I get my new smartwatch today...
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I never thought I would be buying a smartwatch. For me the cost and lack of function were just too much to justify. I came across a budget smart watch on amazon and decided to research some other budget models. I read some reviews on the U8 watch and they were actually pretty impressive for such a low cost device.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0158CCLFG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00
Some features on the watch include:
receive and make calls from your watch
receive phone notifications
control your camera and take photos
sync your phonebook and call log
play music
anti lost feature
barometer, altimeter and pedometerHere is an interesting article that explains how to use tasker to really unleash the full power of the watch.
www.abidibo.net/blog/2015/04/01/how-get-best-your-u8-smartwatch/
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huh, for $20 I'd try one..
Definitely let us know what you think when you get it.. and post some IRL pictures.
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@Dashrender said:
huh, for $20 I'd try one..
Definitely let us know what you think when you get it.. and post some IRL pictures.
Yeah it's hard to not try one for $20. Even if it doesn't work out all that well it will be an interesting toy for sure.
Did you see some of the stuff you can do with Tasker? It looks pretty cool.
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Looks neat,.
For me it gets into the reality that I haven't worn a watch in 25 years.... so would be odd to have..
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@gjacobse 25 years! I've left mine on a shelf for about the last 10-12. It started with working on electronics (conductive things = bad) and then with cell phones getting better I never looked back.
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@MattSpeller said:
@gjacobse 25 years! I've left mine on a shelf for about the last 10-12. It started with working on electronics (conductive things = bad) and then with cell phones getting better I never looked back.
I used to wear one until I started in IT... it got caught on a rack as I was getting down from a ladder and tore some skin off my hand on its way off... I stopped wearing one after that.
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@MattSpeller said:
@gjacobse 25 years! I've left mine on a shelf for about the last 10-12. It started with working on electronics (conductive things = bad) and then with cell phones getting better I never looked back.
It may actually be a tad longer than 25,.. I started getting into electronics in the mid 1980s,... And I've never been one to do much 'wearables' I never really wore my class ring.
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I just wish left handers were more accounted for.
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@JaredBusch said:
I just wish left handers were more accounted for.
Other than the power button and the usb port being on the opposite side of a right handed person. What is the issue?
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@IRJ said:
@JaredBusch said:
I just wish left handers were more accounted for.
Other than the power button and the usb port being on the opposite side of a right handed person. What is the issue?
I would expect that while using the USB port, you'd want to remove it from your wrist....
Wonder too,.. can you use it as a 'USB Drive'?
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That's why I got a Pebble Time and not an Apple Watch. Buttons are ok on either side, but anything with dials is really awkward to use when you have the watch on your right hand. Because you're coming from the opposite side, the angle is all messed up and it's hard to get correct purchase.
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I love it so far! I can't believe how good it works for $20. I am spending alot less time looking at my phone since I see if a notification is important or not without even looking. It took only about 5 minutes to setup and the battery has been good so far.
I haven't tested all the features yet, but one thing I really like is the fact that you can read an entire facebook message from your watch. It doesn't just show the notification, it actually shows the whole body. I rarely receive texts so I haven't been able to see if it does the same thing with text messages yet.
Oh and the speaker phone on the watch works pretty well. Calling from the watch is easy enough and the sound quality while not great is decent enough to use. What can you expect for $20, though?
Another cool thing about the watch, is the ability to stream music and stream your phones camera. You actually get a preview of your phone's camera on your watch! When you open the camera app on your watch, it streams a preview of your phones camera and you can actually capture an image. I am not sure there is a scenario where that is actually useful, but it's really cool!
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@IRJ said:
Another cool thing about the watch, is the ability to stream music and stream your phones camera. You actually get a preview of your phone's camera on your watch! When you open the camera app on your watch, it streams a preview of your phones camera and you can actually capture an image. I am not sure there is a scenario where that is actually useful, but it's really cool!
I can think of a few... but they may not be the most legal or moral scenarios.
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@gjacobse said:
Wonder too,.. can you use it as a 'USB Drive'?
No. It just charges when I plug it into a PC. I would assume there is very little extra space on the watch anyway. It's really just a passive device that reads information from your phone.
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what kind of phone do you have?
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Android - Galaxy S5
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@IRJ said:
Android - Galaxy S5
Some features do not work on the iOS platform.. More options shown for the Android.
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@gjacobse said:
@IRJ said:
Android - Galaxy S5
Some features do not work on the iOS platform.. More options shown for the Android.
Yes that is true. I still think it would be worth having on iPhone though since it's only $20. The pedometer alone is worth that.
It's funny because I still have yet to receive a text message since I connected the watch at 7PM last night. All my messages are through hangouts, email, or facebook.
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@IRJ said:
Yes that is true. I still think it would be worth having on iPhone though since it's only $20. The pedometer alone is worth that.
It's funny because I still have yet to receive a text message since I connected the watch at 7PM last night. All my messages are through hangouts, email, or facebook.
Well,...I'd be happy to spam you with a few to test it if you wish...
For 'simply' smart watch,.. you are correct $20 isn't bad at all.
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I had a cheaper Relic skeleton watch until it failed on me a couple weeks ago. I upgraded to a Pebble classic and I have had it about a week. So far, so good. I like it, but I would have never spent more than the $75 bucks I did on a smart watch. I may do a little programming on it just to try out the SDK, but for now, I'm happy with being able to get GPS directions without looking at my phone and driving, having a bike computer, coffee timer, and seeing my phone notifications without digging my phone out and putting in my unlock code.
