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I really want to like this watch. Price is certainly right, and it does all of the things I'd want out of a Garmin or Apple Watch Ultra. But what problem does t

I really want to like this watch. Price is certainly right, and it does all of the things I'd want out of a Garmin or Apple Watch Ultra. But what problem does this solve for me? In the Apple Watch use case, a replaceable battery would be nice. But in contrast to Garmin, I've never replaced a Garmin because the battery wouldn't hold charge anymore. I've never broken a screen (if one has a habit of that, Garmin and Apple make watches with raised bezels). I just hold on to the Garmin for six or seven years, by which time it's so beat to hell that it's time for a new watch anyway. But I'm wondering if the subtle message isn't aimed at Apple and not Garmin. USB-C charging would be awesome, instead of Garmin's proprietary plug and a cable that's made from spider silk. I'd prefer, though, wireless charging like Apple. Never once have I pulled an Apple Watch off a charger and said, "WTF? Why didn't it charge?" Garmin, OTOH... I'm no triathlete, but the "no swimming" kinda puts a damper on my enthusiasm as well. I wish them well, I love the idea even if I probably won't buy one.

throwway120385 3mo ago
USB-C would suck. Part of the purpose of that proprietary plug is that it's very water resistant and very durable. Imagine getting mud or coarse sand in your USB plug and not being able to charge anymore.
weakfish 3mo ago
For me, I want an open API I can pull my data from. Last I checked, you have to be a business to use Garmin's API. Apple certainly doesn't let you. My goal is to have a cron that runs on my homelab that pulls my health data into a DB I own, from various sources, and visualize it in Grafana.
- asats 3mo ago
  you can use https://github.com/cyberjunky/python-garminconnect https://github.com/cyberjunky/python-garminconnect to pull your data from garmin, I've been using it daily with no issues
- rich_sasha 3mo ago
  Polar has an API where you can get more or less anything out. That bit is fine - sadly you can't put things in (like virtual cycling, or any activities not recorded on the Polar).
- mikestew 3mo ago
  Apple certainly doesn't let you. There are several apps[0] off the top of my head that pull data from Apple's HealthKit. Apple even has a framework for it: HealthKit. That said, I've never written to that API myself, but it observational evidence indicates that you can pull data from Apple just fine. The app I use to pull data off Apple and ship to Strava says as much. [0] RunGap and HealthFit
  - weakfish 3mo ago
    Oh yeah, I should've clarified, I mean via a REST API. I thought about building an app for myself to do what I wanted to do, but it's frustrating that I can't just set up a Cron on my homelab to pull my data. Unless I'm missing something and HealthKit does provide this.
    - mikestew 3mo ago
      RunGap will export a FIT file (w/o looking, I think it’s FIT) to iCloud and Dropbox. So it’s technically possible to glue some pieces together. Practically? Dunno, but it might worth a look at RunGap’s web page to see where they’ll export, maybe something will work for you. Too bad Garmin turned into buttholes about their API. It used to be a lot easier to deal with.
- deivid 3mo ago
  Depending on what data you want, you can try Withings watches. I'm currently reversing the protocol and it mostly works.
- colingauvin 3mo ago
  There's a Python API that's "unofficial" but has worked well for me for ages. I've got it hooked up to NextCloud tables and it imports everything once a day. I've now got years of queryable metrics in NC.
- enbarca 3mo ago
  I ran into the same issue when building ProForta.com. My solution was to build a companion app that pulls data (including Garmin) via Health Connect. Right now, it seems that every hardware platform from Oura to Garmin is trying to build their moat around user's data. That's not OK - users need access to the combination of all their data to derive meaningful health benefits. Thats the guiding principle behind lifecare.id (https://lifecare.id https://lifecare.id)
  - weakfish 3mo ago
    I'm glad you agree re: Oura/Garmin's tactics. Thank you for building on principles!
PaulHoule 3mo ago
The charging situation with Garmin is terrible, enough that when Venu quits charging I might go for the Apple Watch or anything that takes a charge...
- mikestew 3mo ago
  And it's always been terrible, as long as I've been using Garmin watches (their bike computers seem to charge fine, mainly because they use whatever the standard USB plug is at the time). I remember the 410 had some suckass plug that didn't work well. I think it was the 610 with that gawd awful clip. And the 9xx series continues to use that delicate snowflake plug that has to plug in juuuuust right, maybe wiggle the cable a little, otherwise no 5 hour Sunday run for you. Whereas I throw my Apple Watch in the general vicinity of the magnetic charger, it locks into place, and charges just fine, 100% of the time. Fine, don't use induction like Apple, use two exposed, flush pins and a magnet like my Coros armband HR monitor, because that works 100% of the time, too.

