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My first smartwatch ever was the original Sony Smartwatch 1. First of it's kind widely available, it was a pretty good product (if you compare the features to it's price). I bought Galaxy Gear few weeks ago shortly after startup for it's original price of 300 euros. I had it for few days and decided to return it, as this is a beta product with no support at all (at that time). So I returned the Gear and got Smartwatch 2 from Sony.. and that watch is really cool. It's waterproof to some point, it's very VERY light, super comfortable and you can even change the wrist stripe if you don't like the original one. It costs 150 EUR for silicon version, and 200 EUR for metal version here in Netherlands. So it's up to 50% cheaper than the Gear. Out of the box, you only have to install few applications to get messages, and notification to work. Installation is super easy and it works with nearly all devices running android 4.0 or higher. It's a nice device, but lack any kind of customization - and so far there haven't been any tools to change anything in the watch at all. Lately I got a chance to get a Gear for less than 200 EUR so I decided to give it another try, and here it is..
1. After using Smartwatch 2 for a while Gear feels more solid, but it's way more bulky. It doesn't rest nicely on my wrist, and I'm not a huge guy. I could survive uncomfortable top, but the metal bottom (where speaker and mic are located) is catastrophic. I can't stand having the watch on my wrist if I'm working on my desk, as it's touching the desk all the time and leaves scratches. Very annoying.
2. Installation. I had to change my custom ROM to original TouchWiz on my S3 to get Gear to work. Maybe it can work on custom - but there would be more troubles with it than stock so.. To get the full functionality, and don't run into endless troubles, you have to be stock, where SW2 works on custom roms without a single issue.
3. Out of the box experience.. it's a tragedy. The 'main menu' is really slow to operate, and even switching between apps can take few precious seconds. Notifications do not work properly. I have to use 3rd party app to get more notifications. No SMS forwarding to your watch. No replying to messages. No Gmail support. No keyboard. Simply nothing! Out of the box this is just a bluetooth headset with a clock. I don't know anyone who is really using S Voice on a daily basis. Samsung promised us making calls straight from our wrists, and Samsung did deliver that but..
4. Speaker quality - if you are using more than 50% of volume level, you can clearly hear a lot of buzzing. Sound is far from being clear. Not a huge issue though, it's a watch after all.
5. Hardware. Builtin camera that takes decent pictures and videos (as for a watch). Big plus! Loudspeaker so you don't have to hold your wrist to your ear - nice, although sometimes I would prefer to be the only one who can hear the other side (and look like an idiot, I don't care). AMOLED display with 320x320 resolution. Looks really sharp and vivid. Love it! Smartwatch is running a real Android 4.2.2, and that's great. You can root it, sideload apps and so.. but...
6. Usability - but it's pretty useless. There is no bluetooth tethering so you can't use any internet on your wrist (smartwatch 2 has a working internet browser!). You can install app like Tablet Talk to have messaging ability but it's really cumbersome, doesn't display your contact list, only the numbers are visible and generally, you can clearly see that it just wasn't designed for a wrist. I guess runninng Tablet Talk on Gear AND phone uses more battery which results in shorter battery life...
7. Typing. I can easily imagine typing short sentences/messages using Swype-like keyboard, or T9 styled. Display is big enough to send few words within seconds. Unfortunately that is not possible at the moment.
8. Future? There is definitely a future in smartwatches. This device is great, but Samsung tottaly ****ed up the software side. Nothing is working as it should, and if it does - it's cumbersome, and far from being user friendly. You can't get apps from Play Store, you have to use Samsung App Store which is really poor. There are very few apps that are actually somewhat usefull, but they do suck. I tried app like speedometer, that takes ages to start and catch a signal, and if it finally does - it's really ugly. SW2 to compare was displaying current GPS speed within seconds. When I was done with it, all I had to is just go back to home screen, or turn on the clock face, then GPS was stopped. On Gear? You have to open notifications, click on Speedometer, and FORCE STOP it in order to be closed. WHAAAAT?
I love the idea, I like the features (AMOLED, speaker, mic, touchscreen) but there way more wrong things with it than positive.. Media Controller doesn't always work properly, so you can't really shuffle songs etc. There is no SDK available to the publicity, so there won't be any dedicated apps from community anytime soon. Samsung didn't say anything that they will release it anyway so... if you buy the Gear, don't buy it cause it's gonna be "great in the future once XDA devs hack it". It didn't happen, noone knows if it's going to happen and what will come out of it...
