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Bike crash left Spokane man unconscious, so his Apple Watch called 911
- mikestew 7y agoAlternate headline: “Potentially Life-saving Tech Works as Advertised”. I know, I know, it’s a human interest story and the regular folks might not know this. But my first thought reading the headline was, “it better call, or I’m going to be puzzling how to get a refund in the afterlife.”
- twiceaday 7y agoThis is one seemingly tiny, new feature of the device. He might not have bought the device for this feature, or even have known that it was there. Or rather, the people reading might have not bought the device for this feature, or even have known that it was there. I think this is what makes the story popular enough to be going around.
- 1123581321 7y agoAdditionally, some of us who have this watch and this feature enabled want to share stories that verify the feature works for some people ergo could work if something happens to us (and this also helps us to rationalize our purchase!)
- ogre_codes 7y agoFWIW, unless you are over 60 it's not enabled by default. Presumably this is to minimize false alarms, but if you want this feature enabled, you should make certain it's enabled. Here's how: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944
- eduren 7y agoThank you for mentioning! I was under the impression that I had it enabled, but your comment got me to check.
- saagarjha 7y agos/over 60/under 65/?
- JshWright 7y agoThe correct answer (per the docs) is "over 65".
- saagarjha 7y agoRight, I missed the "unless" in my replacement.
- ogre_codes 7y agoSimply: If it's important to you, CHECK IT. Those older than 65 should have it enabled, but should check. (I wasn't sure about the exact age so made a conservative/ lazy guess)
- outworlder 7y ago> He might not have bought the device for this feature The article says that it was a consideration when he bought it.
- thaumaturgy 7y agoI was not aware of this feature in Apple watches. I probably still won't buy one, but it's nice to know it exists and it's a feature I'll look for in other similar devices.
- danso 7y agoDoes Apple marketing guarantee that it will work? I bought watches for my parents, partly because of the feature, but I never had the impression that it was guaranteed to correctly detect all (or even most) life threatening situations
- mistersquid 7y ago> I never had the impression that it was guaranteed to correctly detect all (or even most) life threatening situations Apple Watch detects falls, not unconsciousness. It doesn't detect heart attacks either. > Apple Watch cannot detect all falls. The more physically active you are, the more likely you are to trigger fall detection due to high impact activity that can appear to be a fall. [0] [0] https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944
- JshWright 7y agoIt does detect if you aren't moving after a fall event, which can be a reasonable proxy for unconsciousness.
- elif 7y agoThe feature has to be turned on and configured. The cycling group I am in has had dozens of people realize they were accidentally forgoing this feature while wearing the watch, so the impact of this article is potentially huge.
- selimthegrim 7y agoMy cousin died last week of a heart attack on the way from his house in a village south of Nuremberg to the bakery 10 minutes away to get bread for breakfast. His Apple Watch (presumably because of the fall detection) called emergency services for him and gave him time to call his wife.
- rolltiide 7y agoSorry to read your cousin died this way. I don't understand. The Apple Watch told him his heart isn't working right - automatically calling emergency services - and he also called his wife to let him know the watch says there is an emergency with his heart? Or was it that he too passed out, the Apple Watch called emergency services, who resuscitated him enabling him to call his wife?
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- Topgamer7 7y agoThe former I think.
- function_seven 7y agoI think the watch detected his fall (which was a result of the heart attack)
- selimthegrim 7y agoCorrect. I had heard speculation he may have noticed ECG stuff but he was still conscious enough to call his wife.
- joshvm 7y agoThe specs for the watch specifically rule out heart attack detection, by the way. > Apple Watch cannot detect heart attacks. If you ever experience chest pain, pressure, tightness, or what you think is a heart attack, call emergency services immediately.
- Topgamer7 7y ago> His watch messaged emergency medical services at 12:02 p.m., and an ambulance was there within a minute. Talk about response time, wow!
- eatbitseveryday 7y agoPlease do not use code blocks for quotes, it creates long side-scrolling windows.
- crushingcrash 7y agoCan someone fix this? WHERE'S DANG, he's sniffing around all the time. It has to be one line of CSS.
- leovander 7y agoShould only be one line, I didn't see the problem this time around because I had installed this plugin the other day. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21020162 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21020162 https://github.com/corollari/fixedHackerNews/blob/master/extension/fixPre.css https://github.com/corollari/fixedHackerNews/blob/master/ext...
- xvector 7y agoThis isn't a solution. There's no need to code block quote to begin with.
- mynameisvlad 7y agoThere is no built-in quote formatting, so code blocking is basically the only way to have it show different. Attribution is important to some, and a proper quote format would help with that.
- hombre_fatal 7y ago
- swayvil 7y agoMy friend was digging a hole in her garden. Her watch asked her, "are you ok?".
- xpe 7y agoAn Apple Watch? How deep was the hole? (Tangent: anyhow, this reminds me of a great aphorism: > If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. This can apply to many situations involving technical debt in software... is it really more effective to do many unseemly hacks rather just fix it properly?)
- swayvil 7y agoYa, apple watch. The hole was a foot or 2.
- segmondy 7y agoDigging is a very strenuous activity as well as shoveling. Anytime there's a major snow storm, enough people die from shoveling. So it probably detected that she was very stressed.
- thanatos_dem 7y agoCan confirm, grandfather died from a heart attack when shoveling snow.
- chubbyrabbit 7y agoMine slipped a disc while shovelling as well. The torso twisting motion is really bad if you have existing back problem.
- Marsymars 7y agoAny time I see someone shovelling a sidewalk or driveway with something other than a sleigh shovel, I'm baffled at why they're not using a sleigh shovel.
- ineedasername 7y agoI have lots of criticisms for Apple, but this is truly an amazing thing that technology has brought us to this point. This is one of the few things that has me feeling like we "live in the future"
- melling 7y agoIn the future, everyone will wear a smart watch (2015): https://h4labs.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/in-the-future-everyone-will-wear-a-smartwatch/ https://h4labs.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/in-the-future-everyo... I’m disappointed that Android Wear didn’t take off. More competition would greatly increase innovation.
- aasasd 7y agoLots of current trends make way more sense if you look at smartphones as universal communication devices that just happen so far to be slabs in the hands. However, it doesn't make privacy prospects look promising.
- ChuckNorris89 7y ago>I’m disappointed that Android Wear didn’t take off. More competition would greatly increase innovation. Android wearables have a chicken and egg problem. Manufacturers aren't innovating because nobody is buying and nobody is buying because there are no innovations. Apple is fully vertically integrated so it can recoup the high R&D costs for new silicon and other components through the price of the unit but on Android platforms you have separate manufacturers for the vital components who are under pressure to be cost competitive as they don't get a slice of the profits of the final product so they won't invest in R&D until they see enough consumer demand which isn't there.
- macintux 7y agoApple also has the willingness (and resources, but those resources are a consequence of that willingness) to double down on tech it believes in. If Apple Watch hadn’t been an immediate success, I’d like to think they’d still be pushing hard to make it so. Most of its competitors have far more offerings with much less commitment behind any one of them.
- zed88 7y agoThis is one feature that Apple is certainly heading in the right direction.
