Related
Just wanted to start a list of the best apps that we think are available for the S2
Calculator Plus+ is a good one, it's what you'd think, a calculator, and it works. It is optimized for a round screen. So crazy that Sammy never added a calculator as a stock app.
Sent from my SM-N920P using XDA Free mobile app
That's a problem... The list is quite empty. I am returning this thing because of that and also because of:
I owned first Gear as well as Gear S in the past and quite frankly Samsung is going backwards with their watches.
There is one Pro in this one - it is good looking, I like the design.
Well - 1/2 point for the rotating bezel. It is kind of cool but I am so used to the touch controls that barely used it.
The rest of review is pretty much all Cons:
1. Lack of speaker - ok, some say it looks silly to talk to the wrist but sometimes it was useful. Why removed if all previous watches hat one?
2. Lack of apps - seriously, there is NO useful app available for this watch. I had plenty of apps on Gear S and none of them is re-written for the round watch.
3. Vibrations are barely sensed - I had it set to strong and long and miss half of the notifications
4. Screen decides on its own if it wants to light up when the notification comes. Not reliable at all
5. Previous models had option to come back to the last used app after the screen turns off, very useful for timer, stopwatch, music control. This cames back to the watch screen always. Try to skip the tracks from the watch when you have to turn the dial to the music app every time.....
6. No auto brightness. Seriously? Go out - make the screen brighter by hand. Come back, dim it by hand...
7. Straps.... out of 4 halves I found in the box (2 to make a long strap and 2 to make a short one) I was able to attach 3 of them, the 4th would not fit. And I guarantee you that after couple replacements the mount will break....
8. No sleep patterns tracking on the watch
9. Battery - that's another screw up. Samsung advertises 2-3 days... Right...I liek to have the watch set to always on. Gear S had about 40% left at the end of the day. This garbage had 18% at 11pm last night....
10. No integration with Google Now - no cards, no reminders to be set... I thought Samsung finally understood that S-Voice cannot compete with any assistant available... I guess they are too stupid to get that
11. No integration with Google Maps - Here maps are great but on the watch it is a disaster, completely useless, slow, chews through the battery.
12. No way to choose if one wears it on the left or right wrist hence when you wear it on the right the buttons are above the watch and you cover the face of it while pressing.
13. no night clock mode while charging - all you see while being charged is a blackscreen.
There is probably more flaws but I either did not discover them or do not remember. Generally the watch is going back to Best Buy and I will wait for Moto 360 Sport or LG Urbane 2
And with Samsung phones going backwards as well (S6, Note 5) Samsung lost a customer (I own Note 4 now and I had Note 1, 2 and 3 in the past)
Wow, so that last post was mostly off-topic lol. Interesting points...just not relevant for this specific thread. Better to post that in a gear s vs gear s2 thread or something like that
sefrcoko said:
Wow, so that last post was mostly off-topic lol. Interesting points...just not relevant for this specific thread. Better to post that in a gear s vs gear s2 thread or something like that
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Click to collapse
Haha. I've seen his post there also. I guess he REALLY wants people to know how he feels!
Wow..clearly he felt his review thread wasn't enough but now he has to post his review everywhere. Move along... .
Well back on topic... A fun little app to play with is Xenozu. It's a YouTube app that let's you search and watch videos. You do have to have a Bluetooth headset attached but it works when linked to wifi. It's more novelty then anything but fun nonetheless.
Wow can we boot that guy for hating so much, it may not be the best compared to a phone, but that's because it's a watch....plus my gear s2 does have a daylight mode, I walk out side and it will adjust itself. Also, am able to use my watch with the face always on and have about 45% by end of day, I have to constantly play with it for it to die.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using XDA Free mobile app
kufel said:
1. Lack of speaker - ok, some say it looks silly to talk to the wrist...
So, what's that little hole on the side between the buttons? The one you talk into for SVoice.
2. Lack of apps
It's brand spanking new... give it time
3. Vibrations are barely sensed
Subjective... I can feel it just fine on soft/weak/low, whatever
4. Screen decides on its own if it wants to light up when the notification comes.
o_0
5. Previous models had option to come back to the last used app after the screen turns off...
I'll skip this one because I have no clue what you're talking about
6. No auto brightness. Seriously?
Outdoor mode is automatic, you don't have to touch anything and it goes into auto brightness. Seriously
7. Straps
Mine come off and snap on just fine and are very solid. Perhaps you're doing it wrong?
8. No sleep patterns tracking on the watch
S-Health, oh and 24 hour activity tracking
9. Battery - that's another screw up. Samsung advertises 2-3 days...
Are you analyzing "day one" usage, straight OTB during fiddle and "hey look what I just got" time?
10. No integration with Google Now
It's Tizen, this has been known for quite some time now
11. No integration with Google Maps
Read comment for #10
12. No way to choose if one wears it on the left or right wrist...
WUT???
13. no night clock mode while charging
Big f*ing deal... you're wanting it to track your sleep patterns anyway right?
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Click to collapse
Jus' sayin
Jus' clarifyin'
1. That's a mic not a speaker. Speaker is on 3G version
5. Previous app should be an option when reactivating watch. Viable point imo
8. As it stands, there is no auto sleep log. Should be addressed by Samsung. S-health even tells you to add a wearable for the function to work??
10 & 11. Google needs to be adopted for the watch to succeed under android I feel
12. See the point, but analogs never adjusted to which arm the watch was worn on. The user needs to adapt
Sorry to be short, it's late ;b
I assumed he meant mic and not speaker since he describes "talking to the wrist"
bkai said:
I assumed he meant mic and not speaker since he describes "talking to the wrist"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My reply would be "Talk to the hand"
Back on topic: Parkmobile just appeared in the app store for the GS2, at least in the Netherlands. Great app for Parkmobile users.
Notifications for Gear s1 & 2
The app "notifications for gear s" is a must have. I am able to reply to facebook messenger and see my Google now cards. It's awesome.
I ony had my watch for less than a day, so obviously I'm still discovering new stuff, but so far I found:
- Calculator (free! and does the job) - this is a samsung app
- News Republic: I was pleasantly surprised to see they have a (free) companion app for the S2, this has been my main news app on my phone for ages (very customisable and looks nice, I love it)
- Gear Pong: just because why not
The Samsung Gear store is terrible by the way... Why with the stupid ugly watch faces flooding every category??? Do some clean up Samsung!
Protagoras said:
- Gear Pong: just because why not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, have You actually won even once? I couldn't, haha. Better games imo are FireFly or Colora
OK. Whining aside is there a program that will allow me to get reminders? I use Touchdown as my regular calendar and I think I can use my Samsung calendar but can't get S Voice to work off the GS2.
rogerperk said:
OK. Whining aside is there a program that will allow me to get reminders? I use Touchdown as my regular calendar and I think I can use my Samsung calendar but can't get S Voice to work off the GS2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never mind! Reminders work you just have to set them on the phone. That works for me!