I would really suggest waiting for next generation. But if you have spare cash, and can get the Gear cheaper than original price - go for it...
I don't think you would any of these problems if you use a samsung supported phone (N3, or S4 with latest update.)
skyline23 said:
I don't think you would any of these problems if you use a samsung supported phone (N3, or S4 with latest update.)
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I'm using official Android 4.3 firmware provided by Samsung. S3 is officially supported.
hurdlejade said:
I'm using official Android 4.3 firmware provided by Samsung. S3 is officially supported.
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To each his own. I'm sure the camera, mic and speaker and ability to use S Voice to respond to messages all work wonderfully on the SW2.
mhoepfin said:
To each his own. I'm sure the camera, mic and speaker and ability to use S Voice to respond to messages all work wonderfully on the SW2.
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out of the box, SW2 beats Gear in every aspect, if you forget the camera/mic/speaker. S Voice? i guess it's only widely used in USA. i see a lot of people on the internet asking how to actually turn this thing off. it's one of the first things i did when i installed official 4.3 rom.
this is not a hate post. i just tried both products, they are both far from being perfect, and although gear seems to be superior, it lacks the software. and we shouldn't wait months for basic functionality that hardware is fully capable of.
It's all personal choice. I have both Sony s2 and the gear and in my opinion the gear is far better.
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ardsar said:
It's all personal choice. I have both Sony s2 and the gear and in my opinion the gear is far better.
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may i know why is it better? besides the camera/speaker/mic/svoice thingy.
It's my opinion and personal taste. .. It looks more like a watch rather than a big Square thing on your wrist. The Sony is only a second screen and is like a dumb terminal in that it can't run anything ( the Internet app you mention runs on the phone and relays the image to the watch) and you can't ignore the fact that it has a camera speaker Mike and svoice.
It's best to drop this thread like I said it's all personal opinion.
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ardsar said:
It's my opinion and personal taste. .. It looks more like a watch rather than a big Square thing on your wrist. The Sony is only a second screen and is like a dumb terminal in that it can't run anything ( the Internet app you mention runs on the phone and relays the image to the watch) and you can't ignore the fact that it has a camera speaker Mike and svoice.
It's best to drop this thread like I said it's all personal opinion.
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i just wanted to find out why you prefer gear over SW2, that's it.
i do realise that the internet browser on SW2 works more or less on screenshots.. but it works! and there is no possibility to do so on Gear, although it's capable of real rendering.
Owning 2 Galaxy Gear I guess you can tell I like it. With more and more things being added to the ability of the Gear such as ATN and launchers, etc it is growing leaps and bound sans Samsung. There are 2 versions of Sony out there and this has been out weeks. I say write this after February when it has been thru a few updates. I don't need my watch to do everything the phones does or i wouldn't have bought a 5.7 inch phone. The great things is competition is great and I'm sure Apple is gearing up for theirs and then someone will come and beat theirs and so on and so on. Consumerism at it's best.
Oh yeah, it's not consumer ready at all. But for the hacker/maker crowd out there, it's by far and away the best.
Phone calls.. you can make phone calls from your wrist!!! Come ON that's so cool. You can hack out the click sounds and take super secret spy photos from your wrist....
I have a freakin' game boy emulator .. I can play pokemon on my watch!
HELLO this is like the dream
YES .. the speaker scratching is a problem on my mac book pro, I have to pull up my long sleeve shirt over the bottom to keep it from scraping across the laptop which annoys me as well.
Not sure how they're going to fix that.
There are already enough of these threads here...
The watch des exactly what it says. It is a companion to phone, not a replacement (Why does a watch actually need software?)
it also has mic/speaker/cam which all work surprising well. Didn't take long to adjust to bulky speaker when resting palm on flat surface (mind I wear it a little loose)
There are several default notifications that are sent that everyone has - sms, email, etc. Granted they could do with more detail (html emails, all text in notification), however that will have to come when apps start supporting it - 4.3 helps a lot here
it is waterproof enough - that whole thing seems to be a scare campaign. All the watches available can survive water, just not to the extent of swimming/diving
Gear looks the best out of the watches available and once you use it for a few weeks, then the chance of wanting to return is much lower. I'd say my Pebble does more currently (especially tasker integration!), however, I've not touched it since getting gear a month ago
It only supports 4.3 and Touchwiz, but if you look at the percentage of s3, note2, s4, note3, and future phones, there is no need to support others. Will people complain when apple come out with a watch and it only supports two devices like pretty much everything else they do? (latest and previous model)
Samsung really need to get a move on with releasing sdk though
Plus it is first gen, so it can't have everything. Just be thankful you aren't with Apple and have to wait years for stuff everyone already has
Still going to try out Neptune Pine when it is released, but it is a replacement not companion
blazespinnaker said:
Oh yeah, it's not consumer ready at all. But for the hacker/maker crowd out there, it's by far and away the best.
