# Smartwatch for notifications



## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

Looking for advice. Besides working with an iPhone,it needs an always on large display. Speaker for notification tones. Not going to use any health or fitness apps.
Any suggestions?


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## kramer5150 (Nov 15, 2007)

Apple watch has all those features.
Not all AWs are compatible with all iPhones though... make sure you get an AW thats compatible with your phone.


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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

kramer5150 said:


> Apple watch has all those features.
> Not all AWs are compatible with all iPhones though... make sure you get an AW thats compatible with your phone.


Thanks. I was thinking of something other than an AW.


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

ronalddheld said:


> Thanks. I was thinking of something other than an AW.


Samsung or Garmin, but for Apple you won't get it as good as Apple.


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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

I am unaware that the main Samsung watches have speakers. Uncertain about the myriad of Garmin watches


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

ronalddheld said:


> I am unaware that the main Samsung watches have speakers. Uncertain about the myriad of Garmin watches


Newer Samsung do have them. Galaxy Active 2 has it (can confirm).
Older like my Gear Sport don't.
AW with always on display is only series 6 and it's pricy. 
Samsung is more sensible option plus it takes standard 20mm bands. 





Manage sounds and vibration on your Samsung smart watch


Keep on top of everything by using the sounds and vibration settings on your Samsung smart watch. You can customize them to fit your personal needs.




www.samsung.com


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

Rocket1991 said:


> Newer Samsung do have them. Galaxy Active 2 has it (can confirm).
> Older like my Gear Sport don't.
> AW with always on display is only series 6 and it's pricy.
> Samsung is more sensible option plus it takes standard 20mm bands.
> ...


You can call them or confirm it in store too.
Galaxy watch 3 = to Active 2 so it should be same. Active is cheaper but Galaxy looks and behaves like normal watch and i love bezel action while operating interface. Best feature of the Samsung watches!
You can browse through menu and lists, recent apps, scroll by rotating bezel. 
Very accurate and tactile action.


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## Wolfsatz (Jun 27, 2016)

ronalddheld said:


> Looking for advice. Besides working with an iPhone,it needs an always on large display. Speaker for notification tones. Not going to use any health or fitness apps.
> Any suggestions?


Other than AW.... I have the Garmin Instinct and can be set up to get you notifications and vibration alerts. Not sure about tones... but I hate noisy electronics...

The AW does it better though.. .plus not only it has speaker .. you can also talk to Siri and as a walkie talkie with other AWs.


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## guspech750 (Dec 15, 2013)

I thought I had seen Citizen offers smart watches. I don’t know anything about them. 


Sent from my toilet using Kakatalk. Flushed with only a single wipe.


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## kramer5150 (Nov 15, 2007)

Citizen has a WearOS watch that looks a LOT like some of the Fossil watches... even uses the same charger.


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## Mediocre (Oct 27, 2013)

Apple has done a great job of being hard to beat in the smartwatch arena. If you have an iPhone, it really is an easy decision


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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

What about Ticwatch Pro 3?


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## OldBoldPilot (Dec 12, 2019)

Rocket1991 said:


> Newer Samsung do have them. Galaxy Active 2 has it (can confirm).
> Older like my Gear Sport don't.
> AW with always on display is only series 6 and it's pricy.
> Samsung is more sensible option plus it takes standard 20mm bands.
> ...


For notifications only, a Galaxy watch should work. You can get notified of new texts, emails, and WhatsApp, but can't use the watch to reply. The Galaxy 2 comes in 42 mm and 46 mm; the battery life on the 46 is much longer (~3 days)--an important factor if you want an always-on display. They look like a "real" watch and use standard quick-release straps, so you can easily change the rubber strap to something classier. With the Galaxy 3 recently released, you might be able to pick up a 2 for a good price, especially in a post-Xmas sale.


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

ronalddheld said:


> What about Ticwatch Pro 3?