- bt848 7y agoApple marketing machine in action: get local press to write up as a novelty feature that main competitor has had for ages.
- amiantos 7y agoPlease name this competitor that had fall detection ('for ages') that automatically messages emergency services for you?
- ogre_codes 7y agoThere are none (but you know this). Samsung is going to implement it "Sometime early next year" in their currently shipping version.
- bt848 7y agoGarmin. You know, the brand that is 100x more popular among bicyclists.
- Izkata 7y agoThis reads as though Apple did it first: https://fortune.com/2019/01/07/garmin-vivoactive-cellular-smartwatch/ https://fortune.com/2019/01/07/garmin-vivoactive-cellular-sm...
- elif 7y agoPoor wording I suppose. My garmin is prior to that one, and has fall detection by using my phone via Bluetooth. Not sure who had it first, but definitely before that 2019 Verizon model.
- FireBeyond 7y agoKinda. The part that they're referring to is it being Garmin's first device with cellular capability. But it's definitely vague around fall monitoring too.
- president 7y agoCurious - does Apple Watch call 911 if you flop onto bed and start napping away?
- hprotagonist 7y agoNo. You have to really take a hit -- and you have to fail to cancel the 60 second (very loud and annoying) countdown, too.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- dsfyu404ed 7y agoI can think of a lot of things you can do that will make the portion of your body that the watch is attached to take a really hard hit. How does it not have a high false positive rate?
- rohit2412 7y agoExactly. If it is just detecting falling down from standing position, I can imagine several things causing that
- giovannylira 7y agoIt also considers your cardiac rhythm so I would think they trained their model to consider it.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- FireBeyond 7y agoLife Alert, horrendous as their ads may be, would probably be surprised to hear that it's only now that you're finding a "device which can contact emergency services in the event of an accident" so life changing. As might OnStar, etc.
- Izkata 7y agoNot really. All those other services require the person to hit a button to trigger it, which they can't do while unconscious. The Apple watch called automatically on its own.
- FireBeyond 7y agoNo. All those services absolutely offer Automatic Fall Detection: https://www.theseniorlist.com/medical-alert-systems/best/fall-detection/ https://www.theseniorlist.com/medical-alert-systems/best/fal... And OnStar has it easier, with existing collision detection.
- skyyler 7y agoInteresting, how much does the Apple Watch fall detection cost monthly?
- FireBeyond 7y ago$10/month if you factor in the need for a cellular plan for the watch? $15/month for a fall detection device vs $399 + $10/month buys a lot of months. Yes, I know the Apple Watch does more, but I wasn't the one who tried to make the comparison. Does the Apple Watch stay on the phone with you until EMS arrives? Is it capable of giving medical information to dispatch? Another "Apple was the first to do this!"... "No it wasn't"... "Well, the cost is different!"... circumlocution. I could care less, either way. Whichever device gives me less false positives (but not false negatives) works best for me as a first responder.
- 7y ago
- quickthrower2 7y agoAnyone know of any force alarm emergency service automatic dials from a watch or app (Apple or otherwise?).
- thanatos_dem 7y agoI am having a hell of a time trying to parse that sentence. Can you rephrase?
- bidluo 7y agothey're trying to ask if there's a chance for false alarm (i think)
- abawany 7y agoThe first watchOS version that had this monitoring built-in seemed to be prone to false positives. However, the watch first asks you if you are ok and if you do not acknowledge so in a few seconds, then it dials out.
- MBCook 7y agoRight. The other day I accidentally slammed my watch into the wall and it started asking me if I was OK. You have a chance to say that everything is fine and that you don’t need help before it starts calling emergency services and telling people you’re in trouble.
- quickthrower2 7y agoRephrased: Anyone know of any force alarms from devices that call the emergency services automatically, be that a watch or app?
- bsaul 7y agoand soon, people will be scared to even consider going for a jog without a device like that on their wrist. The more time passes the more i realize how much the saying « the road to hell is paved with good intentions » is true.
- frabbit 7y agoIt seems highly likely to me that the Culture of Fear that pervades affluent western societies will exactly lead to what you predict. And those of us that do not wear a permanent tracking device will have some sort of financial (insurance rates) and emotional punishments (peer pressure/blackmail) inflicted on us. Speaking for myself, I'm ready to die when its time. If my body is so weak and knackered that I cannot even go for a bike ride without medical assistance then I reckon it's time to shuffle off this mortal coil and make way for someone else.
- scottlamb 7y agoI can understand why you'd feel the risk of such an event is sufficiently low that it's not worth buying/charging/wearing a "permanent tracking device", particularly if you also feel it doesn't respect your privacy adequately. And I agree our collective tolerance to risk is going down over time. But I'm curious about this part of your comment: > Speaking for myself, I'm ready to die when its time. If my body is so weak and knackered that I cannot even go for a bike ride without medical assistance then I reckon it's time to shuffle off this mortal coil and make way for someone else. This could happen because of a hit-and-run driver or because of some other temporary medical condition; either might be completely resolved with the right treatment. I think a better way to look at it is about your quality of life afterward. If you're terminally ill or of very advanced age with a poor prognosis for recovery, then I can see why you'd want a "do not resuscitate" order, would disable this feature, etc. Otherwise why not get help?
- frabbit 7y agoAgree about the quality of life afterwards being the most important issue. I have seen too many people who have lingered "alive". I suspect that if I get knocked down then there is a dichotomy of outcomes: 1) unpleasant, painful, survivable, not time-critical, not life-changing 2) major trauma, life can be saved with a time-critical intervention. Prognosis post-event is for a decreased quality of life. Would probably die if left without unusually quick ER. I can only see the watch being useful for #2: the exact situation where I think it would be better that I die.
- stickfigure 7y agoKeep your DocWagon(tm) contract paid up, chummer!
- orwin 7y agoBest healthcare provider in the UCAS!
- gesman 7y agoCan Apple watch be programmed to call relative in case of hard fall / unresponsiveness like this? I have elderly father in Eastern Europe and he would really benefit from this.
- blang 7y agoIt looks like it also sent a text to his son.
- gesman 7y agoAlso does Apple Watch require ownership of iPhone?
- gowld 7y agoOwnership, yes. Physical presence, not completely: https://www.apple.com/watch/cellular/ https://www.apple.com/watch/cellular/
- abawany 7y agoAs I mention above, the way I did this was to buy a low-cost/locked/unactivated iPhone 6s and paired the watch to it. It thus provides in-home monitoring of such events; I can confirm that it works well since it got inadvertently activated a couple of times (the first watchOS version with this feature seemed to be prone to false positives) and I had to talk to the emergency agent on her behalf to state that everything was ok for now.
- gesman 7y agoCan I have one iPhone (in USA) and two watches - one in USA (me), another in Europe with my dad attached to local European SIM card to call local European number if he falls?
- abawany 7y agoI don't think so unfortunately - the cellular watches are weird in that they must be on the same cellular network as the associated iphone. The recipe I suggested above works with the non-cellular version of the watch and counts on being on the same wireless network as the phone. So imo, you will need one iphone per watch. However, I have been able to get refurbished iphone 6s devices for as little as $60; you probably don't want anything older than 6s as it is the oldest device that can still run iOS 13 and thus future proof for just a little bit.
