Smart watches?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

For 34 years, my life was controlled by watches, pagers, cell phones, and answering services. When I was forced to retire due to awakening deaf, I also quit wearing watches. We have clocks in the house and I have a wall clock in my shop. Now due to age, I think I would like to get a smart watch to monitor my heart rate, steps, oxygen level and sleep patterns. I want something tough enough to wear in a shop, yardwork environment. I trust the reviews at Creekers more than I trust most online reviews.

I have an Android cell phone but don't turn it on every day. The only reason I would want it to sync with the phone is I find it easier to see and setup my my wife's smart watch for her by viewing it on the cell phone.

Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

[Warren Lake]

no cell and wearing a 30 year old timex that was my teachers or his son. Lady in the post office showed me her watch the other day and how it sends her sleep history of the night before to the phone how much REM and and. then another friend said girlfriends watch measures his O2 level. Sounds like both of those things are good. Dont know how it works or if it can if you dont have a cell, Like say if you can send to a computer if that is possible. Think its a good thing though.

[Tom M King]

I don't wear anything on wrists or fingers, but my Wife has an Apple Watch. She can answer phone calls on it, messages, it can take an EKG, and it does way more things than she or I know how to do with it. She can answer a phone call out on the lake on a paddle board. The absolute best feature of it is the Find My Phone ap. She doesn't always carry her phone with her so that presented all sorts of problems before I bought her the Apple Watch. Now she doesn't have any trouble finding her phone.

I haven't studied them much except when I bought that one for her. I think she'd have a hard time getting by without it now. You absolutely want one to sync with your phone.

[John M Wilson]

I have an Android cell phone.

Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

I have a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, and have had one from generation 4, and maybe 2 before that.

I really like it, because it pairs seamlessly with my Galaxy smartphone, and especially the Samsung Health app that runs on both the phone and the watch.

Unless I wear my wife's cheater glasses (!) I too have trouble making out the tiniest details on the watch, and much prefer looking at my stats on the phone app.

I track my sleep, steps, exercise, heart rate, 02 saturation, weight/BMI, ECG, and more through the collaboration of my watch and phone. Overkill? Maybe, but it amuses me.

The reason I got a smart watch in the first place many years ago is that an Apple watch literally saved my neighbor's life. She had fallen in her back garden, and struck her head on a rock. No one saw her, and when she got up, she didn't think anything was wrong. The watch alerted 911, who dispatched a policeman to check it out. When he saw her nose bleeding, he called an ambulance, and the good doctors at the hospital repaired a brain bleed that could have had tragic consequences.

I ordered a watch that weekend.

[Bruce Page]

Ken, I’ve been wearing an Apple watch for 4-5 years. I upgraded to the series 9 last November. I wouldn’t want to be without it. It just works.

[Jim Koepke]

The absolute best feature of it is the Find My Phone ap.

It would be nice if they had a find my glasses app.

Maybe for some of us older folks a find my teeth app.

Finding the TV remotes would be good.

jtk

[Jim Becker]

We went to smart watches a few years ago. At first, at least for me, it was because I wanted the integration with my iPhone and MacOS systems, but also found the device to be extremely comfortable to wear. You see, I stopped wearing a watch like a decade and a half ago because my wrist was just not happy with it. Did a belt loop watch for a while, but even gave up on that once I trained myself to "just look at the phone" if I needed to know the time. It was kinda a shame because I actually owned a nice Rolex that was my maternal grandfather's. The app notification and other features like automatically authenticating me to my computer just upped the enjoyment. 'Got one for Professor Dr. SWMBO shortly thereafter and she was enjoying some of the same plus the ability to manipulate the screen so she could read it more easily than the traditional watch she used to wear. The health tracking features are pretty nice; they don't diagnose, but they do help keep track of both medical and activity factors that can be useful.

Now, the smart watch is even more important to us because of some of Professor Dr SWMBO's health issues. If she misplaces her phone, her purse, her dog walk bag, etc., she can use her Apple Watch to find them. (things sometimes get put in random places and bad eyesight along with memory comes into play) For the bags, I have AirTags on them. She also has some hand-eye coordination issues so I replaced the deadbolt on the front door with a smart lock and she can lock and unlock the door with either a code or her watch or phone. When she's out walking the dog, I can keep track of where she is because of location features in case there is confusion...which has happened. (Our younger daughter allows me locational tracking so when she and her SO are traveling, we know exactly where they are in case there is a problem and we are needed to help)

I can't help with an Android compatible device recommendation, but I will say from my experience, that these devices are useful if you use them, like any technology.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It would be nice if they had a find my glasses app.