throwway120385 3mo ago

USB-C would suck. Part of the purpose of that proprietary plug is that it's very water resistant and very durable. Imagine getting mud or coarse sand in your USB plug and not being able to charge anymore.

weakfish 3mo ago

For me, I want an open API I can pull my data from. Last I checked, you have to be a business to use Garmin's API. Apple certainly doesn't let you. My goal is to have a cron that runs on my homelab that pulls my health data into a DB I own, from various sources, and visualize it in Grafana.

asats 3mo ago
you can use https://github.com/cyberjunky/python-garminconnect https://github.com/cyberjunky/python-garminconnect to pull your data from garmin, I've been using it daily with no issues
rich_sasha 3mo ago
Polar has an API where you can get more or less anything out. That bit is fine - sadly you can't put things in (like virtual cycling, or any activities not recorded on the Polar).
mikestew 3mo ago
Apple certainly doesn't let you. There are several apps[0] off the top of my head that pull data from Apple's HealthKit. Apple even has a framework for it: HealthKit. That said, I've never written to that API myself, but it observational evidence indicates that you can pull data from Apple just fine. The app I use to pull data off Apple and ship to Strava says as much. [0] RunGap and HealthFit
- weakfish 3mo ago
  Oh yeah, I should've clarified, I mean via a REST API. I thought about building an app for myself to do what I wanted to do, but it's frustrating that I can't just set up a Cron on my homelab to pull my data. Unless I'm missing something and HealthKit does provide this.
  - mikestew 3mo ago
    RunGap will export a FIT file (w/o looking, I think it’s FIT) to iCloud and Dropbox. So it’s technically possible to glue some pieces together. Practically? Dunno, but it might worth a look at RunGap’s web page to see where they’ll export, maybe something will work for you. Too bad Garmin turned into buttholes about their API. It used to be a lot easier to deal with.
deivid 3mo ago
Depending on what data you want, you can try Withings watches. I'm currently reversing the protocol and it mostly works.
colingauvin 3mo ago
There's a Python API that's "unofficial" but has worked well for me for ages. I've got it hooked up to NextCloud tables and it imports everything once a day. I've now got years of queryable metrics in NC.
enbarca 3mo ago
I ran into the same issue when building ProForta.com. My solution was to build a companion app that pulls data (including Garmin) via Health Connect. Right now, it seems that every hardware platform from Oura to Garmin is trying to build their moat around user's data. That's not OK - users need access to the combination of all their data to derive meaningful health benefits. Thats the guiding principle behind lifecare.id (https://lifecare.id https://lifecare.id)
- weakfish 3mo ago
  I'm glad you agree re: Oura/Garmin's tactics. Thank you for building on principles!

PaulHoule 3mo ago

The charging situation with Garmin is terrible, enough that when Venu quits charging I might go for the Apple Watch or anything that takes a charge...

mikestew 3mo ago
And it's always been terrible, as long as I've been using Garmin watches (their bike computers seem to charge fine, mainly because they use whatever the standard USB plug is at the time). I remember the 410 had some suckass plug that didn't work well. I think it was the 610 with that gawd awful clip. And the 9xx series continues to use that delicate snowflake plug that has to plug in juuuuust right, maybe wiggle the cable a little, otherwise no 5 hour Sunday run for you. Whereas I throw my Apple Watch in the general vicinity of the magnetic charger, it locks into place, and charges just fine, 100% of the time. Fine, don't use induction like Apple, use two exposed, flush pins and a magnet like my Coros armband HR monitor, because that works 100% of the time, too.