also another iPad2 owner next to me and he was impressed with it too. This was in a place that has always had crappy wifi and I still managed to latch on to it.
I even applied my first hack to it yesterday the black hack for Notifications which really looks nice I think.
fasthair
banderos101 said:
GPS
Waiting for someone to figure out how to allow apps to use my phones gps over bluetooth
or better still, gps over usb, to preserve battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install "Bluetooth GPS" on your Prime, and enable the "Allow Mock Locations" Setting.
Install "GPS 2 Bluetooth" on your phone.
Pair your prime and phone via Bluetooth
Enable GPS and Bluetooth on your phone, and put the GPS 2 Bluetooth widget on a homescreen. Tap the widget to turn it on.
Enable Bluetooth on your prime, and open Bluetooth GPS and connect to your phone in the app (This app also has a widget to turn it on and off at a single click).
Voila!
This was not meant to be nor is it a 'trash the Prime thread' this was meant to be informative.
This has been working great for me so far... TF201+SGS
m3t4lw01f said:
Install "Bluetooth GPS" on your Prime, and enable the "Allow Mock Locations" Setting.
Install "GPS 2 Bluetooth" on your phone.
Pair your prime and phone via Bluetooth
Enable GPS and Bluetooth on your phone, and put the GPS 2 Bluetooth widget on a homescreen. Tap the widget to turn it on.
Enable Bluetooth on your prime, and open Bluetooth GPS and connect to your phone in the app (This app also has a widget to turn it on and off at a single click).
Voila!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is WiFi+Bluetooth working together, headset, speakers, streaming..?
C3 should have all the updates for hw that solve the isse, I hope.
m3t4lw01f said:
Install "Bluetooth GPS" on your Prime, and enable the "Allow Mock Locations" Setting.
Install "GPS 2 Bluetooth" on your phone.
Pair your prime and phone via Bluetooth
Enable GPS and Bluetooth on your phone, and put the GPS 2 Bluetooth widget on a homescreen. Tap the widget to turn it on.
Enable Bluetooth on your prime, and open Bluetooth GPS and connect to your phone in the app (This app also has a widget to turn it on and off at a single click).
Voila!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already tried that, managed to get it connected and everything, but when i open google maps and click my location, nada............i just assumed that apps werent set up to use an external gps source!!
am i right in thinking that yours does work in google maps?
regardless, thanks for the help
Can I ask the OP where this unit was bought from??
Cheers,
M
banderos101 said:
Already tried that, managed to get it connected and everything, but when i open google maps and click my location, nada............i just assumed that apps werent set up to use an external gps source!!
am i right in thinking that yours does work in google maps?
regardless, thanks for the help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine works fine, yes. Perhaps you need to disable gps on the Prime. Maybe it's getting confused?
I've also used "bluetooth gps mouse" (do a market search, there's a free version to see if it works for you) on the prime and an app called Bluetooth GPS Output on the phone. Maybe just need a different combination of software to get it working?
Oh, also, you need to enable the "Enable Mock GPS Provider" setting in Bluetooth GPS on the Prime. Otherwise it won't work at all.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
mark.m.moran said:
Can I ask the OP where this unit was bought from??
Cheers,
M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought mine from cdon.no, I'm in Norway
mark.m.moran said:
Can I ask the OP where this unit was bought from??
Cheers,
M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add... I ordered mine online from Staples. Had it the next day with free shipping
fasthair

Gear S GPS Does Not work when not connected to phone ??

[UPDATE 20141115] I tried GPS again from my last update, and I'm happy to report that it works for the S-Health app at least, and I can see my route etc even when the phone is not bluetooth connected. I don't know why it doesn't work for Here though. ROM is BNJC, Malaysia.
[UPDATE 20141108] So it looks like my unit, and some of those from Malaysia have a problem. Time for service center visit. I'll try to update on this.
Thanks to all who the new owners who have posted.
