9 ms·

I am fine without a smartwatch

39 points by ecliptik 4y ago

themodelplumber 4y ago
I swear Casio has a tighter tech geek brand than Apple. I discovered their pocket dictionary line a couple years ago and it practically made me drool. https://www.casio.com/jp/exword/ https://www.casio.com/jp/exword/
- iszomer 4y ago
  Pocket electronic dictionaries have been around and not strictly in Casio's wheelhouse but an "era": I used to carry around one made by Besta, a Taiwanese company. What's interesting was their integration with PCMCIA cards for language and dictionary expansion.
  - fomine3 4y ago
    Pocket dictionary was (still?) an interesting hackable device in Japan until around 2012. Some uses Windows CE/Linux and can run full Linux desktop by hacking. So some students uses it for general purpose at school. The only electric device that teachers don't mind, and portable device was rare at that time (like PSP), and even have a keyboard.
- goosedragons 4y ago
  They are fun. I know my smartphone can do way more but having a device with Encyclopedia Britannica, a dozen dictionaries and more makes it feel like I'm holding a hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.
photochemsyn 4y ago
Casio calculator watches are the gold standard (particularly if you've got the nice gold-tinted one) in watch fashion.
- tartoran 4y ago
  Were they always this expensive? I just looked at the prices and a simple digital watch is $180 and up
  - wodenokoto 4y ago
    They weren't and they aren't. $22 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Mens-CA53W-1-Calculator-Watch/dp/B000GB1R7S/ https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Mens-CA53W-1-Calculator-Watch/d...
    - tartoran 4y ago
      Take this for example: https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/product.A1000MGN-9/ https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/product.A1000MGN-9/
      - approxim8ion 4y ago
        The A1000 is a new model, the entire body is made of metal. The usual digital models are full resin, or resin cases with steel bracelets. They start from $15 or so.
  - GeminiGalaxy 4y ago
    You can get an F91W for 12 bucks, a F-105W for 15, and most other casios for 30 bucks or less. A similar to the A1000 would be the A700 or A168 which are both so much cheaper at 20-30 dollars and will last you for years
- stevekemp 4y ago
  I guess it depends on your environment, and social circle(s). Here in Finland Apple watches are the most obvious "standard", as seen on over half the people taking the tram or bus. But in other circles the Rolex Daytona, or Submariners are ubiquitous. I collect mechanical watches, with about forty that I rotate through depending on my planned activities, or mood. But it has to be said I own one quartz watch and it is the Casio terrorist watch!
jerlam 4y ago
I used to collect/accumulate Casio G-Shocks. They have a fun origin story, designed around a "Triple-10" concept in 1983: survive a ten-meter drop, waterproof down to ten bar, and have a battery life of at least ten years. https://www.fratellowatches.com/evolution-of-the-casio-g-shock-watches/ https://www.fratellowatches.com/evolution-of-the-casio-g-sho... There's a regular online joke that the watch is more survivable than its user. While the brand has gone all-in on new modern designs and loud limited editions, Casio still makes a faithful direct descendant of that original G-Shock for around $50, that's certified for NASA flight. They make mid-market models with solar and radio-controlled time adjustment for $120 that look exactly the same, but will never run out of battery or have the wrong time. And for true collectors, they make $4,000 models that look... exactly the same, but in hardened, blackened titanium instead of rubber.
raffraffraff 4y ago
I don't think this article is for regular people who don't think about watches. It's for people who are into watches, own several, and rotate them depending on their mood. I have an old college friends who is like this, and he has about a dozen expensive wind up watches. They're nice, but I have never felt jealous. I bought a Garmin Fenix 5s when they came out. It's not like a Samsung or Apple smart watch: no touchscreen, no bright colourful OLED. Just a pretty simple waterproof watch with 5 physical buttons, GPS, WIFI, heart rate sensor, altimeter and notification mirroring from my phone. I look at it when I want to know the time or when I get a notification. That's is. This morning I was in the kitchen making coffee and I logged into a website on my laptop. It sent me an SMS verification code, but my phone was still upstairs... Wait .. hold... "bzzzzz!" My wrist has the code. This was the main reason I bought it. It helps with phone addiction. I no longer have to pull my phone out of my pocket for 90%+ notifications. After being on a very busy on-call for years, this was a huge deal for me. I had unwittingly turned into Quick Draw McGraw because of the constant practice of pulling my phone out to ack an alert. Once your phone is in your hand, it's amazing how quickly you flip from the notification to social media or the web. The watch changed all of that, and I got some of my sanity back.
- EdwardDiego 4y ago
  I was thinking that as I read this - the author has multiple watches that they struggle to choose between... I don't even own a watch.
  - DrSiemer 4y ago
    Somehow even the usefulness of a smart watch can't get me over the annoyance of having something on my wrist.
    - raffraffraff 4y ago
      Maybe a nurse-style upside-down watch that hangs on the front of your uniform.
- patrickthebold 4y ago
motbus3 4y ago
- capableweb 4y ago
  ... What? Almost any hardware you buy today, the very desktop/laptop/tablet/smartphone you write your own comment on, has been made by "exploited poor people" in some factory in a distant country, guaranteed. Not sure why you'd think a non-smartwatch is any different.
- Gordonjcp 4y ago
  > Buy a 4 million mansion in a fancy place and take me there in your private jet. That's not "rich", that's just showy.
  - motbus3 4y ago
    And so does the smart watch. I should have flagged my comment with #irony
- grooot 4y ago
  Which smart watch was made by people exploited to the brink of death? How is that different from the device you are writing your comment from?
kramerger 4y ago
Dont forget that there are smartwatches that look like a analog watches (kronaby, withings, ...)
davidork 4y ago
to some people a watch is a fashion item, i acknowledge that to them my opinion is 100% invalid I see a watch as a tool. aside from the date and time that any watch should provide reminders, the current temperature/weather, media controls for my phone, something to let me know my phone is blowing up when i've got it muted or it isn't in my pocket, and maybe a calculator is really about all a smart watch should do. open and extensible enough to be able to roll your own tools or maybe hack together something like a remote garage door opener or a remote for a tv or pc would be nice, or a data logger of some sort (steps,temperature, location, barametric pressure, altitude,etc) but there are probably items that could get the same job done, just as easily, possibly better. Heart rate/glucose monitoring may be helpful for some people with medical issues or an interest in their personal fitness/health, gps could be handy for hikers or certain careers.. but to be honest, the vast majority most of the features of "smartwatches" are solutions looking for a problem and manufacturers have proven over and over they have no clue. a watch that has to be charged daily is almost pointless. a bright multicolor screen and enough processing power to play hd video on a 1-3" inch screen is pointless and a waste of battery. advertisers, marketplaces, etc are a bit too much. you probably could get a few accidental ad clicks on a scientific calculator but if you need money that bad you're doing something wrong or trying to save up to be able to move planets with a spoon. "smart watch" utility/design peaked somewhere between the pebble and the amazfit bip.
peanut_worm 4y ago
Smartwatches definitely seem like they are target more towards health conscious people than watch enthusiasts
enviclash 4y ago
An exemplary attention-disruptor.
nkotov 4y ago
I have an issue where I want to complete my rings on my Apple Watch but also want to wear my fancy watches daily. I resorted to essentially not wearing my Apple Watch on Sundays for the time being.
__michaelg 4y ago
Or you just update your F-91W to a somewhat smart watch: https://www.sensorwatch.net/ https://www.sensorwatch.net/