Maybe for some of us older folks a find my teeth app.

Finding the TV remotes would be good.

jtk


:eek::D:D:D:D:D

My biggest fear these days is I will find myself on the front page of the Lewistion Morning Tribune headlines "Man dies in house fire after he goes back in for his eyes, his ears and his teeth!"

[Brian Runau]

My wife has a fitbit charge unit. Wears it 24 hrs, tracks steps, sleep etc.....

[Patty Hann]

It would be nice if they had a find my glasses app.

Maybe for some of us older folks a find my teeth app.

Finding the TV remotes would be good. jtk

^^^^^THIS^^^^
Funny ... and true

[Ole Anderson]

I have an Apple watch that I find very useful to keep track of my heart rate while exercising and to check my ECG as I have some arrhythmia and am on beta-blockers after a heart attack. I do like the pop-ups for messages. It does have an auto 911 feature if I were to fall or have other issues. Smart only begins to describe it.

[Peter Froh]

I’ve had a Fitbit. It broke.

I’ve had a garmin, it broke.

I’ve been wearing my Apple Watch for years and it’s been tough enough to not break.

[Jason Roehl]

My youngest son bought me a Series 3 Apple Watch for Father’s Day in 2019. I had gone many years without wearing a watch, save for a year or two with a belt clip watch that I loved, but it died, and company went out of business. Anyway, the Series 3 made it just a couple weeks before I managed to scuff the face pretty good. I think I hit it walking through a doorway at work. Then, in ‘22, I was working on my motorcycle, and bumped on the concrete driveway. I looked at it a bit later, and and it didn’t look right. The entire crystal had cracked around the edge and was just held in place by the display’s ribbon cable. I replaced it with a Series 7, which has a far more robust crystal in design, and I have only managed to impart a barely-noticeable scuff on one edge in the 18 or so months I’ve had it. Both are wifi-only; no cellular capability, but work very well on speakerphone—I’ve been able to talk to coworkers on the phone while working on something above a drop ceiling.

All that said, while I would highly recommend an Apple Watch, I don’t know how well it would pair with an Android device, though I believe there is some way to do so.

[Jack Frederick]

Like many here I had weaned myself from a wrist watch, but when the Apple Watch came out the kids bought me one for Xmas. I’m on my second and have had this one for at least 3 yrs. It is comfortable to wear and while I managed to scratch the face while dragging it through a concrete hole that is hardly the watches fault. We do our daily walks, yoga, etc and I track that on the watch. I also get notification on the watch and phone from our ring doorbell camera, which I find useful. it is kind of annoying when it tells me that the decibel level in the shop is to high, but I manage to ignore that. I like the Apple Watch and other Apple products. They are simple and robust.

[Michael Weber]

Great question Ken. Though I’ve never really given them a thought, the positive responses from everyone has me considering it. Evidently they do far more than I thought.

[Ron Selzer]

I have an Apple phone and now considering an Apple Watch.
Is there one that will monitor my blood sugar?
See adds all the time for watches that monitor blood sugar and then have no specifics about it, all so far seem to be adds from China.
Thanks
Ron

[Jim Becker]

I forgot to mention that the watch app I use the most is...the timer...when cooking. :) My induction range oven also speaks to it...and the washer and dryer and the refrigerator and the alarm and the doorbell and, and, and... LOL My wrist gets a workout.

[Jim Becker]

I have an Apple phone and now considering an Apple Watch.
Is there one that will monitor my blood sugar?
See adds all the time for watches that monitor blood sugar and then have no specifics about it, all so far seem to be adds from China.
Thanks
Ron

Ron, at the present time, the Apple Watch and other devices, such as Garman, don't have the ability to directly do glucose monitoring, but from what I can tell, they may be able to be used to monitor a device that does.

[Bruce Page]

My wife and I try to go to the gym twice a week. Along with the Apple watch keeping track of the different exercises I do, I listen to music or podcasts through it. The Apple watch paired with bluetooth headphones or buds means that I can leave my heavy phone in the locker.