Hi all,
As I reported in my 2 reviews, I found that the GPS does not work when it is not connected via bluetooth to the phone. I asked members from my home forum to test it out, and 2 reported the same thing.
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3392810&view=findpost&p=71238465
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3392810&view=findpost&p=71239757
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3392810&view=findpost&p=71241325
I have a 3G SIM in my phone, and it shows Connected Remotely on both the Gear S and my Note 4. GPS DOES NOT WORK.
I checked the manual, downloaded from here:
http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/mobile-devices/wearables/gear/SM-R7500ZKABTU
or direct link:
http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.c...93/SM-R750_UM_EU_Tizen_Eng_Rev.1.0_140926.pdf
Below lists all the pages I found which describe usage of the GPS. None of them state that the Gear S cannot perform a lock when it is not connected via bluetooth to your phone.
Can any XDA members test this out to confirm ?
If so, this is a serious omission on the part of Samsung on the fitness for purpose of this device, and they are marketing this without stating the facts or limitations.
Your comments are welcome.
On page 55, it says
The Gear’s GPS feature is used to check information, such as altitude and speed,
when you are cycling or hiking. When the Gear and the mobile device are
connected, the Gear uses the mobile device’s GPS feature. To use the mobile
device’s GPS feature on the Gear, the devices must be connected via Bluetooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It DOES NOT SAY that you MUST be paired to use the Gear S' GPS.
Page 64 & 65 describes the Navigator or HERE app. It makes no mention of the GPS.
Page 68 describes the Weather app
When the Gear is not connected to the mobile device via Bluetooth, the Gear updates
the weather information using the Gear’s GPS feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Page 75 describes the Location checkbox in Settings
Set the Gear to allow apps to use your current location information.
On the Settings screen, tap Connections and tick Location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm that it works WITHOUT a paired phone. I paired it last week with a Galaxy Alpha in a store (because it doesn't work with my Tab S so far ) and then I went a few miles and opened "Here for gear" - after a few seconds (you have to be outside) I had a GPS fix. It also worked today when I tested it with Nike+, which requires a GPS signal.
Cyman said:
I can confirm that it works WITHOUT a paired phone. I paired it last week with a Galaxy Alpha in a store (because it doesn't work with my Tab S so far ) and then I went a few miles and opened "Here for gear" - after a few seconds (you have to be outside) I had a GPS fix. It also worked today when I tested it with Nike+, which requires a GPS signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is very strange. Maybe we need more people around the world to test.
I am in Malaysia.
I have a pre-order in the UK that should dispatch on Friday - Once I have it I will try it out. Anyone have one in the UK yet?
Cyman said:
It also worked today when I tested it with Nike+, which requires a GPS signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cyman, would you please test the battery life using the Gear S with GPS/Nike+ while listening to music via Bluetooth while not connected to a phone (i.e. as a standalone device)?
Thanks!
Battery test
craigkahn said:
Cyman, would you please test the battery life using the Gear S with GPS/Nike+ while listening to music via Bluetooth while not connected to a phone (i.e. as a standalone device)?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As expected, the battery runs down fast. I went on running with around 50% of battery - I went for about 40 minutes and listened to music via bluetooth. In the end I had around 10% left. So I assume, you can run approx 2 hours with battery fully loaded.
Cyman said:
As expected, the battery runs down fast. I went on running with around 50% of battery - I went for about 40 minutes and listened to music via bluetooth. In the end I had around 10% left. So I assume, you can run approx 2 hours with battery fully loaded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for checking. It's unfortunate that Samsung decided to put such a small battery in the Gear S.
Cyman said:
As expected, the battery runs down fast. I went on running with around 50% of battery - I went for about 40 minutes and listened to music via bluetooth. In the end I had around 10% left. So I assume, you can run approx 2 hours with battery fully loaded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on my initial usage, I made the same estimate for GPS use. Thanks for confirming.
