Transflective Display Functionality - Fossil Q Founder

Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but I can't find a good place.
As it is I've been after an Android Ware watch for several years but just can't tolerate the idea of my wrist emitting light (it's a personal hangup), so have been after a "Transflective" smart watch (such as the Pebble or Amazfit) that runs Android Ware. From what I can tell the Fossil Q Founder is the best contender but I'm finding it very difficult to actually get an idea of how well the transflective display works as all the photos and most of the videos always show the watch with the screen active. Is it even possible to use the watch exclusively in reflective (that is non-back lit mode) like a regular digital watch such as an old school Casio and only have it "light up" when one actively interacts with it? It's an odd hangup but I just can't abide by the idea of my watch lighting up if I swing the steering wheel over while I'm driving or whatever. I also don't want my watch showing a completely black face (like the Apple Watch does) most of the time and coming to life when one gestures it to.
Basically I want it to function as a regular old fashioned digital watch 95% of the time and only give away that it's "smart" when I actively interact with it. Is this achievable with this watch?

S.Bartfast said:
Not sure if this is the best place to ask, but I can't find a good place.
As it is I've been after an Android Ware watch for several years but just can't tolerate the idea of my wrist emitting light (it's a personal hangup), so have been after a "Transflective" smart watch (such as the Pebble or Amazfit) that runs Android Ware. From what I can tell the Fossil Q Founder is the best contender but I'm finding it very difficult to actually get an idea of how well the transflective display works as all the photos and most of the videos always show the watch with the screen active. Is it even possible to use the watch exclusively in reflective (that is non-back lit mode) like a regular digital watch such as an old school Casio and only have it "light up" when one actively interacts with it? It's an odd hangup but I just can't abide by the idea of my watch lighting up if I swing the steering wheel over while I'm driving or whatever. I also don't want my watch showing a completely black face (like the Apple Watch does) most of the time and coming to life when one gestures it to.
Basically I want it to function as a regular old fashioned digital watch 95% of the time and only give away that it's "smart" when I actively interact with it. Is this achievable with this watch?
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Is there a solution to turn off backlight display

Related

Confession - i like my TS

Its not perfect but after all the criticisms i have to say i like it
Sent from my TrueSmart using XDA Free mobile app
It's ok, I like mine too
What do you like about it though?
I'm getting another SIM to use in it and I think I'll like it more then, but the fact that the companion app is so poor means that the integration with bluetooth isn't an option really.
I'm quite happy with it too.
I have the 1/8 2100 version, and all seem to work well.
- It started up out of the box
- The cradles charge ( I got the extra one I ordered)
- the buttons don't fall off
- call quality is awesome
- screen sensitivity is good (sometimes a little too good, but hey)
- bluetooth, wifi and gps have a proper connection
- "back button" swipe left action works
And in general use:
- surprisingly easy to read on small screen
- even able to watch short video/tutorials on watch (very handy when needing both hands free)
- app installing/start up goes quick
- I use Minuum Keyboard now, and that is awesome, Frees up half the screen for reading conversations, perfect!
- with Minuum keyboard it's also easy to make small voice commands that turn to text, for me works even quicker than responding with the "normal phone" in the old days
by having the phone on the wrist it makes checking if you need to respond 10 times faster. Just a flick of the hand and a two finger swipe when you get a short vibrate or buzz from a message/email/update and you are ready. Where as the "normal phone" you have to get out of the pocket, check and put back.
The two biggest downside that I find, are not necessarily omate related but more smartwatch in general:
- by having the watch on your wrist, if you use it for typing, by default are using both arms. Where as a "normal phone" you can operate with one hand.
- I don't 100% like the reading angle: you have to hold your arm really parallel to the body to read without make strange neck moves. Having "landscape" mode is even worse.
I think about 35 degree angle of the arm would be a way better reading position. That maybe would be the biggest advantage of the round type smartwatches like the moto 360, the ability to adjust the screen orientation till it ergonomically fits you best.
Wiggz said:
What do you like about it though?
