Sonys' SmartWatch 2
A few people have asked me how I’ve been getting on with the SmartWatch2 from Sony … The tldr is that I like it, and more than I thought I would. If you’re interested in why keep reading.
I have a few main concerns with wearable tech, and the SmartWatch2 seems to address them all;
- Battery life; The SW2 needs charging about as often as my current ‘phone (a Galaxy S4), so putting them both on charge at the same time isn’t difficult to remember.
- Privacy issues; I’m wary of anything which could be considered as invading the privacy of others, so I’m happy that the SW2 doesn’t have an in-built camera, mic, or anything else others may have concerns over.
- Comfort; I find the SW2 comfortable to wear. At droidcon London last week I was wearing it all the time and forgot about it. It didn’t catch on my clothes and didn’t feel uncomfortable.
I’ve found myself going to the SW2 when I get a phone call or text (it’s far easier than digging the S4 out of my pocket), and to me, when you chose one device over another for performing a task it shows that device is useful.
It’s not a perfect device for me, but the niggles are mostly software based; The non-Gmail email notifier only works with Sony devices (it would have been nice to know that before the SW2 app recommended I installed it), and there are some phantom notification shakes which I believe are just down to me going out of the maximum distance for bluetooth between my phone, and the device (yes, I wear it around the house when my phone is on a desk somewhere, and a ‘disable out-of-range vibrations’ would be good).
The cost is a little on the high side, but that’s because it’s early days. I hope that this will be reduced over time with improvements in manufacturing costs, or the normal “R&D cost covered, drop the price” life-cycle discounts.
After using it for 10 days I can see why other manufacturers are exploring the tech, and why there are rumors of a Google-watch being released soon, but for now, I’m happy with the SW2.