10 ms·

LG G Watch R

146 points by jbernardo95 12y ago

spaulo12 12y ago
Wow. A "responsive" page that hates all but a couple specific aspect ratios. It literally won't show you the page if you aren't in an aspect ratio it expects. WTF? http://d.pr/i/12ZBj http://d.pr/i/12ZBj
- greyskull 12y ago
  That's a first. In my experience at least. Sheesh.
- emp_ 12y ago
  I had a similar issue, tfw "responsive" means adapting to the site rules, not the other way around. Reminds me of "This site is best viewed in 1024x768", just poor web dev work.
- dublinben 12y ago
  I've never seen an image hosting site require so much Javascript (3 different domains!) just to display a PNG.
- mikestew 12y ago
  "Please rotate your screen for the optimal service." How about I immediately close the browser tab instead, and never give another thought to the LG G Whatever? (iPhone 6 Small, if anyone cares.)
sahaskatta 12y ago
I really wish the could name their products better. Their two watches right now are named: - LG G Watch - LG G Watch R Fortunately, the product is fairly decent. (I've seen it in person.) I happen to have a Samsung Gear Live, which is quite comparable in terms of specs. I think that Android Wear probably needs another year (or 2nd generation of watches) to mature a bit more.
- efiftythree 12y ago
  Wonder if they will get a nastygram from Casio. "G-Watch" / "G-Shock".
notastartup 12y ago
I wish that this doesn't require any phone. I wish that the watch could completely replace the smartphone. You'd look really stupid looking at your watch all the time while you are walking or in the restaurant.
- 13 12y ago
  I'm not sure that's possible or desirable. They're relying on a bigger device for their cellular connection. Given that there's no immediate mention of battery life, we can assume it's quite a problem already without jamming more radios in there.
carsongross 12y ago
I'd love to see a round smart watch that homaged the Rolex GMT look-and-feel and then utilized a rotating (and maybe clickable?) diver-style bezel for input (maybe like the 1st gen ipods) in addition to the touch screen. Classic, understated look, but another few interesting dimensions of input.
- daeken 12y ago
  Wow, why has no one done the rotating bezel yet? I hadn't thought about it before, but that seems like such a simple, obvious way to interact with a smartwatch. That should be done.
  - hbosch 12y ago
    I think some of the trouble with a rotating bezel is accidental input. I have a diver with a sturdy, mono-directional bezel, and it gets bumped around to odd positions from time to time -- maybe once every couple weeks. And that is with a bezel not designed to be used often. A UI-driving bezel would have to be bi-directional, for starters. Then, it would have to be looser AND more resilient than normal bezels, since they will be used more often. And even once those items are fine-tuned, we only have navigation without confirmation. Do we press the bezel to confirm? Can the bezel be mounted as a rocker, for multiple inputs, like a volume key? Maybe. A glass or ceramic capacitive bezel, though, would really "wow" me! I concede that I'd rather have a bezel input than Apple Watch's crown input, which to me looked inconvenient, but seeing as the jury is still out on round vs. square design for these "smartwatch" UIs (a rotating bezel only works on round watches) it would be quite risky from a usability perspective.
    - daeken 12y ago
      Accidental input is a big issue for watches in general. But after a month or so with the Moto 360, I think they struck a good balance. It generally doesn't respond to your input unless you rotate it towards you, which kicks on the display. It's not foolproof, but I think it'd be plenty for most input mechanisms, this bezel included. As for the square bezel, it'd be interesting to see a sort of 'tread' running around a square bezel, which would be rotatable as well.
justboxing 12y ago
"Take the Next Turn! Turn-by-Turn Navigation." On a motorcycle, on the highway, looking down on your wrist and reading the directions off a watch is a sure shot way to get killed. What were these designers thinking?
- dabeeeenster 12y ago
  Maybe they were thinking that you wouldn't use it on a motorcycle?
  - georgemcbay 12y ago
    The accompanying photo on the website is of a dude on a motorcycle. http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5 http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5 Hopefully he's wearing a single-ear bluetooth or something in the ear you can't see and getting his turn by turn that way, but the inset of a screenshot and the highly visible watch on his wrist to match certainly give an implied bit of poor usage advice. In any case, more of a failure of the website marketing team than the watch or Android Wear designers, but it is a valid point.
  - deleted 12y ago
    [deleted]
- pkulak 12y ago
  I bought one of these for my Pebble: http://amzn.com/B001SAGBHW http://amzn.com/B001SAGBHW It's freakin' awesome to use Google bike nav to get to some place I've never been before.
- itp 12y ago
  Sincere question -- is your concern looking away from the road, or looking down at your wrist? I take glances out of the direct line of my travel all the time, to check lanes around me, look at the speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, etc. I do find it surprising that the pictured model would wear it on the right arm, though, since it's much easier to take your left hand off of the handlebar -- you don't tend to need to use the clutch when cruising on a highway, whereas (unless you have a throttle lock) your right hand will typically stay on the bar. I do think motorcycle safety is important, but your reaction seems a little overboard to me. Having navigation on a small screen on my wrist seems like a relatively nice perk.
