So, I received my replacement smartwatch.
What can I say, other than "it works"? I thought I'd get one in a box with a new cradle. Nope. They gave me the watch replacement and that is all. At least it works, though. We'll see if it'll last a year. I'm not so sure. This whole owner experience was fine until the watch died and I got to see how Samsung handles warranty claims. Although they did good, I've the feeling I'll be pissed 18 months from now when the replacement watch dies without warranty coverage. I don't even know if the watch is new or refurbished. I'll investigate whether the watch is new (or a refurb) and find out if a new watch has a full warranty (it should)....and, I'll also discover how well the warranty coverage is for a refurb.
I had to activate the new watch and pair it with my phone. While that wasn't complicated, it wasn't as simple as it should be, either. I'll admit, though...it was simpler than when I got the first watch...this one wasn't glitching like the first one.
I also upgraded my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note Edge) from v5.0.1 to v6.0.1 (Marshmallow).
The phone had issues from the onset when trying to install the new firmware. I kept getting error code 404. I must've tried like 4 times before clearing the cache (each time I tried, I had to redownload the damned firmware...it was a PITA). Clearing the cache worked and Marshmallow finally installed.
v6.0 consumes a lot of power. I've been finding myself having to recharge during the day. I used to get by without having to charge the phone after letting it charge overnight. Fast Charge doesn't seem as fast as it was when I was using v5.0 (yes, Fast Charge is enabled).
Yesterday, I was taking a picture of my dog and the phone locked up. It would freeze at the Verizon screen during boot-up. It did this 4 times (each time, I had to remove the battery to unfreeze it). I couldn't get past the freeze. I ended up doing a factory reset. This was a PITA. Yes, I had a recent backup (I did a full backup the night before, using the Verizon Cloud app), but restoring it was very slow (did it over a wifi connection). I believe my initial upgrade attempt worked but something crucial became corrupt in the process (it took like 24 hours to manifest).
I'm still trying to get the phone back to normal. I've not yet played with much of the features. The interface is a bit different in some places. I don't know of any of the major enhancements. I suppose I could research them but all I really care about is that I've a functional phone. If I could find out if there's a fix for the abnormal power consumption, I'd be happy.
UPDATE (6/24/16) - I've experienced no freezing or rebooting or reboot loops since the upgrade to v6.0.1. This is good news, as my daughter was also experiencing freezing and reboots (I ended up having Asurion replace the unit). My daughter is still using v5.0.1, though, so I'm wondering if she will eventually experience those issues again -- I'll ask her how her phone is doing...last I asked, I thought she said that the issue was still occurring but was less frequent.
Showing posts with label watch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label watch. Show all posts
Friday, June 10, 2016
Tuesday, June 07, 2016
Samsung Gear S
Over the last ten months, I've enjoyed my Gear S. Here's my user experience thus far:
The watch's voice command feature is very sensitive. It activates when it thinks it hears a command, usually when I'm talking to someone else. It's annoying.
The latch features on the charger cradle broke. The fittings are plastic and snap into the watch. The latches broke after 6-7 months of ownership. This usually means you can no longer charge the watch (because the two of them won't stay attached). This is why I hate proprietary cabling. It means you have to either coerce Samsung into replacing the cradle or you've to put on your MacGyver hat and somehow latch the cradle to the watch. If you get a replacement cradle, it will more than likely develop the same issue eventually (some people report their replacements breaking within a week of receiving them). I usually wrap the band around a pill bottle that has a similar size to my wrist...that keeps the cradle to the watch during the charging period but do I really have to do this for a $400 watch???
What I like is that if I'm driving and don't want to take my eyes off the road, but I get a text or an e-mail arrives, I can usually look down at my watch for 1 sec to get a summary of the text or e-mail.
I can use the watch as a standalone device (in case my phone breaks, if I forget it while going to work, or if it runs out of power). While I can't use it to browse the internet, I can receive reminders, texts, and calls. I can even respond to texts.
My watch stopped working maybe three weeks ago while I was on a cruise. It just died. It wouldn't charge, it wouldn't turn on, and the indicators wouldn't blink...nothing. Luckily, this happened before the 1-year manufacturer's warranty ended...I was at the 10 month mark when it died. I went to the Samsung website and created a case for them to fix it. They paid for the shipping to their facility and for the shipping back to me. It turns out that they couldn't repair whatever it was that was damaged/faulty, so they sent me a new one. It should be delivered to me today.
I get to see how long the replacement will last. I'm getting tired of buying technology that almost seems like they're designed to self-destruct. I think most manufacturers purposely build merchandise that doesn't last long, so that they can get a second chance at a customer's money, in the hopes that maybe the item breaks after the maker's warranty. I'd insure the watch if I could, but I also don't want to end up feeding more money into the system ($12 a month for Asurion insurance coverage where, if the item breaks, it'll cost $200 for a replacement/repair...screw that). Home owners' insurance may cover it, but there's a steep deductible to worry about.
While I love wearable tech, I'm not going to be spending huge sums of money for shit that's not going to have the legs to last 2-3 years. No.