"I am Alive" by Kittikhun Yodrak is very useful. It's basically a toggle for screen always on. No idea why the app is so big though (7.5 MB)...
Cryps said:
Jus' clarifyin'
5. Previous app should be an option when reactivating watch. Viable point imo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, at least you can configure the menu button double-click to launch last opened app.
Metronome and Guitar Tuner pls
Anyone, please... Make Metronome app / Guitar Tuner app for Gear S2. Please.........
My Gear S2 Classic verdict after 1 month every day use:
Pros:
- Absolutely office compatible, looks great, really nice to wear and not too big for slim-wristed people like me
- Great battery time, runs in between 36h and 48h (I use it for time, notifications from 11 apps and 30 min sport recording every day)
- Excellent display (its AMOLED after all), even in strong daylight
- Probably the very best user interface, the bezel/lunette with the two buttons makes it very intuitive and easy to operate
- Thanks to MRTIMEMAKER endless watch faces (you basically don’t have to buy any…)
- Sturdy build (but also see cons for screen)
- Easy to connect and to administrate via GEAR App on my Samsung S6 edge
- All the apps shipping with it cover all my everyday’s needs
Neutral
- No speaker, I don’t really need it but the alarm clock is a bit lame using vibrations only
- Vibrations are quite weak (had to set it to strong and long duration to surely recognize them)
- HERE maps directions are not always distinct, so I have to look at my phone from time-to-time
- Built-in keyboard is hard to use and not really adapted to a round watch-face
- Currently very few applications in store (but it is getting a bit better everyday)
Cons
- S Voice is inferior to OK Google or Siri but it is needed due to mediocre keyboard
- No integration of Google Maps, Voice Search and only partly support of Google Now notifications (only first notification is displayed)
- Screen is only Gorilla glass, competition uses sapphire glass
- Notifications get overwritten by newer ones if they come from a different app (except for emails and SMS)
- Only the original charger (which is very pricey) works with this smartwatch, even that it seems to use wireless charging standards...
So at a scale from 1 to 10 (10 is best) I would give this watch an 8. With more apps to come it will get a straight 10!
My wishes for apps would be:
- Integration of Google Maps and Voice
- Keyboard alternatives
- Displaying (and editing to some extend) of notes apps like Google Notes, MS Notes etc
- A (working!) sleep tracker
- More information (tags) on currently played music in music app
- A simple(!) stock ticker
Thanks for the review. Min shows up tonight and I am particularly interested in your experience with other chargers. What did you try?
Thanks,
Fred
I totally agree with your review. I bought both S2's. For me, the classic was a little smaller than the 'sport'. The classic should have been larger to justify the $50 extra.
Uses Google Maps.. just a heads up...
Great review and very true. I used the gear s2 (non-classic) for a few weeks before I returned it. I will be getting the 3g version from verizon.
a huge upgrade for me would be the google now notifications all showing. In addition, the sleep tracking option would be great (which apparently will be available at some point based on other discussions online). The no speaker is a bit annoying, and I refuse to walk around with a bluetooth headset just so that I don't have to take my phone out of my pocket. Overall it seems that Samsung did a great job with this watch, and should be able to make it close to a "10" with a few further updates. I did find that the battery life could have been stronger too.
My desires for Samsung would be:
Full view of google now notifications (so basically pulling everything from my google now even if it wasn't a recent notification)
Sleep tracking (with the option of shutting everything on the watch aside from the time and the tracking items)
Customizable "sleep mode" (as opposed to only do not disturb and battery saving mode)
"watch only" mode (it would be nice to have my watch only without any notifications or anything else at times while saving battery-which would turn off all the "ometers", bluetooth, vibration, etc. and just give me the time)
Fast charging (this could hurt battery life, but it would be nice instead of the 2:15 it took to charge from 0-100% even if it's only to get a 25% boost in 10 minutes or whatever on a 250 mah battery... my notes 4 with off 300mah takes an hour to charge)
Overall... GREAT job samsung... really loved the watch. And looking forward to receipt of my 3g version
I have a sport but agree with most of this. I also have a moto 360, and save for the lack of Google maps and s voice instead of Google now, I find the s2 more powerful and enjoyable.
I also find the ui a lot more intuitive. Android wear you just need to memorize which swipe does what, there's nothing to clue you in. On the s2, it is apparent just by looking at it how to do most things.
They have really delivered on this, great first showing for this update to tizen and ui paradigm.
Swap google now for s voice, get Google maps going, offer a larger size, and they have a pretty compelling case to ditch android wear.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
Great review, thanks. Any updates since last written? The Gear S2 classic grabbed my attention and since my pebble steel is having issues with it's screen I figure it's time to start shopping. I have a note 5 and don't use S-voice as I find OK google works better, getting the S2 I assume I can't use that. So that brings me over to android wear.
sapphire crystal glass is fare more reflective than gorilla glass, so using it will also make the watch less visible under sunlight.
Mr.time maker is really ****ty it doesn't support anything other than watch face + 2 hands, might as well use the stock watch faces.
jacobgong said:
sapphire crystal glass is fare more reflective than gorilla glass, so using it will also make the watch less visible under sunlight.
Mr.time maker is really ****ty it doesn't support anything other than watch face + 2 hands, might as well use the stock watch faces.
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Click to collapse
To be fair, Mr timemaker also supports something like three or four complications as well as many cool faces -- all for free. Nice change from stock faces without breaking the bank. For something more complex, then samsung gear watch designer software is a good bet.
sefrcoko said:
To be fair, Mr timemaker also supports something like three or four complications as well as many cool faces -- all for free. Nice change from stock faces without breaking the bank. For something more complex, then samsung gear watch designer software is a good bet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but the complication support is useless because you can't customise it so it never fits with the rest of the watch face.
it disgusts me to see a "tourbillon" watch that just has a Google image of a fixed tourbillon, or a white "complication" that doesn't even fit into the slot of where the complication is supposed to go on the watch face.
jacobgong said:
Yes but the complication support is useless because you can't customise it so it never fits with the rest of the watch face.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works fine with many faces but I agree the lack of customization isn't ideal and doesn't fit well with some designs. If you're looking for something more robust I suggest using Gear Watch Designer.
After 2 months of use, my review of my G2 Classic:
1-Overall a good watch. Looks good, works well enough. I'll keep it.
2-POOR ALARM!! The main reason I use a smart watch is to get notifications and if this is so weak it does not wake me up in the morning or alert me of an email then it is a major fail for the watch.