hazz 12y ago
This is the first smart watch I've seen that actually looks good. It's clearly aiming to look as much as possible like a traditional watch when not actively being used. It does look huge on the woman's wrist on the second slide/page/section thing. Big watches tend to be a men's fashion thing, so I wonder if this will present problems. The heart rate feature seems really out of place and useless. What use is a recent history of your heart rate? Presumably there are plans to integrate more features into the health part of things, because at the moment it looks a lot like a "because we can" feature.
- prawn 12y ago
  Large sunglasses quickly returned to fashion so it might work for a women's watch too?
pcurve 12y ago
love the jab at google watch. As a watch wearer, I can see myself getting on-board with this if the battery life is reasonable. I doubt they will find too many female takers in its current form factor.
iandanforth 12y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but most (all) of those product photos are faked. If you're curious what it looks like on a real wrist: http://media.gizmodo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/DSCF7149.jpg http://media.gizmodo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/DSCF71... From full Gizmodo review here: http://gizmodo.com/lg-g-watch-r-review-worthy-of-your-wrist-even-if-andr-1652833562 http://gizmodo.com/lg-g-watch-r-review-worthy-of-your-wrist-...
- arjie 12y ago
  Nice! Screen looks a bit off, but the hardware design is streets ahead of the main competitor: Apple Watch. These round devices look way better. A bit big, so maybe it'll only work on men, but round is a significant advantage.
  - SirPulse 12y ago
    Round is a significant advantage? How so?
  - taude 12y ago
    Agree that the LG looks better. The Apple Watch, designed by any other company than Apple, would be getting lambasted in the tech media for being ugly, techy-looking, chunky, etc...but guess we'll have to wait to see how all these watches really look in person for the final call.
  - arrrg 12y ago
    The materials and build quality look like total crap, to be honest. That’s phone level care, not watch level. There doesn’t seem to have been put any care at all into the details of this watch. On a micro level this watch is about a billion miles behind what it looks like the Apple Watch seems it will be like. On a macro level tastes differ. That said, I do think this watch looks like a cheap tech gadget while the Apple Watch clearly doesn’t. You might not like how the Apple Watch looks overall, but at least it doesn’t look like a cheap toy like this watch does. (I mean, look at the back of this thing! That’s unacceptable for a watch.) (That said, I do agree that, while on a micro level the details of the Apple Watch look to be astonishing, on a macro level the overall impression doesn’t do those micro level details justice. It’s certainly possible to do better – but not by completely ignoring that micro level like this watch does.)
huhtenberg 12y ago
Why do these product images, all of them, look like a rushed photoshop slap-on hack? Does it mean that LG views this watch as an experimental throw-away project or something?
- paulftw 12y ago
  I think LG, like others, is struggling to push this product out in time for Christmas shopping. Won't be surprised if they ship it with rather obvious hardware or design issues. That "where to buy / coming soon" image is not clickable for me, though it looks like an input field. Anyone else tried using it to find a pre-order form?
  - koyote 12y ago
    It's already available in the UK and has been for a couple of weeks now.
listic 12y ago
In all the smartwatch reviews I have read, I fail to see the high-level overview: what kinds of tasks should I be able to accomplish with this kind of device, at all? Are Android Wear devices only usable in a vicinity of my Android phone or can I use them without one? Could I use them with an iPhone, Firefox OS phone, Surface Pro tablet, 3G modem or any Wi-Fi source (Moto 360 does have Wi-Fi)? Do Android Wear devices need apps written specifically for them, and/or specific support in a tablet/phone app. Say, I know there is a VK app for Android, but I'm not sure about smartwatch support. Should I be getting VK notifications (or whatever watch is good for) by default? Could I pair a Wi-Fi-equipped smartwatch with a Bluetooth headset and get rid of a phone, with smartwatch providing VoIP connectivity over Wi-Fi? What kinds (if any) of non-default configurations can I expect to use a device like that? (default being pairing it with an Android phone and a specifically supported app)
- itp 12y ago
  I'm not sure if you're asking because you legitimately don't know, or just underscoring how terrible some of the marketing and advertising for these devices has been. If it's the former, though, a lot of the info you're asking about can be found online[0]. In general, though, the primary mode of operation of an Android Wear device is to work with the existing notification system of an Android device, so most apps should automatically have some reflection on the watch. If they take advantage of Android notification actions, you may be able to interact to a degree with them right off of the watch. Android Wear devices don't (as far as I know) work with non-Android phones because non-Android phones don't give them the required integration with the notifications and applications. [0]: http://www.android.com/wear/ http://www.android.com/wear/