I'm getting another SIM to use in it and I think I'll like it more then, but the fact that the companion app is so poor means that the integration with bluetooth isn't an option really.
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My experience is pretty much identical to timkey's. It does what its supposed to. Typing is obviously slower but its better than I thought. Screen is sharp. It's fast. And it's a phone on my wrist I think rooting it and putting on soft keys and a status bar are pretty essential though. I do find the touch screen goes a little haywire sometimes.
To help with the viewing angle, I wear it a little loose and then I can twist it slightly towards me.
Sent from my LG-V500 using XDA Free mobile app
I like it because it functions just how I wanted it to. Its quite simply an android phone on your wrist, which is pretty damn awesome. Calls work pretty good, texting on this is awesome (so handy being able to just look at your wrist), and it's pretty much taken every app and game I've thrown at it so far. I also like being able to throw a song on and have handsfree music, so I can cut rebar or something at work and have music. And to top it off, I get pretty great battery life out of it. It's always lasted at least a full day, if not two. Even after two days the lowest I've had it is 30%
So, despite the company itself acting like a total noob for supporting this, it does function quite well (after some necessary patching of course). Having proper sources and support with proper firmware updates and having more tweaks android is known for available, would all just be icing on the cake.
So would those who like it buy a TS2, or has the arrogance and sheer mismanagement of Omate put you off, even though you enjoy the product?
I enjoy mine, though I can rarely use it as intended due to water issues. I have a T-Mobile sim in it. I would not only not ever buy anything associated with Omate ever again, but also not Umeox and not MTK. Never Again.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
It depends. I mean, the reality is I paid about £120 for a brand new android phone in watch form. If the TS2 was also a bargain, I'd probably get one. Hopefully they would learn some good lessons from this.
I am an engineer and did my degree in electronics, so I have some experience with product development. It was very clear to me that the timescales Omate were claiming were ridiculous and that made me question their competence. I'm still impressed they produced what they did as fast as they did. The testing problems people are experiencing are not acceptable but they are expected. Omate kinda painted themselves into an corner with their optimistic claims and high ambitions.
Now, all that said, I don't see what I would want from a TS2 that in don't get from this device. Its too small to do anything too intricate. It creates a WiFi hotspot and provides basic smartphone functionality well, which is all I need it for. Maybe if I got a 4G data plan, it might be good to have a watch that can make use of it but that's all I can think of.
Sent from my LG-V500 using XDA Free mobile app
The device has potential. I could maybe live with the HW shortcomings like IP rating, non-responsive buttons, add SD-card kills back seal etc as well as HW limitations like a little too heavy and too thick. The delays and communication failure from Omate is a separate story. I believe llepen believes what he says, he is still communicating still.
What I do not accept is the crappy firmware, that is HW specific. Noproper open source either. That kills BTLE, battery etc, as well as limits the adaptations required to get Android usable on a small device. I am not talking about limiting functionality like Android Wear, but an adapted Android experience w button actionssweep. Omate/Umeox mostly relies on MediaTek, and MediaTek seem to make good HW, but are both breaking GPL and incompetent in SW development.
I love my TS. I tried to have few expectations as to not be let down if it sucked, but I was happy to find that it was just about everything I could hope for in a smartwatch. It is solidly built, not too big, the screen is very sharp and sensitive, the camera is Good Enough(tm) (though the camera app really should rotate 90 degress left, which it does in the BlueTooth tether ROM, iirc).
My one major complaint is that Omate's version Android is awful. I work around it with third-party software (e.g. Nova Launcher, All in One Gestures), and with some effort, after-market ROMs can be ported. I'm very disappointed that no sources are available, but we all knew that would be the case.
That the notification bar is always hidden bugs the heck out of me, but the BlueTooth tether ROM fixes that.
Screen-on battery life is okay; not great, not awful, but it charges very quickly, so that's usually not a big deal. Screen-off life is fantastic.
I wish I could change the DPI for Ingress. It would be so cool to be able to play on my wrist.
