Bulbs & Fittings Ideas

Like This Quite A Bit. Very Nice Alternative to Pebble, December 12, 2014

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Simple, comfortable with little to dislike, December 30, 2014

By 

Michael Yohe (Huntsville, AL) - See all my reviews

  

I received this watch from my wife for Christmas because she knew that I like tech-savvy gadgets but without sacrificing the basic functions of a watch. The Notifier is a perfect fit for me because it functions perfectly as a watch. Glance at it to get the time. The inclusion of the OLED display, a simple LED light, and a vibration motor is what places this watch above the rest. Most of us shopping for smartwatches understand that the Pebble certainly defined the category. The Notifier features similar functionality without having the extra ability of running apps on the watch itself. I paired this up with my iPhone 5 without an issue using the simple instructions included with the watch.

The functional interface of the watch is simple. There are two buttons on the left (UL, LL) and a standard pull-crown to adjust the analog watch time. The UL button activates the Siri function (or voice activation) of your smartphone. The LL button will cycle through the internal smart functions of the Notifier. If you press it once, it gives you the time, date, battery life/Bluetooth status, and a weather summary. If you press it multiple times, you can enable the other functions including DND (do not disturb) where your Notifier will not vibrate with alerts from your smartphone.

One of the "neat" functions of the Notifier is the ability to find your smartphone. If your Notifier shows that it is connected with the smartphone, you can activate the "Find Phone" function of the Notifier which causes your smartphone to play a piano do-re-mi-fa sequence. It ignores the silent mode (using the switch). I've actually used this several times already. Very useful feature. Another function, configurable via the app or the Notifier, is "Leash" mode which will cause the Notifier to let you know when it is moving out of or has moved out of the Bluetooth range of your smartphone.

The impact on the smartphone battery is what many people have issue with. True, the Bluetooth radio in your smartphone must be enabled for the Notifier to do its job. However, I have not witnessed a drastic reduction in battery life. What many people do not realize is that rechargeable LiPo batteries in smartphones, iPhone and Android alike, have a finite lifespan and will continue to degrade every time you charge it. This lifespan is usually defined as the number of charge cycles. The older the battery, the more cycles you have on it. I included a screenshot of my iPhone's battery report to show that my battery (recently replaced) has very little charge cycles (65) on it and is operating in near new condition (1370mah fully charged versus 1430mah factory fresh). My old iPhone battery had 800 charge cycles and only had 600mah fully charged (less than half of factory fresh). If you find that your smartphone battery is dwindling fast with the Notifier, it's probably time to replace your smartphone's battery. Battery life will degrade over its lifespan regardless of using the Notifier or not.

Pros:
- Included watchband is made of rugged silicone. It is not thin and will probably last longer than the watch itself.
- Two separate batteries. A standard watch battery for the analog watch function. A separate rechargeable battery that manages the smart functions of the watch.
- Heavier than a simple analog watch but light enough to not be a deterrent for regular use.
- Bluetooth 4.0 functionality. This is also known as "LE" (low energy) that smartly powers and sleeps the radio to save battery life.
- Smart functions are firmware updatable. In fact, there was a firmware update available for the watch when I first linked the watch with my iPhone. Firmware download software is available for both PC and Mac computers (not updatable through the app).
- OLED letters and digits are bright and crisp. Not too bright for use in the dark.
- Vibration intensity (default to 10 of 16 levels) is adjustable. I set mine to 8 so that I could feel the vibration without actually hearing it.
- Vibration patterns are customizable so that you know if it is an email, text message, or a particular app.
- Battery life is advertised at about five days. From the initial charge I made on Christmas morning, I am still sitting at over 60% battery life on the Notifier five days later. This is excellent.
- Battery charges from 0% (as shipped from the factory) to 100% in about two hours. Perfect for charging the Notifier overnight after a week of use.
- Smart function date and time is synchronized with your smartphone. You can enable weather reporting via the companion app.
- Can use other watch bands. Martian sells quite a variety of silicone and leather based straps for their watches. Other watch bands may be compatible.
- Clear, line-of-sight distance for Bluetooth is roughly 20-30 feet. On par with other Bluetooth devices.

Cons:
- This...

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This watch worked great until I got a few drops of water on ..., October 7, 2014

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