Smartwatch

prof_braino

Anybody into those new fangled smart watches that go on sale July 11?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/07/att-smartwatch-idUSL2N0PI1QT20140707?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologySector

Seems we could do one for less than $300.

Any ideas?

NWCCTV

I have not worn a watch since I was in Junior High School so count me out.

RDL2004

The LG "G Watch," which was made in partnership with Google Inc, will sell for $299 and available for pre-orders starting July 8.

A Google watch on my wrist? I guess they won't be happy until they can track every step you take. Count me out too.

prof_braino

You guys quit too easily. I was kind of think of a NON- Google smart watch for $30. That DOESN'T track you unless you want it to, and does what wnat it do do, because we built it from parts.

One of those E-ink or E-paper displays, and a prop, and bluetooth?

I haven't worn a watch since last century. I haven't finish a project since then either it seems.

frank freedman

Don't know about G watches, but the older these eyes get, the more I wish I had the extra for a pair of Google glasses to make my life easier on the job. Tablet can be a bit small to read docs and schematics that are big and dense.

jazzed

There is tons of iPod 6th generation LCD hardware and wristbands on the market for making some kind of a watch device. I've considered making something, but haven't had time, and I'm a little burned out on making propeller PCB related stuff (too many components, etc....).

frank freedman wrote: »

Don't know about G watches, but the older these eyes get, the more I wish I had the extra for a pair of Google glasses to make my life easier on the job.

Here's something I played with about 3 years ago. .... No idea if it would actually work LOL.

Peter KG6LSE

I have my segway controller on my wrist . So no room for a watch . Its ludicrous how much they( samsung) want for one .

Tor

A colleague has a smartwatch. He can read email headers as they scroll by. Not bad really. But: It must be charged every day. That's so completely hopeless for a watch that it makes it useless in my opinion. My ordinary digital watch lasts at least 10 years on one battery (how do I know? Guess ). A watch must work, always. When I'm travelling for 38 hours straight, or when I'm in the mountains for some days. Or a week. If one doesn't need a watch then I guess a smartwatch will work - just like other use-occasionally gadgets.

prof_braino

i dont wear a watch, the phone keeps time. what i am think of is a second display that draws little power and auto updates

the eink displays such as nook, go for weeks (sometimes a month) w/o recharge

it doesnt need ot sit on the wrist. thats just general form factor. it could be on dashboard, or one the case of a project

we can already use an android device as wireless terminal/display. remote e-ink seems like low hanging fruit

Heater.

My phone already annoys me enough. Why would I want to enable it to annoy me even more? And annoy me double over because it wants charging every day.

My watch though is great. It tells me the time reliably for years on end. Given that the phones battery conks out almost daily the watch is essential.

prof_braino

Heater. wrote: »

My phone already annoys me enough. Why would I want to enable it to annoy me even more? And annoy me double over because it wants charging every day.

My watch though is great. It tells me the time reliably for years on end. Given that the phones battery conks out almost daily the watch is essential.

Making a device and worrying that it will annoy you is like worrying about your robot coming to life and stealing you wife.

Stuff only does what we build it to do. Simple don't build in the "annoy me function".

Haven't you ever had a project and wanted a small, very low power power remote display? Right mow I have an IMU connect to a prop, and the data display great on ,y phone. But the phone needs to do other stuff, like be a phone, and it would be handle to have the IMU data display on a little screen once a second or so.

I'm think "smarter watch" here, one that does not annoy us rather it dosplays the data we want to see, by design.

jazzed

I've had battery operated watches, wind-up watches, and self-winding watches. Just having a watch on my wrist is annoying.

Like anything else to me at least there has to be a positive ROI (Return On Inconvenience/Investment) otherwise why bother? (Charity is rewarding too).

I have a small bluetooth wristband pedometer ($30) for counting calories used (a diet and exercise thing). It doubles as a watch only during my 2.2 mile run for checking my pace/progress. Having to charge it up every few days is relatively annoying, but so far the benefit outweighs the inconvenience. That is, it has a positive ROI.

localroger

Look up the Texas Instruments EZ430-Chronos. It's not as smart as these smart watches, but it has normal watch battery life and is really neat. For about $50 you get the watch, programming dongles, and development systems for its CC430F6137 CPU. It comes with a thermometer, air pressure meter (watching this while in an ascending airplane is a hoot), 3-axis accelerometer, and RF link capability. It comes with the capability of controlling your computer's mouse cursor via the accelerometer and mirroring the watch keys to PC keys, for example to use it to control your PowerPoint presentation.

It's fun even if you never write a line of code because other people have done that for you. See the wiki at http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/EZ430-Chronos . Mine has an egg timer which is not part of the standard firmware.

I found out about it from an article about the guys at JPL who were running the Curiosity rover. In order to maximize their productivity rover drivers live on Martian time for the early months of a mission. The Spirit and Odyssey teams had custom analog watches made which cost a fortune. This time one of the engineers realized that the EZ430 could be reprogrammed to keep Martian instead of Earth time.