Working with Omate is indeed like rolling a boulder uphill, and while I'll probably never buy anything from them again until they prove themselves reliable, I do believe Le Pen is trying. And I'm as disappointed with Omate as I am with those who continue to try to poison the TS community, making productive, open collaboration difficult.
timkey said:
I'm quite happy with it too.
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Click to collapse
I agree with just about everything you say. Anymore I use my phone only for long text conversations and more-than-casual web browsing. Everything else is done on my TS. Flesky is remarkably easy to use once you get used to it (although whoever decided to put backspace next to return needs a smack in the face). I'm especially happy that it's so easy to read text on the small screen as I read lots of RSS feeds on and off all day long.
The reading angle bothered me at first, but my arm just had to get used to being held in an unfamiliar position.
gerhardo said:
I could maybe live with the HW shortcomings like IP rating, non-responsive buttons, add SD-card kills back seal etc as well as HW limitations like a little too heavy and too thick.
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Click to collapse
The IP rating and back seal issues don't matter much to me, but I can see how that would be a disappointment to other users. The button responsiveness, weight, and thickness are fine for me. It did seem a bit heavy for the first day or two, but I quickly got used to it.
nicktastique said:
I wish I could change the DPI for Ingress. It would be so cool to be able to play on my wrist.
Working with Omate is indeed like rolling a boulder uphill, and while I'll probably never buy anything from them again until they prove themselves reliable, I do believe Le Pen is trying. And I'm as disappointed with Omate as I am with those who continue to try to poison the TS community, making productive, open collaboration difficult.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xposed Framework
Xposed Per App Settings
I consider setting default dpi to something higher than 120, to see better and change dpi where needed
gerhardo said:
Xposed Framework
Xposed Per App Settings
I consider setting default dpi to something higher than 120, to see better and change dpi where needed
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Yes, but it doesn't work, and others have confirmed. Is your experience different?
Smockingjacket said:
So would those who like it buy a TS2, or has the arrogance and sheer mismanagement of Omate put you off, even though you enjoy the product?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
While I like the watch itself, if I were to drop another $200-$300 on a new watch, it would be from a company that can support it's device a little more competently. I really doubt we'll ever see a firmware update.
Although as long as this watch doesn't **** the bed I should be using it for a good long time. It functions pretty much like I want it to, so I don't feel the need to upgrade anytime soon.
I like it as well. After changing launcher and installing a few apps I felt it was usable. I tried for a while to use it as phone replacement. It DOES work as that, but the upsides of having a watch (smaller / lighter than a phone, won't forget something strapped to your arm and so on) doesn't really outweigh the downsides (hard to type, sometimes hard to navigate menus, small screen causing readability and layout issues, battery is slightly worse than my phone, etc). The most annoying issue though is when the screen goes into over-sensitive mode and register button press all over the place. Someone said it gets a lot better with a screen protector on, I will try that.
However, it does work great in some areas. My main use is for exercise - RunKeeper (and similar apps) works great. I can take a run, track my progress, listen to music, and see notifications if someone is trying to reach me, without needing a much more cumbersome phone jumping around in my pocket.
It's also useful when I'm outdoors, say fishing or hiking. While it isn't waterproof, it does what I need (gps / maps, tell time, make calls if I need to, no risk of dropping it).
So overall, it's a nice device (even though software and such needs some urgent updates). Maybe not great for a phone replacement but for outdoor use and exercise it's really good imo.
nicktastique said:
Yes, but it doesn't work, and others have confirmed. Is your experience different?
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Click to collapse
Works fine for me, using it for SuperSU and Titanium.
Well, the TS is unavailable again: Screen is black, no response to buttons (except the feedback I added with Xposed Additions to get virtual physical button) and no adb. adb is a common issue, very seldom works. But I have my device for a couple of days, I have occasionally borrowed one for time to time though.
He means that changing the DPI to 90 for Ingress doesn't work, I think, gerhardo.
Actually, I play Ingress with my TrueSmart and the stock Ingress client (only) and it mostly does work. Hacking and firing work fine from the front screen long press menu and I was even able to deploy I found recently mainly by lucky pressing in the portal view on a crunched up set of buttons there. I had previously thought deploying impossible with stock and stock. Its still impractical.