Wear OS is limited on iOS




__





Wear OS on iPhone guide: what you can and can't do - Wareable


Wear OS on iPhone guide: what you can and can't do




www.wareable.com


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

ronalddheld said:


> What about Ticwatch Pro 3?


Forgot to mention battery life on WearOS is about as low as it can get.
Google do promise better in next gen but it been doing it as long as whole wearable on google existed. With always on display you looking for 1 day anyway. For wear OS it may be even less.


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## kramer5150 (Nov 15, 2007)

ronalddheld said:


> What about Ticwatch Pro 3?


I have a hard time recommending WearOS in general. I have been using Android Wear / Wear OS since 2015. It has been a rough ride. It will work GREAT for 4~5 months, then one morning out of the blue you wake up to a mandatory ~30 minute update install that terminates some basic function of the watch. Google just can't stay out of its own way in this regard. IMHO WearOS is a tech-savy operating system that requires that kind of mentality by the end user to keep it up and running.

I can only recommend WearOS IF:
-Having an inoperative device sitting on your desk for months waiting for the next WearOS update does not bother you.
-You are on an Android phone using android messages for SMS/MMS and must have the ability to fully view and actively respond to text message conversations using the watch screen interface.
-You use Google maps for GPS driving directions and you need some kind of non-cell phone screen to view mapping information while you drive.

FWIW, I say the above comments as an android user. I am deep rooted in the Google ecosystem for Android messages, maps, Google Drive, G-mail and Chrome for www browsing. I don't have any experience using WearOS with iOS on an iPhone.

Android central has a sub forum dedicated to using WearOS on an iPhone here:





Android Wear / Wear OS for iPhone


Android Wear / Wear OS for iPhone - News, help and discussion of Android Wear / Wear OS for iPhone.



forums.androidcentral.com





Good Luck though!!


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## BarracksSi (Feb 13, 2013)

ronalddheld said:


> Looking for advice.* Besides working with an iPhone,it needs an always on large display. Speaker for notification tones. * Not going to use any health or fitness apps.
> Any suggestions?


Just want to add that, in addition to all the advice so far (especially the gotchas about WearOS), you need to remember that the display, plus good connectivity, _plus_ speaker, will always add complexity and require tighter OS integration than if you wanted a fitness-only gadget instead.

Say, as an example, you were asking for a minimal band that can at least tell you when you get a text or call. That's easy as long as you don't also need to respond via the band. Probably a couple dozen gadgets are out there to choose from.

But asking for a large, always-on display narrows your choices down a LOT, as does the speaker.

And I'll ask: If you're not going to use any health & fitness apps, would it be a problem if you... just didn't use them? Just because they're installed doesn't mean you have to launch them.


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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

Wear OS is less preferred than Tizen?


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

ronalddheld said:


> Wear OS is less preferred than Tizen?


In my books yes. More on it below.

Tizen in most applications is more stable, more frugal on battery and provides more or less same functionality with some omissions here and there.

You have to compare feature by feature.

All of them Wear OS, Tizen and Apple are general wearable OS so if you need some extra function you need app for that but mostly notification, calendar, reminders, music, some fitness, timekeeping, phone connection, payments, mail, news and things like that are built in.

Garmin adds very strong "outdoor" focus with ABC and longer battery life to their offerings out of the box.

Apple is technically superior when it comes to user experience and different because it's build in different form factor.

Samsung is same in terms of consistent user experience and built with more "traditional watch like" appeal.
Both are closed systems with respective manufacturer controlling it.

Wear OS is made by Google but it sold by anyone else. So if let say Casio makes a watch you won't get fresh Google experience until Casio churns fresh update. So you won't get prompt updates like with Apple or Samsung and there is more places where it may fall in between.
Another thing since Google is not in charge of hardware there is often less than polished interface optimization.
It's not like Samsung and Apple are not guilty of producing some blunders ... when it comes to WearOS it on whole different level.
Google is complete in their approach and you may get beta version or let say "i am programmer and that my vision" version. Not to mention a lot of energy wasted on some not disclosed communications with Mother Google and Father Alphabet.
Apple comes with fantastic focus on health and fitness and Samsung seem to be heading in same direction. May be not your cup of tea but they are very formidable. Especially Apple in US. Google collects data with less visible return for final user.
After all a lot of build in functions are built around learning about you, your behavior and predicting it in "convenient way".
To summarize... Google is more unpredictable, less polished and updates often come with delay.

