Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/01/29/fossil-giving-up-on-smartwatches.html
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There are really only two options, I think, unless you’re looking for a specific aesthetic and don’t mind compromising on product quality to achieve it: Apple, for the wristphone type, and Garmin, for the week-on-a-charge type.
Apple: for people who’s already on Apple’s ecosystem of gadgets, and…
Fixed it for you.
But yeah, Ars is been calling this for years, that Qualcomm has been holding off the “not apple” smartwatch market for years.
The updated WearOS and Google’s alliance with Samsung was a bit “too little, too late”, and it did not help that the last WearOS refresh came with a big osborne style label that “the next version is coming soon with the improvements you really want”, so it really killed any momentum these had, except for the fancy -and unrepairable- google branded one.
Honestly, I’m still using my Pebble, though is starting to get a bit long in the tooth. The only thing is missing from what I would like in a smartwatch is health monitoring (ie: blood pressure, heartbeat, etc).
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I’m very happy with my Huawei GT4 - looks like a regular watch, has way more than a week’s battery life, does the usual fitness tracking and smart watch stuff. The UI is also very nicely responsive.
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I like the medical and fitness aspects of smartwatches, but would prefer that implemented through an unobtrusive band or ring. Otherwise, I’ll stick to mechanical/analogue that’s not dependent on vendor updates for my everyday carry timepiece.
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Damnit. I have a Fossil Hybrid type smartwatch (physical hands over an e-ink display). I like it because it doesn’t look like a smartwatch. TBH, I mostly only want it for the vibrating alarm (and looks). I previously had hybrid watches from Nokia (Withings) and Garmin which all eventually died. When this one eventually craps out, I might just drop the whole idea. Smart watches like any ‘connected’ device are ultimately at the merciful whim of the manufacturer. Anyone know of a nice looking analog face, non-smart watch with a vibrating alarm? I can live without all the notifications and smart features I suppose…
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That’s a shame. They made the only actually good looking smart watches. We don’t all want to look like mountaineers (Garmin) or astronauts (Apple). Also, as @Abraham_Limpo notes, Apple products really only make sense when all your other electronics are Apple, which is not commonly the case outside the US
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If you have a Fossil smart watch and you are afraid that they will plug the support on your device, you should look if it is supported by Gadgetbridge.
On the converse, if you prefer your (potentially sensitive) data not to be siphoned by the vendor of your device, buy a device supported by Gadgetbridge and use it. By design Gadgetbridge will not be able to disclose any data (it has no Internet connection capability).
*Gadgetbridge is only available on Android
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Montblanc had a great idea a few years ago - a smart strap that let you get the best of a smartwatch - which will become obsolete fairly quickly; and a high-end mechanical watch - which if you look after it, will last a lifetime and more.
I assume it didn’t sell as I haven’t seen it advertised for a while.
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The first thought that comes to mind is a vintage Vulcain Cricket watch.
But according to Google there are plenty of attractive modern options that are reasonably priced. This one looks nice:
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Does Fitbit qualify as a smartwatch? If not, is there some definition that separate the two?
Also have a smart watch from PubuFit (?). Got it for about $35 on Amazon, and it has worked out for me. I love they blood pressure function. Battery lasts forever. Don’t know what chipset it uses, though.
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We all know what the best execution of a wearable is
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Is Samsung not an option?
As much as I love tech, and had both a Databank and a UC-200 back in the day, I cannot enjoy a smartwatch and have a nice, solid, normal watch. As part of buying my S21 at release they sent me a free Galaxy watch, whatever model, and I think I used it for a week before getting bored with it. Was I just playing with an inferior model? I honestly find the idea of having to plug in my watch a bit silly.
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So glad my late father was a Timex man, and that neither of my siblings wanted them when we went through his things some forty years ago. They’re a bit big on my lady wrist, but their information is for my eyes only, and I love them for never needing a battery and always keeping the time. (I replaced the strap on the right one because my skin was sensitive to the metal band, but other than that, the price was right, too!)
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Interesting. I’ve not really thought about vintage as an option.
I started looking these up after you posted, it seems like the vibration may be rather loud. For $100, maybe worth a try 
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They do. While is considered mostly a fitness tracker, Fitbit watches are smartwatches in all but name, just… with a very fitness oriented software package.
I actually was considering changing my Pebble for a Versa, when Google announced they bought fitbit and were closing shop.
Chinese offbrand smartwatches would qualify, but usually they tend to have buggy, incomplete software, and not last very long. They are usually built around a platform that was released like, five years ago (give or take), featuring a low-power bluetooth-enabled microcontroller and a basic software package that is usually barely customized by whoever does the release. There have been some efforst to hack them and make some kind of open source alternative but last I read (a couple years, ago, admittedly) not much had advanced.
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Don’t get one of you are a government Contractor (Capital C). Your employer legally cannot allow you to work for them anywhere in the world if you wear one at anytime that could be considered “work.”
(Thank you Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 named after Senator John McCain.)
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I hate metal bands and replaced my automatic watches’ bands here and there with NATO (as you
did) and leather ones. Much more comfortable.
One neat trick for your NATO strap: If you wish to remove the strap’s excess material, grab an appropriately sized coin (a nickel will work for a standard sized NATO) and place it on the strap where you wish to shorten it. Scissor-cut around the coin for a nice even rounded look. Cut off any frays. Then, using a match or lighter, lightly touch the flame to the cut edge to fuse the material and “lock” it in. I’ve done that to a couple of my bands.
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That’s why i use a fitbit
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