Smart gadgets you cary about, do you?

woof woof

woof woof

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I've just watched an article on TV about Smart watches. I like wind up watches and I can't imagine what I'd use a smart watch for.

Anyway, I just wondered if anyone has a use for a Smart watch and if so what do you use it for apart from telling the time?

And on the subject of gadgets...

I used to work in computers and electronics but these days I'm just not that interested in gadgets (I'm 53, I retired at 49 and haven't regretted it once.) I've only started using a smart phone this winter because my old phone died but when the summer comes and I'm not wearing a jacket I'll probably be stuck as it wont fit in my trouser pocket unlike my old phone. Maybe I'll buy a hand bag to carry it in. I don't have a tablet and when I'm not using it I put my computer away where it can't be seen as I don't like computers on show as I think they dominate rooms. My cameras and gear are all hidden from view when not in use too. The only high tech stuff I normally have on display is the TV and box and my hi-fi separates.

Are you like me or do you use the latest gadgets and if so what am I missing?
 
simonblue said:
I use an Samsung one,great for picking up calls and texts on the go :)
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But can't you do that with your phone? Or is your phone (like mine) too big to carry about?
 
woof woof said:
But can't you do that with your phone? Or is your phone (like mine) too big to carry about?
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I have Samsung note 3,which i carry in my pocket,if i am walking along and the phone goes i just look to my wrist to see if i want to take the call,and i can also reads my texts from my wrist,save me getting my phone out of my jacket :)
 
I use a Pebble.

When walking around town I don't always want to have my phone on display. As such it is handy when my watch can give me directions, shows me what the text message is about.

Likewise when running or dog walking. I love the information run keeper gives me on distance and average pace etc. I wouldn't want to check my phone constantly, nor is the phone waterproof to do so.

And, I actually like the ability for different watch faces.

And considering mine was just £56 it is less than a decent watch. Still got those as well for special occasions or when I'm in an area where personal electronic devices aren't allowed.

I've got to ask though what phone you got? Mine is an iPhone 6+ almost as big as they are come, I wear normally slim fit suits and trousers and it fits fine in my pockets. No need for a bag or anything like it.
 
My phone is an old Blackberry Bold. Lost my original one last year, and bought a replacement for £35 on eBay. It's fairly small, fits into any pocket and does everything I need. No point in getting one of the latest smart phones anyway, even if I could afford it, because local cellphone coverage is poor.

Watch is an ordinary Seiko. It's quite accurate and, again, serves its purpose very well. I don't want my watch to do anything other than indicate the time.

No TV or sound system, and no interest in getting either.
 
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WinPhone and "normal" watches. If my phone wibbles at me, I check it when it's convenient and respond if necessary. Life is certainly not run by it.
 
I have an LG G, I use it for all the usual stuff, texts and what not. I also have an app that displays saved text like lists which I use for work info. My phone has a 6.3" screen which is great but it's not always handy to have to dig it out to read a text or mail.

I'm fickle, I like change, when I get fed up of my watch face I can just download another one and there are hundreds of really good ones and that saves me trawling the net for a new watch. :)

What I don't use it for is all that fitness crap because it's horlicks! I can drive from Inverness to Wick and the watch tells me I've taken 1000+ steps because it follows arm movements and not actual steps.
 
Crap watch then :p seriously sounds like they need to update the algorithm.
 
woof woof said:
Are you like me or do you use the latest gadgets.......
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Like you?...............crikey you're positively techie up to me! :D I don't even own a Mobile phone. The most up to date gadget I carry around is my (battery powered) watch. :LOL:
 
woof woof said:
It's another world :D
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Haha, yeah I was gobsmacked when I recently got my watch & found I didn't have to wind it up! :confused: Technology eh, they'll be talking about not needing a road atlas for going on yer jollies, next. :D
 
Are you guys not tempted just to leave it all at home though?

Isn't there something nice and pure and good about being gadget free?
 