- therealmarv 7y agoCurios: does Android Wear OS has none of this features? - Heart rate monitoring and warning when something is not right with the heart? - Fall detection and call 911?
- Eric_WVGG 7y agoUpcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 has heart rate, ECG, warnings, and fall detection… but Samsung, so who knows how well any of it will work.
- ineedasername 7y agoI don't think the Active 2 is an Android WearOS device. However I have the Active 1 and very much prefer it to WearOS.
- arwineap 7y agoIt's not, it's a tizen device. I preordered, but maybe it's because I've been off samsung so long I've forgotten
- VectorLock 7y agoNot that I've been able to find, but I'd love to hear otherwise.
- anonu 7y agoHow probable is it that Apple planted this article? Its great marketing after all. EDIT: to the downvoters: question everything.
- why-el 7y agoImmaterial to the point, I think.
- jplayer01 7y agoWell, does the watch not work as advertised?
- IfOnlyYouKnew 7y agoIt depends on what you mean by planted. For "some Apple PR person called or e-mailed" then, yes, the chance is non-zero. That's part of how journalism works. A story that's both true and interesting should be published, and it also benefitting some company should have as little impact as when it hurts that company, i. e. none. If you're talking about a Seattle Times journalist or editor literally being bribed into running the story, you've gone off the deep end. Any such attempt by Apple would give some journalist a once-in-a-lifetime chance to expose a major scandal. It would expose Apple, and any journalist and their publications to risks far larger than whatever the value of a positive, but rather minor, story in a second-tier US newspaper is worth, etc. "question everything" is stupid advise. Do you question if water isn't a deadly poison every time you drink it? Do you verify your spouse's DNA every time you see them, to prevent them being replaced by imposters? Of course not, because it's impossible (also insane). Try establishing the usefulness of, say, vaccines from first principle: it would require running hundreds of clinical trials, all by yourself (don't trust anyone!), at costs in the billions of dollars, and taking far longer than your life. And remember that you will also somehow need to convince yourself of the power of whatever statistics you use in those trials. You need to redo everything, all the way back to, at best, "parallel lines don't intersect". Because that Pythagoras wasn't even considered trustworthy by his compatriots, so why should you? Realistically, you, like everyone, make thousands of decisions every day and need heuristics to get anything done. Most often, those heuristics involve some system of establishing trust by, for example, remembering previous interactions with people or newspapers or other institutions. It just so happens that you think you come across more interesting on the internet by pretending (or actually) trusting a different set of sources than society at large, i. e. conspiracy theorists pseudonymously ranting about the "mainstream media", instead of that media.
- mstade 7y agoI just got my series 5 Apple Watch a couple of days ago, and the ECG functionality is a big part of why. There's history of heart disease in my family, and I've been to the doctor a few times with symptoms but of course when I get there they find nothing wrong. Maybe I'm a hypochondriac, who knows. Anyway, last time I went my doctor asked if I could share data from my watch, so figure I'd upgrade so I can get an actual ECG – what a time to (hopefully) be alive!
- zaksoup 7y agoI was able to ask my doctor to prescribe a halter monitor for 24 hours after similarly having intermittent "irregular heartbeat". I have fantastic insurance and have access to a major cardiac research center so ymmv but may be worth asking for the 24 hour study if you're concerned. Ultimately what I got back was "yep you do have an irregular heartbeat sometimes. It's nothing threatening and you'll be fine." They additionally did a stress test and found that under exertion my heartbeat returns to normal so it was nice to have the peace of mind.
- JshWright 7y agoBy "heart disease" I assume you mean angina/heart attacks. The Apple Watch can't detect those sorts of conditions (that requires multiple ECG leads, but the watch only has one).
- gowld 7y agoHeadline is misleading. The watch detects falls and calls 911 based on that, not based on "unconscious".
- judge2020 7y agoIt also requires them click "i'm ok" if when it detects the fall, so if the person is not unconscious they can click that to stop the emergency call.
- ajoy 7y agoI disagree. When Apple Watch detects an event that it considers as a fall, it asks the wearer if he/she is ok. Failure to respond then triggers the 911 call. So being unconscious had a lot to do with it.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- JshWright 7y agoIt automatically calls if the wearer doesn't move for a minute after the fall.
- VectorLock 7y agoI'd love to get my Mom and Apple Watch but getting her to switch to iPhone is probably a bridge too far. How come no Android watches have this functionality?
- e40 7y agoOr, why hasn't someone made it possible to use an Apple watch on Android?
- VectorLock 7y agoFrom what I've come to understand its possible to use the Apple Watch cellular without an iPhone but its a severely gimped experience.
- MBCook 7y agoYou need an iPhone to set it up, update it, and otherwise manage it. To whatever degree it works without the phone there you’re still going to need one.
- leppr 7y agoBecause the Apple Watch is made by Apple, the company that has taken pride in incompatibility as a defining feature since its first mainstream products.
- abawany 7y agoI did this for my mom, who also refuses to switch to an iPhone. I got a cheapo/locked/unactivated 6s and paired the watch (non-cellular) to it. It gives me some peace of mind that at least it covers her at home; there have been a couple of times it got activated (fortunately false positives) and I can confirm that it definitely calls 911 in this scenario right from the watch if she doesn't acknowledge its warning in time.
- pxeboot 7y agoSome Garmin watches have this feature and work with Android.
- webwielder2 7y agoWhy does everyone who praises Apple on HN qualify it with the fact that they don’t like Apple for other reasons? Also, Apple is probably the best corporate citizen of any company its relative size in history.
- jjtheblunt 7y agoI wondered the same: is it embarrassing here to think Apple does various things well?
- Mountain_Skies 7y agoApple has a long history of very enthusiastic fans that can at times crossover into being obnoxious. Apple is hardly unique in that but it does seem to be somewhat more prevalent for them. Some commenters likely don't want to be quickly dismissed as fawning fans lacking perspective of Apple's place in the world.
- ineedasername 7y agoYes, this is why I qualified my comment as I did.
- stouset 7y agoI’ll bite. Apple’s detractors fit this bill far more than its fans do. The online hate Apple gets is nothing short of ridiculous compared to how responsible a corporate citizen they’ve been for as long as I can remember. Most of the time when I see Apple fans in a conversation, it’s countering badly informed anti-Apple circlejerking. One example that comes to mind is the whole Foxconn thing. Apple got massive amounts of backlash for the working conditions there, when virtually every other manufacturer uses them too and received only a handful of the same criticism. Apple dramatically tightened their standards and expanded their vetting process for third-party suppliers (which were already in place). Everyone else? Next to nothing or actually nothing. It’s completely backward in the same way as the stereotype of vegans. As someone who spent some time as a vegetarian, I quickly realized that most vegans/vegetarians try not to make a big deal out of their dietary choices. On the off chance someone does ask about it, they quickly explain their motivations and hope to move on. Then the next hour of conversation involves something like the omnivores trying to list off every animal type they’ve ever eaten, alphabetically. Alligator, beef (wait, does beef count? Probably not, okay let’s say bison), cuttlefish (wait do individual fish count or no?), etc. Apple fans (and vegans) get a bad rap because they’re in the minority and those in the majority are simply used to the status quo.