3-Once I turn off those apps and functions I simply do not need or use (wifi, NFC, etc.) I get 2 days of battery life.
4-Screen is bright enough to be seen in direct sunlight - a major requirement for me.
5-The watch is waterproof - a major requirement for me.
6- The watch works with multiple email programs - a major requirement for me.
7-The watch functions are easy to work with in the most part.
8-Weather and Step Count are poor. The weather doesn't update hourly when you select that option. Only updates when I force it. Steps are off by several hundred from my phone. Not show stoppers, but poor. ((UPDATE - I just deleted all my non-stock Note 4 weather programs and used the one that came with the phone. Lo and behold it now updates hourly. So... use the stock weather app. Problem solved.)) ((CHANGE 2 24 Jan - now it doesn't work. Not sure why.))
9-Samsung Customer Service on this watch sucks. I called a couple of times and got people in India who obviously never heard of the watch and had nothing to offer.
What I"d like to see:
1-Get the damn update out! It's been a couple months and nothing in the US. I hear some of my criticisms will be answer by that.
2-Make the Weather and Step functions work as advertised.
3-FIX THE DAMN VIBRATION!! This is a major fail for the watch and the one reason why I do not recommend it to other professionals. It simply does not help me manage my time and, though I like the watch, had I suspected this I probably would have kept my Pebble. It woke me up in the morning.
4-The ability to set reminders by voice with Google Now off the watch. This is a function I use extensively on my phone and it would be better off my watch. Pebble actually has a separate app that does this as well and that would work too.
Some want more watch faces, more apps, etc. But since I'm not launching nuclear missiles from my watch I really don't want that much functionality. I don't need to see my photos on my watch, control my music, navigate, or many of the other things this watch does. I want some simple health functions, trustworthy notifications, and that's about it. I have one or two watch faces I use and I'm happy with that.
I've had my S2 Classic for 3 days now and I have no issues with notifications. What did you mean by the notifications getting over written? I've not yet had this issue. I can have notifications from sms, google+, facebook etc and can easily act upon them like comment on a google+ post. Unless you meant the same app it'll over write the notification or maybe I miss read. The keyboard I guess is mediocre but isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Is annoying that if you use made up words like nicknames for example you have no option but to press and hold the keys to choose individual specific letters but once you do that once you can save a word and I'm pretty impressed with the text prediction on it. Other than that I can type relatively quickly on it just having to get used to wear all the letters are now I'm used to using a qwerty keyboard on my phone lol.
S-voice is a little bit of a let down and would prefer the option to have google now but again it works better than expected seems to recognize what I say most of the time although is a little slow especially compared to google now. The only real massive fault I don't like about it is the lack of apps but this may improve with time and I hope it does because the bezel feature is pretty cool and it has potential just hope Samsung do all they can to get devs to make apps for it. The watch is smaller than I thought after looking at videos and pictures online but content is still readable and I compared it to my dad's wrist watch and the S2 is slightly bigger but is roughly the same size so helps give the look of an ordinary wrist watch which I like. Plus isn't bulky unlike my sony smart watch first gen.
I keep reading about weak vibrations which is strange. I set my Classic to long/strong vibration settings and always feel the vibration when it goes off. Maybe different on the sporty gear s2? Or just personal preference perhaps.
sefrcoko said:
I keep reading about weak vibrations which is strange. I set my Classic to long/strong vibration settings and always feel the vibration when it goes off. Maybe different on the sporty gear s2? Or just personal preference perhaps.
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Click to collapse
I had a Pebble and the vibration was strong enough to wake me from a deep sleep. The one on my S2 Classic is hard to feel when I'm awake, much less asleep. It's subtle enough that I have missed calls and calendar notifications. Glad it works for you but it sure doesn't work for me. Its several magnitudes weaker than Pebble.
rogerperk said:
I had a Pebble and the vibration was strong enough to wake me from a deep sleep. The one on my S2 Classic is hard to feel when I'm awake, much less asleep. It's subtle enough that I have missed calls and calendar notifications. Glad it works for you but it sure doesn't work for me. Its several magnitudes weaker than Pebble.
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Click to collapse
Ah that makes sense... I never owned a pebble but I can see how going from one device with much stronger vibrations to another one with weaker vibrations might be a problem. I don't use my Classic's alarm for sleep either (although I am a light sleeper anyhow so I imagine it would be ok for me there too lol). Ok, thanks for clearing it up for me. Hopefully samsung pushes out a future update that allows for greater vibration intensity (if the hardware supports it, that is). Personally I wish every smartwatch had a speaker too, so we wouldn't be forced to rely on vibrations all the time
sefrcoko said:
I keep reading about weak vibrations which is strange. I set my Classic to long/strong vibration settings and always feel the vibration when it goes off. Maybe different on the sporty gear s2? Or just personal preference perhaps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
After one month...
CONS
- I want SLEEP TRACKING!!!
- The bug of the alarm HAS TO BE FIXED asap
- There is no sound alarm (very bad)
PRO
- I don't use notification, so my watch is rarely connected, so my battery life is 4 days long (UAU!!!)
- Great screen
- Great usability
- Very elegant (I have the classic)
- Great designer for the watchfaces (attached my own face...)
- For my needs the APPs are sufficent
Final vote: 8 (it will become 9 with the Sleep Tracking)
Harmon Rabb said:
I have a sport but agree with most of this. I also have a moto 360, and save for the lack of Google maps and s voice instead of Google now, I find the s2 more powerful and enjoyable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Huawei Android Wear, and my opinion is the same as yours.
I went back and forth between the two for several weeks, and eventually just accepted the few limitations of the S2 3G vs. AW, and haven't had the Huawei on my wrist now for 3 weeks or so.
I'm a weather buff, so the one thing in addition to OK Google that I missed was the InstaWeather watch faces. They are absolutely awesome, with a really good animated radar face, and several others that are great.
I simply had to wean myself from glancing at my watch to see what's going on weatherwise (animated radar!), what was coming in terms of forecast, etc. It was painful, but not too much, and I found what I feel is among the best weather apps for Android out there, MyWeather. That helped a lot -- incredible graphical information, forecasts, etc.
If you like weather, download this app now, and have fun watching what's going on on the west coast right now as I type this
As for the rest, I really value the ability to make/receive calls, so the speaker is a big plus. The standalone 3G was a great bonus, but now that I've had it a while I'm find it far more valuable as a feature than I initially thought.
So, at this point the only thing I really have as a significant complaint is the poor performance of S-Voice. I've learned (and am still learning) the quirks of the program so that I can make it as successful for me as possible, but it falls far short of Google's voice recognition servers.
Hi everyone,
Im a long time android user, currently without a samsung phone.