[Bill Dufour]

My 85 year old friend git an apple watch. It is somewhat useful to him and... It has a function that if he falls, or drops the watch off the dresser, the watch will ask if he is okay. If no response it starts calling/emailing/texting down a list of contacts. I think that is all free on wifi/bluetooth. Not sure if it works outside the wifi range or not.
Bill D

[Tony Joyce]

I have an Apple phone and now considering an Apple Watch.
Is there one that will monitor my blood sugar?
See adds all the time for watches that monitor blood sugar and then have no specifics about it, all so far seem to be adds from China.
Thanks
Ron

This was my initial reason for looking at one also. My understanding is this is still in development stages. No time frame given yet.
I went ahead and got a Series 9 and am enjoying it for walking(steps,accumulated workout. etc.) and heart rate. Also sleep track.
I love it so far.

[Alan Lightstone]

My wife and I have Apple watches. She wears hers all the time. I only wear mine when I remember before taking a walk.

I initially bought mine as I was travelling up on a plane during Covid for a cardiac cath. I liked that it had pulse oximetry and HR monitoring. Not sure how much I really trust the readings it gives for pulse oximetry, as I'm used to using professional equipment for that.

That being said, on an every day basis I wear a normal, not smart watch and far prefer that. I much rather look at my wrist for the time than my phone.

As far as glucose readings, the watches/phone do work for that if you are wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) such as Dexcom, Freestyle Libre, etc...). But that's an expensive, invasive device. The gold standard for now, but clearly work needs to be done on them. A fully implanted intravenous, not subcutaneous monitoring device that reports in real-time, not 30 minutes delayed is what is truly needed. And having this report to your smart watch is easy, though the FDA would have to clear all of this. I'm pretty skeptical about a device with no internal tube/needle into your body that can read continuous glucose.

Billions are being put into this research. Hopefully with better devices soon.

[Tom M King]

Some models require a dedicated cell service contract if you want to make calls and texting with it when not close to your phone. Ones without its own service can do calls and texts but the phone needs to be somewhere close.

[Jim Becker]

Some models require a dedicated cell service contract if you want to make calls and texting with it when not close to your phone. Ones without its own service can do calls and texts but the phone needs to be somewhere close.
All of them that can make/receive calls independently require a device subscription for wireless service. I can't speak for non-Apple, but for Apple Watch, the cellular capable have a lower cost "number" subscription from the carrier, but folks calling you just call your regular cell number. They are tied together in the system so that calls to your normal mobile number ring on both devices even when your phone is "somewhere else". This is a handy feature for folks who are involved in physical activities like running and other sports so they have the safety of connectivity without having to carry the larger device with them. There is also an alternative configuration that can be used with kids so a parent can communicate via the kid's watch without the kid having to have or "own" a phone.

[Ernie Hobbs]

I've been using a Apple series 6 for about 3 years. I resisted getting one for a long time, but now it is something I wouldn't want to be without. I have other watches, but never think about wearing them. I'll probably just give them away to my son.

I mainly use my watch to track steps/mileage for walking, which I do every day. It's also nice to have the weather on the face so I can glance down to see the forecast for the day. In addition, I use it for notifications from my phone to see whether it important enough to pull my phone out of my pocket. I don't really use it to answer calls, since my phone never far away.

I will probably upgrade to a newer version sometime this year. I wear it all the time, and I've scratched the face a few times from mishaps or carelessness in the shop, so when I have to wear a suit for work, sometimes I think a newer watch would look better. But not a big deal.

[Ernie Hobbs]

Any recommendations?


You might want to check with your insurance company. I got my watch as a health benefit through United Healthcare- they sent me the watch and I "paid it back" by tracking my steps and reaching milestones". I lost a lot of weight that year, so actually I did it twice -so I gave one to my wife, too.

[Pat Germain]

Very interesting information here.

I would like to get a smart watch, but they aren't permitted where I work which would make it pretty much useless. It took six months for my coworker to get approval to wear his hearing aids in the office because they are Bluetooth capable and that's not allowed either. There's a guy down the hall who has cochlear implants. I can't imagine the hell he must have gone through to get permission to bring his head into the building. :)

[Michael Weber]

Very interesting information here.

