Smartwatches.....

[Jelster]

I do a few errands for an old chap in the village, his health is declining, his sight is getting worse too.

Today he called and said he would like to get a "smartwatch". He has a few prerequisites:

1) To tell him the time (audible) if he taps it or similar
2) Heart rate monitor (as his can be erratic)
3) Will "ping" if he gets an email
4) Alarm function to remind him to take medication.

I know very little about these devices, and personally I would lean towards Apple as we're an Apple household, where as his phone runs Android. It doesn't have to link to his phone though. I see loads of cheap items on Amazon, but he's willing to spend up to £150.00

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Sky]

I use a Samsung one that does exactly the same as an Apple one for about a third of the price.

However, any smart watch will do - they all do the same job. It also depends if he's fashion conscious or wants to pair it with another device.

 

[AgentOrange76]

To be honest i would advise against it and have the functionality set on his phone.
I have had a few and all have too small a screen for anything easy to see or action for someone with failing sight. I have mine for sports purposes and its my daily " can get wet and take a few knocks" watch.

Majority will need linking to the phone in order for email notification - not sure what would be so urgent that an hourly check of the phone would not suffice
Heart rate is not completely accurate, athletes use chest straps for a reason

I would expect you would need high end model to announce the time.

I would suggest an Alexa type product- will do email notification, can be asked what the time is and can set daily notifications. couple it with the cheapest fit bit for heart rate if he really needs it

 

[srichards]

Fitbit Versa is a good non Apple choice. My Fitbit lasts a week between charges. Fitbit has good sleep and activity tracking. It has heart rate monitoring and SPOx so you can make sure blood oxygen isn't falling off in the night.

Not sure about speaking the time. I'd think there might be an accessibility setting for it but it's not something I've looked into.

 

[Nod]

Mrs Nod has a Samsung smartwatch that both pairs with her (Samsung) phone and has a built in SIM which has a different number but her phone reroutes to it when required (I think - it's her toy/tool and way beyond my pay level!) The HRM is reasonably accurate as a basic HRM but doesn't have full ECG capability. It can be set to tell the time vocally on demand and also alerts her to incoming texts and e-mails. She has it set up so she can reply with a few preset messages with a couple of screen taps so she can send brief replies while she's teaching. Pretty sure it can be set as a stand alone alarm as well as acting as a buzzer for her phone.

 

[cosmicma]

iv'e had a few smart watches usually on the cheaper end of the chinese market from full android stand alone watches to relatively cheap
the biggest bug bear is the daily charging i have one on my wrist now which will last quite easily 2 months between charges and is one of the cheaper ones too
it doesn't speak the time but i use an easy to read watch face it does the heart rate / oxygen levels but how accurate they are is debatable
it's IP68 water resistant and connects to the phone for the usual push notifications etc
the reason why i like this one is the long battery life because the watch itself is pretty much the same as most others of it's type

all for 30 quid or less

all i can say is fading eyesight is not your friend with any of these smart watches because the txt is tiny

this is the one i'm talking about

Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

 

[sphexx]

As others have said, failing eyesight won’t be good with a watch and a phone does all he wants except the heart monitor. Maybe he hasn’t the right apps?

Pulse oximeters (on finger) are cheap and also blood pressure monitors (Omron are good & cheap online) which all give a pulse reading I think. I have both those plus an Apple Watch and the pulse readings all agree very closely.