I'm the original gadget guy, in my works van I have 1 old 3 1/2" android phone set up as an mp3 player and plugged in to the aux on the radio, 1 old 5" android phone set up as a sat nav, 1 Pure Highway DAB, 1 reverse camera and with me 1 works phone/pda + bluetooth, 1 personal phone plus smartwatch.

And 1 paper diary/note book because I don't trust the tech :lol:
 
woof woof said:
Are you guys not tempted just to leave it all at home though?

Isn't there something nice and pure and good about being gadget free?
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Yes there is, on our recent TP Iceland trip I put the phone on flight mode at Bristol airport and didn't alter that until 3 days after we got back. It really was a refreshing change just to think I was unreachable and my life was my own.
 
I can't remember the last time I wore a watch, was certainly before my first phone in 1999. Can't see smart watches changing that.
 
Big Andy said:
Yes there is, on our recent TP Iceland trip I put the phone on flight mode at Bristol airport and didn't alter that until 3 days after we got back. It really was a refreshing change just to think I was unreachable and my life was my own.
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Back when mobile phones came in a small briefcase type thing we had pagers... when I was in a high pressure job other managers pagers went off all the time and I used to wonder what was going on back at base that staff couldn't cope with. My pager went off infrequently and when it did go off there was an enquiry when I got back to base to find out why they couldn't cope by themselves and how they'd manage better next time I wasn't there. When the forms came through for me to get a mobile phone I put them in the bin. I've sort of carried that same mind set since. I try to order my life so that I don't need to be contacted when out and about and I only carry a mobile for emergency use.

I had a very simple PAYG I got from a supermarket until someone gave me one with a better camera and when that died someone gave me a smartphone and whilst I appreciate the gift I find it hard to view it as an advance in mobile phone technology as it's so big. It's ok as a small tablet at home but what am I supposed to do with it when I'm out for the day in the summer without a jacket with big pockets? My GF suggested something I should do with it... :D
 
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stumeech said:
I can't remember the last time I wore a watch, was certainly before my first phone in 1999. Can't see smart watches changing that.
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I saw something somewhere that said that no one under 25 wears a watch these days... is that true?
 
Never been a gadgeteer and haven't had a watch since childhood. I recently worked for a company that took it for granted that I'd have a smart phone and satnav, so not having either meant I had to plan routes in advance and reject last minute jobs while on the road.
 
We first had a mobile phone when Mrs Nod's Dad was on his last legs and we needed to be contactable at all times so we borrowed his work phone. When that went back after the inevitable conclusion, I had an elderly LandRover so it made sense to have a means of getting help if I ever needed it (but never had to use it for that purpose). Now have a smart phone but only ever use data etc in wi-fi because I'm tight! £20 a year is enough credit on PAYG for my needs, although Mrs Nod uses hers a lot and pretty much runs her business through it including all her e-mails, farcebook etc.. It's not that I'm anti gadget - I love the things but I can live very happily without most modern technology, although such things as tablets and MP3 players make flying less of a bore. Not sure I could hold a smart watch far enough away to read it easily these days but can tell the difference between the big and little hands on a real watch.
 
stumeech said:
I can imagine that's true, hardly anyone I know wears a watch.
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So do younger people not care about the time or do you just check your phone if you want to know the time?
 
Work means I need 'gadgets' but regardless I'd still choose to have the mobile in my pocket when I'm out and about so I can be contacted or contact somebody.

Every October I take leave from work, chuck the lot in a drawer and go to the cottage at Ardnamurchan. No gadgets, no mobile phone coverage, no land line, no ipad, no tv, no radio. Nothing.

It's odd to wake up of a morning knowing that I have 'missed' emails, texts, forums, calls. For the first few days I wonder what I may have missed. By the end of the first week I realise the world is still turning. After a few weeks I'm in my element.

Firewood, food, fishing, book, drink and camera.

Smartest thing I ever did.
 