What was reported no longer working was adjusting the DPI because of some change Niantic introduced into their code at some point a while back. I have not tried that anyway.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
trent999 said:
He means that changing the DPI to 90 for Ingress doesn't work, I think, gerhardo.
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Click to collapse
Yes that's what I mean in particular. Ingress no longer honors density settings via App Settings. It doesn't even appear to honor ro.sf.lcd_density on the TS, though it does on my Note 2 (which is annoying since it's set to 280).
I like mine too (1/8 2100 Dev).
Straight from the box, no patch, no rom, no bootloader, no nothing. The apps tho aren't there but it's almost like when the new Xbox, Playstation or Nintendo come out - people don't introduce games until the hardware is in use. I figure the developers of apps are waiting, working and planning something awesome for all smartwatches (not just companions).
Omate, well, hopefully, lessons on their side have been learned and fingers crossed the TS2 (if there is one) will be better planned for.
Hats off to SWApp Link tho. The app is the best thing that's been introduced for me. I had my SIM in my phone originally, then the watch and now back to the phone (just to work out what is best for me - I take a lot of photos and use 4G too much so my Note 3 is where my SIM is needed most) but the app - Bluetooth aside - is absolutely wonderful.
I don't regret buying the TureSmart, nor regret using Kickstarter - I have backed many an idea over the months. My regret is that the technology in total isn't there, yet.
But thank you XDA for being here :good:

VR Goggles

so I'm going to try out the Virtual Reality experience. Getting the Google Daydream View ($80 on Amazon).
Choosing the Google ones so that I can cast the video on my TV via chromecast so that others can see what I'm seeing.
Anyone have any experiences with these (or other goggles) that may be helpful?
thanks!
nobody? really? wow. i guess the VR goggles are more unpopular than I thought.
well, got mine last night and tried them out. pretty cool. still some bugs though like keeping the pointer centered, video streaming, lack of content. I can really only stand 15-20 minutes of it, otherwise my eyes begin to hurt. my kids tried them out and loved them.
my phone did get hot, and it did use a lot of battery.
had some difficulties with the initial setup, as I did not realize that I had to enable NFC on the phone, and charge the pointer first. i think it uses a bluetooth connection to the pointer (I already have bluetooth enabled, so keep that in mind).
but after a while, I can see myself getting used to it. watching the shark videos was pretty cool, as both my wife and I actually jumped when shark swam by.
casting the experience on my TV is a nice plus so that others can be involved too (as well as help navigate them).
I like the Daydream better than the Gear VR. I don't use either a or the because it's so isolating and I don't have old dogs that constantly need to go in and out doors. [emoji16]
Sent from my SM-T820 using Tapatalk
I've spent a lot of time in both. I like the Gear better, but only because I have a wide face, with my eyes a bit wider apart than most. Daydream is the cooler version, nicer to touch and look at. Gear is a bit clunky, but if you have a wide face or glasses, the Daydream gets uncomfortable quickly. Sammy's library is much bigger, but much of it is shovelware. Both ecosystems have their exclusive highlights.

Smartwatches - which one are you using (or plan to get)?

curious to see how many of the Samsung Galaxy S8 community have smartwatches, and which ones they are using?
I've had the Asus Zenwatch 3 since before I got the S8 back in November.
this watch is very stylish and serves as a great time piece.
everything seems to run fairly well. I get notifications, able to respond with my voice, etc. but my main concern is lag. when I disable the "OK Google" detection from the watch, the lag is almost gone. thus, in order to enter a command, I need to press a button on the watch to launch google assistant. and each time, on the first pass, I get an error that google was unreachable. but when I try a second time, it works fine. so I'm not sure if this is due to the handshake between the phone and the watch or just the watch. also, when going on a run/walk/bike ride, I would like to start the activity through the watch. however, I cannot seem to get Map My Run to work properly. I'm fine using Google Fit, but it does not call out the milestones to my bluetooth headphones - only when I start the activity through the phone. to me, this makes have the smartwatch almost pointless if I have to initiate the activity through the phone.