- rapfaria 7y agoI'd love to have this passive features, but the problems I have with smartwatches is that most of them are ugly, and I'm trying to minimize notifications in my life.
- thanatos_dem 7y agoYou can disable pretty much all notifications from the watch, separately from your phone. I only use my apple watch for activity tracking, music while cycling without my phone, and things like checking the weather (and time, I guess). As for them being ugly, at least Apple has a wide selection of bands, and the watch itself is as unoffensive as a rounded rect can be, but I feel you there. It's not a work of art, but at least it's not the house arrest bracelets that fitbit sells.
- macintux 7y agoI find that Apple Watch notifications are very useful because I can limit them to important ones (someone texting me, someone calling me, calendar events, reminders) and leave everything else to my phone. If my watch tries to get my attention, I know it’s reasonably important. If my phone does, I don’t have to pull it out of my pocket if I don’t want to.
- deeteecee 7y agoand ill still be this bitter dude who doesn't want the 911 call to happen even when im unconscious. :(
- JshWright 7y agoYou probably won't enable this feature then...
- ajoy 7y agoI agree the Apple Watch is really useful this way. But can't an "independent" device do this? It does not need to be tied to a phone or an app ecosystem (android or iOS) to work. It does need a cellular connection, and some logic on the device, but that's about it. This device would be cheaper and affordable to a larger set of people than spending upwards of $500(estimated) on an apple watch.
- Eric_WVGG 7y agoOne could also carry around a calculator that's cheaper than their cellphone. Not many folks under 60 walk around wearing heart monitors, fall detectors, and other health monitors. This is about those things becoming commonplace for everyone.
- selimthegrim 7y agoMy cousin was 53, vegetarian, biked and ran regularly. This gave him the chance to say goodbye.
- parsimo2010 7y agoThe independent devices do exist. There are a few products designed for the elderly that have automatic fall detection. Usually they are a necklace type product connected to a call center. I’m not sure whether they rely on a cell network or WiFi. So if you don’t want to buy a watch, then get a standalone product. But if you already have an Apple Watch, then this is a cool feature to have. Here is an article discussing them: https://www.medicalalertadvice.com/fall-detection/ https://www.medicalalertadvice.com/fall-detection/
- ludwigvan 7y agoDoes this feature work outside the US? Which countries are supported? https://www.apple.com/watch/cellular/ https://www.apple.com/watch/cellular/ has a country list but not for this feature specifically. edit: found https://www.apple.com/watchos/feature-availability/ https://www.apple.com/watchos/feature-availability/
- snuxoll 7y agoEmergency SOS should work in any country, as long as you have your iPhone nearby or you have a Cellular-enabled watch. Your second link is specific to international roaming with the cellular-enabled watch, which gets complicated for various reasons (do you need an active SIM, does the modem on the watch support bands used in that country).
- thirdsun 7y agoThe latest Series 5 watch has improved the international SOS feature - from the Ars Technica review[1]: > The improvements to the SIP and cellular bands allows the Series 5 to make use of its SOS feature in more than 150 countries now. If you find yourself in a bad situation, or the Watch's fall detection kicks in when you fall off your bike during a cycling workout, users with cellular Series 5 models can now call emergency services in various countries. [0] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/09/apple-watch-series-5-review-a-better-more-independent-timepiece/2/#h1 https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/09/apple-watch-series-5...
- myrandomcomment 7y agoI really want an Apple Watch for this and the EKG / Heart stuff. But I hate the idea of having another bit of technology on my wrist when I already have the iPhone with me. I like watches, the mechanical kind. I love them as the art of design and as fashion item to be match to what you are wearing (when appropriate). I do not want to give that up. In the end I will likely give in and get the Apple Watch just because I want to be around long enough to see my kid grow up.
- 8ytecoder 7y agoThink of the Apple Watch as something that you can use to reduce your phone usage. If you get the one with cellular and GPS, you can go walking/biking/outside and be reachable while at the same time not staring at your phone all the time. Even when you are at home the justification, for me at least, to keep the phone closer was because I might get a call or message I need to respond to. With the Watch, the phone goes straight to its stand as soon as I get home knowing well that I'll get the notification on my watch. This is what's finally helping me wean off the constant need to keep my phone and pull it out to check instagram/hn/reddit repeatedly if I'm bored for even a second.
- myrandomcomment 7y agoSo I kicked the Reddit habit. I pretty much only read HN, BBCNews, ft.com and ArsTechnica at this point. I have stopped looking at my iPad, iPhone, etc. when watching TV, sport or a movie. The need to always look was really unhealthy. I am much happier now. I have like 5 books on my iPad that I have never quite finished over the last 2 years when before all this easy tech I would have read them quite quickly. It really bugs me. I am going back to paper books as it forces focus (no, I do not want a book only reader to carry as well). The only reason I really care about having the phone with me is for the family. Between email, slack, hangouts, AppleIM and Line it is all just to damn much.
- brootstrap 7y agoagreed. the responder there is such classic apple. You should get the watch because it counts as not looking at your phone?? Even though you are still looking at a screen. Kind of bizarre logic to me but to each their own bud. Also good for you man, ditchin some of the distractions for focus. I think some people get weirded out by me when i watch sports because i'm basically 100% in the zone and yelling constantly. Trying to soak up every detail of every play. not casually browsing and watching 2 / 3 screens at once. I can go hours without my phone without really noticing much honestly.
- bonniemuffin 7y agoTip: the fall detection feature seems to be turned off by default. I just turned mine on. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944
- Angostura 7y agoI think its turned off by default if you are under a certain age - 60?
- cbsks 7y ago> If you've entered your age when you set up your Apple Watch or in the Health app and you're age 65 and over, this feature automatically turns on. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944
- rosybox 7y agoThis is so amazing. Serious kudos to the apple watch team for this.
- awad 7y agoApple don't get nearly enough credit for the thought and effort they put into these sorts of features. The same goes to their dedication to accessibility, which is industry-leading and honestly pretty inspiring.
- Rapzid 7y agoDoesn't seem like outsized thought and effort given the companies size, resources, and relatively small product focus..
- cheeze 7y agoNo, but they are one of the few _actually_ thinking about it rather than devoting their resources to something "more worthy". It's easy to criticize a company their size, but they definitely do this very very right.
- takeda 7y agoSo he already got unreleased Apple Watch? I thought that feature was just announced.