Phone calls.. you can make phone calls from your wrist!!! Come ON that's so cool. You can hack out the click sounds and take super secret spy photos from your wrist....
I have a freakin' game boy emulator .. I can play pokemon on my watch!
HELLO this is like the dream
YES .. the speaker scratching is a problem on my mac book pro, I have to pull up my long sleeve shirt over the bottom to keep it from scraping across the laptop which annoys me as well.
Not sure how they're going to fix that.
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I'm enjoying my Gear paired with Note 3. Still completely stock, and I can see how some might think the price is steep for what it currently does. But again, I am ok with what I paid for it, knowing what it does so far and knowing what lays in store for it in the future.
I need to read up on rooting and side loading. How effective is a gameboy emulator on the small screen? Seems like there wouldn't be enough room
Awesome
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hurdlejade said:
I would really suggest waiting for next generation. But if you have spare cash, and can get the Gear cheaper than original price - go for it...
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Snipped For Space!
At 73, I cannot play the waiting game. With smartwatches, women, and fastazz motorcycles..
I want and need it NOW!!
About you comments, they seemed to be like the case of one man's terrorist is another man's freedom-fighter..
BTW, can you answer and call from the SW2?? :fingers-crossed:
I also have a Sony Smartwatch 2. It's a great watch and the SDK support is superb. I recently bought the Gear and my first impression was
1. Wow, smaller than I thought. Because of the design less bulkier than the SW2. Way more stylish (up to a point even my gf thought that i didn't look like a total nerd)
2. Much better resolution and much clearer display
3. Touch response is so much better than the SW2
4. Awful charging method..
5. Miss the always on mode that the Sony has. The magical movement thing to wake up the Gear does work in say 75% of the time for me. The other 25% makes it a bad experience as a watch. Maybe I still have to get the hang of it and learn to make the movement work.. or maybe I have to adapt myself. Have the watch for 2 days now, I'm still learning and not ready to give an overall conclusion.
6 Apps.... yep the Sony has a lot more apps and yes there's a browser out there. But it also has a lot of weird amateuristic apps in the Play store (not made by Sony). I somehow am appreciating Samsung's approach now after a couple of days of using the Gear. They've teamed up with some good third party developers (a few not so good also) and seem to be very careful about what they release on the market right now. Seems like a good thing to me. I bet you can trash a potential goood product that still has to prove itself as a thing that could work by opening it for badly written and designed apps. Good thing to go easy on this. Nevertheless as a developer I love to jump on the bandwagon... But I understand that somehow one needs to direct the experience of a new product. Too many apps that do just half of what you can do can ruin the experience totally. (That said, they might have released the watch too early. On the other side, by releasing it early they now can work on a lot of feedback. It's a decision they've made and it is a decision that comes with a trade off (bad reviews), but in the end it might be the best decision. Nobody knows and nobody will know)
mike208 said:
I'm enjoying my Gear paired with Note 3. Still completely stock, and I can see how some might think the price is steep for what it currently does. But again, I am ok with what I paid for it, knowing what it does so far and knowing what lays in store for it in the future.
I need to read up on rooting and side loading. How effective is a gameboy emulator on the small screen? Seems like there wouldn't be enough room
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Are you kidding me! It's AWESOME ... well I have long thin fingers though. I use gameboid.
They could probably optimize the control setup on gameboid for the watch a bit more.
Sideloading is easy to do, don't need to root. I highly recommend it.
1. Wow, smaller than I thought. Because of the design less bulkier than the SW2. Way more stylish (up to a point even my gf thought that i didn't look like a total nerd)
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Agreed. People have commented that the watch looks great. Sony with it's geeky logo and buttons... come ON.
That being said, there are pros/cons to them all. I'd *love* the battery life of the pebble on the Gear, but I can't go without having Android on my watch. That's just a non starter (for me), but I'm a developer so my opinion is entirely unreflective of the market at large .. but I love it, so who cares.