I know that Samsung has their own line of smartwatches, but from what I read, they do not use Google, they use Tizen. I also read that the next release of their watch (Galaxy watch, I think) will have Bixby install as it's assistant. those two factors alone will keep me away from getting a samsung smartwatch.
however, I am eyeing the Ticwatch Pro, but just want to be sure that watch is true upgrade over mine.
I used to have the original moto 360 (paired with my Motorola Droid Turbo), and that was a great combination except that the heart rate monitor was spotty at best (the Asus Zenwatch 3, FWIW, does NOT have the heart rate monitor, also a downer).
curious to see anyone else's experience....
If you're not in the rush, I recommend you to just wait for Samsung / Google next upgrade on smartwatch, because it is very near already..
Personally, I'm using Samsung gear S2 and loved it a lot for quite long... The rotating bezel is the best navigation out there imo... Sadly, Gear S3 and Gear Watch is a bit overpriced for me, so I'm still using the outdated Gear S2 for quite some time.
StardustGeass said:
If you're not in the rush, I recommend you to just wait for Samsung / Google next upgrade on smartwatch, because it is very near already..
Personally, I'm using Samsung gear S2 and loved it a lot for quite long... The rotating bezel is the best navigation out there imo... Sadly, Gear S3 and Gear Watch is a bit overpriced for me, so I'm still using the outdated Gear S2 for quite some time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I keep reading reviews of how everyone loves the rotating bezels. I'm sure I would like it, but i'm just fine with flicking my wrist to view the notifications or using my voice.
I wound up selling my Asus Zenwatch 3 and bought the TicWatch Pro. I had some difficulty setting it up at first - meaning that it took more than an hour to complete the process. but once it was done, seems to be working quite well so far.
the tough part is that in order to NFC to make payments via google pay (I think that the gear watches force you to use Samsung Pay instead?), is that you need to have a screenlock password/pin/pattern - and this is extremely inconvenient for normal use. But i believe that is more of a feature of Android Wear rather than the watch itself. if anything, I would prefer the to enter the password/pin/pattern only when I attempt to use google pay.
my only reason for waiting until the pixel watch would be to see it offered a watch with more RAM. however, this TicWatch Pro is very responsive and I'm able to leave the "ok Google" enabled - very helpful when driving.
jco23 said:
I keep reading reviews of how everyone loves the rotating bezels. I'm sure I would like it, but i'm just fine with flicking my wrist to view the notifications or using my voice.
I wound up selling my Asus Zenwatch 3 and bought the TicWatch Pro. I had some difficulty setting it up at first - meaning that it took more than an hour to complete the process. but once it was done, seems to be working quite well so far.
the tough part is that in order to NFC to make payments via google pay (I think that the gear watches force you to use Samsung Pay instead?), is that you need to have a screenlock password/pin/pattern - and this is extremely inconvenient for normal use. But i believe that is more of a feature of Android Wear rather than the watch itself. if anything, I would prefer the to enter the password/pin/pattern only when I attempt to use google pay.
my only reason for waiting until the pixel watch would be to see it offered a watch with more RAM. however, this TicWatch Pro is very responsive and I'm able to leave the "ok Google" enabled - very helpful when driving.
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Click to collapse
I also ended up with a Ticwatch E model - didn't want to go all in with an expensive, high end watch until I was sure I liked the idea. Bought this one during Amazon Prime Days and have been really happy with it. Syncs to the S8, messaging, notification, Fit, Assistant, Maps, etc., all just work the way you think it should. You're right, it took about an hour before everything got set up and updated correctly. I even run Google Keep on it and check off my grocery list with the phone still in my pocket - no more burying the phone in the cart, then digging to find it!
Samsung Galaxy Watch is up, but I don't see any difference with the Gear S3?
Everything just looks the same.
The size.
The OS.
The feature.
I don't even feel Gear S3 is worth the price, and here comes a newer, more expensive one.