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I used to love gadgets and technology etc but these days a) can't be bothered and b) have better things to spend money on. I do have a smartphone for work (Motorola RAZRi, just about pocketable - no way does a phone with a 4.5"+ screen fit in a pocket comfortably) but mostly it's redundant except for satnav and running tracking purposes. If more of my work was technology driven then I might have more interest.
 
simonblue said:
I have Samsung note 3,which i carry in my pocket,if i am walking along and the phone goes i just look to my wrist to see if i want to take the call,and i can also reads my texts from my wrist,save me getting my phone out of my jacket :)
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That's all very well for you young things, but I have to put my specs on to read texts on my iPhone, so trying to read them on my wrist would be impossible. :(
 
Quicksnapper said:
That's all very well for you young things, but I have to put my specs on to read texts on my iPhone, so trying to read them on my wrist would be impossible. :(
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Since I got a smart phone I've never successfully answered a call.

By the time I've heard the phone going off (or rather if I hear it as it's in a coat pocket and I may well not be in a silent library) and got it out of my pocket and swiped the icon it's timed out and another problem is that in even the pale northern UK daylight the screen is pretty much impossible to see.

Another problem is that there seem to be a number of incompatible formats about. I've been sent lots of attachments which seem incompatible for whatever reason, in fact I had one this morning... I selected the option to "download" and it went through the process but where it downloaded to I don't know as it's nowhere on my phone so now I have to do what I always do... call the person and ask them to email anything they want to send me and not to send it to my phone.

And while I'm on a mad rant about technology which only works some of the time... Doesn't anyone test stuff these days? In my day I'd have tested the kit and if it didn't work in what should be a predictable scenario I'd have someone stood in my office and I'd be asking why.
 
woof woof said:
Since I got a smart phone I've never successfully answered a call.

By the time I've heard the phone going off (or rather if I hear it as it's in a coat pocket and I may well not be in a silent library) and got it out of my pocket and swiped the icon it's timed out and another problem is that in even the pale northern UK daylight the screen is pretty much impossible to see.

Another problem is that there seem to be a number of incompatible formats about. I've been sent lots of attachments which seem incompatible for whatever reason, in fact I had one this morning... I selected the option to "download" and it went through the process but where it downloaded to I don't know as it's nowhere on my phone so now I have to do what I always do... call the person and ask them to email anything they want to send me and not to send it to my phone.

And while I'm on a mad rant about technology which only works some of the time... Doesn't anyone test stuff these days? In my day I'd have tested the kit and if it didn't work in what should be a predictable scenario I'd have someone stood in my office and I'd be asking why.
Click to expand...

Call your provider and they should give you a code that will extend your ring time,before it timed out :)
 
woof woof said:
Since I got a smart phone I've never successfully answered a call.

By the time I've heard the phone going off (or rather if I hear it as it's in a coat pocket and I may well not be in a silent library) and got it out of my pocket and swiped the icon it's timed out and another problem is that in even the pale northern UK daylight the screen is pretty much impossible to see.

Another problem is that there seem to be a number of incompatible formats about. I've been sent lots of attachments which seem incompatible for whatever reason, in fact I had one this morning... I selected the option to "download" and it went through the process but where it downloaded to I don't know as it's nowhere on my phone so now I have to do what I always do... call the person and ask them to email anything they want to send me and not to send it to my phone.

And while I'm on a mad rant about technology which only works some of the time... Doesn't anyone test stuff these days? In my day I'd have tested the kit and if it didn't work in what should be a predictable scenario I'd have someone stood in my office and I'd be asking why.
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Sounds like someone went on the cheap if you can't see it in daylight. Don't get me wrong I fully agree that there are lots of rubbish screens about. I sent my Samsung Galaxy S back within two days as the screen was rubbish compared to the iPhone I switched from.

The attachments sound like someone is sending you an MMS. Unfortunately it depends on your phone provider and your phone how well this works. Best is if people just don't use MMS. Then again it works fine for me on Vodafone with an iPhone.
 
simonblue said:
Call your provider and they should give you a code that will extend your ring time,before it timed out :)
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I think it's on a loooong ring now but the issue is hearing a device that's tucked away on a coat pocket and then being able to retrieve and operate the device. I may get lucky one day but so far I've failed every time and I know I'm not the only one and this is something we should each be able to do our own stats on. How many times does it happen to you and how many times do you call people who you know have their phone with them and they don't answer?