The one huge problem with the gear, in my opinion, is the lack of compatibility. That's what is really pissing 99% of the world out there that doesn't have a Note 3, frankly. This bundling nonsense is so deeply arrogant. It's monopolistic and completely unnecessary.
It's what makes you root against a company and pray they fail as an enterprise. It's the same sort of arrogance that makes me despise Apple and why I take every opportunity I can to root against them even though my career is tied up with their technology.
I agree with you on the speaker buckle being annoying, but otherwise, it's not THAT bad.
the original gear was never sold here in saudi for obviously the camera has issues with the government so now im interested in getting the fit. It looks really stylish hope it wont be expensive
i do not plan to buy anything new from samsung.
if i already own gear, then what's the point of having another gear-like device.. it seems bulky. i'm tired with complete lack of support from samsung.
i think i will wait for the 'smart band' from sony.
Do not know.
First I need to see how much it costs and if it will even be sold in Canada. Then when people actually own and use them would like to know how well it plays with the Note 3.
Too many unknowns for me to decide, but I like how it looks and fitness/notifications are enough for me.
It's pretty ugly IMO, and the number crunching for fitness it provides have very little usefulness IMO. I don't think I'll be getting one.
Should of used the flexibke on the gear2
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Seen a video of a working Gear Fit, looks great.
IMO fitness is more important than make calls or pictures to me.
The price has to be right, still like a few more reviews.
No as I will be getting the Gear 2, but I do like how it looks and it's features.
In my opinion, the Samsung Fit will be the breakout success of this years wearables. Mind you, successes in this micro marker are measured as NOT failures. : )
I have the gear, but I think will be going for the gear fit this time.
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There wont be any native apps on the gear fit
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13970_7-57619476-78/samsungs-gear-fit-doesnt-run-android-or-tizen/
raiu said:
There wont be any native apps on the gear fit
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13970_7-57619476-78/samsungs-gear-fit-doesnt-run-android-or-tizen/
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I know read this and it is old news, the Galaxy Gear Fit is running a real time OS, apps we be rare if any.
Really do not care much.
Will get notications, and that plus being an excellent fitness watch is good enough for me.
Am I the only one who thinks the gear fit will prove extremely awkward to use? The direction of the text doesn't even come close to fitting the way most people look at their wrists. It will generally be at a 45 degree angle or worse.
LaDamian said:
Am I the only one who thinks the gear fit will prove extremely awkward to use? The direction of the text doesn't even come close to fitting the way most people look at their wrists. It will generally be at a 45 degree angle or worse.
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Seen other people say that, so you are not the only one but I seen the videos and I think for me it is no issue.
It is not like I will be reading anything but notifications, most of the time on my gear when I read text it is not horizontal.... minor detail.
Video review for Galaxy Gear Fit
Here you can see my video review for Gear Fit.
You can find out what apps does it have, how you can charge it and with which devices is it compatible
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq-yS2dWQKc
I think it's a very interesting device, and probably I'll go for it, but I haven't understood if it will have the sleep monitor or not. I've searched the Web, but some say yes, some say no...mystery....
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Please use this thread to discuss devices other than and any comparisons with other devices on or about Gear Live in this thread and any other off-topic issues that are not needing a new thread.
Post with respect, this is a helpful community, hope we all learn from this stuff in here.
What made everyone choose this over the LG G watch?
i went for gear live because it has amoled display and the silver thing on the two side makes the watch look a bit premium
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big_b0sss said:
i went for gear live because it has amoled display and the silver thing on the two side makes the watch look a bit premium
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Don't forget it's also $30 less as by the end of the year we ALL know we will be owning superior devices anyways.
enko420 said:
Don't forget it's also $30 less as by the end of the year we ALL know we will be owning superior devices anyways.
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i actually paid £10 more as its priced higher than lg g watch in uk
I absolutely cannot believe they did not include a speaker! I just returned the gear neo 2 because it was running Tizen and not Google wear. making phone calls on it without pulling my phone out of my pocket was the absolute greatest feature.I ordered the gear live because it was running Google wear, thinking of the future. Now I find out it does not have a speaker so I can not make phone calls from the watch. I'm going to return the gear live and go back to the gear neo 2. Wrong decision Samsung.
chumboy said:
I absolutely cannot believe they did not include a speaker! I just returned the gear neo 2 because it was running Tizen and not Google wear. making phone calls on it without pulling my phone out of my pocket was the absolute greatest feature.I ordered the gear live because it was running Google wear, thinking of the future. Now I find out it does not have a speaker so I can not make phone calls from the watch. I'm going to return the gear live and go back to the gear neo 2. Wrong decision Samsung.
