Moto 360 supports wireless charging

General Chit Chat
#1

Following on from the smart-watch discussion on http://www.badvoltage.org/2014/08/07/1x22/, and forgive me posting an article that has a damn survey question before you can read it: http://www.knowyourmobile.com/wearable-technology/moto-360/21970/moto-360-release-date-price-specs-all-you-need-know

I got all excited about “wireless charging”, but it still requires the watch to be taken off and place on a dock. At least this steps in the right general direction…I can see people taking their watch off at night and putting it on the dock on their bedside table. It sounds like battery is still a problem.

#2

Man, that looks fabulous, doesn’t it? I move another half-inch closer to buying a smartwatch.

Charging every two days sounds super irritating, though.

#3

Well, yes and no. Every night I plug my phone in to charge, it doesn’t seem that much of a pain to stick my watch on the dock…as only nutters sleep with their watches on. Not an ideal situation, but not that big of a deal. The main pain would be when staying in hotel rooms.

#4

Speaking as one of said nutters – my watch gets taken off when I shower, and that’s it – that’s a pretty big change for me…

#5

Maybe the reason why I don’t is that I shower before I go to bed, so the watch is off anyway. Also, it would feel weird to sleep with it on…having a watch on feels like my wrist is constrained*.

*Go on…make a joke. I know you want to…

#6

Seems great, Do you need an android phone to use the watch though?
I do see things where its like. Oh you’d be able to download apps via an android phone, but could I use it stand alone for basic apps such as Google Now, Notes, Clock and alarm, or do I NEED an android phone?

If I didn’t need one then I’d be ok but I would like to move to Ubuntu Touch or Sailfish soon and I’d prefer not to be locked to android by a watch!

#7

Yup, they all need an Android phone as far as I am aware.

#8

Great xD
Guess I wont be getting one no matter how flashy they get xD

#9

Ya. As Jono described in the show (and I’m sure @jeremy who is our resident smart watch expert will confirm) all current smart watches are connected to some other device via low power Bluetooth and that’s their whole path to the universe. They’re not independent; first, if you stuck wifi and 3G in a watch the battery life would be measured in microseconds, and secondly can you imagine typing in a wifi password on a watch? They’re peripherals to a device with a real connection, which means a phone, and it’s hardly surprising that Android Wear watches talk to Android phones. It’s probably possible to reverse-engineer that protocol, and I’m sure some basement-dwelling arse will do 50% of that job, so maybe it’ll be possible from other platforms, but I wouldn’t hold out hope for Ubuntu phones talking to Android Wear any time soon.

#10

As I understand it, there is a correlation between the mass of the battery and power capacity (energy = mass). It just takes more power to run a radio then it do to make a crystal vibrate a.i. run a clock. There is always a major breakthrough in battery technology just around the corner - 5-8 years in the future.

#11

I already have a “smartwatch”. It’s called a phone.

When I need to know the time, and there isn’t a device displaying the time (e.g. unlocked computer, television tuned to a programme displaying the time, one of those new-fangled “clock” things, etc), I take my phone from my pocket, press the Sleep button to wake it as I’m lifting it into my vision, see the time, press the Sleep button again to put the phone back to sleep while putting the phone back in my pocket. The whole process takes about the same time as it would for me to move my wrist into visual range of my eyeballs and pull the sleeve back of whatever garment I was wearing.

LOOK, IT’S PHONE O’CLOCK!

2 Likes
#12

I guess Samsung is releasing a smartwatch with a sim card.

http://www.dailytech.com/Samsung+Gear+Solo+Smartwatch+Can+MakeReceive+Calls+Launches+Next+Month/article36372.htm

1 Like
#13

Aha! My prediction in the show was right! :slight_smile:

#14

Glad I was the bearer of good news for you. At least I can say I did something today!!

#15

Was there a reward for getting a prediction right? Maybe you could have a royal avatar too. Prince Charles?

#16

Unless a watch that size with a sim card in it summons the suit from Iron Man, I’ll keep my money in my wallet for right now.

#17

the only way i can see batteries not being a problem is if they somehow put solar panels on the watch or like on the straps or something. thats the only way i can see people being able to charge it without having to take off the watch. that would be incredible but i cant ever see it happening

#18

Now it’s official. http://www.androidauthority.com/samsung-gear-s-specs-features-516534/

#19

Wow, that watch is beautiful.

My dream watch is this:

The reason is that it curves around your wrist beautifully. Seeing that same concept with a smartwatch is awesome.

#20

It is, isn’t it? And it runs Tizen – not that I care about that, but it does suggest that it’ll pair with any phone, not just with only Android phones like Android Wear watches do (and why I won’t get one).

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