Im looking for a smart watch, using it as a regular watch (have always been wearing one) in the day-day life and as an activity tracker when doing sport (mountain biking and sometimes running)
I struggle to decide if to go with the samsung or one of the garmin fenix watches.
The altimeter-gps-hrm are the key features that I want to have statistics during my activity, and I've read conflicting opinions about bad readings.
1. Any of you who is also doing some kind of sport activity, Are you satisfied with the watch? Is it accurate enough?
2. Re watch apps and builtin apps, I understand that there is some bloatware, Can it be removed?
3. Re sensors readings and activity tracking, can it be exported to be used with other apps? Can I use orux maps on my phone and having an activity recording on the phone gather also the information from the watch?
4. Is it possible to load gpx files and a map beforehand and follow a route like that, offline, without a phone?
5. Is any of the watch functionality degraded when using a non-samsung phone?
I would like to hear as much information from the watch owners, because its hard to decide, on one hand having a watch that costs ~300$ and has a bright screen, smarter, or spending ~600$ for a watch that is allegedly better at activity tracking, but has a poor screen and functionality otherwise, and is much more expensive
eranyanay said:
Hi everyone,
1. Any of you who is also doing some kind of sport activity, Are you satisfied with the watch? Is it accurate enough?
2. Re watch apps and builtin apps, I understand that there is some bloatware, Can it be removed?
3. Re sensors readings and activity tracking, can it be exported to be used with other apps? Can I use orux maps on my phone and having an activity recording on the phone gather also the information from the watch?
4. Is it possible to load gpx files and a map beforehand and follow a route like that, offline, without a phone?
5. Is any of the watch functionality degraded when using a non-samsung phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi there, I was in your very same position and I ended up getting and, for the moment, keeping the S3 frontier. I had an old Epson ps100 which is very good for tracking HR all day long and spotting any activity, but very bad in all the rest (step counts bad, no floor counts, horrible app with no integration with withings or myfitnesspal). Then I bought the Huawei Fit Watch, cheap and nice, but since I do mostly indoor rowing there was no way to use it but by telling it I was cycling and, then, it would make random acquisition of GPS while I was actually indoor. Then I tried the Fenix 3 HR, amazing watch for tracking sport, dedicated program for indoor rowing, but waaaaay off in terms of active calories burned, it would have me burning active calories while watching TV on the bed! I tried two different units, very same issue. On internet you'll find a lot of people having this issue with all the Garmin HR watches, and no answer from Garmin EVER.
So I ended up trying the S3 Frontier. It costs exactly like the Fenix 3HR right now, but half of the new Fenix 5. Which in Europe arrives today. I won't write a review of the watch, but just try to answer to your questions:
1. Any of you who is also doing some kind of sport activity, Are you satisfied with the watch? Is it accurate enough?
I do indoor rowing every day. Plus stretching with a foam roller. I use "Indoor Cycling" program to track the first and "Yoga" to track the second. The watch gives me the same results in terms of HR and calories than the Epson PS100 and the Huawei Fit. So I would say it is accurate, if you keep skin and hr reader clean and tight. I'm a professional photographer, and when I go out on assignments I use the "Hiking" program to track steps, HR, altitude, and to track my gps route. It works very well, even if I'm out for hours and hours.
2. Re watch apps and builtin apps, I understand that there is some bloatware, Can it be removed?
You can remove some of the original programs, but not all of them. They don't take much space though.
3. Re sensors readings and activity tracking, can it be exported to be used with other apps? Can I use orux maps on my phone and having an activity recording on the phone gather also the information from the watch?
There are other app you can use instead of the native ones, like Endomondo (which gave me horribly high calories counting, though) or MapMyRun, etc. I don't know if you can track simultaneously an activity with both SHealth and Endomondo, though. Never tried. You can surely track you gps with ORUX on your phone while using another app on you watch. Remember that in the worst case scenario, if you disconnect the watch from the phone you can use the internal GPS on the watch to track your hiking using SHealth.
4. Is it possible to load gpx files and a map beforehand and follow a route like that, offline, without a phone?
Kind of. You can load GPX files using either Komoot or Gear Navigator. Komoot is available only for users with a Samsung phone. I don't have it so I can't speak for it. I use Gear Navigator, and it works fine, but it requires the Gear Navigator Companion running on your phone. It gives you a map on the phone so you can see where you are compared to the track, but you still need your phone with you. The new Gear Navigator Standalone states it can use GPX too, and it works without a phone, but it still needs internet access or it refuses to work, so either you have the LTE version of the watch or it will still require a phone for the internet access. So, right now there is no app like Garmin ones which will allow you to have gpx tracks without maps working offline, but you have gpx tracks with maps (even satellite maps) working online. The best is I could track my "free hike" with SHealth, stop at the arrival, use the SHealth on the phone to export the GPX, open it with Gear Navigator, and have the watch showing me how to get back following my steps. That was nice.
5. Is any of the watch functionality degraded when using a non-samsung phone?
Right now some, but some of these get corrected to work with any android phone from time to time. Right now you don't have the "email" app (you can still read incoming emails, but you can't answer them or scroll through them). You don't have Uber and Komoot. You don't have the new matching themes. I can't think of other limitations right now, but probably there are. Nothing major, though, since I'm using mine since 18 days with daily workouts and hikes and all of the smart features (which are waaaaay better than any Fenix or Sunto watch) and I'm good with it.
lucarossini said:
hi there, I was in your very same position and I ended up getting and, for the moment, keeping the S3 frontier. I had an old Epson ps100 which is very good for tracking HR all day long and spotting any activity, but very bad in all the rest (step counts bad, no floor counts, horrible app with no integration with withings or myfitnesspal). Then I bought the Huawei Fit Watch, cheap and nice, but since I do mostly indoor rowing there was no way to use it but by telling it I was cycling and, then, it would make random acquisition of GPS while I was actually indoor. Then I tried the Fenix 3 HR, amazing watch for tracking sport, dedicated program for indoor rowing, but waaaaay off in terms of active calories burned, it would have me burning active calories while watching TV on the bed! I tried two different units, very same issue. On internet you'll find a lot of people having this issue with all the Garmin HR watches, and no answer from Garmin EVER.
So I ended up trying the S3 Frontier. It costs exactly like the Fenix 3HR right now, but half of the new Fenix 5. Which in Europe arrives today. I won't write a review of the watch, but just try to answer to your questions:
1. Any of you who is also doing some kind of sport activity, Are you satisfied with the watch? Is it accurate enough?
I do indoor rowing every day. Plus stretching with a foam roller. I use "Indoor Cycling" program to track the first and "Yoga" to track the second. The watch gives me the same results in terms of HR and calories than the Epson PS100 and the Huawei Fit. So I would say it is accurate, if you keep skin and hr reader clean and tight. I'm a professional photographer, and when I go out on assignments I use the "Hiking" program to track steps, HR, altitude, and to track my gps route. It works very well, even if I'm out for hours and hours.