I guess you were running without the paired phone?
craigkahn said:
Thanks for checking. It's unfortunate that Samsung decided to put such a small battery in the Gear S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The last part of the manual surprisingly shows disassembly instructions. Based on the diagram, Samsung has put in the largest possible battery based on current technology. Any larger and the Gear S would be actually ugly.
UPDATE:
Another report that the GPS is not working when NOT paired via bluetooth to the phone
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3392810&view=findpost&p=71275502
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3392810&view=findpost&p=71278255
Is this some kind of regional allocation issue???
Yes I went running without a phone, connected to 3G. @joytest: Maybe you're on an old firmware. I've seen on sammobile, that there is a new one out for Malaysia...
I am on the latest BNJC firmware as of 3 days ago when I had to factory reset the Gear S when tethering to my Note 4.
Only thing to try is maybe uncheck the Location check box in Settings > Connections. I have always left it checked.
I want it to use the built-in GPS in the watch even if it IS connected via bluetooth to my phone. Because when I am in London, I find if the phone is in my pocket, the GPS reception is no good for navigation. Therefore if the GPS is in the watch I can still get guidance directions when my phone is in the pocket. So they should give you the option of which GPS is used!
Maybe because the Gear S has A-GPS and not GPS. From these links:
http://samsungmobileuspress.com/201...ables-Market,-Brings-Gear-S-to-U.S.-Next-Week
The Gear S is equipped with several sensors, including an accelerometer, UV sensor, barometer, heart rate monitor, GPS and an IP67 rating for dust- and water-resistance
Connectivity: A-GPS/Glonass
http://www.samsung.com/uk/news/loca...ear-s-enhancing-the-smart-wearable-experience
Connectivity: WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n, A-GPS/Glonass
Ok, now that we have that out of the way, if I know A-GPS like I think I do, it means that you need network connectivity. So I assume the people that have GPS working standalone is because they have a SIM card with a Data connection. The people that have their Gear S standalone where GPS doesn't work because you don't have a SIM with a Data connection.
I think Samsung pulled the wool over our eyes, but to me A-GPS is not the same as GPS. Technically any phone that takes a SIM card and has Data can have A-GPS without any special hardware. They are getting location triangulation from cell towers. This also means that it is not as accurate as true GPS. I think many will be disappointed about this news. Going to hide now.
segura.org said:
I think Samsung pulled the wool over our eyes, but to me A-GPS is not the same as GPS. Technically any phone that takes a SIM card and has Data can have A-GPS without any special hardware. They are getting location triangulation from cell towers. This also means that it is not as accurate as true GPS. I think many will be disappointed about this news. Going to hide now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A-GPS definitely isn't the same as GPS, but Glonass is, so it should work without a phone.
Toss3 said:
A-GPS definitely isn't the same as GPS, but Glonass is, so it should work without a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it should be quite accurate.
A-GPS + Glonass should make the accuracy much better - As long as we keep Putin happy and he doesn't turn off his satellites
segura.org said:
Maybe because the Gear S has A-GPS and not GPS. From these links:
http://samsungmobileuspress.com/201...ables-Market,-Brings-Gear-S-to-U.S.-Next-Week
The Gear S is equipped with several sensors, including an accelerometer, UV sensor, barometer, heart rate monitor, GPS and an IP67 rating for dust- and water-resistance
Connectivity: A-GPS/Glonass
http://www.samsung.com/uk/news/loca...ear-s-enhancing-the-smart-wearable-experience
Connectivity: WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n, A-GPS/Glonass
Ok, now that we have that out of the way, if I know A-GPS like I think I do, it means that you need network connectivity. So I assume the people that have GPS working standalone is because they have a SIM card with a Data connection. The people that have their Gear S standalone where GPS doesn't work because you don't have a SIM with a Data connection.