- perishabledave 7y agoFall detection has been available since Series 4 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944
- frabbit 7y agoThen his helmeted head hit the ground so hard it knocked him unconscious — hard enough for his Apple Watch to feel it. “A hit that hard could have killed me if I weren’t wearing it,” Burdett said. He had to replace the helmet. Sigh. Bicycle helmets prevent neither concussions nor death: by design, according to all epidemiological studies and according to the manufacturers of bicycle helmets. https://www.badscience.net/2013/12/bicycle-helmets-and-the-law-a-perfect-teaching-case-for-epidemiology/ https://www.badscience.net/2013/12/bicycle-helmets-and-the-l... Bike helmets are probably useful in reducing a tiny subset of head injuries. And this is yet another anecdote proving the opposite of what the true believers think. Sometimes I despair, then I think of this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCL4dXUtblg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCL4dXUtblg
- sdinsn 7y agoYou are misrepresenting the research. The research is regarding the effect of public policy (making it illegal to bike without a helmet) on bicycle accidents. > With regard to the use of bicycle helmets, science broadly tries to answer two main questions... “what is the effect of a public health policy that requires or promotes helmets?” and... “what is the effect of wearing a helmet?” > The linked paper by Dennis and colleagues investigates the policy question and concludes that the effect of Canadian helmet legislation on hospital admission for cycling head injuries “seems to have been minimal
- frabbit 7y agoI am not misrepresenting the paper: it attempts to explain why countries with mandatory helmet laws see _no_clearly_measurable_reduction in KSI (Killed, Seriously Injured) rates. More cyclists wear helmets in those jurisdictions (parts of Canada, all of Australia and N.Z.) and yet ecological studies fail to clearly demonstrate any benefit from helmets. If you sprayed a field with RoundUp and saw no difference in the number of weeds compared to an unsprayed field you would start to wonder about the effects of the treatment.
- PhasmaFelis 7y ago
- hartator 7y agoArf I want one now
- egdod 7y agoWe got a call recently from my elderly grandmother’s Apple Watch letting us know that she’d fallen. This feature was the main reason we bought the watch for her, and it worked when it mattered. (She’s fine.)
- gnicholas 7y agoWish I could get my grandma (90+) to wear one, since she falls regularly. Problem is that she’d never remember to charge it.
- ocodia 7y agoWhat did it say? Was it using Siri’s voice?
- egdod 7y agoI actually didn’t get the call myself, so I couldn’t say. I’m sure there are examples of it on YouTube or whatever though.
- loeg 7y ago> Then his helmeted head hit the ground so hard it knocked him unconscious — hard enough for his Apple Watch to feel it. > “A hit that hard could have killed me if I weren’t wearing it,” Burdett said. He had to replace the helmet. Letter to the editor: the last sentence is a non-sequitur. You have to replace a bike helmet any time it takes an impact, even if it isn't "so hard," because even if it doesn't look damaged the foam may be compressed and useless for a future crash.
- theironlily 7y agoThank you for pointing that out. This is not common knowledge to many people.
- ineedasername 7y agoI didn't know that, good to know.
- jguimont 7y agoSame goes for child car seats. Some manufacturer actually replace them for free last time I checked.
- toomuchtodo 7y agoIf in a car accident, your auto insurance will cover the replacement cost. Ensure you include it in the claim.
- mcny 7y agoSpeaking of car seats, Steven Levitt did this talk eleven years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um5gMZcZWm0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um5gMZcZWm0 The gist of it is that car seats do not help nearly as much as we hope. I got the impression that there ought to be a car with a built-in, non-removable car seat would work better. I'd imagine this would be an instant hit in the SUV market. However, no automaker seems to take up on the challenge. Is there a legislative obstacle that prevents automakers from doing this?
- jMyles 7y agoAm I the only one concerned about the possible repercussions (to the wearer, I mean) of triggering a law enforcement response? There have been multiple cases now where (American, obviously) Law Enforcement have brutalized and injured people experiencing diabetic shock. And what if the fall and unconsciousness is the result of illicit drug use? Surely the wearer doesn't want a call to 911 to be the default behavior in that case. Does Apple act with greater discretion in jurisdictions where law enforcement are known to be criminally brutal or corrupt? I suspect that the answer is "no." Since people of color experience a greater proportion of negative outcomes from law enforcement contact, I surmise this feature is far more useful for white people. Don't get me wrong - it's a cool feature for sure. But until we untangle law enforcement (and state brutality) from medical and fire response, it's potentially a dangerous one for some users.
- PhasmaFelis 7y ago> There have been multiple cases now where (American, obviously) Law Enforcement have brutalized and injured people experiencing diabetic shock. Those incidents are reprehensible and should never be forgotten, and I don't intend to excuse them or the culture that enables them, but statistically they are extremely rare. Even in the worst parts of America, in a medical emergency you are better off with emergency treatment than not. And if you don't want the watch to call 911, for whatever reason, you can turn that feature off.
- nexuist 7y agoAn interesting take but I think, even factoring in police brutality, it is still the morally correct choice to call 911. >There have been multiple cases now where (American, obviously) Law Enforcement have brutalized and injured people experiencing diabetic shock. Given the odds, there are likely far more cases of people being seriously injured or even killed from diabetic shock that do not pop up on the public perception radar because they are not attached to a social spectacle. >And what if the fall and unconsciousness is the result of illicit drug use? Surely the wearer doesn't want a call to 911 to be the default behavior in that case. I don't know if that's your (our?) call to make. Whether a drug abuser wants to die from their drug abuse is, I think, a deeply personal choice. Unless they have a DNR (which they can get if they are so inclined), I think the right choice is to try to intervene and get them to survive before throwing the book at them. FWIW, there are many laws centered around "forgiving" people involved in incidents like this to increase the response/survival rate. For example, I live in a college town and if you report someone (underage even) overdosing on alcohol or any other illicit drug, the police are instructed to not pursue a criminal case against the overdoser or anyone who reports the incident (even if they themselves are breaking the law). The point being that anyone who finds themselves in situations like this will hesitate to call for help, and laws like these increase the odds that people in trouble get the help they need in time. >Does Apple act with greater discretion in jurisdictions where law enforcement are known to be criminally brutal or corrupt? I suspect that the answer is "no." Two things here. First, I don't know what "greater discretion" would imply here - they wait longer before calling, or adjust the threshold of what constitutes a fall? Second, "jurisdictions where law enforcement are known to be criminally brutal or corrupt" is a deeply subjective topic, probably one which Apple rightfully should have zero cards in. I also fear that you will find that districts that engage in brutality also happen to have a large minority population (since you state white people are not affected by police brutality at the same rate that minorities are), and this will further reduce the usefulness of this feature for those people. >Since people of color experience a greater proportion of negative outcomes from law enforcement contact, I surmise this feature is far more useful for white people. While you make a good point with conditions like diabetic shock and presumably seizures, I think this feature was generally meant for people who have lost consciousness (as the subject in the article did). I think even the most egregiously corrupt police force in the country would still call in an ambulance for a guy who has passed out rather than proceed to taze him or something.
- markstos 7y agoI have crash detection on my Garmin watch. It texted my wife zero seconds after I rode up a steep drainage ditch. I had not crashed.
- dsfyu404ed 7y agoImagine the panic some mother is going to have when her two teenage sons get in a car to go somewhere, safely get that somewhere and for whatever reason high-five each other as hard as they possibly can.
- Avamander 7y agoThe Apple watch has a countdown and a sound alert before alerting anyone.
- markmark 7y agoGarmins give you 30 seconds to cancel the alert too.
- HeWhoLurksLate 7y agoI love that scenario.
- ittan 7y agoI am happy that Bob is safe. We still need a smart watch that can function using a battery or at a capacity of a normal watch to make this event a bigger success.