I would like to get a smart watch, but they aren't permitted where I work which would make it pretty much useless. It took six months for my coworker to get approval to wear his hearing aids in the office because they are Bluetooth capable and that's not allowed either. There's a guy down the hall who has cochlear implants. I can't imagine the hell he must have gone through to get permission to bring his head into the building. :) Dang, I thought about asking where you worked but decided you might have to kill me if you told me. :rolleyes:

[Brian Elfert]

A great feature of the Apple Watch is the fall detection. If you fall and don't get up quickly it will call 911 or other emergency contact. I know an elderly person who fell outside and was seriously hurt who was saved by this. They couldn't get up and probably would not have been able to call on a cell phone. I am not sure if Android powered watches have this. A Life Alert type device would also do this, but there is a monthly cost for the monitoring.

[John M Wilson]

A great feature of the Apple Watch is the fall detection. I am not sure if Android powered watches have this.

Yes, my Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 has this feature. I'm not sure if all android watches do.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my neighbor's experience was the primary reason I got a smart watch, but I have found that it does many other very convenient things.

Compared to some of the other things I "waste" my money on (cough, cough, woodworking tools) it's a pretty small expense for the peace of mind it offers.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Not all Android watches have fall detection. My wife's Samsung Galaxy 5 does and we activated it recently though she's never fallen. Since I started this thread, I bought a watch that doesn't have fall detection. I would love to have it but I refuse to pay extremely high amounts of money for one that does. My wife uses her watch a lot. I quit wearing watches and carrying my cell phone when I retired. As I stated earlier, 34 years of attachment to pagers, cell phones, laptops and answering services made me want some freedom.

[Jim Becker]

I can appreciate how you feel, Ken, as I was "tied" to communications for many years myself prior to retirement. Since then, I've come to consider personal communication capability to be more of a safety/lifeline thing at this point in my life, however. If my family needs me, they can reach me. If I need help, I have what I need to reach out for it. If I'm awake, my phone is in my belt holster and my SmartWatch is on my wrist. I insiste that Professor Dr. SWMBO has hers on, too, because it's how I make sure she is ok and can ask for help. I don't generally receive very many calls from folks and entities I don't want to hear from...maybe I'm lucky in that respect.

But this is absolutely a subjective thing and folks should always do what they feel is best for them.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I purchased a smartwatch. I have enough Scotch blood in me to want to go cheap if possible and still meet most if not all my needs. This watch was about 1/3 cost of a Galaxy 5 or Galaxy 6. My wife has a Samsung Galaxy 5 smartwatch which has all the features I'd like including fall detection. I was hesitant to pay that kind of money for a smartwatch. When you consider the kind of home maintenance and woodworking, I do, coupled with my balance issues due to my Meniere's disease, I was hesitant to pay several hundreds of dollars for a smartwatch. I almost always have some little nick or cut on my arms from my intermittent staggering in the shop while puttering or woodworking. On days when my Meniere's is flaring, my hearing with my CI is terrible and I can't walk a straight line. I once made a comment on another, now defunct, woodworking site that I hoped the neighbors didn't think I was drunk when I walked to the mailbox to get the mail and paper. A couple days later, Fedex delivered a box containing a t-shirt that says "I'm not drunk. I'm a cyborg!".

The new watch I dearly wanted to "like" though it didn't have fall detection. I measured and tracked blood oxygen levels, pulse, steps, and one thing I really appreciated, it has replaceable glass shields that cover the screen. l really appreciated that feature! But, my wife has COPD and we have a really good pulse oximeter. The smartwatch's blood oxygen levels was off considerably when compared to our pulse oximeter. My wife's pulmonologist monitors my wife's O2 levels via the graphs from her watch presented on her cell to make suggest about the O2 levels on her oxygen concentrator that she uses at night while sleeping.

And then the biggie! On good days when my Meniere's isn't flaring, using Bluetooth, I can connect to my cellphone and have reasonably good phone conversations. Once I paired the smartwatch with the cell phone, it wouldn't allow me to connect with the sound processor for my cochlear implant or it's cohort hearing aid in my other ear. The only way to get my CI to connect was to remove the smartwatch from the available pairing list. If you think autocorrect is a pain, wait until your wife calls on your cell phone and you can't answer without jumping through a couple minutes of hoops.

I have a sister with a doctorate in nursing, a retired nurse practitioner. She has a cardiac pacemaker. Using her Galaxy smartwatch and cell phone, her doctor is able to monitor her heart.