Yes, I totally love android smartwatch. I own Gear S2 for quite some time, and I really enjoyed it. But, smartwatch price just feels so ridiculous.
i use my moto 360.
i got a tic watch S but sending that back it was the white one. + android wear 2 is stupid... u can only voice talk in one language... but im dutch and live in france so i need 2 language... but its only french or english.. i tried looked on internet it seems normal android wear 2 is stupid, otherwise its great to talk and reply to people but i can do that same on my moto 360 with android wear 1. with just a extra app on my phone i can get keyboard and all on watch.. and i can speak 3 language and its know which it talk and it works... but for real im really disapointed by android wear 2. . its great but seems stupid to not have multi language....
so yeah i guess i will never change my moto 360...
Anyone have experience with Huawei watch 2 4G?
miloshp said:
Anyone have experience with Huawei watch 2 4G?
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Click to collapse
I just picked up the Huawei Watch 2 Classic from Best Buy (also available on Amazon). I think it is JUST the bluetooth version, as I am not interested in getting the cellular version..
I compared it to the Ticwatch Pro, and the Huawei has a much better feel and classiness to it. The battery life has been great - I even have everything enabled (always on-display, "ok google detection", wrist gestures, etc.). At the end of the day (6:30am-10pm), I'm still at 50%+. I also take it off at night, and it charges very quickly. So I really do not need more than 2days of battery life. The watch also has an eco mode, where (just like the Ticwatch Pro), it will disable Wear OS, and you'll just get the time while it tracks your steps.
I'll submit my video and full specs review a bit later...
hope this helps.
Introduction:
I am comparing two smartwatches that use Android Wear 2.0. I have read where many people prefer the Samsung watches with their Tizen OS and rotating bezel, thus I felt that comparing a AW OS smartwatch to a different OS would not be fair. From my experience, Samsung tends to handcuff their customers (much like Apple), so many folks are already turned away from using any additional Samsung products. my previous devices were the original Moto 360 (paired with a Motorola Droid Trubo) and Asus Zenwatch 3. The Moto 360 had a heartrate feature, but was only available on demand, and took over a minute to find my heart rate. The Asus Zenwatch 3 is very classy, but lacked the heartrate monitor, and always seemed slow to respond. Neither of these watches had GPS, NFC, or IP68 rating. The Moto 360 capped out at AW 1.5 (which some still say is better than 2.0), while the Asus Zenwatch 3 started with 1.5 and moved quickly to 2.0. I had the Moto 360 for nearly three years (11/2014-8/2017) and the Asus Zenwatch 3 for less than one year (8/2017-7/2018). Battery life on both barely made it a full 24 hours. Both felt very comfortable and looked classy.
Tiwatch Pro:
I tested the Ticwatch Pro for about two weeks. Pairing it to my phone took well over an hour. There were many times when I had to disconnect/reset the watch, as I thought that the phone/watch was stuck. But really, it just took significantly longer than my other watches. The watch worked fine from the get go, however, setting up my credit card for NFC payments took some time as well (including disconnecting/resetting, as your watch must have a PIN/password/pattern in order to use this feature). Did not realize until later that each time I disabled the lock screen, I lost NFC, so I had to re-enable the lock screen and then set up my credit card all over again. But I think that is more of a feature of AW than the watch. Supposedly, the watch knows when it is on your wrist, so when you take it off/on, you'll have to get through the lock screen each time. The watch was not very consistent with this, so there were a few times when I had to enter the info even though the watch had been on my wrist for a while. Also, when I docked/charged the watch, I had to bypass the lock screen just to get to the nightstand mode. In terms of feel, the Ticwatch felt like I was wearing a smartphone on my wrist, and not a watch. This felt awkward to the point where I could not wait to take it off. The idea for the band is great - leather on the outside and a breathable silicon on the inside. However, the length was a little odd and felt too stiff. The battery life was acceptable, as I always take it off when I sleep, so I really only require 1-day+. The Ticwatch's best feature is what I dislike most - the digital display. In my opinion, this is not classy - not the reason to spend $250. Thus, I had to enable the always on display - which was fine, but for the stock watchfaces, I did not like having to read, "Ticwatch", and they were not that nice. I installed Watchmaker and used a custom watchface, which was much nicer, but with the always on display, my wrist was always illuminating (and not fading like the stock faces). However, the Ticwatch functions as it should, and is a nice watch. Just that it does not feel right to me.