- cbsks 7y agoWell, crap. I have been avoiding smart watches like the plague but this plus the ECG may put me over the edge. My family has a history of heart disease, I commute by bike every day, and I have a young child who I want to see grow up. One of my friends was recently killed in a motorcycle crash. A passerby found them in the morning in some bushes near the side of the road. We don't know what time the crash occurred, or even if they died right away. This feature may have saved them.
- jniedrauer 7y agoIf you're in the market for a smart watch, and you're a cyclist, I'd recommend checking out Garmin. They have a massive array of sensors and record very precise data that is aggregated on Garmin Connect. It's been invaluable to me for assessing training effectiveness over time. They make Apple watches look like toys. If you want the latest and greatest, the Forerunner 945 is probably what you're looking for, but the older models can be found for cheap and are still solid watches. If you want emergency alerts, you'll have to stick with newer models though.
- velp 7y ago+1 on Garmin watches. The "smartwatch" functionality leaves something to be desired, but the watch itself is great, with helpful training features, a great screen, and good battery life. I have the fr645 Music, and can bluetooth to wireless buds for a run. The new Fenix 6 series is awesome, but they're a little bulky for my wrist.
- ChuckNorris89 7y ago>The new Fenix 6 series is awesome Just checked them out and my jaw dropped when I saw the +600 Euro price-tag. Since I'm not made of money, I hope some core tech from those quickly trickles down to some cheaper sports trackers from Xiaomi for example.
- rdudek 7y agoI got the Vivoactive 3 and it has served me well with all its features, you can also routinely find it on sale too.
- TheSpiceIsLife 7y agoYou say it’s a non sequitur and immediately restate the necessity to replace a helmet that’s taken an impact. I don’t reckon that’s how a non sequitur works: A non sequitur is a conclusion or reply that doesn't follow logically from the previous statement.
- benmusch 7y agoYou must be fun at parties
- shuckles 7y agoOnly at the parties worth attending.
- TheSpiceIsLife 7y agoHaha, i always get a chuckle out of that phrase :) I’ll leave it up to my fellow party-attendees to decide ;)
- JshWright 7y agoI'd be down for a party. When and where?
- TheSpiceIsLife 7y agoCouple on tonight after canoe polo. You need a lift?
- noway_ 7y agoImplying the parent is any better for inaccurately stating it's a non sequitur?
- TylerE 7y agoIs there any "rebuttal" less convincing?
- dang 7y ago
- mortdeus 7y agoso i guess the watch made it?
- germinalphrase 7y agoThis is wonderful. Now - I just want that hydration sensor that was teased a while back. So many health conditions that accurate information about hydration could assist.
- Avamander 7y agoWhat is the saddest is that some of Apple Watch's features are region-locked, recently heard a person complain about how he can't use the EKG functionality in his country. It could save some lives and we have georestrictions :/
- paxys 7y agoLikely for legal/regulatory reasons.
- dghughes 7y agoOn the flip side of this Samsung removed the oxygen saturation SPO2 feature from its phones in Canada and Cyprus (weirdly random choices). It was probably for legal reasons but you'd never find out why. Here in Canada my dad who has COPD and IPF was using it to get a ballpark idea of his current blood oxygen percentage. It's not a medical device but it's (was) convenient for someone in his situation. It seems fraudulent for a company to remove a feature without notice (yes probably buried on line 1,256 of an update). Not just an app but one that used a physical device/sensor on the phone removing it seems very wrong if not illegal.
- azinman2 7y agoPure speculation: perhaps it wasn’t reliable enough so it got yanked?
- SomeOldThrow 7y agoI’d think the decision should be up to the owner of the device. Who is the company to determine acceptable functionality AFTER purchase?
- inimino 7y agoWho is in a better position to know if such a feature doesn't work?
- SomeOldThrow 7y agoIt’s not really related to determination of use value or other qualitative questions. If my blender, or even my blood pressure machines, gets recalled, the company doesn’t break into my house to cut the wires for my safety. How is this not a basic violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act? Edit: canada and cyprus only is why.
- inimino 7y agoRight. But you own your blender. It's naïve to think you own your phone just because you carry it around.
- reaperducer 7y agoCan anyone tell me if this is a standard feature in all smart watches these days, or just an Apple thing? I have the Series Zero, which is now state of the ark, so I'm not really up on what's widespread anymore.
- _davebennett 7y agoJust an apple thing. Nothing in Android Wear
- TheRealSteel 7y agoThere is an absolute gulf in quality and functionality between the Apple Watch and other smart watches. It's not like the smartphone industry at all. Nobody can compete with the Apple Watch and nobody is even vaguely trying.
- sturmeh 7y agoThere's one distinguishing flaw in the Apple Watch; you can only pair it with an iPhone.
- markmark 7y agoIt's common in the "sports watch" side of things from the likes of Garmin. I'm not sure how well they do for things like the elderly falling though, they're more targeted at bike crashes and the like.
- sova 7y agoDon't forget to wear your watch! You've got wife and kids for cryin' out loud! Never leave home without wearing a watch! Or maybe just get a really good helmet and don't bike down "Doomsday Hill" lmao
- mhh__ 7y agoAn important system - reminds me of how where the F1 safety + medical car is automatically scrambled if a crash is > 20G on impact.
- intrasight 7y agoI bought an Apple Watch when a friend of mine showed me the EKG function. Also bought an iPhone. Realized that this is the future for us all, so I bought a lot of Apple stock.
- reilly3000 7y agoI know that hill, used to drive it most weekdays and have ran up it several times. Its not the steepest grade, but long with gnarly pavement at the bottom. Cars zip through there at 45 though its a 30mph zone because the lanes are quite wide. He's pretty lucky.
- cabaalis 7y agoWhat if you come home after a bad day in a bad mood and throw your watch down on the nightstand? Will an ambulance show up at your house?
- brianwawok 7y agoHopefully it has a heart beat detector That said, the cupholder in my riding lawn mower squeezes my iPhone 8 buttons into SoS mode. The first time it called 911 and I picked it up 30 minutes to a missed call and a text. No ambulance. Next time I mowed it, it called 911 again. No call and no text. I guess I made the 911 pranker list? Yay? Hopefully I don’t need it. Wonder what makes this guy get an ambulance and me in South Bend Indiana get one text?
- snuxoll 7y agoFall detection on Apple Watch doesn’t just dial emergency services like Emergency SOS does, they could hear you mowing your lawn and probably assumed you called by mistake (it happens). When fall detection activates a 60 second timer starts and the watch vibrates like mad trying to get your attention, if you do not dismiss the alert not only does it dial emergency services and text your location to registered emergency contacts, it actually starts speaking to the operator stating that you have fallen as well as providing your GPS coordinates. The assumption is that you manually activating emergency SOS implies you are alert enough to speak with the operator, but somebody unresponsive after a fall needs the device to ensure they get assistance even though they are incapacitated.
- brianwawok 7y agoAh that is good.
- wayneftw 7y agoYeah or like, what if you just fall and decide to stay laying down for a minute but you’re actually fine? I wonder if the fall has to happen in combination with some other health metrics that it senses? Does there even need to be a falling down? What if you have a heart attack while you’re strapped into your parked car and you don’t fall? Does it call then?