I think Samsung pulled the wool over our eyes, but to me A-GPS is not the same as GPS. Technically any phone that takes a SIM card and has Data can have A-GPS without any special hardware. They are getting location triangulation from cell towers. This also means that it is not as accurate as true GPS. I think many will be disappointed about this news. Going to hide now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does have full GPS according to
http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/mobile-devices/wearables/gear/SM-R7500ZWABTU
Scroll down to the specs and it just says "GPS/Glonass" not A-GPS
You are right that A-GPS is using positional information based on cell towers rather than satellites. It is often used to help GPS get a quicker lock as it helps the device get a rough idea of where it is, which then allows it go online, look-up which satellites should be orbiting and their coordinates. This means a lock can be reduced from 60 seconds down to 5.
I don't expect Samsung has done a naughty thing here, because the chip used for the radio these days incorporates all these things into a single module (i.e. Mobile radio, Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS etc)
Anyone else able to test the gps?
I got a report from my home forum that his gps works without a phone. This sounds like a problem.
I have tested with Location unchecked, it won't work. The app will ask to turn it on anyway.
I have a data SIM and it is also remotely connected via 3G to my Note4, therefore A-GPS should work in my case.
It seems like there is a batch with faulty GPS.
Once more people in XDA confirm I will bring it to the service center.
joytest said:
Anyone else able to test the gps?
I got a report from my home forum that his gps works without a phone. This sounds like a problem.
I have tested with Location unchecked, it won't work. The app will ask to turn it on anyway.
I have a data SIM and it is also remotely connected via 3G to my Note4, therefore A-GPS should work in my case.
It seems like there is a batch with faulty GPS.
Once more people in XDA confirm I will bring it to the service center.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should have the watch today if the courier does their job and I will report back on this.
jonstatt said:
I should have the watch today if the courier does their job and I will report back on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the watch and tried it. There is definitely real GPS built-in. I was able to use the Weather application while the phone was switched off, and it got a lock on where I was and gave me weather for my town. I also tried the "Here" map application with no phone connected and it came up with my street on the display. I also found you can download the maps offline and use the watch as a navigator without the phone at all, exactly as I would like to see. The one thing I haven't validated yet, but I am fairly sure will be the case, is that if the phone is connected, you don't get a choice whether it uses the phone GPS or the watch one.....we will see
jonstatt said:
I got the watch and tried it. There is definitely real GPS built-in. I was able to use the Weather application while the phone was switched off, and it got a lock on where I was and gave me weather for my town. I also tried the "Here" map application with no phone connected and it came up with my street on the display. I also found you can download the maps offline and use the watch as a navigator without the phone at all, exactly as I would like to see. The one thing I haven't validated yet, but I am fairly sure will be the case, is that if the phone is connected, you don't get a choice whether it uses the phone GPS or the watch one.....we will see
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Co-sign this. Did almost the same things. I got a lock with location as well.
Sent from my SM-T807P

Is it possible to use Gear S as wifi hotspot?

Hi! =)
I wonder if there is a way to use the Gear S as a wifi hotspot? I got a SIM card with monthly unlimited data traffic.
Thought it would be nice if one could mount it inside a Gear S, and share internet connection with all other devices around, just as if it was a wifi hotspot/wireless router.
So far, I have figured out a way to share the Wi-Fi. Samsung recently released an update that added the ability to modify the APNs. Which I was surprised happened...due to the rumors that the providers are working on taking over the watch/phone remote features. This is why the prices vary.... ATT wants ONLY ATT phones to work with ATT connected watches.
Right now, that's not the case. The remote notifications are handled by Samsung's servers.
Once we get root, a lot will change.
opiujn said:
Hi! =)
I wonder if there is a way to use the Gear S as a wifi hotspot? I got a SIM card with monthly unlimited data traffic.
Thought it would be nice if one could mount it inside a Gear S, and share internet connection with all other devices around, just as if it was a wifi hotspot/wireless router.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, there is no app or built in features like that. Even it could, the tiny battery inside can't sustain more than 10-minutes.