I know from personal experience that I often call people who don't answer the first time... or they call me straight back... because they've had the same issues I run into, hearing the phone and retrieving it from their pocket or handbag and answering it.

Maybe this is one thing a smart watch will help with.

dejongj said:
Sounds like someone went on the cheap if you can't see it in daylight. Don't get me wrong I fully agree that there are lots of rubbish screens about. I sent my Samsung Galaxy S back within two days as the screen was rubbish compared to the iPhone I switched from.

The attachments sound like someone is sending you an MMS. Unfortunately it depends on your phone provider and your phone how well this works. Best is if people just don't use MMS. Then again it works fine for me on Vodafone with an iPhone.
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Quite. It's device and format dependant and it's a lottery that could easily be foreseen and planned for.

My pnone was a top of the line model two years ago but screens vary and I know that as I spent much of my working life repairing / testing stuff but today I have a screen (and I accept that it's 2 years old) that can't be read in daylight on a device that can't easily be operated without being able to see the screen and when comparing that to my old non smart phone which could be operated in daylight I have to say that as a phone the old kit worked much better.

The answer for me would be to buy an old type non smart phone but that's not my point here. My point here is that new tech isn't always as good as it should be.
 
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woof woof said:
I think it's on a loooong ring now but the issue is hearing a device that's tucked away on a coat pocket and then being able to retrieve and operate the device. I may get lucky one day but so far I've failed every time and I know I'm not the only one and this is something we should each be able to do our own stats on. How many times does it happen to you and how many times do you call people who you know have their phone with them and they don't answer?

I know from personal experience that I often call people who don't answer the first time... or they call me straight back... because they've had the same issues I run into, hearing the phone and retrieving it from their pocket or handbag and answering it.

Maybe this is one thing a smart watch will help with.



Quite. It's device and format dependant and it's a lottery that could easily be foreseen and planned for.

My pnone was a top of the line model two years ago but screens vary and I know that as I spent much of my working life repairing / testing stuff but today I have a screen (and I accept that it's 2 years old) that can't be read in daylight on a device that can't easily be operated without being able to see the screen and when comparing that to my old non smart phone which could be operated in daylight I have to say that as a phone the old kit worked much better.

The answer for me would be to buy an old type non smart phone but that's not my point here. My point here is that new tech isn't always as good as it should be.
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Sounds like you need a smart watch or vibrator :) :exit:
 
woof woof said:
I think it's on a loooong ring now but the issue is hearing a device that's tucked away on a coat pocket and then being able to retrieve and operate the device. I may get lucky one day but so far I've failed every time and I know I'm not the only one and this is something we should each be able to do our own stats on. How many times does it happen to you and how many times do you call people who you know have their phone with them and they don't answer?

I know from personal experience that I often call people who don't answer the first time... or they call me straight back... because they've had the same issues I run into, hearing the phone and retrieving it from their pocket or handbag and answering it.

Maybe this is one thing a smart watch will help with.



Quite. It's device and format dependant and it's a lottery that could easily be foreseen and planned for.

My pnone was a top of the line model two years ago but screens vary and I know that as I spent much of my working life repairing / testing stuff but today I have a screen (and I accept that it's 2 years old) that can't be read in daylight on a device that can't easily be operated without being able to see the screen and when comparing that to my old non smart phone which could be operated in daylight I have to say that as a phone the old kit worked much better.

The answer for me would be to buy an old type non smart phone but that's not my point here. My point here is that new tech isn't always as good as it should be.
Click to expand...

Thats what i really like about my smart watch,one look at my wrist and all done :)
 
dejongj said:
Sounds like you need a smart watch or vibrator :) :exit:
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Yup. The vibrate function is good and when my old non smart phone was in my trouser pocket I could feel it go off but of course my smart phone is the size of a suitcase (only a slight exaggeration) and wont fit in my trouser pocket and therefore goes in my coat pocket and I can't feel it vibrate.

As I said, I know it's me :D
 
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