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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

by 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.
- carsongross 12y ago
  I think the bezel would need to be tight enough to not bump easily, and then not be used for destructive input. If it was selection (maybe face selection by default) and got bumped, not a big deal. Or maybe a mix of both a physical bezel with a capacitive function to determine if a finger is causing the rotation? (I do love the tactile click when I rotate mine.) The concept does require OS-level support though, to get value out of it. Given that Apple didn't do it, I have a hard time seeing it coming out any time soon. Too bad. I wanted my smart Rolex GMT.
  - hbosch 12y ago
    Agreed, the satisfying click of the bezel rotation would be a painful loss. However, the later-model iPods had a pretty satisfactory capacitive wheel with 4 selection inputs on each directional. The capacitive nature inhibits accidental inputs... maybe not all, but most. The Nest UI is also wonderful with it's rotation and selection method. Honestly it would be very interesting to see something like a movable bezel be utilized on a watch... I would definitely like to see it be explored.
- userbinator 12y ago
  Touchscreens are more prone to accidental input, and the solution that smartphones and tablets have is a button to lock/unlock it. I think the same could be done for a rotating bezel - or possibly two buttons, diametrically opposite, that need to be pressed simultaneously in a "pinch" type of motion to unlock it.

by 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.
carsongross 12y ago
I think the bezel would need to be tight enough to not bump easily, and then not be used for destructive input. If it was selection (maybe face selection by default) and got bumped, not a big deal. Or maybe a mix of both a physical bezel with a capacitive function to determine if a finger is causing the rotation? (I do love the tactile click when I rotate mine.) The concept does require OS-level support though, to get value out of it. Given that Apple didn't do it, I have a hard time seeing it coming out any time soon. Too bad. I wanted my smart Rolex GMT.
- hbosch 12y ago
  Agreed, the satisfying click of the bezel rotation would be a painful loss. However, the later-model iPods had a pretty satisfactory capacitive wheel with 4 selection inputs on each directional. The capacitive nature inhibits accidental inputs... maybe not all, but most. The Nest UI is also wonderful with it's rotation and selection method. Honestly it would be very interesting to see something like a movable bezel be utilized on a watch... I would definitely like to see it be explored.
userbinator 12y ago
Touchscreens are more prone to accidental input, and the solution that smartphones and tablets have is a button to lock/unlock it. I think the same could be done for a rotating bezel - or possibly two buttons, diametrically opposite, that need to be pressed simultaneously in a "pinch" type of motion to unlock it.