  - TheTaO 12y ago
    The Microsoft Band at least seems to be more targeted towards health focused users although it can do all of the smart things that these smart watches do. http://www.microsoft.com/Microsoft-Band http://www.microsoft.com/Microsoft-Band
    - 12y ago
snarkyturtle 12y ago
I find it weird that these smartwatches don't have GPS built in them. I feel like if you were to use it on your runs/bikes, you'd prefer to just be able to take your watch rather than having both your phone and watch. I could definitely see how excluding it would help price and battery life, but to have a selling point be "it helps with fitness" but with a caveat of "oh, but you have to bring your phone with you too" kinda kills the whole appeal.
- miguelrochefort 12y ago
  The Microsoft Band is for you.
- sliverstorm 12y ago
  Excluding GPS doesn't just help battery life. GPS is a power monster.
  - anonova 12y ago
    This. It seems like most people don't realize how much power GPS requires, especially for it to be on 24/7. Even advanced sport watches (e.g., Garmin's Forerunner 620) don't last half a day with it on.
- itp 12y ago
  Android Wear devices don't require GPS, and you're right that most (so far) don't, but the new Sony Smartwatch 3 does have it (and the platform does support it when it's available[0]). [0]: http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2014/10/gps-on-android-wear-devices.html http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2014/10/gps-on-androi...
- modeless 12y ago
  There are different watches for different people. The Sony one has GPS. You can track runs and listen to music over bluetooth without your phone. http://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/smartwear/smartwatch-3-swr50 http://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/smartwear/smartwatch-3...
_almosnow 12y ago
On the 4th or 5th tab, the note ... "Idea for an all new park that delivers fun, friendship and safety for children of all ages." ... made me wonder, what have I done today to change the world in a good way? [Spoiler alert: sarcasm]
eps 12y ago
Perhaps a very naive question - how hackable is this? I mean how hard is it to strip Android off all its phone-home Google goodness and have just the kernel, basic OS services with complete root access? I used to do a lot of embedded work, but I have to plead almost complete ignorance of Android. This watch though ... damn ... so many possibilities for making such a nice toy out of it.
mbesto 12y ago
Given the amount of big brand smartwatches that keep surfacing but don't seem to be gaining traction (or at least doesn't appear so) I get the feeling they are going to go the way of tablets - in other words "there isn't a tablet market, there's an iPad market".
- discodave 12y ago
  Except at this point we don't even know that the iWatch will be successful.
- sigmar 12y ago
  "there isn't a tablet market, there's an iPad market". This was true in 2010, but things change. Apple's tablet market share is at 23% http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/30/apple-ipad-market-share-satisfaction/ http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/30/apple-ipad-market-share-...
  - r00fus 12y ago
    What about profit share? Are any major tablet vendors aside from Apple actually making decent profits?
bronson 12y ago
"Be aware of the recent state of your (current) health by monitoring your heart's pulse" "Stay fit, keep control of your body" "Please adjust your browser for the optimal service" Guessing this is a translation of another site?
- 72deluxe 12y ago
  All you base are belong to us!
aaronbrethorst 12y ago
Facebook Alice Yang tagged you in a post: Jon, check out this song from utube, it's aweso http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#outdoorstyle3 http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#outdoorstyle3 Pass, thanks.
- nkozyra 12y ago
  Just chilling on the beach with my smart phone and sweater. There very definition of not "getting" the beach.
  - cujo 12y ago
    That's Cape Cod style.
  - bane 12y ago
    not to defend the lousy advert too much, but up in the Northern Coastal areas, we have beaches too, and they're nice to go to even when it's a little chilly (actually the next month or two is actually my favorite time to go to the beach, temperature in 50s and 60s, nobody there, wildlife is out in droves migrating or fattening up for winter)... but then again, he's wearing shorts so....
    - nkozyra 12y ago
      Yeah if the guy were wearing pants I wouldn't have made the comment. I mean clearly it's an aesthetic for an advertisement, but it does not make said aesthetic appealing to me. Yay, I can take my work to the one place I should find some semblance of relaxation and best yet I can dress like a Lands End model. Sold!
    - jack-r-abbit 12y ago
      I will often wear shorts and a warm shirt. My legs can take the cold a lot better than my arms/core. I have actually worn shorts and a jacket to the beach.
  - hsod 12y ago
notatoad 12y ago
wow, that's an obnoxious website. It won't show anything except a promt to resize my browser window for "optimal service". my browser is covering half a 27" 2560x1440 screen, i think it's probably big enough to show a picture of a wristwatch
