Will you buy an Apple Watch?

[lparsons21]

It appears that it doesn’t need the Watch at all since the Watch is just a remote to the phone.

 

[navychop]

I guess I didn't read far enough.

 

[harshness]

Their 18 hour life on a charge number is way conservative life span and I suspect is based on the convenience of putting on charge every night while you sleep so it is fully charged for the whole waking day.

Sans the rose colored glasses, you would have read that I was speaking of the 18 hour "reserve", not the full-on daily battery life. Using this number, I eliminate all of the other possible uses of the watch and narrow the discussion of what it takes to keep the watch keeping time (but not with the display active).

conclusion- I think your conclusion is wrong on whether a solar cell recharging would be effective or not. I don't think present technology solar cell power per sq inch will be able to run the watch indefinitely but if we get a ~300% improvement, that would be worthy of bragging, regardless who invents the solar powered smart watch.

Since the consumption of the watch in life support mode is ~10mA/hour (or much more if you look at it your way), it would take a 1,700-2,000% improvement in solar cell efficiency just to keep time. Your conclusion is surely way off base.

Moore's law- you double the capacity every two years.

Moore's law doesn't speak to either batteries or power consumption. It speaks uniquely to computing power (and its prescription hasn't been met recently). As such, citing Moore's law is a red herring.

Another option is a watch with swappable batteries.

I'm guessing you've never experienced hearing aids or other battery-operated devices with tiny batteries that always die at the worst possible time. See more at dead watch batteries in lavaliers.

 

[harshness]

My altitude is showing 40 ft. I thought I was 45 ft above mean sea level.

GPS alone (even with WaaS) is notoriously poor for altitude. GPS systems that compare against a topographic map are very accurate but require considerably more computation.

By definition, the altitude reported is supposed to be around 1.5 times less accurate than horizontal positioning 95% of the time.

Without WAAS, GPS is good within 15 meters altitude and DGPS is good to 10 meters. A lot of the range has to do with eccentricities in the orbit of the satellites.

Garmin says that elevation error can be as high as +/-400'.

 

[harshness]

I'm thinking one that works with the iPhone, not requiring a watch.

How does the device decide whether you've fallen or just dropped the device if it isn't securely attached to your body?

 

[navychop]

That's where they'll earn their money. Figuring that one out. I'm sure there will be an audio prompt to call or suppress.

 

[dangue]

GPS alone (even with WaaS) is notoriously poor for altitude. GPS systems that compare against a topographic map are very accurate but require considerably more computation.

By definition, the altitude reported is supposed to be around 1.5 times less accurate than horizontal positioning 95% of the time.

Without WAAS, GPS is good within 15 meters altitude and DGPS is good to 10 meters. A lot of the range has to do with eccentricities in the orbit of the satellites.

Garmin says that elevation error can be as high as +/-400'.

The new watch has a barometer (which is what I believe Don was using as the elevation reference).

 

[harshness]

The new watch has a barometer (which is what I believe Don was using as the elevation reference).

A reasonable assumption. Using a barometer depends on knowing what the corrected sea-level barometric pressure (Kollsman setting) is and now there's a way to "look it up" and find where to look it up for.

The formula is: 1000'/inch Hg*(Kollsman-measured)inch Hg.

 

[TheForce]

The new watch has a barometer (which is what I believe Don was using as the elevation reference).

Actually, the watch elevation is GPS based and even shows your GPS ( Lat/Lon) coordinates on the screen to 4 decimal places. It also gives a +- error of the altitude. Somewhere I read that the watch uses a barometer too but didn't say how that is calibrated. I have one in my car and you have to calibrate it every day to a known standard because it is strictly barometric pressure based. It's only good to about 50 ft. because the divisions are just too close for anything more accurate. My known elevation was obtained from the tax records on my lot.

I don't see any way to calibrate the watch for current barometric pressure. Need to look into it on the iphone as something may be there.

 

[klang]

Actually, the watch elevation is GPS based and even shows your GPS ( Lat/Lon) coordinates on the screen to 4 decimal places. It also gives a +- error of the altitude.

Are you getting the GPS info from an app on the watch? I don't see anyplace to get that information from what comes with the watch.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The new watch has a barometer (which is what I believe Don was using as the elevation reference).

The series 2 had the same barometer built in (according to IFixIt) as the 3, however for whatever reason they never activated it in the 2.

 

[tigerfan33]

The Watch will piggy back the iPhone with gps and barometer with the iPhone within Bluetooth or WiFi connection distance. Apart those features work on the Watch alone.
I echo everyone’s statement on the battery. I used it for 12 hours with 5 workouts total of 119 min.
With few calls and 5-7 text and still had 71% left. Amazing.
Usually I need to charge at lunch to make sure I have enough left for the day.
This is series 3 gps.

 

[TheForce]

Are you getting the GPS info from an app on the watch? I don't see anyplace to get that information from what comes with the watch.

Yes, it's on the watch display with the Altimeter app. " My Altitude" It is said to only be available on watch3.

In reading the self appointed expert reviews, the altimeter is basically GPS based from known data. The altimeter barometer is used to add more functionality to exercise, by adding stairs climbing to your routine. The barometric pressure change is not for location elevation reading, that comes from the GPS. The Barometer is a "relative change pressure" that is used for exercise data computation.

 

[harshness]

The Barometer is a "relative change pressure" that is used for exercise data computation.

So it is more a measure of "thin air" than anything else?

 

[lparsons21]

Navy, here's some more info from the developers of fall safety pro:
Thank you for reaching out.
Some important things to know:
1. FallSafety Pro is designed for professionals who work at height (on ladders, roofs, scaffolding, etc.). For this reason, it detects larger falls and impacts while filtering out smaller events to help prevent false alarms on the jobsite.
2. FallSafety Pro for Apple Watch currently acts as a remote control for the iPhone app. As a result, the iPhone must be carried on a person's body. This includes Apple Watch Series 3.

 

[klang]

2. FallSafety Pro for Apple Watch currently acts as a remote control for the iPhone app. As a result, the iPhone must be carried on a person's body. This includes Apple Watch Series 3.

This illustrates why I haven't turned on Cellular for my S3 Apple Watch yet. Have any apps been updated to run on the watch independent of the app on the iPhone? None of the updates I have installed so far state they will do this.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

1 hour 49 minute bike ride, using Cyclemeter on the Watch (and providing GPS for the ride). Battery drain, less than 10%. Impressive. The same ride last week had the battery at under 60% when done. Very pleased.

I also read that the battery on the Watch 3 is 32% larger than on the original Watch.

 

[harshness]

1. FallSafety Pro is designed for professionals who work at height (on ladders, roofs, scaffolding, etc.). For this reason, it detects larger falls and impacts while filtering out smaller events to help prevent false alarms on the jobsite.

So it only works in places that one would often be wearing a mechanical fall-protection device?

Perhaps safety has gone a bit too far.

 

[lparsons21]

This illustrates why I haven't turned on Cellular for my S3 Apple Watch yet. Have any apps been updated to run on the watch independent of the app on the iPhone? None of the updates I have installed so far state they will do this.

Possibly some of the Apple default apps, but otherwise it doesn’t seem so.

 

[harshness]

I also read that the battery on the Watch 3 is 32% larger than on the original Watch.

According to an article on digitaltrends.com, the S2 was 32% greater capacity than the S1 and the S3 is <4% greater capacity than the S2. These comparisons are with respect to the 38mm Apple Watches.