According to what I read in the User's manual for a Galaxy 6, I should be able to pickup an incoming call via the watch and have the audio sent to via Bluetooth to headphones (or CI soundprocessor and hearing aid in my case). I will miss the replaceable glass shields but gain connectivity and fall detection. Worth the hundreds of dollars.

[Derek Meyer]

Smartwatches are great, but they don't do much good if the wearer refuses to use them. My MIL has an iPhone 13 and an Apple watch series 8 that she wears all the time. I came home from work on Wednesday to find her lying on the floor. Her knee had bucked and she had fallen and couldn't get up. Rather that use her watch to call for help (Hey Siri, call X), she decided to lay on the floor for an hour until I got home. We were not happy with her and my wife made her use the calling function via Siri to prove that she knows how. She seems okay, but it could have been a lot worse.

[Jim Becker]

Ken, don't feel too bad about the connection thing...if I "mistakenly" answer a call with my Apple Watch, the sound bypasses my hearing aids. That's not an issue for me in a quiet space as I don't have a situation like yours, but it absolutely is an issue in noisy places. So I try to make sure I only answer on the phone. :) BT, in general, can be registered to a bunch of devices, but tends to only flow audio to one device.

[Doug Garson]

I purchased a smartwatch. I have enough Scotch blood in me to want to go cheap if possible and still meet most if not all my needs. This watch was about 1/3 cost of a Galaxy 5 or Galaxy 6. My wife has a Samsung Galaxy 5 smartwatch which has all the features I'd like including fall detection. I was hesitant to pay that kind of money for a smartwatch. When you consider the kind of home maintenance and woodworking, I do, coupled with my balance issues due to my Meniere's disease, I was hesitant to pay several hundreds of dollars for a smartwatch. I almost always have some little nick or cut on my arms from my intermittent staggering in the shop while puttering or woodworking. On days when my Meniere's is flaring, my hearing with my CI is terrible and I can't walk a straight line. I once made a comment on another, now defunct, woodworking site that I hoped the neighbors didn't think I was drunk when I walked to the mailbox to get the mail and paper. A couple days later, Fedex delivered a box containing a t-shirt that says "I'm not drunk. I'm a cyborg!".

The new watch I dearly wanted to "like" though it didn't have fall detection. I measured and tracked blood oxygen levels, pulse, steps, and one thing I really appreciated, it has replaceable glass shields that cover the screen. l really appreciated that feature! But, my wife has COPD and we have a really good pulse oximeter. The smartwatch's blood oxygen levels was off considerably when compared to our pulse oximeter. My wife's pulmonologist monitors my wife's O2 levels via the graphs from her watch presented on her cell to make suggest about the O2 levels on her oxygen concentrator that she uses at night while sleeping.

And then the biggie! On good days when my Meniere's isn't flaring, using Bluetooth, I can connect to my cellphone and have reasonably good phone conversations. Once I paired the smartwatch with the cell phone, it wouldn't allow me to connect with the sound processor for my cochlear implant or it's cohort hearing aid in my other ear. The only way to get my CI to connect was to remove the smartwatch from the available pairing list. If you think autocorrect is a pain, wait until your wife calls on your cell phone and you can't answer without jumping through a couple minutes of hoops.

I have a sister with a doctorate in nursing, a retired nurse practitioner. She has a cardiac pacemaker. Using her Galaxy smartwatch and cell phone, her doctor is able to monitor her heart.

According to what I read in the User's manual for a Galaxy 6, I should be able to pickup an incoming call via the watch and have the audio sent to via Bluetooth to headphones (or CI soundprocessor and hearing aid in my case). I will miss the replaceable glass shields but gain connectivity and fall detection. Worth the hundreds of dollars.
So Ken, which one did you buy?

Question for those of you who have smartwatches, what's your experience wit battery life and charging routine?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The new watch I just ordered an hour ago is a Samsung Galaxy 6 Classic.

I wrestled with the idea of a new Galaxy 5 Pro which is advertised to have a longer battery life. The deciding factor for me was a couple of sites that had tested both and found the G6 had more accurate health data, blood oxygen, cardiac etc., than the G5. My wife has learned to deal with the battery life by charging it every 2 days. I will deal with it too. In the chase for information on the G6, I read that it was able to pick up a phone call on the G6 but Bluetooth audio to wireless headset or in my case, my Ci functions like a wireless headset so it should work for me.


