I will be checking my watch for their text or email.
I can also tell approximate time and direction if it's not cloudy etc.
Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with technology, I just don't need to be connected to it all the time.
Regards, Ben

Now that's more like it

Best thing about the old mechanical, analog watches is that they will still be telling the time, date, etc long after the batteries in all those new-fangled techie gadgets have died. YMMV.

DD

I want one of these:

The smart watch is mostly a solution looking for a market, IMO. The number of people that purchase one, then only use a tiny portion of the capabilities is probably small. I wold bet that Fitbits and all the variations, including the fitness functionality of smartphones are the equivalent of all those treadmills that are purchased in January, and by August are used as a place to hang clothes on.

I just happen to be a small part of the market that will most likely actually use the functionality I'm purchasing it for. Just yesterday I had lunch with my wife in north Portland (shout out to The People's Pig), and had to ride across town for an errand. I mapped it out on my phone, but couldn't hear the turn by turn directions, so I was reduced to stopping at intersections, pulling out the phone, checking the directions and next turn, and repeating. I was waiting for a return text or call from someone else, and I did hear the phone buzz, pulled over and checked, it was somebody else. With a smartwatch I could have just glanced at my wrist and kept riding.

To me, all of this technology really is here to help organize our lives and make us more efficient. If it doesn't, I don't use it.

I didn't jump into this, smart watches have been out for awhile. I'm not buying the latest and greatest, I've ordered the Apple Watch 1, it's significantly cheaper now than when it came out, and it's already "obsolete" in the minds of those that need the latest and greatest. It does what I want it to do (and a whole lot of what I don't care about), since I have an iPhone, integration is pretty much guaranteed. Does that make it C&V?

No I am not.... and with all due respect.... you're completely wrong. This is human nature. You being unaware doesn't change life. Your denial doesn't change life either. This is a well studied subject. There isn't anything new here.

There is so little we need. After all.... we're only visiting for such a very short while.

I've tried many times to convince my wife that this is true. She usually just glares at me until I try to pretend I was joking.

Its mister mainspring vs. bluetooth gearboy



And the routine goes something like this-

C'mon man, lets go!

No dude, hold on, got to sync these things. Oh crap, batt. is out. Hold it a min., have to plug in the aux. and then reset. LOL

No arguments, this is your opinion and feeling, I just feel differently. Checking in with the folks at the end of a flight never came under the tether heading for me at all. And, I am one to just go about my business and skip a call until the end of the day after business is over with. Working off shore in the drilling industry, and being in the military before we thought a cell phone was a requirement, does this for you.

None of the family stuff had that effect on me, I don't feel pressure to call, or text now, I just do it as part of my wiring. Its a manners thing for me, and me only, I never put that off on others. Your post does give food for thought, nice to see some conversation and disagreements without the name calling that can come up.

Oh, and my watch is a 27 Y.O. Seiko Diver Automatic, old school type. Cannot figure out how to send a text or a tweet from it though.
Bill

Oh, and my watch is a 27 Y.O. Seiko Diver Automatic, old school type. Cannot figure out how to send a text or a tweet from it though. Its back up is a 34 Y.O. of the same model.

Bill[/QUOTE]

I like your style, did you get my text?
Ben

Ride With GPS just released an app for the Apple Watch, I may start looking at this option. If anyone starts using it I'd love to hear your impressions.

"What's New in Version 1.6.9 The big news is Apple Watch support. Record your ride with or without your phone and it will upload as soon you reconnect with your phone. Configure your two stats screens via the phone so you can see the important stats on your watch while you ride.

* Big update that includes Apple Watch support with standalone recording for Series 2 and remote control for Series 1 watches.
* Watch-based Heart Rate Monitoring support when recording on the phone via the Watch."

[MENTION=381793]gugie[/MENTION], treadmills and other things proved to be less useful than expected, but fitness bands are fantastic. Maybe most people don't use them after a while, but I know one woman who was tremendously overweight through high school and college and after. She got a fitness band, and it made her conscious of when she was moving and when she wasn't. I saw her after a huge weight loss and almost didn't recognize her. Other people use them and compare notes, and without being excessively competitive or obsessive, use the gadget and the chat to improve their fitness and happiness. I wouldn't have predicted that fitness bands could be so great, but I'm impressed.

My own solution to (parts of) your problem -- which won't work for everyone -- is a Quad Lock mount for my iphone, on my handlebar. I use ridewithgps to record my ride, and if I need directions, I use google maps at the same time. The two apps don't seem to use more battery than just the one. Having the screen on does consume battery, so if I want it on for a long time, I connect an external battery, which is easy enough. With that, I can keep my screen on and keep the battery topped up to 100%.

I can't hear turn by turn directions with the phone's speaker or even my headphones, and headphones present a problem anyway. If I do hear a direction with the headphone, I might miss it, and google maps doesn't have a "what did you just say?" button. But following the directions on the screen works for me.