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I honestly don't care for making phone calls on my Gear 2 Neo. If you aren't in a quiet room its near impossible to hear what they are saying.
enko420 said:
I honestly don't care for making phone calls on my Gear 2 Neo. If you aren't in a quiet room its near impossible to hear what they are saying.
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To each their own.
But it's fascinating to know you don't like it.
I had the Gear 2 Neo for about a week and had good results when not standing in Time Square.
Gear Live 2!
I would like the ability to turn off the motion sensor, sense everytime I move my wrist a certain way my watch just turns on.I look at my watch ocassionally and notice that the screen is on I have indavertenly been touching the screen selecting things. I prefer to touch the screen to turn it on. I have already turned off the screen always on option, but would like to turn off motion as well. Would extend the battery life alot further.
chumboy said:
To each their own.
But it's fascinating to know you don't like it.
I had the Gear 2 Neo for about a week and had good results when not standing in Time Square.
Gear Live 2!
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i'm 100% in the not taking phone calls on a watch camp for the same reason i don't use speakerphone when not in a car.
but i would have liked a speaker simply for alarms and stopwatch/timer funcionality. nothing crazy, just a simple beep/chirp would have been enough
adiliyo said:
i'm 100% in the not taking phone calls on a watch camp for the same reason i don't use speakerphone when not in a car.
but i would have liked a speaker simply for alarms and stopwatch/timer funcionality. nothing crazy, just a simple beep/chirp would have been enough
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See, we can find common ground here! A speaker would make us both happy.
Surprised that Sammy decided to remove a hardware feature rather than adding them (to a point).
Their research must have shown that the cost/benefit was upside-down.
So it goes.
They should have stuck with Gear 2 features and gwear os. I'm sure it will be ported.... I love my Neo 2
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I have a feeling that Samsung was forced to make the watch according to Google specifications. (No Speaker, No WiFi, Single Button for turning the device on) There is also a WiFi antenna in the Gear Live that is not being used according to iFixIt.
StevenMattera said:
I have a feeling that Samsung was forced to make the watch according to Google specifications. (No Speaker, No WiFi, Single Button for turning the device on) There is also a WiFi antenna in the Gear Live that is not being used according to iFixIt.
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antenna but they couldn't confirm if there is a wifi controller on the mobo, could just be the cheapest way to order that part for assembly.
i agree that samsung was probably told to stick to the reference design which i'm fine with, but it's curious that google decided not to include a basic speaker for alarm use in the reference design for android wear.
i am however much happier (so far) with the watch than i expected to be. if moto prices the 360 out of what i'm willing to pay, i'm actually satisfied enough to hang on to the gear live until i can get the moto for a reasonable price (i won't pay more than $250 for the 360)
---------- Post added at 12:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:32 AM ----------
hashcheck said:
They should have stuck with Gear 2 features and gwear os. I'm sure it will be ported.... I love my Neo 2
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Click to collapse
i like the general design of the gear 2, but i am so glad that android made wear, i see adoption for this from a developer standpoint to be much much better than any proprietary garbage os that samsung puts out. and personally, i dislike samsung devices (read: touchwiz) and plan to stay away from them for the foreseeable future.
adiliyo said:
i like the general design of the gear 2, but i am so glad that android made wear, i see adoption for this from a developer standpoint to be much much better than any proprietary garbage os that samsung puts out. and personally, i dislike samsung devices (read: touchwiz) and plan to stay away from them for the foreseeable future.
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Click to collapse
I don't know, I've been reading about the gear watches and android wear all day and I still just don't see it. Anything that's on there I would normally pull up my phone for, and the small watch screen version and limited functionality (no speaker, small screen, etc)... I think if I get any notification I'll end up pulling out the phone and responding there anyway... Is this stuff just a lazy persons solution to a problem that doesn't exist?? If wear devices were more like little phones with built in wifi, IR (I think some gear watches had this?!), etc at least you could use it to control your movie watching experiences...
I'm probably just getting old and wanting stuff to stay how I'm used to it
peaklabs.net said:
I don't know, I've been reading about the gear watches and android wear all day and I still just don't see it. Anything that's on there I would normally pull up my phone for,
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I think that IS the point, so you don't have to pull your phone 100 times a minute for every notification, it is trying to "change" the way we use the phone and not trying to replace it. For all that "extras" (Wifi, Speaker, etc, etc) you have the phone.
