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The Apple Watch Gets One Thing Very Right: It's The First Smartwatch That's Not A Distraction
Forbes ^ | April 26, 2015 | Seth Porges

Posted on 04/26/2015 10:43:19 PM PDT by Swordmaker

Smartwatches, at their core, are notification machines—devices aimed at allowing you to filter through the firehose of alerts and beeps and vibrations that come from an app-filled phone, so that you only spend your time tackling the important ones. . .

This is a basic mission, but one that many smartwatches do a pretty lousy job of tackling. One particular problem I’ve repeatedly encountered: These devices tend to indiscriminately light up my wrist with every alert, forcing me to pull up my sleeve or quickly activate ”Mute” so as to keep them from drawing the gazes of everybody around me. If you’re in a movie theater or dimly lit bar, your lit-up wrist might as well be the sun, drawing stares and “harumphs” from those around you. While these devices seek to dial down the distractions, they end up being one themselves. This is one reason why, up until now, the Pebble smartwatch has been perhaps the best one on the market—its use of E-Ink or the display (as opposed to the more-common LCD screens) keeps it from being a big, bright distraction to those around you. A smartwatch should dissapear. Very few actually do.

The Apple Watch is the first LCD smartwatch that actually handles this issue in a sensible manner. With the Apple Watch, notifications cause your wrist to vibrate, but the screen does not light up at first. The genius touch: Thanks to clever use of an internal accelerometer, the screen only comes alive when you turn your wrist towards your face, so as to look at it. If you’re locked in conversation and you find yourself on the receiving end of a bunch of alerts, nobody else has to know. .


The forthcoming Apple Watch is the highest-profile smartwatch yet

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS:
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1 posted on 04/26/2015 10:43:19 PM PDT by Swordmaker
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To: ~Kim4VRWC's~; 1234; Abundy; Action-America; acoulterfan; AFreeBird; Airwinger; Aliska; altair; ...
The Apple Watch Gets One Thing Very Right: It's The First Smartwatch That's Not A Distraction — PING!


Apple Watch Subtle Notifications Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

I challenge the members of the Apple ping list to each donate at least $10 each to the latest Freepathon. I HAVE donated $100. Many members of the Apple Ping list are already rising to the challenge. Join them. Let's show the power of the Apple Ping list in supporting Freerepublic!

If you have ordered an Apple Watch,
MAKE A DONATION TO THE FREEPATHON!

2 posted on 04/26/2015 10:47:07 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users contnue...)
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To: Swordmaker

Sorry, still won’t buy one, never will. When the homosexual CEO can explain to me why promiscuous sex among men is a good thing, then I might reconsider.


3 posted on 04/26/2015 10:52:52 PM PDT by Fungi (Job 26:7 : He stretcheth out the north over empty space, And hangeth the earth upon nothing.)
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To: Swordmaker

When the reviewer uses the term “genius touch” he loses credibility and puts himself in the fanboi realm rather than objective reviewer.


4 posted on 04/26/2015 11:03:13 PM PDT by ifinnegan
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To: Fungi

“Sorry, still won’t buy one, never will....”
****************************************************************************************************
IMHO absolutely NOBODY CARES whether you buy one or not...so why post this here? In case you haven’t understood the situation, the World and Apple & its customers go on perfectly well without you buying a particular product.


5 posted on 04/26/2015 11:05:55 PM PDT by House Atreides (CRUZ or lose!)
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To: Swordmaker

I’ll grant that but, I did see the ghetto version that sells for $100k.

Fugly as a diamond encrusted Rolex or Cartier....and stupid looking too boot....

If’n theyz wuz gonnuz bling dat biotch out, dey shoulduh made it bigguh...


6 posted on 04/26/2015 11:14:52 PM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy Yourself ala Louis Prima)
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To: House Atreides; Fungi
Yeah Fungi, what are ya thinkin with that comment, this is Apple not Microsoft, Freepers are only allowed to mock or belittle Microsoft, never, ever, Apple.
7 posted on 04/26/2015 11:15:00 PM PDT by Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
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To: Fungi
Sorry, still won’t buy one, never will. When the homosexual CEO can explain to me why promiscuous sex among men is a good thing, then I might reconsider.

That's quite a leap of logic. . . Assuming that all homosexuals also support "promiscuous sex among men" is assuming facts not in evidence. I would think that Cook's support for Gay marriage is enough without claiming more than you know to be a fact. I find his actions in signing the petition to condemn the Freedom of Religion Restoration Act in Indiana to be sufficient however, adding to it a claim of Cook deliberately promoting promiscuity about which he has never said a word. Condemn Cook for what he has actually said, not for what you would wish he said.

8 posted on 04/26/2015 11:23:09 PM PDT by Swordmaker (This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users contnue...)
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To: House Atreides
In case you haven’t understood the situation, the World and Apple & its customers go on perfectly well without you buying a particular product.