fcoury 12y ago
The website is horrible. I hate that it dictates how your browser should be sized, with the brilliant text "Please adjust your BROWER for optimal service." - http://cl.ly/image/2i3w2y3h3K35 http://cl.ly/image/2i3w2y3h3K35
- peter_l_downs 12y ago
  It's using some weird kind of JS resizing, too – window size doesn't matter but aspect ratio does. Side scrolling instead of vertical, and almost all of the text content is contained in background images. Just terrible.
hiou 12y ago
I wish someone would flip the paradigm upside down. Put the whole computer in the watch and then have a dumb screen the size of a credit card that fits in your wallet. You can use that for talking on the phone, browsing the web etc. Make the watch primary and the big screen secondary.
- CrazedGeek 12y ago
  A watch like that would probably have battery life of about 0.3 femtoseconds.
- ufmace 12y ago
  It'd be cool, but the technology is probably a few generations away.
mxfh 12y ago
The Skeuomorph is strong with this one. Why isn't there a single chronograph type clock face that displays the current date in an easily readable form and does't clutter month and day of month all other the place? It's just feels quite unimaginative to stick to the limitations of an mechanical apparatus when you're using a digital display. Is it possible to have some kind of reflective semi-translucent high contrast High-PPI E-Ink with with a P-OLED Backlight? Or have it flippable?
puccal 12y ago
This page makes 360 separate requests and loads 55MB of assets. They did not minify or concatenate assets. It disables itself unless it is used at specific aspect ratios. It disables scrolling and requires clicking small triangles to navigate sideways. Just so you can look at photos that are all fake. Fire the designers.
- twelvechairs 12y ago
  It also ordered me to rotate my screen 'for optimal service' (in fact I received no 'service'). Suboptimal to say the least.
- baddox 12y ago
  You looked at the page, and you now know about the product. That's likely true of thousands of other people. Give the designers a bonus.
Shad0w59 12y ago
CAMERA None Such a strange feature to highlight.
- microtherion 12y ago
  Judging from the heated reception that Google Glass got in certain places, it appears that wearable cameras are a mixed blessing.
- microtherion 12y ago
  Judging from the heated reception that Google Glass got in certain places, it appears that wearable cameras are a mixed blessing.
- 72deluxe 12y ago
  It probably stops incessant questions of "so does it have a camera"? Better to be specific than ambiguous.
slipperyp 12y ago
Call me a nitpicker and you'd be right, but the screenshots in this[1] and other ads[2] where they showcase this watch for GPS navigation while on a bike (or motorcycle) where the watch is not doing a 90 degree rotation on the content area so you can read it while your hands are on some handlebars really bugs me. I guess it bugs me more than some model getting on a motorcycle wearing what looks like a blazer with no helmet or gloves, too. But to make this comment, say, 20% hn worthy, can someone explain whether it's unrealistic that I think the accelerometer should be able to figure out the "holding handlebars with forward velocity" scenario and orient the display properly? [1] http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5 http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5 [2] https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=motorola_moto_360_leather_black&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=motorola_mo...
cronin101 12y ago
BE AWARE OF THE RECENT STATE OF YOUR (CURRENT) HEALTH That's... quite interestingly worded. It seems to suggest that it only supports repeated single readings on-demand, a shame for sport enthusiasts who would rather not be talking into their watch during the action.
aceperry 12y ago
The fashion type ad is very good, and very different from most of the other smart watch ads that I've seen. The other ads focus on the watch and technology. The LG ad emphasizes the fashion aspect of the watch and is more consumer oriented which is probably the best thing to do when expanding the market to beyond the early adopters and techno types.
72deluxe 12y ago
Those photos are massively overexposed or have some strange HDR processing on them, but it's lovely to see material textures and facial hair in such detail. The one photo to sell "checking your stocks" is a funny one. "I'm on a yacht looking to the horizon and I NEED to know whether I should BUY BUY BUY or SELL SELL SELL". What a witty photo.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  You could probably apply that reasoning to 99% or so of all text messages and facebook status updates.
Raphmedia 12y ago
Product apart, this website is horrible. I can't scroll with my mouse. When I opened it on my vertical screen, all I had was a white background with "please adjust your screen"( http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/images/common/rotate_bg.jpg http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/images/common/rotate_bg.jpg )... That's horrible. I had never seen this before.
- tommyd 12y ago
  Was going to say the same thing, saw that both on my iPhone and on my desktop (with a half screen width browser). Way to piss users off.
lmedinas 12y ago
I haven't seen the LG G Watch R nor the 360 but from the specs the LG G W R would be the one i would buy. A better and more efficient processor makes things better on the LG.