I love it, I hardly touch my phone now, the battery life on my phone had gotten so much better and I am more interactive responding to all SMSs and facebook/Whasapp messages than before. :laugh:
peaklabs.net said:
I don't know, I've been reading about the gear watches and android wear all day and I still just don't see it. Anything that's on there I would normally pull up my phone for, and the small watch screen version and limited functionality (no speaker, small screen, etc)... I think if I get any notification I'll end up pulling out the phone and responding there anyway... Is this stuff just a lazy persons solution to a problem that doesn't exist?? If wear devices were more like little phones with built in wifi, IR (I think some gear watches had this?!), etc at least you could use it to control your movie watching experiences...
I'm probably just getting old and wanting stuff to stay how I'm used to it
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Click to collapse
Maturola said:
I think that IS the point, so you don't have to pull your phone 100 times a minute for every notification, it is trying to "change" the way we use the phone and not trying to replace it. For all that "extras" (Wifi, Speaker, etc, etc) you have the phone.
I love it, I hardly touch my phone now, the battery life on my phone had gotten so much better and I am more interactive responding to all SMSs and facebook/Whasapp messages than before. :laugh:
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Click to collapse
the watch essentially becomes a (more useful) implementation of notification triage, i can see what's important and respond to many things without taking out my phone.
it comes down to the user and their daily flow of usage. the big difference with this vs a very limited and closed off system (like samsung's system, or sony's for that matter) is that it leverages two things.
1. android itself as the platform (no seperate market, no need for seperate apps and figuring out how to make sure the apps work with the phone versions)
2. google now, which i think in the long run is going to be the real centerpiece of the platform. as it gets smarter you really will need to use your phone less for basic things since it will offer up the information you need when you need it with even less interaction necessary from the user.
the biggest deal breaker for the samsung system (for me) is the need for a crappy galaxy smartphone. i can't stand touchwiz and the lag samsung's software developers can't seem to get rid of in the many iterations they've had of their software.
i also enjoy the freedom of leaving my phone at my desk, or at home on the charging pad and just checking things on my watch as i go about my day.
i think i like android wear more as i don't want a tiny phone on my wrist to look awkwardly at and speak to people on. i want a companion device that lets me get on with my day and look at my phone less. it's a change in mindset and workflow that pulls you out of your phone and lets you get back into the world.
Yeah ... I'm constantly having to refer to my phone, more with this than I had to with my Galaxy Gear ... After two weeks with it, I feel like I'm done and ready to go back to the Galaxy Gear for good.
But I don't want to give up on it for some reason. I think because what it does do it look better than my Galaxy Gear, in terms of UI. And the always on is very nice.
I dunno ... Maybe I should have just gotten a Gear 2.
sbrownla said:
Yeah ... I'm constantly having to refer to my phone, more with this than I had to with my Galaxy Gear ... After two weeks with it, I feel like I'm done and ready to go back to the Galaxy Gear for good.
But I don't want to give up on it for some reason. I think because what it does do it look better than my Galaxy Gear, in terms of UI. And the always on is very nice.
I dunno ... Maybe I should have just gotten a Gear 2.
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Click to collapse
As I said in my previous post...I went from the Gear 2 Neo to the Live.
Found out it didn't have a speaker after I ordered it.
Tried it out for 3 days and (same as you) had to refer to my phone more.
Called Google to send it back and the Rep said "yea, surprisingly we're having allot of returns b/c of no speaker and many going back to Gear or Gear 2."
They sent me an email for to fill out stating why I'm returning. She said they're interested in feedback for the next model they release. I hope they listen.
I went back to my Gear 2 Neo and am patiently waiting for the next model (with speaker I hope).
They had the same with the Gear 1, made some changes and launched the Gear 2.
Don't waste your money on something you won't use and be happy with.
Wait for the Gear Live 2.
I think I'm going to suck it up though. When the next one comes out I'll gift it or sell it for $100 or so to subsidize the new one.
Hey guys,
I have been looking around and was wondering if anyone else has been able to get the Gear VR working on the Note Edge with/without a root or any other methods.
I tried with stock ROM and stock Sprint Note Edge but app would not install.
I am now rooted and tried using Emotion R23 N915P by plugging it in and seeing if anything happened. Nothing so far.
I am still going to continue my search and will post any updates if I find a solution.
Any help is appreciated.