39 points by ecliptik 4y ago

I swear Casio has a tighter tech geek brand than Apple. I discovered their pocket dictionary line a couple years ago and it practically made me drool. https://www.casio.com/jp/exword/ https://www.casio.com/jp/exword/

iszomer 4y ago
Pocket electronic dictionaries have been around and not strictly in Casio's wheelhouse but an "era": I used to carry around one made by Besta, a Taiwanese company. What's interesting was their integration with PCMCIA cards for language and dictionary expansion.
- fomine3 4y ago
  Pocket dictionary was (still?) an interesting hackable device in Japan until around 2012. Some uses Windows CE/Linux and can run full Linux desktop by hacking. So some students uses it for general purpose at school. The only electric device that teachers don't mind, and portable device was rare at that time (like PSP), and even have a keyboard.
goosedragons 4y ago
They are fun. I know my smartphone can do way more but having a device with Encyclopedia Britannica, a dozen dictionaries and more makes it feel like I'm holding a hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.

photochemsyn 4y ago

Casio calculator watches are the gold standard (particularly if you've got the nice gold-tinted one) in watch fashion.

tartoran 4y ago
Were they always this expensive? I just looked at the prices and a simple digital watch is $180 and up
- wodenokoto 4y ago
  They weren't and they aren't. $22 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Mens-CA53W-1-Calculator-Watch/dp/B000GB1R7S/ https://www.amazon.com/Casio-Mens-CA53W-1-Calculator-Watch/d...
  - tartoran 4y ago
    Take this for example: https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/product.A1000MGN-9/ https://www.casio.com/us/watches/casio/product.A1000MGN-9/
    - approxim8ion 4y ago
      The A1000 is a new model, the entire body is made of metal. The usual digital models are full resin, or resin cases with steel bracelets. They start from $15 or so.
- GeminiGalaxy 4y ago
  You can get an F91W for 12 bucks, a F-105W for 15, and most other casios for 30 bucks or less. A similar to the A1000 would be the A700 or A168 which are both so much cheaper at 20-30 dollars and will last you for years
stevekemp 4y ago
I guess it depends on your environment, and social circle(s). Here in Finland Apple watches are the most obvious "standard", as seen on over half the people taking the tram or bus. But in other circles the Rolex Daytona, or Submariners are ubiquitous. I collect mechanical watches, with about forty that I rotate through depending on my planned activities, or mood. But it has to be said I own one quartz watch and it is the Casio terrorist watch!

