School me on smart watches

[mark1j]

I have not wore a watch in my 40 years. I keep finding myself in situations where I wish I had a watch since I don't always have my phone with me or I am in a situation where I can't get my phone out. My questions:

1. Do you have to buy a data plan separate from your cell phone to be able to send/receive texts and use the watch.
2. Does your phone have to be near the watch for it to be able to use all the "smart" capabilities.
3. I would like one with GPS capabilities for when I go out west. I've been looking at the Garmin watches. Do all brands offer GPS or would it be best to stick with a Garmin watch.
4. Any other information i need to know about smart watches to help me decide?
5. For those that have a smart watch, is it worth the cost? Or should I just buy a plain watch.

I stay about 10 years behind on any new technology so any help is appreciated.

 

[basstrkr]

 

[sinclair1]

My wife has a Apple Watch. She can take calls on it without a phone. It cost $10 more added to our phone plan. She can run the whole house, close garage doors, alarms, lights and it tracks you everywhere you go like a phone. If youre important you might not want one. We are not important and they don’t care we are at Kroger.
I have a lower IQ Fitbit that I only wear during exercise with a GPS that the info downloads to the phone.

I don’t see much value in them.

 

[ddgarcia]

Just one more intrusion into your personal life/info by Big Tech and by extension, .Gov, Big Pharma, Corporate America( China) and Insurance companies in my personal opinion.

And just one more thing to worry about should you lose it or have it stolen.

Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead with one.

 

[jiminbogart]

I don’t see much value in them.

That's been my take. A solution looking for a problem.

 

[Ruger#3]

Wife wears an Apple Watch. She finds it useful at work as she is constantly on the move. Coworkers text constantly to coordinate and she can see the message at a glance of her wrist while doing something else. I don’t think I need one but their very helpful for some.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

If your busy with your hands they can have some value. My buddy is a welder and fabricator, he cannot stop and dig his phone out every time it rings or buzzes. He works in a loud shop and often doesn’t hear it. When his watch notifies him by lighting up, he can kinda screen his calls for importance by just a glance of his wrist and go from there. He likes it, but he is on his second one, the screen & covers don’t like welding sparks it seems.

 

[GeorgeShu]

Three months ago my wife insisted I wear one when I am out and about. She is concerned that I might fall, get injured and not be able to notify her or anyone else that I need help. I am 75 and still love to work in my woods, 16 miles from the house, driving my tractor bush hogging, clearing downed trees etc.
After a bit of thought I agreed. Its is like a mini smart phone, just smaller.
Now I have two electronic leashes intead of one.
But it does have a “fall” feature that will notify others if one falls down. So now if I do fall at least it will tell me I did!
And you sync it to your phone and thenit does not need to be close to the phone to work as long as you have internet access.

 

[ATLFalconsfan80]

I have an apple watch, and it helped me out of a serious jam I was a few months back... was taking samples for my job and I had to get down on this river bank.. Left my phone in the truck and grabbed my sampling materials and walked on down.. long story short when I stepped onto the bank at the edge of the river I got stuck in thigh high mud... couldn't move or get free.. panicking of being stuck and not able to move my watch dings at me and tells me to breath cause my heart rate had elevated so high and so fast.. after I calmed myself down. I was able to call my co-worker who was at the office from my watch and told him where I was and what happened... he showed up with some rope and wood and I finally managed to get out... not my finest moment

Glad I had my watch that day

 

[DrK]

I don't have a iphone watch but my neighbor dropped her phone on the road while walking her child around the subdivision and I found it. Returned it to her and inquired how far she can go without loosing signal on her watch. She said she does not have problem doing our 1 mile circular loop with the max distance of at least a half mile away from phone to watch.

 

[Mac]

good info, I just have a ole school fitbit

 

[Ruger#3]

The wife leaves her phone locked in an office and goes all over the hospital using her watch only.

 

[mrs. hornet22]

My son has one. No cell phone at work so it comes in handy for him. His wife is the same. Mainly just for text messages that he can just glance at it. It does look a lot better than these folks walking around bumping into things because their face is fixed on their cell phone. I've seen my son glance at his watch and if need be, he excuses himself and makes a call.

 

[elfiii]

If only Dick Tracy was alive today.

 

[jdgator]

I recently had to tell a flag officer that he could not wear his smart watch in my SCIF.

 

[ATLFalconsfan80]

I recently had to tell a flag officer that he could not wear his smart watch in my SCIF.

Curious…what’s a flag officer and SCIF?

 

[ATLFalconsfan80]

I recently had to tell a flag officer that he could not wear his smart watch in my SCIF.

Curious…what’s a flag officer and SCIF?

Is this it? I had to google

A sensitive compartmented information facility

 

[trad bow]

I have a Garmin fenix5 that I use when hunting my bird dog. It links up with the controller to the dog tracking collar and gives me alarm if dog goes on point and how far dog is from me and what direction with just a glance at my wrist. That’s about the only time I use it

 

[jiminbogart]

I have an apple watch, and it helped me out of a serious jam I was a few months back... was taking samples for my job and I had to get down on this river bank.. Left my phone in the truck and grabbed my sampling materials and walked on down.. long story short when I stepped onto the bank at the edge of the river I got stuck in thigh high mud... couldn't move or get free.. panicking of being stuck and not able to move my watch dings at me and tells me to breath cause my heart rate had elevated so high and so fast.. after I calmed myself down. I was able to call my co-worker who was at the office from my watch and told him where I was and what happened... he showed up with some rope and wood and I finally managed to get out... not my finest moment

Glad I had my watch that day

We will be needing pics. We are already laughing at you, but be want to roll on the floor laughing.

 

[ATLFalconsfan80]

We will be needing pics. We are already laughing at you, but be want to roll on the floor laughing.

You ever got stuck in thigh high mud??? It’s pretty intense ???