Huawei Watch 2 Classic:
I tested the Huawei Watch 2 Classic for one week. Much like the Ticwatch, it took well over an hour to pair to my phone. The functionality is essentially the same as the Ticwatch with these few exceptions: the screen lock had to be entered far less. Only had to bypass the lockscreen when putting the watch on my wrist, and NOT when I docked/charged the watch for nightstand mode. Since I had the Ticwatch previously, the Huawei had a noticeably smaller screen size. Not a big deal, but the featured watchface has a circle that shows the date, and this circle is not legible, this making it useless. In terms of feel, the Huawei felt like very comfortable. Similiar to the Ticwatch, the Huawei has a dual band with leather on the outside and breathable silicon on the inside. However, this band feels more genuine and softer than the Ticwatch band. Also, the two tone (brown leather) looks better than the black band only offered by Ticwatch (Huawei also offers a black band). Battery life is better than expected, as I could get 2-days easily with limited use, and could probably get even longer if enabled "Smart Power saving" or "watch mode" via the Battery setting. Response is realatively quick, even with "Ok Google" detection enabled.
Conclusion:
Both watches work very well as advertised, and are great for both casual users and athletes. I go running/walking/biking at least twice a week, and both watches perform well with no hiccups. Battery life is a non-issue to me due the Huawei having it's own essential mode. The key difference is that the Huawei has more RAM (thus, performance is slightly better), and the Huawei looks/feels classier and far more comfortable. The Ticwatch has a slight edge for a larger screen size and being newer. However, given that the Huawei is now on clearance (could be a bad sign), the Ticwatch is more expensive. Thus, due to these factors, I went with the Huawei Watch 2 Classic.
by the way, the Huawei Watch 2 Classic on clearance at Best Buy for $180 ($125 open box) - not a bad deal for what I think is one of the best AW smartwatches available right now. Consider that the Pixel and next generation smartwatches will be $300+ (albeit they'll have an updated processor and probably more RAM). The Huawei Watch 2 is already in line to get Android P to sync up with our phones (whenever the Samsung Galaxy S8 gets pie).
I got 2 gear S2s and they are absolutely wonderful I bought a second one as I am a mechanic and figured I would tear it up fast...Nope take most of the abuse and other than a beat up band which i have 3 others still 6 months later the watch has a couple scratches and thats it
I've got 3 watches. Diesel On Full Guard, Michael Kors Grayson, and Nixon Mission. The first 2 are essentially the same thing just different styling. The Nixon has the same processor and is more rugged for out doorsey use. All three lack NFC and heart rate monitoring. So unless you need to pay for your Starbucks after your power walk they are not for you.
Nixon has very basic functionality, it will accept voice imput, but will not talk back (no speaker). The Grayson and Full Guard has a speaker and is a real '**** Tracy' watch. All of these are considered fashion watches and have built in watch faces that are extensive. Add an app like!e Watchmaker and you can expand the looks. Nixon is pretty fixed when it comes to bands, while the other will easily take any 24mm band and the stock bands are quick release.
Working with my S8+ has been easy. Notifications are easy to read and interface with. Assistant works well. Battery life needs improvement, and the next generation should address this. But for now I'm pleased with these choices. All are in my daily rotation based on my mood or style preference for any given day.
I've got a LG G Watch R and I'm happy with it after all these years. The battery sadly doesn't lasts that much anymore but it's perfect for me.
With Bluetooth : ~2-3 days
With Wi-Fi : ~1-1/2 day.
Airplane Mode : ~ 4-5 days.