2. Re watch apps and builtin apps, I understand that there is some bloatware, Can it be removed?
You can remove some of the original programs, but not all of them. They don't take much space though.
3. Re sensors readings and activity tracking, can it be exported to be used with other apps? Can I use orux maps on my phone and having an activity recording on the phone gather also the information from the watch?
There are other app you can use instead of the native ones, like Endomondo (which gave me horribly high calories counting, though) or MapMyRun, etc. I don't know if you can track simultaneously an activity with both SHealth and Endomondo, though. Never tried. You can surely track you gps with ORUX on your phone while using another app on you watch. Remember that in the worst case scenario, if you disconnect the watch from the phone you can use the internal GPS on the watch to track your hiking using SHealth.
4. Is it possible to load gpx files and a map beforehand and follow a route like that, offline, without a phone?
Kind of. You can load GPX files using either Komoot or Gear Navigator. Komoot is available only for users with a Samsung phone. I don't have it so I can't speak for it. I use Gear Navigator, and it works fine, but it requires the Gear Navigator Companion running on your phone. It gives you a map on the phone so you can see where you are compared to the track, but you still need your phone with you. The new Gear Navigator Standalone states it can use GPX too, and it works without a phone, but it still needs internet access or it refuses to work, so either you have the LTE version of the watch or it will still require a phone for the internet access. So, right now there is no app like Garmin ones which will allow you to have gpx tracks without maps working offline, but you have gpx tracks with maps (even satellite maps) working online. The best is I could track my "free hike" with SHealth, stop at the arrival, use the SHealth on the phone to export the GPX, open it with Gear Navigator, and have the watch showing me how to get back following my steps. That was nice.
5. Is any of the watch functionality degraded when using a non-samsung phone?
Right now some, but some of these get corrected to work with any android phone from time to time. Right now you don't have the "email" app (you can still read incoming emails, but you can't answer them or scroll through them). You don't have Uber and Komoot. You don't have the new matching themes. I can't think of other limitations right now, but probably there are. Nothing major, though, since I'm using mine since 18 days with daily workouts and hikes and all of the smart features (which are waaaaay better than any Fenix or Sunto watch) and I'm good with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Thank you for the deep insights of your experience with the watch.
I have some followup questions,
1. How well do you feel the Altimeter/Berometer accurate? I read some contradictive opinions, some say they are accurate and some are not. Does it track height, floors, steps well?
2. Hi,
Thank you for the deep insights of your experience with the watch. It really makes me think more positive about buying one.
The main downside is that Im not a samsung user, so Im afraid that I will have less apps, watchfaces or settings/functionality.
I dont care for most apps, but Komoot actually looks nice.
I have some followup questions,
1. How well do you feel the Altimeter/Berometer/GPS accurate? I read some contradictive opinions, some say they are accurate and some are not. Does it track height, floors, steps well? Do you get location right?
2. Isnt there any way to sideload watchfaces/themes or komoot app onto the watch?
eranyanay said:
I have some followup questions,
1. How well do you feel the Altimeter/Berometer/GPS accurate? I read some contradictive opinions, some say they are accurate and some are not. Does it track height, floors, steps well? Do you get location right?
2. Isnt there any way to sideload watchfaces/themes or komoot app onto the watch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Komoot looks nice, but has no map on the watch, only directions. Gear Navigator, instead, has map, and even streetview.
The Altimeter/Barometer has no normal hiccups you could expect on these sensors when mounted on watches. They always had, even my old digital Casio Pro Trek had. Though, thanks to the GPS auto adjustment, they are usually correct. They work very well in detecting floors as long as you swing your arms while climbing up stairs and never stop in the middle. They work very well during hiking or skiing. Garmin has worse luck with the altimeter, my first unit said I was at 6000 meters over sea (I live in Rome, we are barely 20m over sea) an wasn't corrected by the GPS in any way. The GPS works fine, though I think I always had the phone with me while tracking, so it might have been the phone GPS I used...
I just found another app I can't have because I don't have samsung, it is called Pears. However, consider that the new apps are all coming for all the phones (worst luck if you use iOs), and that I don't really feel crippled. Also, the new watch update corrected the way SHealth reads HR during workout and now SHealth has HR zones and evaluate calories accordingly. It is much better, now I feel in line with Garmin during workout (out of workouts Garmin was terrible, S3 wins).
To answer to your last question, though, there is no way I'm aware to sideload apps. You should have to change phone to upload those, since I think when you do the watch gets reset. But, again, they aren't so many. And some of those may not even be available in your country (another little issue, some countries don't have Gear Navigator for example!).
Thanks,
Last thing come to mind, and Im not sure, I see some threads here about watchfaces mentioning themes available at the samsung apps store, is it available for android users in general, without the samsung?
What other tools available out there?
eranyanay said:
Thanks,
Last thing come to mind, and Im not sure, I see some threads here about watchfaces mentioning themes available at the samsung apps store, is it available for android users in general, without the samsung?
What other tools available out there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when you pair the watch on your phone, the latter will automatically install Samsung Gear App Store. That's the store. You'll find all the hundreds of watchfaces and the (few good) apps there. I also just tested Gear Navigator and it seems to work offline too, using the maps in the cache. So it could work on a long hike in areas without internet. I haven't found a way to load GPX tracks on the Gear Navigator Standalone, though.
Thanks.
I think you got me convinced
So far I thought maybe I'll wait.
I think I will go for it.
Just gotta find some glass screen protector so I wont be sad when it scratches...
eranyanay said:
Thanks.
I think you got me convinced
So far I thought maybe I'll wait.
I think I will go for it.
Just gotta find some glass screen protector so I wont be sad when it scratches...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't put any on mine. The watch has Gorilla Glass on it, it's just slightly worse than the Sapphire the Fenix 3 and 5 have (if you pay 100$ more). The watch has been on my wrist every minute for almost a month, sustained skiing (with several high speed crashes), workouts, children (I have a 5yo and a toddler), dog (australian Shepherd), cooking, BBQing, cycling, and it doesn't have a single, slightest, scratch on the glass nor on the bezel. The protectors are way less strong, they will keep getting scratches, you'll think they saved the glass from those, but I don't think so. That said, it is just my opinion, if you feel safe with one just buy it, they are cheap and disposable
Try to get the watch from Amazon or some other vendors with a good return policy, in case you don't like it. As I said, I changed several HR watches in the last couple of months before finding one I like. You may have a totally different experience. Better safe than stuck with a watch you don't like.