146 points by jbernardo95 12y ago

Wow. A "responsive" page that hates all but a couple specific aspect ratios. It literally won't show you the page if you aren't in an aspect ratio it expects. WTF? http://d.pr/i/12ZBj http://d.pr/i/12ZBj

greyskull 12y ago
That's a first. In my experience at least. Sheesh.
emp_ 12y ago
I had a similar issue, tfw "responsive" means adapting to the site rules, not the other way around. Reminds me of "This site is best viewed in 1024x768", just poor web dev work.
dublinben 12y ago
I've never seen an image hosting site require so much Javascript (3 different domains!) just to display a PNG.
mikestew 12y ago
"Please rotate your screen for the optimal service." How about I immediately close the browser tab instead, and never give another thought to the LG G Whatever? (iPhone 6 Small, if anyone cares.)

sahaskatta 12y ago

I really wish the could name their products better. Their two watches right now are named: - LG G Watch - LG G Watch R Fortunately, the product is fairly decent. (I've seen it in person.) I happen to have a Samsung Gear Live, which is quite comparable in terms of specs. I think that Android Wear probably needs another year (or 2nd generation of watches) to mature a bit more.

efiftythree 12y ago
Wonder if they will get a nastygram from Casio. "G-Watch" / "G-Shock".

notastartup 12y ago

I wish that this doesn't require any phone. I wish that the watch could completely replace the smartphone. You'd look really stupid looking at your watch all the time while you are walking or in the restaurant.

13 12y ago
I'm not sure that's possible or desirable. They're relying on a bigger device for their cellular connection. Given that there's no immediate mention of battery life, we can assume it's quite a problem already without jamming more radios in there.

carsongross 12y ago

I'd love to see a round smart watch that homaged the Rolex GMT look-and-feel and then utilized a rotating (and maybe clickable?) diver-style bezel for input (maybe like the 1st gen ipods) in addition to the touch screen. Classic, understated look, but another few interesting dimensions of input.

daeken 12y ago
Wow, why has no one done the rotating bezel yet? I hadn't thought about it before, but that seems like such a simple, obvious way to interact with a smartwatch. That should be done.
- hbosch 12y ago
  I think some of the trouble with a rotating bezel is accidental input. I have a diver with a sturdy, mono-directional bezel, and it gets bumped around to odd positions from time to time -- maybe once every couple weeks. And that is with a bezel not designed to be used often. A UI-driving bezel would have to be bi-directional, for starters. Then, it would have to be looser AND more resilient than normal bezels, since they will be used more often. And even once those items are fine-tuned, we only have navigation without confirmation. Do we press the bezel to confirm? Can the bezel be mounted as a rocker, for multiple inputs, like a volume key? Maybe. A glass or ceramic capacitive bezel, though, would really "wow" me! I concede that I'd rather have a bezel input than Apple Watch's crown input, which to me looked inconvenient, but seeing as the jury is still out on round vs. square design for these "smartwatch" UIs (a rotating bezel only works on round watches) it would be quite risky from a usability perspective.
  - daeken 12y ago
    Accidental input is a big issue for watches in general. But after a month or so with the Moto 360, I think they struck a good balance. It generally doesn't respond to your input unless you rotate it towards you, which kicks on the display. It's not foolproof, but I think it'd be plenty for most input mechanisms, this bezel included. As for the square bezel, it'd be interesting to see a sort of 'tread' running around a square bezel, which would be rotatable as well.

justboxing 12y ago

"Take the Next Turn! Turn-by-Turn Navigation." On a motorcycle, on the highway, looking down on your wrist and reading the directions off a watch is a sure shot way to get killed. What were these designers thinking?

dabeeeenster 12y ago
Maybe they were thinking that you wouldn't use it on a motorcycle?
- georgemcbay 12y ago
  The accompanying photo on the website is of a dude on a motorcycle. http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5 http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5 Hopefully he's wearing a single-ear bluetooth or something in the ear you can't see and getting his turn by turn that way, but the inset of a screenshot and the highly visible watch on his wrist to match certainly give an implied bit of poor usage advice. In any case, more of a failure of the website marketing team than the watch or Android Wear designers, but it is a valid point.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
pkulak 12y ago
I bought one of these for my Pebble: http://amzn.com/B001SAGBHW http://amzn.com/B001SAGBHW It's freakin' awesome to use Google bike nav to get to some place I've never been before.
itp 12y ago
Sincere question -- is your concern looking away from the road, or looking down at your wrist? I take glances out of the direct line of my travel all the time, to check lanes around me, look at the speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, etc. I do find it surprising that the pictured model would wear it on the right arm, though, since it's much easier to take your left hand off of the handlebar -- you don't tend to need to use the clutch when cruising on a highway, whereas (unless you have a throttle lock) your right hand will typically stay on the bar. I do think motorcycle safety is important, but your reaction seems a little overboard to me. Having navigation on a small screen on my wrist seems like a relatively nice perk.