It's rooted, all the bloat removed and TWRP on it. Android Wear 2 installed. Cheap too nowadays
TheMadScientist said:
I got 2 gear S2s and they are absolutely wonderful I bought a second one as I am a mechanic and figured I would tear it up fast...Nope take most of the abuse and other than a beat up band which i have 3 others still 6 months later the watch has a couple scratches and thats it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got those for my kids (used on e-bay), so far, so good. lone downside is that I had to a samsung phone for best results. I feel that samsung is trying to be like apple with all of their propriety crapps.
jco23 said:
I got those for my kids (used on e-bay), so far, so good. lone downside is that I had to a samsung phone for best results. I feel that samsung is trying to be like apple with all of their propriety crapps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found a modded gear app for any phone and any ram size no 1.5 gb ram limit Its posted in the gear s2 thread
I used mine on a 30$ ZTE straight talk and my lgs
TheMadScientist said:
I found a modded gear app for any phone and any ram size no 1.5 gb ram limit Its posted in the gear s2 thread
I used mine on a 30$ ZTE straight talk and my lgs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, I saw those apps. somewhat unreliable in my experience. but since I won't be using the phone or watches, I needed something that would require zero maintenance (or as close to zero as possible).
if it was just for me, then I probably would have gone the same route. however, I did use the windows executable that copies MP3 files from the computer to the watch via WiFi - that was pretty nifty.
I'm using a Fitbit Versa and it works flawless with my S8+ (before I had a Moto G4 and it worked terrible tbh).
I'm looking at the new Galaxy Watch but A. It's too expensive, B. It doesn't have MST like the Gear S3. So that's a deal breaker for me.
I have tag heuer connected modular 45 and seriously it's great to use both together with 1.5 day battery.
I am using Zenwatch 3. Its more than 1 yr now and running fine.

Warning: Kid's Corner almost unusable due to lighting restrictions

The child friendly app Kid's Corner is really great for controlling and containing your childs tablet use. It has one major deal-breaking drawback though in it's "health" forcing methods: It forces the child to sit in certain poisitions with a certain distance and under certain light conditions, otherwise a little teddy bear appears with a ringing noise, prompting the child to take action. That all sounds fine, but it's really not.
Problem with this, is that the light sensing is way, way to sensitive. Under all but the brightest conditions, this teddy bear will appear as an overlay non-stop, prompting the child to move to a more bright environment, effectively making any usage all but impossible. This makes Kids corner in my house only workable next to windows during daytime! I'm at a loss as to how this feature is not controllable by parents in any way and has passed any kind of quality control. Huewei support ackowledges the problem, but says tuning or turning off the feature is not possible.
What am I to do? I've tried turning off the "draw over other apps" permission, but that simply makes Kid's Corner crash whenever the teddy bear was supposed to be drawn. Any suggestions?
Unfortunately, I'm unable to offer a solution. I can however confirm the issue, the Kids Corner is truly useless due to these hardcoded "health features". I'm not sure how it's healthier for my child to sit underneath a bright spotlight.
Same problem for me
Hello, I have the same problem and I can not use this app. Yet I like it. I search long time for deactivated light sensor.

Tracking activities on GTS/R with connected smartphone GPS

I am looking for a smartwatch to track my open water swimming activities, so I would love to have physical buttons to start and stop, but I don't trust built-in GPS tracking in water. I would use the smartwatch to control tracking on my smartphone (which will follow me in my buoy) with its own GPS.
Does anybody know if this would be possible to start and stop Zepp Life app tracking on the smartphone with a GTS/R 2/3/4? Maybe even with custom ROMs and/or APKs?
I guess I can use an Amazfit BIT 3 for this purpose, but I would really like a slightly higher end round device like the GTR (not necessarily by Amazfit).
Unfortunately higher end devices all have built-in GPS so I'm not sure if I can still resort to my smartphone's sensor.
you can't do that with ANY of Amazfit devices, check with Garmin and Wear OS based ones.
Thank you so much for confirming the info I couldn't find elsewhere, you persuaded me there's basically no smartwatch that would do what I was thinking about.
My only options would involve spending € 200 either on something great for swimming but with very limited smart features (Garmin Swim 2) or on something with great smart features (Galaxy Watch 4 Classic or Fossil Gen 6) but officially non suitable for salt water.
I guess I will buy a cheap smart band for notifications and keep using my smartphone for tracking, while waiting for better alternatives to show up one day.

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