Living with a smartwatch

Imagine how life was like when cellphones were just introduced to the world. Most didn’t get into it at first. Most kept to the filthy grime of the pay phone. But for the early movers, life was a different story. Everyone who had a cellphone called and messaged everyone else who had one, flaunting their new technologies to the world. The rest, as they say, is history. Cellphones skyrocketed. In fact, cellphones have already evolved into smartphones. New models of smartphones are launched every single month. But as quickly as it appeared, we are now on the brink of an all new horizon: the dawn of the wearable.

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Google Glass. Smartwatches. Smart prosthetics. We’re slowly adopting the technology into our own flesh and bone. As with all new technology, adopting new systems takes a lot of time and a lot of changes. We can’t expect everyone to have a wearable coiled onto every limb overnight. It’s a slow pace but before you know it, everyone’s armed with a wearable.

Nicole C. Batac, 2.O‘s Associate Editor, and I took the early plunge and tried two different smartwatches for a span of several weeks. I had the Samsung Gear S and Nicole had the LG G Watch R. Needless to say, having a wearable brought changes into our lifestyle, even for just a few weeks.

Luigi

For one, it felt like attaching a kitten to my wrist. I had to baby my wrist since every movement could potentially damage the watch. I had P16,000 strapped to my arm. I sure as hell won’t be flinging my arms casually with it around. That and my strap was prone to dirt. Each brush with a wall could leave a stain. And as much as I’m used to charging my phone every night, charging the watch feels more of a responsibility than my phone.

However, the smartwatch did made me conscious about my health (at least superficially). The Samsung Gear S was built to track different aspects of my health, such as how many steps I take, how efficient my gym session is, and how much sleep I’m getting. Somehow, having the ability to check my sleep and the amount of UV rays I’m getting makes it relevant. Even if it feels superficial at first, I did care about these things. If it weren’t for the fact that I had to charge it every night, I would have worn the watch to sleep to check my sleep.

It’s also convenient how I can check my watch for messages without digging through the innards of my pocket to fish out my phone. Sure, it’s a bit redundant but the few seconds I spare (and how awesome it is to read messages on my watch) makes up for it. Typing still feels ridiculous, but it’s a challenge worth trying before they figure out a better way to type on a tiny watch.

Nicole

I already said in my review that it was love at first sight with the LG G Watch R. I just loved how it looked like a classic timepiece. And like Luigi, I was suddenly very aware of my hand and wrist movements. This smartwatch costs P13,990—it’s not the most expensive smartwatch but it isn’t necessarily cheap either.

I liked how it came with a black leather strap because it made it easier to wear with a lot of my clothes. Plus, you can customize it with so many watch faces, you wouldn’t be left wanting. But it is actually understatedly beautiful. It would go unnoticed by the people around me most of the time (except for the few odd looks I get in public when they see me swiping at my watch). I think that might be a good thing though to keep pickpockets away from you.

And like Luigi, it kind of made me pay attention to how many steps I take during the day, as superficial as that may be. Other than that though, it still reminded me how much Android Wear and smartwatches have so much more room for improvement. Right now, it feels a bit too redundant for me. It gives out the same notifications you see on your phone, it just brings it closer to your face, so to speak. You will still need to bring out your phone to respond to most of the notifications.

And the introvert in me is still not used to talking at my phone and even more so my wrist. It’s a bit fun watching the G Watch R do different sets of commands with just my voice. It gets taxing though when it can’t pick up my accent and/or voice. There goes my dreams of a completely hands-free experience with it (for now anyway). Plus, it really does feel more like a chore to charge a smartwatch at nightly basis.

Perhaps, I’m not ready to live with a smartwatch just yet. And like what I look for in romantic relationships right now, I need it to mature first. Being attracted to it at first sight isn’t going to cut it.