Great, FR can go on just great without the endless advertising, right?

9 posted on 04/26/2015 11:24:39 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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To: ifinnegan

any dope that buys this “watch” is a fanboi.


10 posted on 04/26/2015 11:55:07 PM PDT by Blue Highway
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To: Vendome

perfect example of Apple selling out to the low IQ / stupid rich celebrity crowd, infuriating core Apple fanbois as the average Joe has to wait until June to buy one while some ghetto thug will $billions can wear one like he’s for cheezy....


11 posted on 04/26/2015 11:57:34 PM PDT by Blue Highway
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To: Fungi
Sorry, still won’t buy one, never will. When the homosexual CEO can explain to me why promiscuous sex among men is a good thing, then I might reconsider.

It's a bad idea to shop for technology (or anything else) based on the supposed politics of the provider.

If I did that with any degree of thoroughness, I wouldn't be able to post online. Hell, I couldn't even consume dead-tree media! I'd have to retire to a bird house in the Montana woods, there to brood, all links to the modern world having been found to be unclean in one way or another.

12 posted on 04/27/2015 12:02:26 AM PDT by cynwoody
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To: Blue Highway

I have friend, republican, who is waiting with baited breath for his watch.

I remain sceptical it’s something I’ll want.

And, I’m a fan of Apple but, have no Apple products.


13 posted on 04/27/2015 12:03:45 AM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy Yourself ala Louis Prima)
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14 posted on 04/27/2015 12:11:03 AM PDT by bd476
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To: Mastador1
Yeah Fungi, what are ya thinkin with that comment, this is Apple not Microsoft, Freepers are only allowed to mock or belittle Microsoft, never, ever, Apple.

There is no comparison whatsoever between microsoft and apple threads on this site.  The anti-apple rage is astounding, especially as so much of it is directed at the users of apple products rather than the company or products themselves, which is mostly what you see in it's more milder form on microsoft threads.

If you compare a few threads dispassionately, it's really easy to see the difference.

15 posted on 04/27/2015 7:46:20 AM PDT by zeugma ( The Clintons Could Find a Loophole in a Stop Sign)
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To: zeugma

I have no horse in the race, just tickled to see the fan wars.


16 posted on 04/27/2015 9:28:38 AM PDT by Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
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To: Mastador1
I have no horse in the race, just tickled to see the fan wars.

I'm a linux bigot, but I like to keep up with it all. I'm just tired of the continual stream of invective that comes out on every single apple thread. Discussion and disagreements are great, but the insults are a waste of everyone's time.

 

17 posted on 04/27/2015 9:34:17 AM PDT by zeugma ( The Clintons Could Find a Loophole in a Stop Sign)
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To: doorgunner69
Great, FR can go on just great without the endless advertising, right?
A couple of points: I am not promoting the idea that Apple is infallible, and it has joined the regrettable chorus of opposition to religious freedom which inheres in “gay rights” which is seen in far too many other quarters as well. I am even considering disposing of my (significant, for me) holding of AAPL over the issue. But the fact is that AAPL has in the past couple of decades been getting things right. First by switching to Unix, which is inherently more robust than the OSes which are designed to naively trust every input because it was assumed that the user had control of the inputs. Came the Internet, and that assumption was silly. Even before that, “sneaker net” transmission of viruses was a problem. AAPL then proceeded to take over the music player market with its iPod, the smart phone market (at least, the profit in making the smart phone), the tablet, and now, seemingly, the smart watch.

Given that this forum did not exist before the advent of modern digital technology, and could not exist without it, the progress of consumer digital technology hardly seems to be inherently outside the range of interest of its participants. IMHO.


18 posted on 04/27/2015 9:48:34 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion ('Liberalism' is a conspiracy against the public by wire-service journalism.)
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To: Swordmaker

I have a question for you. Could you program the apple watch to be a one touch danger response?? I can’t get my phone out fast enough should a bad situation occur. Could you set up the watch to do either or both of these things with one push: to audio / video record on the phone (or watch), and to call 911?

This could be a very important draw. If you could push or say something and boom your phone is recording and help is called.


19 posted on 04/27/2015 11:21:56 AM PDT by Yaelle ("You're gonna fly away, Glad you're going my way...")
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion
Given that this forum did not exist before the advent of modern digital technology, and could not exist without it, the progress of consumer digital technology hardly seems to be inherently outside the range of interest of its participants.

Irrelevant, IMHO. There are endless computer and OS specific websites for those that crave info on that stuff. I choose not to go there, enough clutter as it is.

By your reasoning, should FR be ridden with Datsun, Ford, and Toyota threads since we all drive? Of course not, and if we want info on that, we would seek out sources specializing in that, not cluttering up a political forum.

The mods are continually saying "No Thanks" and deleting humor threads, I see this as no different.

20 posted on 04/27/2015 1:38:01 PM PDT by doorgunner69
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