I was just thinking about this. A talking smart watch that gives turn by turn directions might be a useful thing. Is there a good cheap(ish) android watch that talks? Then again I usually ignore turn by turn directions if using my phone for a GPS, as the directions given by Waze or Googlemaps or whatever apps are not practical in LA traffic (impossible left turns, etc). It's more useful to have a map that shows you the bigger picture, so I can see the appeal of having the phone (or discrete graphic GPS) mounted on the bars. Not sure it'd be a good idea going through rougher neighborhoods though.

Briefly tried Ride With GPS on my old phone and didn't like it for some reason. Perhaps I'll give another shot.

Right now it seems that there's only anecdota data. My wife and MIL have one. They both tried using them for awhile, but now they're in the junk drawer. It's a new category - I'm wondering how may of the 10's of millions sold become part of one's lifestyle. Certainly I can't dismiss the people that make use of them and get results.

I got one of those handlebar mounts, I'm just not ready to put something that expensive out in the elements - I have FUD when it comes to these types of things. I keep mine in my handlebar bag, typically wrapped up in a sweater or windbreaker.

Had one of these I lost in a fire - Seiko orange face dive watch . Loved it , kinda expensive

My ex replaced it with a humble little Casio G-Shock Aviator's watch with all the time zones -- it was cool - I quit wearing it last year when she left

HAvent worn a watch since but thinking about finding another orange Seiko dive watch - be nice to have when I need to dress up a little

---- With as much as ive invested in C&V and hobby cars in the last year, I likely could have afforded a couple of luxury watches of some sort, -- but not my style . The big rugged Seiko is 1/20th the cost of a Rolex Submariner

I know what you mean an about risking expensive stuff! I've had bad things happen, and I just about cried paying for my iPhone, but it's working out. After having too many close calls, I find that the handlebar mount is safer for me than a bag. The trick is to use an extremely secure mount. The Quad Lock is one of the best and super secure. I suppose if I capsize the bike, the phone could get smashed, but that doesn't happen to me often.

Anecdata?

One more anecdote: my adoption of the apple watch coincided with my (re)introduction to cycling about two years ago. I was obsessed with hitting the daily fitness goals on the apple watch at first, and in the course of my obsession lost 60lbs (and gained 4 more bikes). I'm less obsessed about the numbers now, because I've habituated myself to the fitness (r/t 25mi commute 3-5 times/week). But I still like to use it to keep track. I use Strava and it feeds nicely into that. I also can catch any important work emails or family texts that come in during my commute.

I was really unsure about it when I bought it. Almost didn't buy it. Really glad I did now.

Plural form is anecdati

I'm a mechanical watch guy, myself. I own a few, nothing crazy expensive, but I love that they tick on through the years with no battery, or screen, or anything except the motion of my wrist and an occasional winding.

Well, I like classic anecdotes, I mean classic watches as much as the next guy, but I think some of this misses the point of a smartwatch. It isn't that a classic watch fails at anything, it's that a smartwatch can do as bit more. And that bit more is all about convenience. Sometimes it just isn't convenient to pull out your smarfone. (Does smarfone have one f or two?) The watch simply offers a convenient way to see something that your phone is trying to show you. Who is calling, how fast you are going and how far you've ridden, who sent you a text and what it says, what the weather today will be (meaning how I should dress for the morning's commute), that sort of thing.

X10 Just going for a Ride. You become "disconnected". Sometimes it's more fun not to be "connected". Slip away from the so called modern World.

I am a small business owner, so a smart phone is a must. Like it or not, a lot of business is done through texts and emails these days. Likewise, the mobile card reader is just as important. As for a smart watch, I got one of those recently. I run and swim as well. I needed a heart monitor and didn't want a strap. I don't have heart problems. When I hit a certain level of physical exertion on the bike or running my nose will start bleeding like clockwork. Clockwork, Smart watch, is that a pun? So, I got the watch to stay right under the "redline." The watch can also monitor sleeping habits. That is helpful, but I already know I need more. The watch connects to fitness apps, but I'm not much of a data type. For a number cruncher though, it is a valuable tool.

This brings to mind another somewhat related technology advancement I was thinking about the other day. As some of you know, I am a friction shifting, barcon and triple crank rider. My latest bike build project is stalled because I am thinking of putting STIs/brifters on it. I can't get myself to do it. Here's why. I also donate blood/platelets once a month. Type O+ so universal donor. They call every 2 weeks and hound me until I go in and donate. I'm glad to do it since it helps other people live. How does this relate to smart watches, new technology and shifting gears. Well, I'll tell you in the next post.

If you are donating platelets, you have to sit on a Trima machine for a period of time. When the machine is in draw mode, you have to squeeze a spong ball about every 5 seconds. Almost the same physical action/movement as shifting a brifter. After an hour of squeezing that ball, my forearm muscles are extremely tight. My wrist has lost most of it's ability to squeeze. Same problem when I have tried brifters in the past. So, I will stick with friction and barcons.

The point is, new technology is whatever you want to make it to be. Give it a try. Maybe it works for you. Maybe it doesn't.