hazz 12y ago

This is the first smart watch I've seen that actually looks good. It's clearly aiming to look as much as possible like a traditional watch when not actively being used. It does look huge on the woman's wrist on the second slide/page/section thing. Big watches tend to be a men's fashion thing, so I wonder if this will present problems. The heart rate feature seems really out of place and useless. What use is a recent history of your heart rate? Presumably there are plans to integrate more features into the health part of things, because at the moment it looks a lot like a "because we can" feature.

prawn 12y ago
Large sunglasses quickly returned to fashion so it might work for a women's watch too?

pcurve 12y ago

love the jab at google watch. As a watch wearer, I can see myself getting on-board with this if the battery life is reasonable. I doubt they will find too many female takers in its current form factor.

iandanforth 12y ago

Correct me if I'm wrong, but most (all) of those product photos are faked. If you're curious what it looks like on a real wrist: http://media.gizmodo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/DSCF7149.jpg http://media.gizmodo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/DSCF71... From full Gizmodo review here: http://gizmodo.com/lg-g-watch-r-review-worthy-of-your-wrist-even-if-andr-1652833562 http://gizmodo.com/lg-g-watch-r-review-worthy-of-your-wrist-...

arjie 12y ago
Nice! Screen looks a bit off, but the hardware design is streets ahead of the main competitor: Apple Watch. These round devices look way better. A bit big, so maybe it'll only work on men, but round is a significant advantage.
- SirPulse 12y ago
  Round is a significant advantage? How so?
- taude 12y ago
  Agree that the LG looks better. The Apple Watch, designed by any other company than Apple, would be getting lambasted in the tech media for being ugly, techy-looking, chunky, etc...but guess we'll have to wait to see how all these watches really look in person for the final call.
- arrrg 12y ago
  The materials and build quality look like total crap, to be honest. That’s phone level care, not watch level. There doesn’t seem to have been put any care at all into the details of this watch. On a micro level this watch is about a billion miles behind what it looks like the Apple Watch seems it will be like. On a macro level tastes differ. That said, I do think this watch looks like a cheap tech gadget while the Apple Watch clearly doesn’t. You might not like how the Apple Watch looks overall, but at least it doesn’t look like a cheap toy like this watch does. (I mean, look at the back of this thing! That’s unacceptable for a watch.) (That said, I do agree that, while on a micro level the details of the Apple Watch look to be astonishing, on a macro level the overall impression doesn’t do those micro level details justice. It’s certainly possible to do better – but not by completely ignoring that micro level like this watch does.)

huhtenberg 12y ago

Why do these product images, all of them, look like a rushed photoshop slap-on hack? Does it mean that LG views this watch as an experimental throw-away project or something?

paulftw 12y ago
I think LG, like others, is struggling to push this product out in time for Christmas shopping. Won't be surprised if they ship it with rather obvious hardware or design issues. That "where to buy / coming soon" image is not clickable for me, though it looks like an input field. Anyone else tried using it to find a pre-order form?
- koyote 12y ago
  It's already available in the UK and has been for a couple of weeks now.

listic 12y ago

In all the smartwatch reviews I have read, I fail to see the high-level overview: what kinds of tasks should I be able to accomplish with this kind of device, at all? Are Android Wear devices only usable in a vicinity of my Android phone or can I use them without one? Could I use them with an iPhone, Firefox OS phone, Surface Pro tablet, 3G modem or any Wi-Fi source (Moto 360 does have Wi-Fi)? Do Android Wear devices need apps written specifically for them, and/or specific support in a tablet/phone app. Say, I know there is a VK app for Android, but I'm not sure about smartwatch support. Should I be getting VK notifications (or whatever watch is good for) by default? Could I pair a Wi-Fi-equipped smartwatch with a Bluetooth headset and get rid of a phone, with smartwatch providing VoIP connectivity over Wi-Fi? What kinds (if any) of non-default configurations can I expect to use a device like that? (default being pairing it with an Android phone and a specifically supported app)