The watch's voice command feature is very sensitive. It activates when it thinks it hears a command, usually when I'm talking to someone else. It's annoying.
The latch features on the charger cradle broke. The fittings are plastic and snap into the watch. The latches broke after 6-7 months of ownership. This usually means you can no longer charge the watch (because the two of them won't stay attached). This is why I hate proprietary cabling. It means you have to either coerce Samsung into replacing the cradle or you've to put on your MacGyver hat and somehow latch the cradle to the watch. If you get a replacement cradle, it will more than likely develop the same issue eventually (some people report their replacements breaking within a week of receiving them). I usually wrap the band around a pill bottle that has a similar size to my wrist...that keeps the cradle to the watch during the charging period but do I really have to do this for a $400 watch???
What I like is that if I'm driving and don't want to take my eyes off the road, but I get a text or an e-mail arrives, I can usually look down at my watch for 1 sec to get a summary of the text or e-mail.
I can use the watch as a standalone device (in case my phone breaks, if I forget it while going to work, or if it runs out of power). While I can't use it to browse the internet, I can receive reminders, texts, and calls. I can even respond to texts.
My watch stopped working maybe three weeks ago while I was on a cruise. It just died. It wouldn't charge, it wouldn't turn on, and the indicators wouldn't blink...nothing. Luckily, this happened before the 1-year manufacturer's warranty ended...I was at the 10 month mark when it died. I went to the Samsung website and created a case for them to fix it. They paid for the shipping to their facility and for the shipping back to me. It turns out that they couldn't repair whatever it was that was damaged/faulty, so they sent me a new one. It should be delivered to me today.
I get to see how long the replacement will last. I'm getting tired of buying technology that almost seems like they're designed to self-destruct. I think most manufacturers purposely build merchandise that doesn't last long, so that they can get a second chance at a customer's money, in the hopes that maybe the item breaks after the maker's warranty. I'd insure the watch if I could, but I also don't want to end up feeding more money into the system ($12 a month for Asurion insurance coverage where, if the item breaks, it'll cost $200 for a replacement/repair...screw that). Home owners' insurance may cover it, but there's a steep deductible to worry about.
While I love wearable tech, I'm not going to be spending huge sums of money for shit that's not going to have the legs to last 2-3 years. No.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Samsung Gear S (Verizon)
I'm about to head to bed but thought I'd copy my notes on my initial experience with the Gear S:
I don't think I'll ever see a week's worth of usage (on one charge) with the Gear S, although I did fully charge it today...the watch is currently at 68%. I went into the watch's settings (Settings/Connections/Mobile networks/) and set "Gear networks" to auto switch, which will only use mobile broadband when I or an app needs it (phone calls and such). I've got the watch set to auto-dim as well. The charging cradle actually holds a charge, although I don't know if it'll fully charge the watch's battery from empty. The phone charges pretty quickly if you're not using it while it's being charged.
So far I've set up the Gear app to notify the same apps that I'd configured to notify on my Pebble. I can get a view of my G-mail e-mails but I'm not sure I'm ready to use the default e-mail application on my Note Edge...I'm used to using the G-mail app, but the watch doesn't have an app for that.
I've set up my voice-mail and have to remember the watch's phone number. I don't foresee using the watch as a standalone smart device any time soon. I don't even think I'll be using the watch's phone features. To set up voice-mail, I had to call the VM number using the watch. The speaker is loud enough to hear with ease, although I've no idea how well the microphone works and if it has good noise cancellation.
The watch has a native browser as well, but I have to use the Gear app to install it. I don't see the need to use the watch as a web browser.
I'm curious about the texting/messaging features, though. I attempted to type a text and while the virtual keys were extremely small, I didn't do any typos, so I guess the keyboard is good enough.
The watch is hefty, but I'm enjoying it thus far. I worry that I'll bang it against something accidentally (I opted out of insurance for the watch -- Verizon's insurance is expensive!). I'd rather not use a screen protector...that's more hassle than it's worth (I tried to put one on my Pebble but removed it soon after, as it was annoying).
I'll be setting it up to my liking over the next week...there's so much to configure that I'm a bit overwhelmed. I might do a quick video review of it later, as well.
For now, I'm impressed enough to say I think I'll keep it. Initially, when I was having issues setting it up, I was irritated enough to where I was thinking on returning it ($399 for something that was giving me immediate issues...uhmmm...no), but I'm OK now. :)
UPDATE:
I've not run into any problem with the smartwatch, so far. I have noticed that with set to auto switch between BT and using the mobile network, I end up with 15-20% battery use in a 24-hour period. This is without using the watch as a phone or web browsing with it. I typically only look at it when someone texts, when I'm notified of an incoming e-mail, or when I'm looking at the time (pretty much how I was using my Pebble).
I've also noticed that my dog likes to lick the watch...her tongue activates the watch!
UPDATE 2:
I usually sit or stand with my arms crossed...I can't do that with this watch. My arm's skin ends up activating the screen, which sometimes enables widgets or other watch tools. They should build some type of logic where the screen won't activate if at at certain angle.