The cheaper one that I wanted so badly to like was an AmazTim smart watch but the fact once I had it paired with my cell, I could unpair but as long as it was on the list of available pairings, it would auto insert itself whenever I tried to select my CI. I literally had to delete the watch from the available pairings list to stop it. While autocorrect can be pain in the butt, "autoinsert" is much worse! In my mid-70's the only reason I am getting a smart watch is to monitor my health, O2 levels, cardiac and sleep patterns. Having the fall detection which the AmazTim didn't have, is important too, as my wife travels out of town a lot more than I do.

[Warren Lake]

Area 51?

Did Maxwell Smart wear a smart watch?

Do you remember the one with the giant magnet sucked a watch off his arm and Kaos guy takes the watch off the magnet and says "the Watch took a licking but kept on ticking" may only make sense to you old folks.

im totally old school no cell even. Lady at the post office other day I always ring the bell to make them come out even though I dont need anything and they put up with it. So different living in the country than the city. Other day I said im helping you hit 100 steps. She then showed me her watch that counts steps then showed me how it shows sleep patterns and REM time and then sent it to her cell phone and it showed up on that. Incredible what stuff can do. Maybe im wrong but thought he said his girlfriend a nurse has one that can read oxygen levels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTA2dOjVESI

[Jim Becker]

Old school is just fine, Warren, if that's what you prefer. For me, I kinda wish I would have gotten my Apple Watch sooner...especially every time I use it to pay at a register instead of taking out a physical card. :)

[Chris Schoenthal]

I've had Samsung phones for decades and started getting the Samsung watches about 5 years ago. I've always been a tech guy and use my phone's capabilities constantly. The watch has really taken it to the next level.
I not only use the health tracking function, but read/send texts & emails, control my earbuds (also Samsung), have made/answered calls, set alarms & timers and have used the flashlight function many times.
I find it a lot easier to look at my wrist instead of pulling out my phone for every notification beep. I personally could not do without mine.

If all you're interested in is the health tracking and viewing it on your phone, Samsung makes a smart ring that will do all those functions as well.

[John M Wilson]

Question for those of you who have smartwatches, what's your experience wit battery life and charging routine?

I have a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic -- I got the bigger one with the rotatable bezel and the slightly bigger battery.

I guess my watch would last about 2 days or so without charging, but I usually charge it every morning while I drink my coffee, check my emails, & read about woodworking on the 'Creek.

I do charge it also when I take it off to shower, but that brief time isn't quite enough to return to full charge.

My daughters tease me because I like to keep my electronics charged between 75-100%. They say they spend most of their time between 25 - 75%, and claim that it's healthier for the batteries. I'm too much of an old curmudgeon to worry whether I will outlast a watch, and figure that in the event of a power outage, I will be rewarded for my aged wisdom!

[Alan Rutherford]

What's the learning curve like for a good Android smart watch? I'm primarily interested in fall detection, location tracking, and making and receiving calls. My wife is no dummy and was once an IBM Systems Engineer but her Google Pixel 6 cell phone is a challenge for her for anything beyond calls and texts. It's also heavy enough that she doesn't like to carry it. I'm seeing reasons why we might want a smart watch but a safety device that you can't figure out is arguably worse than none at all.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Alan, my wife isn't a techie and I was one, of sorts. I can usually figure it out for her. We just set up her fall detection early last week. Today there are so many videos that all you have to do is search on the internet either at the manufacturer's website or on YouTube or just do a general search for help on anything including fall detection setup on a smart watch. It's pretty easy to find some reliable information. Yes there is a lot of misinformation out there but it only takes a little more research.

[Alan Rutherford]

Thanks, Ken. I was/am also a techie and I'm not concerned about getting it set up. I don't want her to be accidentally screwing it up, or not be able to make or answer a call when it's important.

[John M Wilson]

What's the learning curve like for a good Android smart watch?

As a former electronic troubleshooter in a car factory, and a life-long PC nerd, my daughters always laugh at my clumsiness with smartphones & phone apps. I guess I just don't think the same way that the developers do, and it takes a long time for me to figure out the difference between swiping, tapping, double-tapping, etc.

Than being said, I found the set up of the watch relatively similar to the phone app -- if I could master the phone app (for health monitors, texting, etc.) then the watch app was a useful adjunct, rather than a brand new learning curve. I'm probably not using 100% of its capabilities, but it does what I need it to.