If you want best Google experience get Fossil. I went through all that staff 2 years ago got Samsung and yes it's not perfect but i have no regrets whatsoever.
It had solid 3 years of system updates and still works and looks fine.


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## kramer5150 (Nov 15, 2007)

ronalddheld said:


> Wear OS is less preferred than Tizen?


Put it this way...
WearOS has more apps to chose from, and as I state above it will allow active replies to text messages from the watch face. WearOS is less reliable overall, somewhat more buggy, it lags / stutters from time to time, and generally uses much more battery power too. WearOS updates from Google are crap shoot, some are fine others will wipe out some critical function or feature of the watch.

I honestly have a hard time openly recommending WearOS, without some hesitation. If you are on Android and looking for a couple fundamental features, and do not mind living with a spotty operating system, then it can be the only choice.


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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

It sounds as if the Galaxy watch 3 is to be preferred to Ticwatch pro 3?


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## BarracksSi (Feb 13, 2013)

ronalddheld said:


> It sounds as if the Galaxy watch 3 is to be preferred to Ticwatch pro 3?


I would, yeah, being backed by Samsung instead of whoever Mobvoi is.


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## kramer5150 (Nov 15, 2007)

ronalddheld said:


> It sounds as if the Galaxy watch 3 is to be preferred to Ticwatch pro 3?


Generally yes for the reliability and stability of Tizen OS.
I dont know how well iOS behaves with Tizen however... since I am a google / Android user.

Good Luck !!


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## BarracksSi (Feb 13, 2013)

kramer5150 said:


> I dont know how well iOS behaves with Tizen however... since I am a google / Android user.


I wouldn't know, either, and I'm an iOS user.

The go-to choice for iOS users who want something more capable than a fitness band is still, IMO, an Apple Watch. It just works so seamlessly, anything else would feel like a downgrade. Of course it doesn't do outlier tasks like connect with your ANT+ bicycle power meter* but the rest of the time, the only thing I have to think about is putting it on its charger maybe an hour a day (which I'm doing right now while working at my desk).

*(but if you're doing that stuff, hopefully you're making it worth the money by sharing your Strava or Garmin Connect data with your team coach)


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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

True, an AW would be best. But if you want to switch off, That is why I started this thread.


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

If you want just simple notifications AKA message received you can get some connected watch or BT watch.








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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

For those with GW3 paired to a Phone,how loud is the notification tone and the strength of the vibrations?
Get SS or Ti?
Wait until early 2021 when the carriers are not so swamped with packages?


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

ronalddheld said:


> What about Ticwatch Pro 3?


It's a watch if charging it everyday other day won't bother you.


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## lvt (Sep 15, 2009)

ronalddheld said:


> Looking for advice. Besides working with an iPhone,it needs an always on large display. Speaker for notification tones. Not going to use any health or fitness apps.
> Any suggestions?


I started with smartwatches for the very similar reasons. I need a watch with large and crisp display to see the infos in all lighting conditions, specially while driving. I spent like a week to watch the video reviews on YouTube and I finally a review of the Huawei GT2 on a French channel has caught my attention.

After 4 months with the watch I'm satisfied. For about $150 I have a device that last more than a week (one week max with AOD on), I can use the timer and stopwatch by simply touching the screen, I can make and received phone calls directly on the watch without having to open my smartphone.

The speaker is very loud and the vibration is strong enough.

If screen quality and battery life are important to you, it's worth considering the GT2 model. If you don't mind spending a bit more, the GT2 Pro can give you the possibility to install 3rd apps like calculator, calendar....