itp 12y ago
I'm not sure if you're asking because you legitimately don't know, or just underscoring how terrible some of the marketing and advertising for these devices has been. If it's the former, though, a lot of the info you're asking about can be found online[0]. In general, though, the primary mode of operation of an Android Wear device is to work with the existing notification system of an Android device, so most apps should automatically have some reflection on the watch. If they take advantage of Android notification actions, you may be able to interact to a degree with them right off of the watch. Android Wear devices don't (as far as I know) work with non-Android phones because non-Android phones don't give them the required integration with the notifications and applications. [0]: http://www.android.com/wear/ http://www.android.com/wear/
- TheTaO 12y ago
  The Microsoft Band at least seems to be more targeted towards health focused users although it can do all of the smart things that these smart watches do. http://www.microsoft.com/Microsoft-Band http://www.microsoft.com/Microsoft-Band
  - 12y ago

snarkyturtle 12y ago

I find it weird that these smartwatches don't have GPS built in them. I feel like if you were to use it on your runs/bikes, you'd prefer to just be able to take your watch rather than having both your phone and watch. I could definitely see how excluding it would help price and battery life, but to have a selling point be "it helps with fitness" but with a caveat of "oh, but you have to bring your phone with you too" kinda kills the whole appeal.

miguelrochefort 12y ago
The Microsoft Band is for you.
sliverstorm 12y ago
Excluding GPS doesn't just help battery life. GPS is a power monster.
- anonova 12y ago
  This. It seems like most people don't realize how much power GPS requires, especially for it to be on 24/7. Even advanced sport watches (e.g., Garmin's Forerunner 620) don't last half a day with it on.
itp 12y ago
Android Wear devices don't require GPS, and you're right that most (so far) don't, but the new Sony Smartwatch 3 does have it (and the platform does support it when it's available[0]). [0]: http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2014/10/gps-on-android-wear-devices.html http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2014/10/gps-on-androi...
modeless 12y ago
There are different watches for different people. The Sony one has GPS. You can track runs and listen to music over bluetooth without your phone. http://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/smartwear/smartwatch-3-swr50 http://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/smartwear/smartwatch-3...

_almosnow 12y ago

On the 4th or 5th tab, the note ... "Idea for an all new park that delivers fun, friendship and safety for children of all ages." ... made me wonder, what have I done today to change the world in a good way? [Spoiler alert: sarcasm]

eps 12y ago

Perhaps a very naive question - how hackable is this? I mean how hard is it to strip Android off all its phone-home Google goodness and have just the kernel, basic OS services with complete root access? I used to do a lot of embedded work, but I have to plead almost complete ignorance of Android. This watch though ... damn ... so many possibilities for making such a nice toy out of it.

mbesto 12y ago

Given the amount of big brand smartwatches that keep surfacing but don't seem to be gaining traction (or at least doesn't appear so) I get the feeling they are going to go the way of tablets - in other words "there isn't a tablet market, there's an iPad market".

discodave 12y ago
Except at this point we don't even know that the iWatch will be successful.
sigmar 12y ago
"there isn't a tablet market, there's an iPad market". This was true in 2010, but things change. Apple's tablet market share is at 23% http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/30/apple-ipad-market-share-satisfaction/ http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/30/apple-ipad-market-share-...
- r00fus 12y ago
  What about profit share? Are any major tablet vendors aside from Apple actually making decent profits?

bronson 12y ago

"Be aware of the recent state of your (current) health by monitoring your heart's pulse" "Stay fit, keep control of your body" "Please adjust your browser for the optimal service" Guessing this is a translation of another site?

72deluxe 12y ago
All you base are belong to us!

aaronbrethorst 12y ago

Facebook Alice Yang tagged you in a post: Jon, check out this song from utube, it's aweso http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#outdoorstyle3 http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#outdoorstyle3 Pass, thanks.

nkozyra 12y ago
Just chilling on the beach with my smart phone and sweater. There very definition of not "getting" the beach.
- cujo 12y ago
  That's Cape Cod style.
- bane 12y ago
  not to defend the lousy advert too much, but up in the Northern Coastal areas, we have beaches too, and they're nice to go to even when it's a little chilly (actually the next month or two is actually my favorite time to go to the beach, temperature in 50s and 60s, nobody there, wildlife is out in droves migrating or fattening up for winter)... but then again, he's wearing shorts so....
  - nkozyra 12y ago
    Yeah if the guy were wearing pants I wouldn't have made the comment. I mean clearly it's an aesthetic for an advertisement, but it does not make said aesthetic appealing to me. Yay, I can take my work to the one place I should find some semblance of relaxation and best yet I can dress like a Lands End model. Sold!
  - jack-r-abbit 12y ago
    I will often wear shorts and a warm shirt. My legs can take the cold a lot better than my arms/core. I have actually worn shorts and a jacket to the beach.
- hsod 12y ago

notatoad 12y ago

wow, that's an obnoxious website. It won't show anything except a promt to resize my browser window for "optimal service". my browser is covering half a 27" 2560x1440 screen, i think it's probably big enough to show a picture of a wristwatch

fcoury 12y ago

The website is horrible. I hate that it dictates how your browser should be sized, with the brilliant text "Please adjust your BROWER for optimal service." - http://cl.ly/image/2i3w2y3h3K35 http://cl.ly/image/2i3w2y3h3K35

peter_l_downs 12y ago
It's using some weird kind of JS resizing, too – window size doesn't matter but aspect ratio does. Side scrolling instead of vertical, and almost all of the text content is contained in background images. Just terrible.