- commandlinefan 7y agoI genuinely wonder what it said when the 911 operator picked up.
- DecoPerson 7y agoMe too, though it was probably an SMS, not a call. US emergency services accept text messages. The article says: "His watch messaged emergency medical services at 12:02 p.m., and an ambulance was there within a minute." Though this seems to be contradicted by the previous paragraph: "His Apple Watch had called 911 through the fall-detection feature, which sends out an alert if the wearer is immobile for 60 seconds after a fall." Edit: It makes a call, according to Apple's docs [0]. [0] https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208944
- djrogers 7y ago> Me too, though it was probably an SMS, not a call. US emergency services accept text messages. Point of clarification - US Emergency services can accept text messages. Currently it's only available in certain areas, and it's up to each local ESD/911 call center to implement it if they choose. And yes - the apple watch does call 911.
- DecoPerson 7y agoThank you for clarifying. I didn't think of the potential consequences of my statement
- justcontent 7y agoAll the more reason for Apple to do everything it takes to make the Apple Watch work with Android.
- vlozko 7y agoThis makes little sense. You’re imposing your sense of morality on an entity that is not beholden to the public good of mankind. If you want that that kind of service for everyone for betterment reasons, then demand your legislators to have the government invest in such a technology and have them distribute it. If Apple wants to do something for more reasons, that’s their prerogative. It’s no different than demanding that drug companies relinquish all patents on life saving drugs so that availability is greater and the product is cheaper while being dismissive of the development costs and efforts to get there.
- OrgNet 7y agocouldn't any phone do this? they have so many sensors
- smolder 7y agoThis kind of story that leverages tragedy to build brand value is repulsive to me. The intent is arguable but it reeks of manipulative advertising.
- kyriakos 7y agoApple watch seems to be a decent device but not supporting android means it's not an option for most of us.
- inimino 7y agoSamsung, Xiaomi, or Huawei will catch up on features eventually.
- honkycat 7y agoAfter using my IPad's software quality, the killer lineup for Apple Arcade, and being impressed with Apple's commitment to privacy: As a long time Apple hater, they are doing a great job of convincing me to spend the money on their products. ( MacBook Pro is still overpriced and kinda sad tho )
- freyr 7y agoMacBook Pro is now overpriced and kinda sad. It peaked in 2015, and it was a truly beautiful machine.
- sbmthakur 7y agoThis is a great scenario where technology has been put to a good use. I've never used smart watches. This is like an eye opener for me.
- mshroyer 7y agoProps to the engineers and PMs who implemented this feature. Well done.
- yitchelle 7y agoHow long before the other watch makers (Samsung, Fossil, Casio, Seiko etc) starts to have these type of features? I am asking this because these type of features should be pervasive and be widely adopted by those at risk. The more watch makers that has these features the better.
- mandeepj 7y ago“It just works”
- solatic 7y agoFTA: > As opposed to social media or GPS tracking apps, Schaeffer said the Apple Watch fall-detection feature offers extra reassurance by not relying on a person to alert first responders. We're early enough in the adoption cycle that this is an undeniable benefit. Obviously, if nobody else is around, then it's life-saving. But I do worry about the long-term ethics. What if, when such watches become common, it becomes socially acceptable to just ignore people in life-threatening distress - "I don't need to call 911, their watch will have taken care of that." Just another nail in the societal coffin of distorting individualism as insularity. Not a reason to ban this technology (or any similar action). Just something to keep in the back of our heads as the adoption curve progresses.
- daliusd 7y agoI think this is nothing new to worry about. Bystander effect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect) was relevant before Apple Watch.
- Jataman606 7y agoThere was a study recently that basically debunked this theory. It was done by tracking real incidents through cameras in big cities in Europe. Long story short, the more people were there the more likely that someone offers help.
- daliusd 7y agoIf that's the case then isn't that good news?
- feanaro 7y agoThe study had some serious confounding issues which were not dealt with, though. For example, determining whether the bystanders were actually friends walking together with the target of the incident. Also, the bystander effect deals with the probability of any individual helping out. It's still possible that there are two forces at play here: the declining probability of any individual helping vs the increasing probability that someone in an ever-larger group will still help despite the individual effect. It might be the case that there is a critical value N of bystanders where the second effect overpowers the first one.
- sabujp 7y agoare there other devices that do this that don't cost an arm and a leg?
- known 7y agoAnnual https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transthoracic_echocardiogram https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transthoracic_echocardiogram tests are the best way to prevent heart attacks
- Marsymars 7y agoCompared to exercise and diet? How is getting an TTE actionable to prevent heart attacks?
- lquist 7y agoThis is why I am on Hacker News. Technology can be such a terribly helpful thing. PS If this is a PR placement, this is masterful.
- concordDance 7y agoThere's probably a PR firm involved at some point. Possibly in the comments?
- cyptus 7y agoso how does this work? does the apple watch use siri to say something via phone or does your watch only starts a call and you need to speak? how is your location transmitted technically?
- skc 7y agoThis is an Apple product that literally sells itself
- jonplackett 7y agoGreat names in this article. Julie Happy from the fire service and the accident happening on Doomsday Hill. Reads like a kids story.
- SRB9166 7y agohttps://emediacreative.blogspot.com https://emediacreative.blogspot.com
- systemtest 7y agoI agree that in this particular use case it was beneficial to wear an Apple Watch. But never ever wear a watch on your motorcycle. The force and impact can mess up your wrist in a crash. If you land on the watch it can push the case into your wrist potentially breaking it. Or hook behind something. If you do insist on a watch, wear a motorcycle jacket and long gloves over it.
- asutekku 7y agoIf you crash on a motorcycle, i’d guess your wrist is not the biggest concern of yours.
- flatfilefan 7y agoIs this based on real accident statistics? If you ride motorcycle without gloves and jacket and crash you will have much more severe injuries to care about much more certainly. So I would doubt wearing a watch is a significant risk factor.
- mirthflat83 7y agoAnswer: it is not based on real statistics nor experience
- systemtest 7y agoI'd love to send you some pictures of the titanium plate in my wrist. Motorcycle accident, went over the bars in an angle that my wrists didn't like. Not caused by a watch but ever since I stopped wearing watches. Adding 100+ grams of steel near such a delicate bone is a recipe for disaster. Also, as a developer, I don't care as much about losing functionality in my lower body. My wrists, hands and brains however are how I make my money. Even though I have full disability insurance, I still would much rather keep working than sit at home.
- williamchangnpu 7y agoI know apple watch can do such things, I just dont like how they hype this, I do think this is a soft sell, somehow apple is evil because they sent the message that Apple watch can save your life, so people will buy it or discuss it , it kind of become viral. while actually it doesn't guarantee it will behave the same when you have a heart failure.
- Lio 7y agoUntil an Apple Watch is able to work with my ANT+ powermeter it's something I would avoid taking on a bike ride. Garmin, Whahoo and other bike computers have had off crash alerts via a linked phone for, maybe, 10 years I think. Certainly since the Garmin Edge 1000 at least. That's a better fit for me as I'd never ride without my phone in a jersey pocket. I'd always want a screen in front of me and not on my wrist.