I was able to get the Edge to fit the Gear VR Consumer Edition but I failed to get the Oculus app to launch.
I even tried to manually install the Oculus app but it said it was not compatible. Phone is rooted but as I suspected, I am going to have to flash a Note 5 ROM or S6.
turboheart said:
I was able to get the Edge to fit the Gear VR Consumer Edition but I failed to get the Oculus app to launch.
I even tried to manually install the Oculus app but it said it was not compatible. Phone is rooted but as I suspected, I am going to have to flash a Note 5 ROM or S6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. Did you use the firmware Note 5 or S6 to activate Oculus application on Note Edge?
turboheart said:
I was able to get the Edge to fit the Gear VR Consumer Edition but I failed to get the Oculus app to launch.
I even tried to manually install the Oculus app but it said it was not compatible. Phone is rooted but as I suspected, I am going to have to flash a Note 5 ROM or S6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dude have you got any luck with gear VR and note edge
I am interested too. Don't want to buy new phone as Edge is great but I really want to get into vr.
FutureClimax said:
I am interested too. Don't want to buy new phone as Edge is great but I really want to get into vr.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you simply want to get into VR, why not just use cardboard apps and virtually any other headset. There are dozens available now with more being offered every week. If you are set on GearVR I would recommend getting one of the few phones they support fully ( even those are having problems such as overheating ).
turboheart said:
I was able to get the Edge to fit the Gear VR Consumer Edition but I failed to get the Oculus app to launch.
I even tried to manually install the Oculus app but it said it was not compatible. Phone is rooted but as I suspected, I am going to have to flash a Note 5 ROM or S6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dude any luck with the note edge and gear VR
developweb said:
If you simply want to get into VR, why not just use cardboard apps and virtually any other headset. There are dozens available now with more being offered every week. If you are set on GearVR I would recommend getting one of the few phones they support fully ( even those are having problems such as overheating ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is that I have cardboard and use it with iPhone; Note Edge won't fit very well but I have tried it and I like everything being bigger but light is going in like hell.
I have heard that cardboard and Gear vr are like heaven and hell
Other thing is that I would like to start some vr developing in the future; just went trough first Unity tutorial.
When I have seen first demos on cardboard it was like going back to the childhood and I have realised that this is what I want to do - make some virtual realities!
I think technology is almost ready and when I will be ready it will be even better.
I am not sure if I should invest in Gear vr or Oculus Rift DK2 as my PC is i3 3220 and gtx 750ti. I know it will work but not with best quality (not sure about CPU).
Totally get that. I have the Gear VR myself but use many cardboard apps with it. Those who try it simply want more. (Why won't it work with my phone? Or why do I need a 1000 computer setup to view streamed games?) Most serious gamers I've asked (not me ?) are deciding between rift and vive. Possibly something like the Zeiss headsets can fill in the gaps between Google Cardboard and Gear.
---------- Post added at 08:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:07 AM ----------
FutureClimax said:
The thing is that I have cardboard and use it with iPhone; Note Edge won't fit very well but I have tried it and I like everything being bigger but light is going in like hell.
I have heard that cardboard and Gear vr are like heaven and hell
Other thing is that I would like to start some vr developing in the future; just went trough first Unity tutorial.
When I have seen first demos on cardboard it was like going back to the childhood and I have realised that this is what I want to do - make some virtual realities!
I think technology is almost ready and when I will be ready it will be even better.
I am not sure if I should invest in Gear vr or Oculus Rift DK2 as my PC is i3 3220 and gtx 750ti. I know it will work but not with best quality (not sure about CPU).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck!
Would you recommend then Gear Vr?
Or should I go for Oculus????
Thanks
Peter
FutureClimax said:
The thing is that I have cardboard and use it with iPhone; Note Edge won't fit very well but I have tried it and I like everything being bigger but light is going in like hell.
I have heard that cardboard and Gear vr are like heaven and hell
Other thing is that I would like to start some vr developing in the future; just went trough first Unity tutorial.
When I have seen first demos on cardboard it was like going back to the childhood and I have realised that this is what I want to do - make some virtual realities!
I think technology is almost ready and when I will be ready it will be even better.