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

ronalddheld said:


> For those with GW3 paired to a Phone,how loud is the notification tone and the strength of the vibrations?
> Get SS or Ti?
> Wait until early 2021 when the carriers are not so swamped with packages?


Vibration has 2 levels plus off and patterns (like ringtones to it).
There is volume for sounds so it can be very audible you can also select custom sound with 3d party app (MP3).
When to buy.... when it cheap.
They on sale now so i suggest to get it now. It's not end of the model run sale these usually half off but still significant.


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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

Thanks to all the advice,I ordered a GW3. Probably have more.questions


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## kramer5150 (Nov 15, 2007)

Good choice!!
Sure enough just as we discuss this... the past 1.5 days WearOS has been acting up again on my Fossil. Yesterday I pressed a button to wake face and check the time and the screen would not illuminate properly. I swiped up/down/left right and could easily access all the side function screens. For some reason the home screen was dead. I switched out of Wachmaker, and back to the standard Fossil default face... no dice. Fiddled with it for a few minutes, Selected some different standard Fossil faces using the WearOS phone app... nada. Switched back to my Watchmaker face... and it fixed itself. Its been fine since.

That's WearOS... buggy, janky, laggy, off and on. When it works its GREAT, when it doesn't it will drive you crazy.

NO WAY can I openly (without some hesitation) recommend WearOS to anyone... honestly.


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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

kramer5150 said:


> Good choice!!
> Sure enough just as we discuss this... the past 1.5 days WearOS has been acting up again on my Fossil. Yesterday I pressed a button to wake face and check the time and the screen would not illuminate properly. I swiped up/down/left right and could easily access all the side function screens. For some reason the home screen was dead. I switched out of Wachmaker, and back to the standard Fossil default face... no dice. Fiddled with it for a few minutes, Selected some different standard Fossil faces using the WearOS phone app... nada. Switched back to my Watchmaker face... and it fixed itself. Its been fine since.
> 
> That's WearOS... buggy, janky, laggy, off and on. When it works its GREAT, when it doesn't it will drive you crazy.
> ...


Good thing I heeded all the advice and passed on a WesrOS watch.


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

ronalddheld said:


> Thanks to all the advice,I ordered a GW3. Probably have more.questions


Enjoy!!!!


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## ronalddheld (May 5, 2005)

Here it finally is. Any suggestions for a silicone strap?


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## Rocket1991 (Mar 15, 2018)

ronalddheld said:


> Here it finally is. Any suggestions for a silicone strap?


Congrats! It takes any strap so whatever you fancy.
Samsung original straps are not bad too. 
I have one which lasted 2.5 years and still fine (washing with toothbrush recommended).
There are combo ones with silicon on inner side touching wrist and leather/canvas on outside.
Don't have experience with these just saw them on display. Seem nice.
If you will use watch for sports silicon is highly recommended.
For anything else you can put whatever you feel comfortable. 








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Discover all accessories compatible with your mobile at Samsung Canada. Browse models and compare features that matter the most to you.




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Fossil sells nice straps too and you can try them in store. I had Fossil chrono with silicon strap and it was very positive experience. 





22 Mm Straps | Fossil.com


22 mm straps - We have the latest styles & trends of Fossil watches, wallets, bags and accessories. FREE Shipping & Returns.




www.fossil.com


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## kramer5150 (Nov 15, 2007)

Looks great!

I have been using these cheap Fantek straps for several years. Never had a problem with them. I have one in black, olive and khaki and swap them in and out all the time.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7SS4H6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



I really like this Ritchie as well. Its curved at the spring bar ends, contours great to the wrist.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RNDCPF4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



one of my fave is the OEM strap that came with my fossil. Its kind of diver-ish looking without being an obvious seiko replication.








22mm Black Silicone Watch Strap - S221304 - Fossil


Discover 22mm Black Silicone Watch Strap - S221304 at Fossil. Find watches, handbags, wallets and more at fossil.com today!




www.fossil.com





Some pics...
Fantek

















Ritchie


















Fossil


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