Wearables...is it a benefit? Or a new toy?

[STXVI]

The whole wearable thing is lost on me. I do wear a watch, but most days I never look at it. I am curious to those who do use a wearable, in what way has it impacted your life...both positively or negatively? I'm more interested in whether I could benefit from a wearable in a way that I haven't thought of yet.

 

[ZackTheNever]

I've never warn one. I have a watch too, but its analog and I dont ever look at it. However I would like to get the same insight that your asking for.

 

[dov1978]

I think they're more beneficial for phablet users where it's more impractical to pull out a big phone. I'm doing my homework on them now to see if it's worthwhile but the only 2 with enough functionality for me personally is the Apple iWatch and the Galaxy Gear S. I do a lot of running etc so I'd benefit from the fitness part of it and I do like the idea of getting notifications etc to my wrist without having to get my phone out in certain situations. The Gear S is huge and will definitely divide opinion but it can function as a standalone phone so really handy if I need to make or receive an emergency call whilst out running in the middle of nowhere

 

[mpl175]

I don't get the whole wearable thing. Why on earth would I pay $200+ for something that does exactly what I can do on my phone? My phone is always with me and it tells me the time lol. Nevermind trying to see apps on that tiny screen lol. I'm sorry but it takes less than 10 seconds to remove a phone from your pocket. Then again to each his/her own lol.

 

[STXVI]

I don't get the whole wearable thing. Why on earth would I pay $200+ for something that does exactly what I can do on my phone? My phone is always with me and it tells me the time lol. Nevermind trying to see apps on that tiny screen lol. I'm sorry but it takes less than 10 seconds to remove a phone from your pocket. Then again to each his/her own lol.

This is my current line of thinking. Outside of the athletic purposes I don't see any benefit. But the idea of getting notifications without pulling your phone out of your pocket or purse can be useful. My question there is, how useful? Is it only good for text? Or does the wearable support all notifications? As for making calls is it anymore easier than using the Bluetooth button and saying "call Pizza Hut" on my earpiece?

 

[dov1978]

I'm pretty sure you get notifications everything ie WhatsApp and Facebook etc etc are all supported. I love gadgets and that part of it appeals to me too but at the same time I don't want to look like a geek and certainly wouldn't make a call talking to my watch in a supermarket etc. If the Gear S was more discreet I'd definitely get that. It can take its own sim card, has built in GPS, Heart rate sensor etc so I could use the Runkeeper app or something similar independently of my phone of need be, have access to my heart rate and I could sms, WhatsApp or call if I really needed to and leave my phone at home

 

[mpl175]

Yeah I can sort of see the active person using this but for me personally I have no problem taking my phone out of my pocket. Like i said,my phone is always with me. I love gadgets too,but for me they have to do something extra that my other gadgets can't. Plus the battery life isn't that great and my notifications are always turned off.

 

[jmshub]

As someone who likes techy gadgets, I watched as smart watches started to become a thing, but I have mostly decided that they are a solution to a problem that few actually have. I don't need to wear a watch, I can get the time and date on a dozen screens that surround me at work, and it's not much better at home or even in my car. When I do wear my watch, I wear it more for jewelry than anything, and it's biggest benefit is that I don't have to do ANYTHING to it. If the month isn't a 31 day month, I have to adjust the date, a few times a year. To have another device that needs charged all of the time and synchronized and troubleshooting when they don't get/make/keep a bluetooth connection to your phone just sounds wearisome to me.

 

[Paul Verizzo]

Of course it's a toy.

Ask yourself, "Does this make my life better?" Like most of all things New! New! New!, probably not. A few hundred years ago only the very wealthiest could afford time pieces, i.e., "watches." Did the average person of the era need one? Almost surely not.

Or, how about those new 1980's car phones? How many bought them because it was the latest and greatest? (Full disclosure, I did buy one once off of the bleeding edge, good for my business.)

Another criteria I suggest is, "Do you own your technology or does it own you?" I do my best to aim for the former option.