I'm on a family shared plan. All my phones can be used as wifi hotspot so I know how it works (or not working in case of the watch).
It's not possible/practical due to current state of tech - as mentioned already the battery life wouldn't work out. I'm looking forward to a time where my sole voice and data plan could be just on the watch and I could tether that to any devices as OP is describing.
Imagine your watch is always with you so the crucial communications is always there, but when you need a more comfortable form factor to consume and create you would take the small handset/tablet/laptop with you and the watch shares it's data with those devices. For voice you could use the headset or speakerphone from the watch the way it works now.
Samsung is on the right track for this, but due to the way they've mis-handled their entire Tizen watch platform, I don't have any confidence in them succeeding. I say this as one who owns and loves his Gear 2 Neo and laments that it's potential is held back by poor support and business decisions.
rEVOLVE said:
It's not possible/practical due to current state of tech - as mentioned already the battery life wouldn't work out. I'm looking forward to a time where my sole voice and data plan could be just on the watch and I could tether that to any devices as OP is describing.
Imagine your watch is always with you so the crucial communications is always there, but when you need a more comfortable form factor to consume and create you would take the small handset/tablet/laptop with you and the watch shares it's data with those devices. For voice you could use the headset or speakerphone from the watch the way it works now.
Samsung is on the right track for this, but due to the way they've mis-handled their entire Tizen watch platform, I don't have any confidence in them succeeding. I say this as one who owns and loves his Gear 2 Neo and laments that it's potential is held back by poor support and business decisions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks all of you guys, for your replies with thoughts and info on this! =)
Perhaps someone will one day manufacture a nice looking wristband/bracelet with inbuilt battery powerpack that connects to Gear, wearing it on arm next to the Gear S, that has enough mAh to supply it's hotspot. And someone makes a root hotspot app for it... or not, haha. Maybe not a good idea, but it would for sure be nice if it could be used as a wifi hotspot.
opiujn said:
Thanks all of you guys, for your replies with thoughts and info on this! =)
Perhaps someone will one day manufacture a nice looking wristband/bracelet with inbuilt battery powerpack that connects to Gear, wearing it on arm next to the Gear S, that has enough mAh to supply it's hotspot. And someone makes a root hotspot app for it... or not, haha. Maybe not a good idea, but it would for sure be nice if it could be used as a wifi hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember seeing a KS campaign for wearable battery packs. One of them was a wristband.
So, the idea exists...just a matter of time before they're going to make it to the mainstream market.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Hopefully Samsung will get together with Seiko at some point & throw some kinetic tech in these watches.. Combine that with something like powerfelt to take advantage of body heat, maybe some photovoltaic paint & we'll have decent battery life. Of course the watch will be pretty ridiculous looking, but I'll prob buy one anyway. Really we just need Elon Musk to start making cell phone batteries & we'll be all good.
opiujn said:
Thanks all of you guys, for your replies with thoughts and info on this! =)
Perhaps someone will one day manufacture a nice looking wristband/bracelet with inbuilt battery powerpack that connects to Gear, wearing it on arm next to the Gear S, that has enough mAh to supply it's hotspot. And someone makes a root hotspot app for it... or not, haha. Maybe not a good idea, but it would for sure be nice if it could be used as a wifi hotspot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sgnl Smartband is self powered with flexible batteries in the band and ability to make calls using your finger touched to your temple by your ear. Works on bone conduction using a Transducer instead of a speaker. You can use it as sort of a smartwatch with a standard watch. But the problem is that Sgnl being a sort of Skunkworks Project in Samsung's R&D Business Incubator and it seems they are so screwed up as a Kickstarter Project that they failed to launch multiple times and we're still waiting for devices to be shipped.
They are indeed using Samsung's newest flexible battery technology. Only because wiring issues it's in a hard stiff case. I tried a prototype on at a tech show and tested it as working. Now we just have to wait for them to ship. I'm not sure if they are including a wireless charger interface with the strap that could actually charge your Gear Smartwatch or not. But this is what I imagine a wrist battery would be like. No links allowed for me.... sorry!