- ricardobeat 7y agoHave you heard of that feature actually working? Fall detection is going to be _a lot_ less reliable from a phone than a wrist watch. In fact when I googled it one of the top three results is 'how do I turn off incident detection on my Garmin' due to false alerts.
- Lio 7y agoWell I never actually used it myself as I haven't crashed for years but I know it's there. Equally though I've never heard of this working from an Apple Watch before so I don't think my anecdotal opinion on that is worth raising. I do know I use stuff like VO2Max estimation, FTP estimation, recovery estimation, power zones analysis and hill descriptions for climbing while on the bike and those features are not available on an Apple Watch to my knowledge. I know for sure that Apple doesn't support ANT+ and that's important for me. An Apple Watch might be a good companion if you're a runner or a cycle commuter but it appears to be pretty limited if you want to use it for cycle sport.
- al_chemist 7y agoRemember, only Apple Watch™ can save your life and your loved one's. Buy one now for each person you care about. You care about them, do you?
- frabbit 7y agoI think you would be an irresponsible monster if you did not track your family and yourself at all times.
- WA 7y agoI bet this is a great feature (and I do have an Apple Watch), but can we please hold for a sec here? This piece reads like an Ad. Furthermore, many comments here are about "I want to see my kids grow up". Now please, calculate the odds of: - you are in a terrible accident - there is no one around you to call an ambulance - you can’t call an ambulance yourself, because you are knocked out or can’t move I think the odds for such an event are rather low. If you like smart watches, sure, go ahead and buy one. But for everybody who just wants to wear it because they are afraid: I don’t think it’s necessary for most people, unless you ride around alone in remote areas and are inexperienced or whatever. My point is: don’t buy because of fear if your risk profile is super incredibly low.
- acqq 7y ago> I think the odds for such an event are rather low. And I guess you are writing just to the young users. There are a lot of old people living alone (in the part of the world where such watches are affordable). Falling, even in their own house, then remaining immobile and unable to call for help is a common cause of huge problems (1) (2). The specialized devices already exist too, but a lot of people don't carry them, until they already suffer such event and also have luck to survive. Such people (who would otherwise not survive) get potentially (if the system do engage and what follows can be influenced) a huge benefit in a watch that has such functionality. ------ 1) https://www.medicalalertadvice.com/fall-detection/ https://www.medicalalertadvice.com/fall-detection/ also: "With the monthly costs nearly twice that of a traditional medical alert monitoring system, the cost alone may be the deciding factor. Is the extra costs worth it? Only you can make that decision. Keep in mind, these emergency alert systems cannot detect 100% of all falls." 2) Also see the exponential increase of chances to die with age: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gompertz%E2%80%93Makeham_law_of_mortality#/media/File:USGompertzCurve.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gompertz%E2%80%93Makeham_law_o...
- mruts 7y agoWell it’s clear that the watch is providing less value. If you’re already old, the value of “saving” your life isn’t that much, your probably gonna die soon anyways.
- lawlorino 7y agoBoy I'm sure he was relieved he had his APPLE WATCH™ with him. I am sure we are all imagining right now how horrible things would be for us and our families if we were in such circumstances without an APPLE WATCH™. Good thing black friday and Christmas are coming up so I can gift all my loved ones an APPLE WATCH™ just in case, not doing so would clearly be negligent and uncaring on my part.
- Austin_Conlon 7y agoWhy is it so bothersome that technology that helped someone has a brand?
- lawlorino 7y agoIt's not that, my problem is it's an article which is basically an advert which at the time of writing is top of the front page with +800 upvotes and full of comments talking about how great the product is. Talk about "Hacker" "News".
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- buboard 7y agoSomeone should post about how many lives the car safety measures have saved. I bet it will get 800 upvotes too
- Austin_Conlon 7y ago“Appreciate mundanity: after all, a pencil is high technology.” -Alan Kay
- growlist 7y agoI'm amazed we don't have more of this already. I suspect some day everyone will have a biometrics device uploading data constantly.
- judge2020 7y agoThat's the difference with Apple - I think health data can sync with iCloud but it's e2e and is opt-in, not opt-out. By default, it's on-device only.
- samstave 7y agoIf you get into an accident, and the connection to your phone is lost, this wont work. Phone destroyed or dead battery and no call correct?
- josefresco 7y agoSide story: I just bought an iPhone 11, and proceeded to put it into a new case. During this process the phone tried to call 911 two times. The process was only stopped when I hurriedly cancelled. I can't imagine I'm the only one.
- squarefoot 7y agoThis is a simple obvious addon that every connected portable device could implement. When I bought my fist and last smartphone (Android 2 at that time) after noticing it had an accelerometer on board I immediately thought of an app that could detect a fall when going at some speed, then start beeping for like say 10 seconds and in case the user didn't stop it (as in signaling "I'm ok") it would call emergency numbers sending them coordinates through SMS. I had other things to do at that time, and it seemed so obvious that I thought it already existed or someone soon would create something similar.
- gok 7y agoThis really wouldn't work for phones. The accelerometer needs to be very high precision, which is why it only works on very recent Apple Watch models. The accelerometer also needs to be running all the time, even while the main processor on the device is sleeping. Also you need a reliable way to detect that the device is firmly attached to a human; it's not acceptable to call 911 when a phone falls on its own.
- kraig911 7y agoIt's amazing and all I get it. But let's not stop helping people because we think technology will always do it's job. I can see in time people will say they didn't stop to help because they thought his car, watch, phone could've saved him.
- heedlessly2 7y agoMy girlfriend has an Apple Watch. We wrestle and practice jiu-jitsu in bed sometimes. When I was squeezing her wrists, the watch buzzed and asked if she wanted to call 911.
- frabbit 7y agoOK, Mr.{Ep|Wein}stein.
- fortran77 7y agoOne nice thing about GMs "On Star" is it will call for help automatically if there's been an airbag deploy. I was very surprised that other car manufacturers didn't start doing the same thing when GM did (they've had this feature for at least 15 years) given how cheap cell phone technology is and how the sensors to deploy airbags are reliable and in every car.
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- Icydude 7y agoI never found much value in owning a smart watch. I think I'm going to reevaluate my belief.
- Irksome 7y agoWatch how the sells of the smart watches will grow exponentially after this!
- frabbit 7y agoWhy would people buy an expensive watch like this when a simple bicycle helmet could save their life? Especially if it is a MIPS helmet (because the previous non-MIPS ones apparently did not work despite all the claims they did)
- locusofself 7y agoI saw this story, but didn't know it was in my hometown and current city of Spokane, WA (~200k people, growing city). Very cool. The hill where he fell is the crux of our annual Bloomsday race (running/walking/wheelchair, 12km) which ~50k participants each year. Hence the name "doomsday hill" in the article.
- ernie24 7y agoIs this US only, or does it work in EU countries too? F.i. if I have a similar accident in Poland, would it call 112?
- PovilasID 7y agoIf you live in country where emergency services number is not 911 there is sometimes a forward from 911 to the local number like 112 or phone may detect the local emergency services number. Problem is that not all countries have location detection for emergency calls.