I use Gear S3 to track gym sessions (mostly 45 minutes indoor elliptical). Switched from Polar M400.
Until the last update the pulse and calories count were on the low side (pulse about 5 beats less than Polar, 298 calories for session where Polar counted 400).
Since the update trained once today, pulse and calories got really close to those of Polar.
I have nothing to add except that there is an Uber app.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
Would you say there is a good smart watch alternative in the Android wear field?
I have been looking at the Huawei watch 2 but it's not as pretty,not having an altimeter, and also seems to have kind of bad battery life. Only their HRM sensor seems an improvement.
A published review from yesterday on wearable.com mentions negative feelings about pace and HRM reading for the s3.
Is it possible to connect a BT or ANT enabled heart rate chest strap?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
eranyanay said:
Would you say there is a good smart watch alternative in the Android wear field?
I have been looking at the Huawei watch 2 but it's not as pretty,not having an altimeter, and also seems to have kind of bad battery life. Only their HRM sensor seems an improvement.
A published review from yesterday on wearable.com mentions negative feelings about pace and HRM reading for the s3.
Is it possible to connect a BT or ANT enabled heart rate chest strap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look up the TicWatch on YouTube. I came really close to buying that.
RaymondPJR said:
Look up the TicWatch on YouTube. I came really close to buying that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you do eventually?
What did you buy, or didnt buy, and what was the reason for it?
Im really into the S3 design, Just thinking if I should wait until Sep/Oct where a S4 might get out
I had the Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire and really like the watch, but the phone interconnectivity was really lacking for my use and I didnt get it with the integrated HRM. I got the Frontier and really like it. For my exercise use the only thing that I don't care for is the Altimeter, it seems to be off quite often (there have been plenty of discussions on that)
I do however like the new app integration of Endomondo. If you want to import GPX files, I am pretty sure you can do that. Not too sure about S Health.
eranyanay said:
What did you do eventually?
What did you buy, or didnt buy, and what was the reason for it?
Im really into the S3 design, Just thinking if I should wait until Sep/Oct where a S4 might get out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the Gear S 3 Frontier in the end for two reasons. The battery life of the TicWatch was not as good plus I found I could get the LTE version Frontier for $349.00 if I ordered direct from Samsung. TicWatch isn't as expensive plus you can use Google apps, but that wasn't enough in the end.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
I was seriously thinking today about the garmin fenix instead.
But honestly, I do sport activity maybe twice a week, and I prefer to have only good GPS reading, and take into consideration that the altimeter and HRM may be inaccurate
and the screen of the garmin is really disappointing, and as a watch, the watchface there looks very poor
So I think I will go with the gear s3.
I only wonder if its possible to connect HR strap to it. Is it?
Wrist HRM are innaccurate in realtime on more then 100 BPM, basically when your BPM is same around 20 more seconds then it's accurate , it's just the way the blood flows in wrist, while HRM on my phone (s7 edge) is exactly the same as EKG, meaning it's showing realtime bpm as tested by some doctor (artery in finger is almost in direct contact with heart) and wrist veins need time to "update". Altimeter needs to be calibrated when you need to use it, it's using small pressure sensitive membrane , and well it's really sensitive ( calibration is done by downloading relative pressure info for your place where you live and algorythm tries to define your height, and most of the time is correct. Fenix 3 has transreflect screen, meaning that insted of having backlight it's using outside light, hence perfect sun visibility, + you can't really compare 16 color display to SAMOLED 16.7m colors
eranyanay said:
I was seriously thinking today about the garmin fenix instead.
But honestly, I do sport activity maybe twice a week, and I prefer to have only good GPS reading, and take into consideration that the altimeter and HRM may be inaccurate
and the screen of the garmin is really disappointing, and as a watch, the watchface there looks very poor
So I think I will go with the gear s3.
I only wonder if its possible to connect HR strap to it. Is it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO, unless you're a huge activity person the Garmin is way overkill, and, yeah the screen res on the Fenix 3 was NO comparison to the Gear S3, not even in the same league. 350x350 compared to 218x218 (?)...............
I was able to get my S3 Frontier (Non LTE) on special at Amazon for $300. I like the Frontier far more than the Fenix 3
Sorry to bring suddenly the opposite input, but as a lot of other users are reporting on all the S3 forums around the globe, the new update messed badly with the battery and with other watch functionalities. In my case, a few days after the update the battery started going down twice as fast as before, I am talking about 1% every 10 minutes, which means 6% per hour, so around 17 hours of autonomy. The watch used to last me 48 hours before.
Yesterday the watch went completely crazy for a couple of minutes, opening random apps while I was in the middle of a workout. I was forced to reboot it (loosing all the workout I had done so far on SHealth) and then it was ok again. This morning I had another issue when I tried to install the update for HERE Maps (a good navigator) and it wouldn't let me. I tried all the possible combination of rebooting and cache cleaning, and since I still had the battery issue I decided to go for the hard reset, as suggested by many other users.
A horrible idea.
It took me the whole day with I don't know how many trials to finally finish a restore (bluetooth disconnections, network failures, plugin which stopped working, you name it). The restore, by the way, is just apps, watchfaces, and a few settings. No widget restore. No notification restore (even though it is listed in the backup option). No SHealth restore (I lost all of my tracked info on the watch, not on the phone though). No app order restore. I managed to install the new version of HERE maps, but now I can't install Gear Navigator Companion anymore. It gets downloaded and transferred to watch, but the installation fails every time. So I lost the only app able to use gpx tracks on my watch. And, what do you know, battery is exactly like before, meaning every ten minutes I loose a 1%.
Quite frustrated and wildly disappointed, I'm seriously considering to return the watch and try a Fenix 5s instead. I loved how the S3 worked before the update, though I liked the new way to calculate calories and HR zones. But I can't have a watch that doesn't last at least two days or that provides this kind of random issues after a hard reset and attempted restore... that really scared me.
Another update will come.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
Hi, I wrote new free app and I want to share share it! Please feel free to comment your ideas/proposals/bugs in this topic.
Link to the gear store: http://apps.samsung.com/gear/appDetail.as?appId=NDkpJCxaQ6
************ Gear app store detail *************
By default, Gear S3 is saving pressure data every minute 30 days back. By default, you only got Alti/Baro app capable to show only last 6 hours of this data.
I wrote an app, which can use this resource to:
- Show circle graph of altitude according to selected interval (TAU date/time picker).
- Calculate, what barometric change is due to weather or real altitude change.[*]
- Count you ascended and descended elevation.
- You can read every piece of data (date + altitude[**]) by bezel turning.