One thing to definitely note: Most watches come in two varieties, even though the brand/model is the same. There are those who must be within Bluetooth distance of your phone to take & receive calls/texts, and those that have their own phone capabilities built-in, and don't need your primary phone anywhere near to do phone-network related stuff.

Mine is the Bluetooth type; I think the designation for the more standalone type is LTE, but some of the other folks participating in this thread have far more info on this than I do.

[Jim Becker]

A
Mine is the Bluetooth type; I think the designation for the more standalone type is LTE, but some of the other folks participating in this thread have far more info on this than I do.
I detailed this earlier in the thread, but that is generally correct. The first version is dependent upon your physical mobile phone to "do the deed" relative to phone calls; the latter version has a cellular radio within it that has it's own cellular credentials with your carrier of choice to support calls. With Apple, someone calling would still call only your mobile phone's number and both your phone, wherever it might be, and your watch would ring. For outgoing calls, only the phone's number would show for CID. I suspect that the Android version would work the same because it makes the most sense. The cost to register the watch with the carrier is much less than a normal "line" of service in most cases.

[Tom M King]

For Pam’s watch with cell service, the watch cost $100 more and the service is $10 a month plus tax and fees but I haven’t noticed the exact cost per month. It’s not much. She can go on the trails or out on the lake and not have to take her phone but still do phone calls and text even including pictures.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

During my research, I found a lot of complaints from people who weren't knowledgeable about the additional monthly fee if you purchased an LTE version. I bought a Bluetooth as I use Bluetooth on my cell for my hearing devices, both CI sound processor and hearing aid. Also, typically, the LTE models are slightly more expensive but if you consider they are like a cell within themselves, obviously the electronics is going to be more complex so they are priced accordingly.

Jim, the Android version is works the same.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

I experienced a feature on my apple watch today that is now my all time favorite. I walked my dog down to the mailbox which is located about .5 mile away. As I walked back within site of the Shop, my watch made a new sound. I looked down and saw the following message: "XXX" left behind. This item is no longer detected near you. :confused::eek: It was telling me my iphone was no longer near me! I patted my pocket and sure enough, it was not there. 1.) I don't normally carry my cell phone in my oversized safety vest pocket. 2.) I picked up a bunch of branches in the road beyond the mailbox. 3.) Sure enough, my phone was on the side of the road.

Somehow, at some point, I had turned on the "Notify when left behind" feature when setting up some Find My features.

I found an article online how to set up this notification so you can verify you have it set up on your apple watch and iphone or ipad. https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-use-notify-when-left-behind-iphone/

[Jim Becker]

'Glad you found that feature, Mike. I've been remiss in setting that up for Professor Dr. SWMBO as she frequently leaves her phone sitting "wherever". It probably doesn't help within a short circle of BT coverage, but for those times when she moves farther from it, she'll feel "the tickle". :)

[Bruce Page]

I get that message every time I go to the gym and leave my phone in the locker. It is a cool feature.

[Michael Weber]

Just got a used Apple series 8 yesterday mostly for the heart, blood ox, sleep and other health monitoring abilities. After getting it charged and playing with it last night I’m just hoping I can get it all figured out at my age.

[Curt Harms]

I have an Apple phone and now considering an Apple Watch.
Is there one that will monitor my blood sugar?
See adds all the time for watches that monitor blood sugar and then have no specifics about it, all so far seem to be adds from China.
Thanks
Ron

The trick with blood sugar is that it requires some sort of needle or probe sticking through one's skin. If there were a reliable sugar sensing device that worked on the skin surface only that would be big news.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Just got a used Apple series 8 yesterday mostly for the heart, blood ox, sleep and other health monitoring abilities. After getting it charged and playing with it last night I’m just hoping I can get it all figured out at my age.

Michael, I bought a Samsung smartwatch. It took me about a week to figure out what I wanted to use. It'll take just a short time, I am sure!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The trick with blood sugar is that it requires some sort of needle or probe sticking through one's skin. If there were a reliable sugar sensing device that worked on the skin surface only that would be big news.

I have a couple family members who have diabetes and they'd love something that didn't require finger pricks! Our oldest son uses one of the DEX (?) monitors where he can monitor his blood sugar via his cell phone. Even it requires a skin prick IIRC.