So if they get active charging feature going and it's been requested as a feature in future models...... then you can keep it charging off the wristband batteries. They offer phone wireless charging interfaces on ebay. I would think they could be modified for use behind the back of the Gear Smartwatch with plug in to Sgnl Smartband. Running charging all the time would make capable of being a Wifi hotspot! ........but I wouldn't expect an App until Gear S3 gets rooted!

Gear S standalone location sharing

Hi to all!
I am using the Gear S as a standalone device (with it's own SIM card). It is remotely (through 3G wireless) connected to my Galaxy S4 mini which is setup with all accounts/apps I need for notifications.
I would very much love to have a way to share my location from the watch itself. Ideally I want to be able to find the watch through a web interface or even better an iOS app.
I know I can do it via the Gear Manager but it won't work for my needs, since the S4 mini is always at home (connected to my router).
I have seen the Glympse app exists for the Gear S and am going to give it a try later.
Any ideas?
Thank you very much in advance!
gidi said:
Hi to all!
I am using the Gear S as a standalone device (with it's own SIM card). It is remotely (through 3G wireless) connected to my Galaxy S4 mini which is setup with all accounts/apps I need for notifications.
I would very much love to have a way to share my location from the watch itself. Ideally I want to be able to find the watch through a web interface or even better an iOS app.
I know I can do it via the Gear Manager but it won't work for my needs, since the S4 mini is always at home (connected to my router).
I have seen the Glympse app exists for the Gear S and am going to give it a try later.
Any ideas?
Thank you very much in advance!
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Bump!
question
how long does your battery last as a stand alone? im thinking of buying one.
vanpride64 said:
how long does your battery last as a stand alone? im thinking of buying one.
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You are in luck. First test was yesterday.
Standalone mode with 3G data ON, always paired to BT headset, Remote Connection ON, wake up gesture ON.
Everything else was OFF.
The battery died after about 7 hours.
In the meantime, i received quite a lot of notifications and saw them on the watch and also had about five short phonecalls (total time less than 8 mins).
Battery life is not good of course, but i suspect turning off data will have a huge impact.
Also a custom ROM with a CPU policy would help, if only on existed!!
Nevertheless, you have to remind yourself this is still a watch. So much crammed functionality eats the battery like crazy.
The feeling of not carrying a phone and still being (somewhat) connected though is priceless.

Micro USB to HDMI cable ?

I've been toying with the idea of getting a micro USB cable with the other end being an HDMI to connect to my computer monitor or TV for easy plug and play. I see there are several versions of cables. Some have 2 ends (Micro/HDMI), while others have 3 ends (Micro/USB/HDMI). I presume the 3 end with the USB is for charging.
Does anyone currently use one for the Nexus 6 that is working that they recommend ? Does it matter if I buy one without the USB end ? Thanks
Sadly, the Nexus 6 does not support HDMI out. Those cables you've come across are for other devices.
To answer your question: often, the ones with three ends need to be plugged into a USB charger to work because there is circuitry requiring power inside the cable - in my experience, these cables do not charge the phone despite requiring the power brick.
etherfish said:
Sadly, the Nexus 6 does not support HDMI out. Those cables you've come across are for other devices.
To answer your question: often, the ones with three ends need to be plugged into a USB charger to work because there is circuitry requiring power inside the cable - in my experience, these cables do not charge the phone despite requiring the power brick.
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Thanks for the info. I noticed they worked for other phones, but I didn't see any on the Nexus 6 so that's why I was curious
mikeprius said:
Thanks for the info. I noticed they worked for other phones, but I didn't see any on the Nexus 6 so that's why I was curious
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The way people get around it is using a chromecast. If you feel it's worth the investment you could do that.
TriguyRN said:
The way people get around it is using a chromecast. If you feel it's worth the investment you could do that.