My idea of using this app is:
-You are on trail and you can switch Gear S3 to offline mode with display turned off. At evening, in basecamp, you can analyse altitude data. Or event after 30 days!
-During working day, you can easily track when did you used elevator, went the steps etc...
The process of loading a new data (when you select new interval):
1. Graph of barometric pressure[blue] ->
2. Graph of calculated altitude[orange] ->
3. Graph of polished altitude[green], now bezel is enabled.
As this is first release, please let me know here, if I should continue implementing this
If you are interested enough, please donate me (via XDA profile) to support future development :victory:
[*] If altitude changes more than 2 meters in 2 minutes, it is marked as altitude.
[**] Now without any calibration, forced to 1013 hPa. But this app is not altimeter and ASC/DSC meters can be calculated without nearly any difference.
I still don't see why Samsung won't let me view the contents of their store using my computer. It is sometimes more convenient for me to see the info on a larger screen!!! But that is not your issue!
I guess the link is if you are on a Samsung (other??) phone or the Gear watch.
We tackle the app a bit later.
Cool Tool!
Thank you! I really like the app Maybe you could make scrolling adaptive so that the step size increases when you scroll more.
eazor said:
Thank you! I really like the app Maybe you could make scrolling adaptive so that the step size increases when you scroll more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanks! There is already fast scrooling implemented - if you rotate bezel fast enough (< 0.3 sec between steps), the speed of scrooling is growing. Did you mean this?
konvalink said:
Hi, thanks! There is already fast scrooling implemented - if you rotate bezel fast enough (< 0.3 sec between steps), the speed of scrooling is growing. Did you mean this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, cool! I did not notice. However, for me, it is still rather slow. Would it be possible to increase the speed even further, or to even skip to the next elevation jump to see its time?
Magnificent app!!!
Could you make it a widget also?
Im not sure but maybe your app des problem with shealth floors counter. When i open your app, i think it didnt count floors. I must reopen shealth app.
adiyoyo said:
Im not sure but maybe your app des problem with shealth floors counter. When i open your app, i think it didnt count floors. I must reopen shealth app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure my app can't cause this kind of problem. It only reads shared public data. It is like watching televison at home, you can't influence other TV watchers in their houses.
App looks really promising. I notice that some text isn't aligned/positioned correctly
kangi26 said:
App looks really promising. I notice that some text isn't aligned/positioned correctly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I noticed this on new Tizen 3.0, which is rolling now. Many apps in store has now problem, I will update it as soon as possible.
Hi, looks like a great app. Just what I am looking for. It is not available in my country. Can you please post a link to it or suggest how I can load it. Thanks!
Loaded app but don't see any data
I went into it on my gear s3.. It asks me for a E my home Altitude.. I enter it. Hit save and reset..
Everytime I open the app it asks for that same info?
Can't find the app on gear store. Any ideas?
Hi,
Sorry if I am a bit out of subject but up to now her is the better place that seems to match my research...
I have a Gear S3 Frotier paired with a OnePlus 3, and I wondered if it exists an application capable of "mirroring" the sensors data (mainly baro and alti) to the phone, just as if those sensors were present in the phone ?
I guess I'm just dreaming for such a feature, but as I'm not a developper so I just can't figure out what is possible or not with Android / Samsung SDK....
Thanks forward for you kind replies.
[email protected] said:
I went into it on my gear s3.. It asks me for a E my home Altitude.. I enter it. Hit save and reset..
Everytime I open the app it asks for that same info?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, this is happening if you performed update OS 2.3 ->3.0 without reset. Upgrade process destroyed many apps, Samsung doesn't want to help developers and we have no clue how to fix apps for OS 3.0. Sorry, I deleted all my apps because Samsung is unable to publish any material for developers about OS 3.0 upgrade and what is causing problems with sensors. API is the same, but apps won't work.
I gave it chance (here in forum), but no one is able to help. Reset works, but it is a dirty solution.
When Samsung finally answers me, I will update the app to the working version for OS 3.0.
Is there any reason why I can't download the app from the store in France? Is the restriction intended?
App Download
Hey thank you so much for developping this app I was looking for an app like this ever since i bought my S3 Gear. However i'm having problems downloading this app it says not available in your country or not compatible. I have a samsung S9 plus and an S3 frontier Gear. Is there an updated link or a way to install it?
Thank you.
I'm a galaxy Watch owner, why i cannot download this app from the store for localization problem?
I'm not able to locate the app at all, Is it still out there?
Hi, why can't I download it on my gear sport? Samsung says "app isn't available in your country or for your device"
I am coming from the Galaxy Watch S3 Classic to the Watch 4 Classic. I have spent many hours now searching for a decent dual analog/digital face- one with large enough digital to read, classy looking, ambient support, etc. No luck so far.
On my old watch I used a face called "OceanWatchII", although I don't remember where it came from (it was not WatchMaker or Facer, just stand-alone). Got compliments all the time. I even found a screenshot of someone else who uses it (attached). Has anyone seen something similar to this? Thanks
I think i found it for you because i saw this and loved it!
Ocean Watch II - Apps on Google Play
Digital watch Face for Wear OS by AZ Design.
play.google.com
Enjoy
Says not compatible with watch 4.
MKchrias said:
Says not compatible with watch 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For some reason a lot of watch faces say that on your phone - look it up in Google Play on your PC.
MKchrias said:
Says not compatible with watch 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see that on the description. In fact, it does say WearOS 3, and all the photos are of the GW4 classic running it. He must of just posted it since it wasn't there when I was looking for it previously.
PSGM said:
I think i found it for you because i saw this and loved it!
Ocean Watch II - Apps on Google Play
Digital watch Face for Wear OS by AZ Design.
play.google.com
Enjoy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, good find. I looks like he posted it about 5 days after I gave up looking for it. Yes, it is a really nice face, simple but functional, stylish and effective. It used to be free. Since then, I was able to come close with a WatchMaker face.
its $1 and it's compatible, just not very customizable apart from changing the colour.
crxssi said:
Thanks, good find. I looks like he posted it about 5 days after I gave up looking for it. Yes, it is a really nice face, simple but functional, stylish and effective. It used to be free. Since then, I was able to come close with a WatchMaker face.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's your experience with WatchMaker crxssi? I don't want to touch Facer, as it smacks of being quasi-malware to me (battery and processor hog, ads galore). I have seen some very nice watch faces in WatchMaker premium add-ons, but I don't want any battery-draining or questionable junk on my watch - any concerns?
jtOttawa said:
What's your experience with WatchMaker crxssi? I don't want to touch Facer, as it smacks of being quasi-malware to me (battery and processor hog, ads galore). I have seen some very nice watch faces in WatchMaker premium add-ons, but I don't want any battery-draining or questionable junk on my watch - any concerns?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WatchMaker is both fantastic and yet frustrating. I bought Premium a long time ago, back when I was using the Moto 360's, so I am "set". Few people want to make watch faces from scratch (me included), but want to find something nice to use or at least start with. That is where it gets a bit difficult. There are lots of WatchMaker faces, but it is hard to search to find what you want based on certain criteria and also that are not extra cost. Takes some practice and patience.