[Rick Potter]

Just curious, can the type that doesn't need to be close to your phone have the capability to be the key to my Tesla, like my phone is?

They have a ring that functions as a key, but I never wear rings.

[Jim Becker]

Just curious, can the type that doesn't need to be close to your phone have the capability to be the key to my Tesla, like my phone is?

They have a ring that functions as a key, but I never wear rings.
It works that way (for both cellular capable and WiFi only) watch for smart devices like my front door lock using Apple Home, but I don't know whether or not if it's supported for your vehicle. Both the phone and the watch use the same near-field technology so it's more about the app that does the work being able to live on both devices.

[Brian Elfert]

I experienced a feature on my apple watch today that is now my all time favorite. I walked my dog down to the mailbox which is located about .5 mile away. As I walked back within site of the Shop, my watch made a new sound. I looked down and saw the following message: "XXX" left behind. This item is no longer detected near you. :confused::eek: It was telling me my iphone was no longer near me! I patted my pocket and sure enough, it was not there. 1.) I don't normally carry my cell phone in my oversized safety vest pocket. 2.) I picked up a bunch of branches in the road beyond the mailbox. 3.) Sure enough, my phone was on the side of the road.


I got an iPhone 14 in July and suddenly I started getting those alerts about my iPad being left behind all the time. Apparently, if my iPad isn't on my home WI-FI my iPhone will monitor the location. I get the iPad alert so often is like the boy who cried wolf. I work in downtown Minneapolis. I will leave my iPad at my office desk and will get alerted when I walk down to the lobby of the office building to get lunch. I will put my iPad in the trunk and go into a store and get the alert. This week I even got an alert when I was about five feet from the iPad. I was at an event where I camped for two weeks this past summer. I would leave my iPad in my tent during the day and got the darn alert at least once a day. (I was not worried about the iPad being taken. I was close enough to see my tent much of the time, but not close enough to still be in range of it.)

[Bryan Rocker]

Several years ago I purchased an Apple smart watch for my wife, not to track her health but to give her a good workng watch. She still wears it to this day and it has never failed to work. It syncs to here Iphone just fine and it has been a good data gather for a number of health issues including heart rate and others. If I were to replace it I would buy one that would do O2 levels, and maybe blood sugar levels. as well. Prior to her apple watch, she purchased several android cheap ones, they ALL are inferior to the apple watch.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

I get the iPad alert so often is like the boy who cried wolf.

If you scroll down towards the bottom of that link I included above, you will see a way to flag specific locations so you will not be notified - such as your work.

[Earl McLain]

For those of you who have opted for the Samsung 6--anyone also using United Healthcare's Rewards program for Medicare Advantage? UHC offers direct-connect with FitBit & Apple, other platforms require syncing with the phone app (she has a Google Pixel 8)--so i'm thinking it should connect to her Rewards through her phone. Our status with Xfinity will provide $300 off the Samsung (which means we spend too much with Xfinity already!!), and i'd like to get her the fall protection.

Shoot, for that matter--i really should be the one that gets that feature--due to her dementia she would not likely be able to call for help if i were injured, and that is a definite concern in our home. I try to remind her of the number for 911 each morning, but that message is not sticking with her yet.

[Brian Elfert]

I live alone and do a lot of work around my property that could result in a fall. I would like an Apple watch for the fall detection capability, but I also want to be able to wear it at night to monitor my poor quality sleep. The standard Apple watch has only an 18 hour battery life. The Ultra has much better battery life, but man $800 is a lot of money. My iPhone 14 didn't even cost $800 after a trade-in credit for my iPhone 8 Plus.

[Jim Becker]

Brian, Apple Watch charges very quickly, so you can wear at night and charge while doing your morning routine, etc. My series 8 lasts a lot longer than 18 hours, although I've never quantified it.

[Brian Elfert]

Apple's website says up to 18 hours battery life for the Apple Watch 9. I find most battery life estimates are based on ideal conditions, and don't last that long in real life. I am glad to hear it lasts longer for Jim. The Watch Series 9 takes 75 minutes to charge from 0% to 100%, or 45 minutes to charge to 80%.

[Bruce Page]

Brian, I have the 9. As Jim said, it charges very quickly, as in an hour or so.
A full charge easily lasts all day. Mine's usually at +50-60% after wearing it all day.