Just realizing that we don't really have a general place to talk smartwatches! It usually ends up being about specific devices in relative isolation. I think (or at least hope) it'd be nice to have a thread on the subject.
To me, what's interesting is how the major contenders so far are all taking very different approaches to smartwatches -- there isn't a lot of overlap in philosophy and interfaces. With that in mind, I don't think we have a platform that does everything well
Android Wear is all about contextual alerts, and it's probably going to be the best at that (at least, for a while). It's awesome to know how long it'll take to get home, or what the sports score is. However, it's terrible for getting many things done; it relies a lot on voice commands, and launching apps is unnecessarily difficult (tap the screen, hit a button at the very bottom of a list, and find your app). It'll save you from getting your phone out of your pocket to respond to an alert, but you can't really take the initiative a lot of the time.
Apple Watch feels like the opposite, at least from what we've seen so far. It doesn't have nearly as many contextual alerts, but it's much, much better at letting you start something from your watch. Want to send a tweet? Launch the Twitter app. Want to find out where you are? Launch the mapping app. Apple does have "glances," but it's hard to know how well those will work in practice just yet.
Microsoft Band is like the Switzerland of smartwatches; it's trying to stay out of the platform wars altogether by courting all sides. There are some things you can do straight from the Band, like paying for Starbucks, but it's more of a notification and fitness center than a platform. That limits its potential, since it's sort of a lowest-common-denominator device, but it also means you're not locked out of most features.
Pebble has a platform of sorts, but it's purposefully keeping to the budget realm; even the Pebble Steel stops at $199. It's limited, but that actually provides some advantages (long battery life and an always-on e-paper display). It's actually easier to launch apps on a Pebble than on Android Wear, which amuses me to no end. This is what you get if you're less worried about style and spiffy features, and more about getting the core features of a smartwatch for the least amount of cash.
Samsung's watches are, well, classic Samsung: trying to be everything to everyone. Cameras! Heart rate sensors! Cellular data! And that's awesome if you're looking for features, since you're bound to find a device that meets your demands. The Tizen interface feels half-cooked, though. It has apps, but they're definitely not high-priority, and it doesn't have Google's contextual alerts.
And for all of them, I'll say this: right now, there's a desperate need for genuinely attractive smartwatch design. The Moto 360 and ZenWatch are kinda there, but most of the designs out there were clearly crafted by the same people making the smartphones, with little consideration for the nature of the watch as a fashion item. Apple might get there since it's much more concerned about these aspects, but it's hard to know how well it pulls that off until people can start buying its watch in a few months' time.
So, with that, I'll ask: whose camp are you in, if any? And who do you see succeeding? Please keep it civil and intelligent, folks!
To me, what's interesting is how the major contenders so far are all taking very different approaches to smartwatches -- there isn't a lot of overlap in philosophy and interfaces. With that in mind, I don't think we have a platform that does everything well
Android Wear is all about contextual alerts, and it's probably going to be the best at that (at least, for a while). It's awesome to know how long it'll take to get home, or what the sports score is. However, it's terrible for getting many things done; it relies a lot on voice commands, and launching apps is unnecessarily difficult (tap the screen, hit a button at the very bottom of a list, and find your app). It'll save you from getting your phone out of your pocket to respond to an alert, but you can't really take the initiative a lot of the time.
Apple Watch feels like the opposite, at least from what we've seen so far. It doesn't have nearly as many contextual alerts, but it's much, much better at letting you start something from your watch. Want to send a tweet? Launch the Twitter app. Want to find out where you are? Launch the mapping app. Apple does have "glances," but it's hard to know how well those will work in practice just yet.
Microsoft Band is like the Switzerland of smartwatches; it's trying to stay out of the platform wars altogether by courting all sides. There are some things you can do straight from the Band, like paying for Starbucks, but it's more of a notification and fitness center than a platform. That limits its potential, since it's sort of a lowest-common-denominator device, but it also means you're not locked out of most features.
Pebble has a platform of sorts, but it's purposefully keeping to the budget realm; even the Pebble Steel stops at $199. It's limited, but that actually provides some advantages (long battery life and an always-on e-paper display). It's actually easier to launch apps on a Pebble than on Android Wear, which amuses me to no end. This is what you get if you're less worried about style and spiffy features, and more about getting the core features of a smartwatch for the least amount of cash.
Samsung's watches are, well, classic Samsung: trying to be everything to everyone. Cameras! Heart rate sensors! Cellular data! And that's awesome if you're looking for features, since you're bound to find a device that meets your demands. The Tizen interface feels half-cooked, though. It has apps, but they're definitely not high-priority, and it doesn't have Google's contextual alerts.
And for all of them, I'll say this: right now, there's a desperate need for genuinely attractive smartwatch design. The Moto 360 and ZenWatch are kinda there, but most of the designs out there were clearly crafted by the same people making the smartphones, with little consideration for the nature of the watch as a fashion item. Apple might get there since it's much more concerned about these aspects, but it's hard to know how well it pulls that off until people can start buying its watch in a few months' time.
So, with that, I'll ask: whose camp are you in, if any? And who do you see succeeding? Please keep it civil and intelligent, folks!