5 ms·

Do I need an iphone to use apple watch? I really just want it for the bluetooth music player, stopwatch, and heartbeat monitor for when I am running, but curren

by skizm 12y ago

Do I need an iphone to use apple watch? I really just want it for the bluetooth music player, stopwatch, and heartbeat monitor for when I am running, but currently have an android phone. If not are there any good android watches that do this?

mavrc 12y ago
> Do I need an iphone to use apple watch? Yes. I'm under the impression that Android Wear devices will do most, if not all, of the things you want, though I don't actually own one. There are many of them at this point; I've personally only used the Moto 360, and quite liked it, but just could't justify the expense.
yawz 12y ago
I've a Pebble. You can use it as a remote for your music. I regularly use mine with RunKeeper that has a nice interface that shows me my pace, time, distance etc. when I'm running. I'm not sure about the stopwatch and heartbeat as they aren't there out-of-the-box, but I'm pretty sure there are that type of apps that have a Pebble interface.
kaeawc 12y ago
Moto 360 owner. I use it for exactly those things, works great.
- skizm 12y ago
  So I can store music on the watch and not have my phone with me? Also how reliable would you say the heartrate monitor is, especially while sweating?
  - drzaiusapelord 12y ago
    Yes, a recent update to AW enabled a feature where you can copy music directly to the watch and pair up BT headphones so you can leave your phone at home. No idea if the Apple device can do this, but AW people have been doing it for a few months now.
  - kaeawc 12y ago
    I'm a bit of a strange case: I'm a runner in the north east US and its been very cold until recently. So I've had my watch on the outside of my thermal sleeve, where it obviously can't read my heart rate, but I'm mostly using it for stop watch + it can monitor how much total time I'm spending running vs walking. So not much data from me about sweating + heart rate. You can store music on the watch, but the sync is so slow and the data cap is 2 GB that unless I want to listen to the same playlist on infinite repeat its not viable. You'd also need bluetooth headphones, which is a purchase I don't feel I actually need... generally when running I'd rather be alert of surroundings less I get hit by a truck while jamming to a favorite track. My use of music controls on the watch has been this: phone is sitting around office or home and connects to sound bar, I can leave phone charging somewhere while reading / studying / drawing and if I want to change tracks or volume its a flick on the wrist. Otherwise while in the subway + listening via headphones on a crowded train, can change music while keeping a grip on subway poles.
deleted 12y ago
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timmins 12y ago
Moto 360 owner and Microsoft Band. I won't echo the sentiments of the other comments but you may want to explore the Microsoft Band. It falls short on bluetooth music player. However, whether iPhone, Android or WP, you have cross-integration. Something not afforded by the other main products currently (though, rumored Wear will interface with iOS). The ergonomics of the Band needs minor improvements. The dedicated GPS and range of sensors is mostly in a class of its own. Dedicated GPS is only on the Sony Wear as far as I recall.
- skizm 12y ago
  > It falls short on bluetooth music player. That's the #2 function (next to accurate time/timing) I want from my smart watch: bluetooth music without the need for my phone. Dealbreaker without it. A decent heartrate monitor that works with at least some accuracy when sweating would be amazing and I would pay a decent amount for a watch that also included that, but it isn't a dealbreaker like the bluetooth music without the phone.
  - timmins 12y ago
    I believe the Sony is close to your requirements but not perfect. Wear can support local storage. The Sony is the only Wear on the market that has standalone GPS. The bad news is that heart rate monitoring is not a feature. I can't believe that function was omitted. http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/smartwear/smartwatch-3-swr50/ http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/smartwear/smart...

by skizm 12y ago

mavrc 12y ago

> Do I need an iphone to use apple watch? Yes. I'm under the impression that Android Wear devices will do most, if not all, of the things you want, though I don't actually own one. There are many of them at this point; I've personally only used the Moto 360, and quite liked it, but just could't justify the expense.

yawz 12y ago

I've a Pebble. You can use it as a remote for your music. I regularly use mine with RunKeeper that has a nice interface that shows me my pace, time, distance etc. when I'm running. I'm not sure about the stopwatch and heartbeat as they aren't there out-of-the-box, but I'm pretty sure there are that type of apps that have a Pebble interface.

kaeawc 12y ago

Moto 360 owner. I use it for exactly those things, works great.

skizm 12y ago
So I can store music on the watch and not have my phone with me? Also how reliable would you say the heartrate monitor is, especially while sweating?
- drzaiusapelord 12y ago
  Yes, a recent update to AW enabled a feature where you can copy music directly to the watch and pair up BT headphones so you can leave your phone at home. No idea if the Apple device can do this, but AW people have been doing it for a few months now.
- kaeawc 12y ago
  I'm a bit of a strange case: I'm a runner in the north east US and its been very cold until recently. So I've had my watch on the outside of my thermal sleeve, where it obviously can't read my heart rate, but I'm mostly using it for stop watch + it can monitor how much total time I'm spending running vs walking. So not much data from me about sweating + heart rate. You can store music on the watch, but the sync is so slow and the data cap is 2 GB that unless I want to listen to the same playlist on infinite repeat its not viable. You'd also need bluetooth headphones, which is a purchase I don't feel I actually need... generally when running I'd rather be alert of surroundings less I get hit by a truck while jamming to a favorite track. My use of music controls on the watch has been this: phone is sitting around office or home and connects to sound bar, I can leave phone charging somewhere while reading / studying / drawing and if I want to change tracks or volume its a flick on the wrist. Otherwise while in the subway + listening via headphones on a crowded train, can change music while keeping a grip on subway poles.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

timmins 12y ago

Moto 360 owner and Microsoft Band. I won't echo the sentiments of the other comments but you may want to explore the Microsoft Band. It falls short on bluetooth music player. However, whether iPhone, Android or WP, you have cross-integration. Something not afforded by the other main products currently (though, rumored Wear will interface with iOS). The ergonomics of the Band needs minor improvements. The dedicated GPS and range of sensors is mostly in a class of its own. Dedicated GPS is only on the Sony Wear as far as I recall.

skizm 12y ago
> It falls short on bluetooth music player. That's the #2 function (next to accurate time/timing) I want from my smart watch: bluetooth music without the need for my phone. Dealbreaker without it. A decent heartrate monitor that works with at least some accuracy when sweating would be amazing and I would pay a decent amount for a watch that also included that, but it isn't a dealbreaker like the bluetooth music without the phone.
- timmins 12y ago
  I believe the Sony is close to your requirements but not perfect. Wear can support local storage. The Sony is the only Wear on the market that has standalone GPS. The bad news is that heart rate monitoring is not a feature. I can't believe that function was omitted. http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/smartwear/smartwatch-3-swr50/ http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/smartwear/smart...