I am not sure if I should invest in Gear vr or Oculus Rift DK2 as my PC is i3 3220 and gtx 750ti. I know it will work but not with best quality (not sure about CPU).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've seen a guy attempting to fit his Note Edge into consumer gear vr with some DIY hack on the physical form in Youtube (search it). This is due to a much large phone to fit. Even the DIY hack is going to introduce lots of gaps and lights will go in like hell .. Moreover, it doesn't launch Oculus apps with stock rom unlike Note 4. Its a shame that Samsung build a hardware to force people to move on to new phone. Imagine in the future that your current Note 5 or S6 no longer works with the upcoming new Gear VR v2.0 (for example). Upgrading phone now gets a lot more expensive to drag along the gears purchases.
Anyway, after seeing the physical DIY quick and dirty hack in youtube (he'd suggested for longer term hack, it will require cutting away some larger area of plastics), it suddenly point to me why do i need to go through so much trouble on physical device and without a software oculus support just to have Gear VR working on Note Edge? Samsung gave us prev generation of Note consumer the middle finger. Next year when a new Note and Gear VR is launched, they'll give us (and other soon to be obsolete Note userss) another middle finger, ditching older users.
I am not a VR developer, but I can easily tell that current VR state is just a pilot/pioneer. Because of that, VR Gears will be updated and more new launches will come (hence more middle fingers). Samsung is making a bad move by locking it to only certain phone models making this thing proprietary. Reminds me of Apple (now Samsung) vs Google during the initial Android/iOS fight against open and close ecosystem. Now with lots of cheaper VR sets based on cardboard flooding the market, the competition gets heated with more update and improvement made to these "alternative" VR sets. Just in a matter of time, you'll see a price worthy physical VR set (i am not talking about Oculus nor Vibe) that has taken all organic improvements due to intense competitions.
Since you are interested in doing VR development, i may ask, if you want to penetrate the growing market on a locked down ecosystem that only serves a few (and latest) devices, or a greater market with more generic cardboard option?
Well, that's a lot to think about....
I might end up getting S7 Edge so within two year I will probably change my phone again.
But thinking about better iterations of cardboard is changing things a lot...
Hmmm....
Thank you very much for another point of view.
I am keeping my Note Edge and maybe wait for something it will fit.
Thanks
Peter
I hate how the active phones are not compatible and the note edge is not compatible.
Just one more way Samsung gives us the big f u
I have been toying with the idea for a few months now.
Am just wondering how you guys have been using it.
Have you enjoyed your experience, Any changes you would make?
What is the clarify of the screen like, being so close to the device.
(I used TV Glasses some years ago, and one thing that annoyed me, was it was like putting your face to the TV and seeing the Colors / Pixels)
Whats the experience watching videos, strained eyes or anything like that?
does the device feel heavy on the head after a long period.
What about app compatibility, is it one of these manufactured devices that are locked down to OEM software only?
How have you been navigating through the menus when wearing the device, is the controller provided easy to use and responsive.
(Easy to use in the fact you cannot see the control Obviously)
And last but not least, what about Games?
I still get the feeling / impression its still a bit gimmicky and don't know if to hold off on the device till someone like Sony make the PS4 VR.
I would appreciate your words and feedback.
I know the value of the device is a steal is comparison to others
My Device is the S7 Edge.
Two words : Ultra Porn
Buy a used one from craigslist, don't like it, put it back up for sale. You could probably get one for $50 if you really look, dont pay more than $70.
I'm glad I bought one (used), but I have a note 5. Theres another thread detailing the lower quality picture while using the S7.
I played around with my buddies oculus and that's what motivated me to get the gear.
The 3d doesn't need to be high resolution to feel immersed. If you are focusing on the pixels or imperfections in your screen protector, you've either got it setup wrong or you' re going out of your way to focus on them.
I dont feel that it's cumbersome to wear, I will probably get a different foam piece like from motorcycle or ski goggles.
Theres any and everything as far as media. People are making their own games, applications and 360* videos left and right. You can make your own 360 picture with your phone, basically taking like 40 pictures or whatever it is, ala panorama style.
There's also Google cardboard, where you can download plans and make one from cardboard, or buy one complete. You can also use the Google Cardboard application with the gear VR, you just wont have the smoother head tracking when using it.
I really enjoy using my Playstation 3 controller and the sixxaxis app hooked to my phone to play games. Theres a go kart racing game, which is "okay" but the proof of concept is great. You can look around when you need to and it's 3d.
The downside is that on Marshmallow there seems to be a lot of problems, I first did everything on Lollipop and didn't really have any issues. I just did a custom MM rom and I've had all kinds of issues and searching reveals others have too.
MAybe wait a little bit until issues are sorted and prices are even cheaper? I like it, you can't beat it's functionality for the price I think.