jerlam 4y ago

I used to collect/accumulate Casio G-Shocks. They have a fun origin story, designed around a "Triple-10" concept in 1983: survive a ten-meter drop, waterproof down to ten bar, and have a battery life of at least ten years. https://www.fratellowatches.com/evolution-of-the-casio-g-shock-watches/ https://www.fratellowatches.com/evolution-of-the-casio-g-sho... There's a regular online joke that the watch is more survivable than its user. While the brand has gone all-in on new modern designs and loud limited editions, Casio still makes a faithful direct descendant of that original G-Shock for around $50, that's certified for NASA flight. They make mid-market models with solar and radio-controlled time adjustment for $120 that look exactly the same, but will never run out of battery or have the wrong time. And for true collectors, they make $4,000 models that look... exactly the same, but in hardened, blackened titanium instead of rubber.

raffraffraff 4y ago

I don't think this article is for regular people who don't think about watches. It's for people who are into watches, own several, and rotate them depending on their mood. I have an old college friends who is like this, and he has about a dozen expensive wind up watches. They're nice, but I have never felt jealous. I bought a Garmin Fenix 5s when they came out. It's not like a Samsung or Apple smart watch: no touchscreen, no bright colourful OLED. Just a pretty simple waterproof watch with 5 physical buttons, GPS, WIFI, heart rate sensor, altimeter and notification mirroring from my phone. I look at it when I want to know the time or when I get a notification. That's is. This morning I was in the kitchen making coffee and I logged into a website on my laptop. It sent me an SMS verification code, but my phone was still upstairs... Wait .. hold... "bzzzzz!" My wrist has the code. This was the main reason I bought it. It helps with phone addiction. I no longer have to pull my phone out of my pocket for 90%+ notifications. After being on a very busy on-call for years, this was a huge deal for me. I had unwittingly turned into Quick Draw McGraw because of the constant practice of pulling my phone out to ack an alert. Once your phone is in your hand, it's amazing how quickly you flip from the notification to social media or the web. The watch changed all of that, and I got some of my sanity back.

EdwardDiego 4y ago
I was thinking that as I read this - the author has multiple watches that they struggle to choose between... I don't even own a watch.
- DrSiemer 4y ago
  Somehow even the usefulness of a smart watch can't get me over the annoyance of having something on my wrist.
  - raffraffraff 4y ago
    Maybe a nurse-style upside-down watch that hangs on the front of your uniform.
patrickthebold 4y ago

motbus3 4y ago

capableweb 4y ago
... What? Almost any hardware you buy today, the very desktop/laptop/tablet/smartphone you write your own comment on, has been made by "exploited poor people" in some factory in a distant country, guaranteed. Not sure why you'd think a non-smartwatch is any different.
Gordonjcp 4y ago
> Buy a 4 million mansion in a fancy place and take me there in your private jet. That's not "rich", that's just showy.
- motbus3 4y ago
  And so does the smart watch. I should have flagged my comment with #irony
grooot 4y ago
Which smart watch was made by people exploited to the brink of death? How is that different from the device you are writing your comment from?

kramerger 4y ago

Dont forget that there are smartwatches that look like a analog watches (kronaby, withings, ...)

davidork 4y ago

to some people a watch is a fashion item, i acknowledge that to them my opinion is 100% invalid I see a watch as a tool. aside from the date and time that any watch should provide reminders, the current temperature/weather, media controls for my phone, something to let me know my phone is blowing up when i've got it muted or it isn't in my pocket, and maybe a calculator is really about all a smart watch should do. open and extensible enough to be able to roll your own tools or maybe hack together something like a remote garage door opener or a remote for a tv or pc would be nice, or a data logger of some sort (steps,temperature, location, barametric pressure, altitude,etc) but there are probably items that could get the same job done, just as easily, possibly better. Heart rate/glucose monitoring may be helpful for some people with medical issues or an interest in their personal fitness/health, gps could be handy for hikers or certain careers.. but to be honest, the vast majority most of the features of "smartwatches" are solutions looking for a problem and manufacturers have proven over and over they have no clue. a watch that has to be charged daily is almost pointless. a bright multicolor screen and enough processing power to play hd video on a 1-3" inch screen is pointless and a waste of battery. advertisers, marketplaces, etc are a bit too much. you probably could get a few accidental ad clicks on a scientific calculator but if you need money that bad you're doing something wrong or trying to save up to be able to move planets with a spoon. "smart watch" utility/design peaked somewhere between the pebble and the amazfit bip.

peanut_worm 4y ago

Smartwatches definitely seem like they are target more towards health conscious people than watch enthusiasts

enviclash 4y ago

An exemplary attention-disruptor.

nkotov 4y ago

I have an issue where I want to complete my rings on my Apple Watch but also want to wear my fancy watches daily. I resorted to essentially not wearing my Apple Watch on Sundays for the time being.

__michaelg 4y ago

Or you just update your F-91W to a somewhat smart watch: https://www.sensorwatch.net/ https://www.sensorwatch.net/