I found a free face called "Pulsar Neo" which does most everything I want (will attach screenshot). Then I edited it and added application launching on several touch areas (clicking on temp brings up weather, clicking on time brings up stopwatch, clicking on date brings up calendar), changed the time to be 12 hour (not 24 hour), removed some elements I didn't want, changed the second hand to be red, changed ticking from continuous sweep to stepping, etc. It is an extremely powerful program. If you like to tinker, it is da bomb.
Despite the tons of functionality, if you are careful with what options are enabled, I do not find it to be any more battery-draining than "native" faces are. Certainly no malware. Unlike "native" faces, WatchMaker gives you COMPLETE control over what the face does, how it acts, what features are available, etc. And you can do all that from your phone, complete with a fully-functioning, enlarged-version of the watchface, then send it to the watch.
crxssi said:
WatchMaker is both fantastic and yet frustrating. I bought Premium a long time ago, back when I was using the Moto 360's, so I am "set". Few people want to make watch faces from scratch (me included), but want to find something nice to use or at least start with. That is where it gets a bit difficult. There are lots of WatchMaker faces, but it is hard to search to find what you want based on certain criteria and also that are not extra cost. Takes some practice and patience.
I found a free face called "Pulsar Neo" which does most everything I want (will attach screenshot). Then I edited it and added application launching on several touch areas (clicking on temp brings up weather, clicking on time brings up stopwatch, clicking on date brings up calendar), changed the time to be 12 hour (not 24 hour), removed some elements I didn't want, changed the second hand to be red, changed ticking from continuous sweep to stepping, etc. It is an extremely powerful program. If you like to tinker, it is da bomb.
Despite the tons of functionality, if you are careful with what options are enabled, I do not find it to be any more battery-draining than "native" faces are. Certainly no malware. Unlike "native" faces, WatchMaker gives you COMPLETE control over what the face does, how it acts, what features are available, etc. And you can do all that from your phone, complete with a fully-functioning, enlarged-version of the watchface, then send it to the watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks for that!
crxssi said:
WatchMaker is both fantastic and yet frustrating. I bought Premium a long time ago, back when I was using the Moto 360's, so I am "set". Few people want to make watch faces from scratch (me included), but want to find something nice to use or at least start with. That is where it gets a bit difficult. There are lots of WatchMaker faces, but it is hard to search to find what you want based on certain criteria and also that are not extra cost. Takes some practice and patience.
I found a free face called "Pulsar Neo" which does most everything I want (will attach screenshot). Then I edited it and added application launching on several touch areas (clicking on temp brings up weather, clicking on time brings up stopwatch, clicking on date brings up calendar), changed the time to be 12 hour (not 24 hour), removed some elements I didn't want, changed the second hand to be red, changed ticking from continuous sweep to stepping, etc. It is an extremely powerful program. If you like to tinker, it is da bomb.
Despite the tons of functionality, if you are careful with what options are enabled, I do not find it to be any more battery-draining than "native" faces are. Certainly no malware. Unlike "native" faces, WatchMaker gives you COMPLETE control over what the face does, how it acts, what features are available, etc. And you can do all that from your phone, complete with a fully-functioning, enlarged-version of the watchface, then send it to the watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. WM is far and away the most powerful watch design software. It definitely drained more battery on the Tizen watches, but on GW4, the stock faces seem to drain just as much.
ALooneyGuy said:
I agree. WM is far and away the most powerful watch design software. It definitely drained more battery on the Tizen watches, but on GW4, the stock faces seem to drain just as much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never used WM on my Tizen S3 watch, I only used it on WearOS watches before it. I don't think it was available for Tizen at the time, and/or wasn't stable... in any case, I was happy with the native face I found.
So when I jumped onto the GW4, which is WearOS again, and couldn't find any native watch face I wanted, I remembered WatchMaker again (oh yeah, I already paid for that and "own" it, perhaps I can just find something there that I like and if I can get close, I can just edit it to suit).
So I can't comment about battery life of WatchMaker faces on Tizen vs WearOS. But I can comment that it seems no different under WearOS3 vs. the native faces I tried for the GW4.
crxssi said:
I found a free face called "Pulsar Neo" which does most everything I want (will attach screenshot). Then I edited it and added application launching on several touch areas (clicking on temp brings up weather, clicking on time brings up stopwatch, clicking on date brings up calendar), changed the time to be 12 hour (not 24 hour), removed some elements I didn't want, changed the second hand to be red, changed ticking from continuous sweep to stepping, etc. It is an extremely powerful program. If you like to tinker, it is da bomb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ug. I haven't gone into the WatchMaker app on my phone in quite a while. For some reason, when I go into it now, all the faces I downloaded and modified, including the "Pulsar Neo" are GONE! The watch faces are still on the watch, but I can't see or edit them in the phone app.
Typically, I am careful about having backups and such. And I do have a backup of a few that I no longer use. But in this case, I am stuck. I searched my computer and the phone and can find no trace of the file(s) I need. Even worse, I have no idea where I found the original (un-modified) Pulsar Neo watch file, and searching the web only finds a non ".watch" version. I don't have any notes or anything.
Is there some easy way I can suck the faces back off the watch and into WatchMaker on the phone so I can see/edit them again? Thanks for any ideas.
crxssi said:
Typically, I am careful about having backups and such. And I do have a backup of a few that I no longer use. But in this case, I am stuck. I searched my computer and the phone and can find no trace of the file(s) I need. Even worse, I have no idea where I found the original (un-modified) Pulsar Neo watch file, and searching the web only finds a non ".watch" version. I don't have any notes or anything.
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Update: Still no way to find my modified version, but I finally found the original. It is called "Pulsar Neon" in WatchAware and when loaded in WatchMaker it is called "Pulsar Neo". I thought I would post it here, in case someone else wants it (or I lose it yet again). I don't know the original filename, since "sharing" it requires entry of a new name. I called it pulsar_neo.watch but had to zip it or this site wouldn't allow attachment.
I am still hoping I can find a way to suck the edited version back off the watch, since I spent several hours tweaking their version to make it perfect for my needs...
You can download the apk files for the watch faces. You can use ADB AppControl and link your watch via WiFi. It gives you the ability to see all the loaded apk files and select and download the ones you want. It does a lot more, but this may help you out.