hiou 12y ago

I wish someone would flip the paradigm upside down. Put the whole computer in the watch and then have a dumb screen the size of a credit card that fits in your wallet. You can use that for talking on the phone, browsing the web etc. Make the watch primary and the big screen secondary.

CrazedGeek 12y ago
A watch like that would probably have battery life of about 0.3 femtoseconds.
ufmace 12y ago
It'd be cool, but the technology is probably a few generations away.

mxfh 12y ago

The Skeuomorph is strong with this one. Why isn't there a single chronograph type clock face that displays the current date in an easily readable form and does't clutter month and day of month all other the place? It's just feels quite unimaginative to stick to the limitations of an mechanical apparatus when you're using a digital display. Is it possible to have some kind of reflective semi-translucent high contrast High-PPI E-Ink with with a P-OLED Backlight? Or have it flippable?

puccal 12y ago

This page makes 360 separate requests and loads 55MB of assets. They did not minify or concatenate assets. It disables itself unless it is used at specific aspect ratios. It disables scrolling and requires clicking small triangles to navigate sideways. Just so you can look at photos that are all fake. Fire the designers.

twelvechairs 12y ago
It also ordered me to rotate my screen 'for optimal service' (in fact I received no 'service'). Suboptimal to say the least.
baddox 12y ago
You looked at the page, and you now know about the product. That's likely true of thousands of other people. Give the designers a bonus.

Shad0w59 12y ago

CAMERA None Such a strange feature to highlight.

microtherion 12y ago
Judging from the heated reception that Google Glass got in certain places, it appears that wearable cameras are a mixed blessing.
microtherion 12y ago
Judging from the heated reception that Google Glass got in certain places, it appears that wearable cameras are a mixed blessing.
72deluxe 12y ago
It probably stops incessant questions of "so does it have a camera"? Better to be specific than ambiguous.

slipperyp 12y ago

Call me a nitpicker and you'd be right, but the screenshots in this[1] and other ads[2] where they showcase this watch for GPS navigation while on a bike (or motorcycle) where the watch is not doing a 90 degree rotation on the content area so you can read it while your hands are on some handlebars really bugs me. I guess it bugs me more than some model getting on a motorcycle wearing what looks like a blazer with no helmet or gloves, too. But to make this comment, say, 20% hn worthy, can someone explain whether it's unrealistic that I think the accelerometer should be able to figure out the "holding handlebars with forward velocity" scenario and orient the display properly? [1] http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5 http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5 [2] https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=motorola_moto_360_leather_black&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=motorola_mo...

cronin101 12y ago

BE AWARE OF THE RECENT STATE OF YOUR (CURRENT) HEALTH That's... quite interestingly worded. It seems to suggest that it only supports repeated single readings on-demand, a shame for sport enthusiasts who would rather not be talking into their watch during the action.

aceperry 12y ago

The fashion type ad is very good, and very different from most of the other smart watch ads that I've seen. The other ads focus on the watch and technology. The LG ad emphasizes the fashion aspect of the watch and is more consumer oriented which is probably the best thing to do when expanding the market to beyond the early adopters and techno types.

72deluxe 12y ago

Those photos are massively overexposed or have some strange HDR processing on them, but it's lovely to see material textures and facial hair in such detail. The one photo to sell "checking your stocks" is a funny one. "I'm on a yacht looking to the horizon and I NEED to know whether I should BUY BUY BUY or SELL SELL SELL". What a witty photo.

jacquesm 12y ago
You could probably apply that reasoning to 99% or so of all text messages and facebook status updates.

Raphmedia 12y ago

Product apart, this website is horrible. I can't scroll with my mouse. When I opened it on my vertical screen, all I had was a white background with "please adjust your screen"( http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/images/common/rotate_bg.jpg http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/images/common/rotate_bg.jpg )... That's horrible. I had never seen this before.

tommyd 12y ago
Was going to say the same thing, saw that both on my iPhone and on my desktop (with a half screen width browser). Way to piss users off.

lmedinas 12y ago

I haven't seen the LG G Watch R nor the 360 but from the specs the LG G W R would be the one i would buy. A better and more efficient processor makes things better on the LG.