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Or if your rooted any miracast device. there are a couple threads around about just that and the different devices.
TriguyRN said:
The way people get around it is using a chromecast. If you feel it's worth the investment you could do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can Chromecase be used without an internet connection ? I can wifi hotspot my cellphone. My big thing is I don't always have access to internet,
mikeprius said:
Can Chromecase be used without an internet connection ? I can wifi hotspot my cellphone. My big thing is I don't always have access to internet,
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I'm really not completely clear on that. From my understanding it needs to at least be connected to a hotspot off your phone but, I am unsure if it requires internet. I don't personally own one so I'm not sure, sorry man.
You can hotspot from your cell but it eats up data pretty good and you can't hotspot and stream at the same time so you'd have to have 2 devices one to hotspot an one to stream but it works keeping in mind it won't be the fastest most reliable.... But in my opinion a chromecast is a pretty good investment....
vysors my personal favorite
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/vysor-beta/gidgenkbbabolejbgbpnhbimgjbffefm?hl=en-US
works great on xubuntu all u need is a usb cable
Masterloki666 said:
You can hotspot from your cell but it eats up data pretty good and you can't hotspot and stream at the same time so you'd have to have 2 devices one to hotspot an one to stream but it works keeping in mind it won't be the fastest most reliable.... But in my opinion a chromecast is a pretty good investment....
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This doesn't sound right...
If he has no access to internet, and wants to stream from his phone to his chromecast he is likely wanting to stream local data to it, and that shouldn't use any data from his cell plan as it would basically be local connection just using the phones access point instead of having a router in between.
You can definitely run a hot spot and network with devices connected to it locally. You can run hotspot and turn off your data to just create a local network.
Not sure why you are saying he would need two devices? Not sure why you would say it would eat any more data, it wouldn't use any more data to cast netflix to his monitor then it would to stream netflix in the first place on his phone?
scryan said:
This doesn't sound right...
If he has no access to internet, and wants to stream from his phone to his chromecast he is likely wanting to stream local data to it, and that shouldn't use any data from his cell plan as it would basically be local connection just using the phones access point instead of having a router in between.
You can definitely run a hot spot and network with devices connected to it locally. You can run hotspot and turn off your data to just create a local network.
Not sure why you are saying he would need two devices? Not sure why you would say it would eat any more data, it wouldn't use any more data to cast netflix to his monitor then it would to stream netflix in the first place on his phone?
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Pretty sure he means if you want to use primary phone as hotspot, you need a second device to do the casting. As far as data connection, I'm reasonably certain that chromecast uses desktop style data, not mobile data. Meaning, it uses more data then directly on the phone, as the phone becomes a remote, not the actual device that does the streaming.
Hope that makes sense.
Thanks for the info everyone. I'm going to pick up a chromecast however I will just have to make sure when I use it I have a WiFi connection as well. I wasn't sure if you could only use the phone as a Hotspot and that's it
I'm pretty sure you can... The cromecast stuff just looks for a Chromecast on your local network, I'm not sure why people think your phone wouldn't be on its own network.
Never tried it with a Chromecast, but I have ran other local network stuff by attaching to my phones hotspot.
Give it a try when you get it and post back here to let us know, because I don't think any of us ACTUALLY know, but I am almost positive it will work.
I have a chromecast but I've never gotten it working without connecting to a seperate wifi source (not my phone's hotspot) but it could very well be possible.
I do want to comment that with the chromecast being wireless, some people might experience some lag. My solution this was to buy a wired adapter for the chromecast in addition to a micro usb to ethernet that worked with my phone. Both ethernet cables hook into my router and I can effectively mirror my device wired. Obviously there is probably still some lag, but is now below the threshold that I can perceive.
I have tried this you either need two devices or WiFi.
DR3W5K1 said:
I have tried this you either need two devices or WiFi.
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For some reason it will not recognize the phone as a local network or router

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