In theory, a GPS watch should be able to set the time automatically and precisely from the satellites. Hopefully the devs know this.
Time is part of the equation for position. But you still have to deal with week cycle rollovers on GPS L1 so it’s best to let user at least set the time.
Well I hope the watch can at least update the time every time it acquires a location. Or when you travel to a new time zone it should be able to update automatically without internet access.
So I guess it is better than current product but it really feel like appropriation of ecology by capitalism. There is no serious need for smart watches, it feels to me like a perfect example of artificial demand. The ecological solution to the e-waste caused by smart watches is to stop producing those.
I’ve been using smart watches since the Pebble Time Steel. The reason I use a smart watch is to get off my phone more.
I use it to screen important notifications, read messages, and to tell the time.
It’s a niche use case but I find it helpful especially at work to see what’s happening without pulling it out.
That said my poor pebble isn’t used much these days, and I’ve moved to Garmin. These have always on reflective displays like e-paper that sips batteries. Plus I’ve been using my garmin to track my exercise which is nice.
Definitely cant recommend the more battery sensitive Apple Watch or the Samsung or google equivalent. But if it lasts 1-2 weeks on a single charge with the screen always showing the time, it’s better than a contemporary watch.
I use mine extensively as a health monitor/tracker. I now have 3 years worth of heart rate data and can see early warnings of potential issues if it changes. Also it tracks my daily activity for step counts and also my sleep habits. It is also really good for getting off my phone since I can easily see notifications and if they aren’t important I can just look at them later instead of always having to check my phone. Also it tells the time so thats nice too.