I'm not even sure I should compare the Gear S to my Pebble (non-Steel). I've pretty much retired my Pebble. I'll either put it away with my other gadgets or try to sell it. Maybe one of my daughters will want it.Could not find the Samsung Gear app, even when using Samsung's instructions at http://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00038393/239278/. I found that the problem was Chrome...it wasn't seeing the 'download' icon. Using the OEM browser, I was able to see it.Next issue I ran into was that the phone wouldn't pair with the watch. The instructions never said to go into the phone's BT screen and attempt to pair the device. As well, once the Gear app is opened, it takes over the screen...this implies that the Gear app needs to be used to initially pair the phone with the watch. I found that when I go into the phone's BT settings and try to pair the phone with the watch, it downloads and installs 11 new apps, but still won't pair with the watch...the watch won't accept the 'OK' clicks to accept the pairing.I got fed up and kept hitting the 'OK' prompt on the watch when trying to get it to accept the pair attempt...I hit it maybe 4-5 times rapidly and it THEN began to pair.I also ended up not seeing the "activate" screen, so the watch was only seeing limited 3G and was set to roam. I performed a factory reset and after the watch rebooted, it was a night and day difference, where the watch could be navigated without hesistation or voice prompting. I was able to activate the watch and configure mobile usage for 'auto only'.
I don't think I'll ever see a week's worth of usage (on one charge) with the Gear S, although I did fully charge it today...the watch is currently at 68%. I went into the watch's settings (Settings/Connections/Mobile networks/) and set "Gear networks" to auto switch, which will only use mobile broadband when I or an app needs it (phone calls and such). I've got the watch set to auto-dim as well. The charging cradle actually holds a charge, although I don't know if it'll fully charge the watch's battery from empty. The phone charges pretty quickly if you're not using it while it's being charged.
So far I've set up the Gear app to notify the same apps that I'd configured to notify on my Pebble. I can get a view of my G-mail e-mails but I'm not sure I'm ready to use the default e-mail application on my Note Edge...I'm used to using the G-mail app, but the watch doesn't have an app for that.
I've set up my voice-mail and have to remember the watch's phone number. I don't foresee using the watch as a standalone smart device any time soon. I don't even think I'll be using the watch's phone features. To set up voice-mail, I had to call the VM number using the watch. The speaker is loud enough to hear with ease, although I've no idea how well the microphone works and if it has good noise cancellation.
The watch has a native browser as well, but I have to use the Gear app to install it. I don't see the need to use the watch as a web browser.
I'm curious about the texting/messaging features, though. I attempted to type a text and while the virtual keys were extremely small, I didn't do any typos, so I guess the keyboard is good enough.
The watch is hefty, but I'm enjoying it thus far. I worry that I'll bang it against something accidentally (I opted out of insurance for the watch -- Verizon's insurance is expensive!). I'd rather not use a screen protector...that's more hassle than it's worth (I tried to put one on my Pebble but removed it soon after, as it was annoying).
I'll be setting it up to my liking over the next week...there's so much to configure that I'm a bit overwhelmed. I might do a quick video review of it later, as well.
For now, I'm impressed enough to say I think I'll keep it. Initially, when I was having issues setting it up, I was irritated enough to where I was thinking on returning it ($399 for something that was giving me immediate issues...uhmmm...no), but I'm OK now. :)
UPDATE:
I've not run into any problem with the smartwatch, so far. I have noticed that with set to auto switch between BT and using the mobile network, I end up with 15-20% battery use in a 24-hour period. This is without using the watch as a phone or web browsing with it. I typically only look at it when someone texts, when I'm notified of an incoming e-mail, or when I'm looking at the time (pretty much how I was using my Pebble).
I've also noticed that my dog likes to lick the watch...her tongue activates the watch!
UPDATE 2:
I usually sit or stand with my arms crossed...I can't do that with this watch. My arm's skin ends up activating the screen, which sometimes enables widgets or other watch tools. They should build some type of logic where the screen won't activate if at at certain angle.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Pebble Smartwatch
Yes, I got a Pebble. Eventually, I'll get a Pebble Steel, too (or get a nice metal band to imitate one).
A review video is below:
What I like about it:
- It vibrates when e-mails and texts are received (I can read them, although long e-mails are truncated).
- I can shake or tap it as an added functionality (for example, when I want to see battery status on the StudioClock app that I'm using, I tap or shake the watch).
- I like the magnetized charger.
- I get get a week out of a charge! (added 10/13/2014)
- I can use it to control my phone when I'm running/exercising. (added 10/13/2014)
- I don't like the magnetized charger (because it is proprietary...I hate proprietary cables...this may as well be an Apple product).
- I hear that it isn't as scratch resistant as it should be (I'm hoping that I can find a screen-like protector for this watch). Added 10/13/2014 - I also tried to use a screen protector...that was a waste of time.
As I use the watch, I'll continue to make note of the good/bad things about the watch, as well as the apps.
EDIT: Found a steel watchband here...this one had decent but not outstanding reviews, but the search for a steel band now looks promising. There's also tons of screen protectors, too.
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