yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[General Accessories] jlczl:
OK. I'm using the Sony SmartWatch MN2. I don't remember much about the Metawatch but suffice it to say once I got the Sony I realized how behind the MetaWatch was. I was using the Noah Edition and it still didn't have near the functionality of the Sony.

With the Sony my Gmail and text messages appear on my watch in their entirety (not just the sender name or title), I remotely control my Spotify music, I can see my camera on the watch face and even control the shutter to take a pic, I can turn on audio recording from my watch, I get my Google Now notifications on my watch as well as the obvious answer and/or reject calls from it. All of this in color, with a touch screen, on my own watch band and for almost half the price. I can choose from a variety of watch faces depending on what looks better and on how much I want my battery to last. To get a week between charges I use a watch face that only appears when I double tap the screen or push the side button. If I use the "always on" watch face it'll only last about 2 days before it needs a charge.

The MetaWatch has a build and screen that leaves a lot to be desired. It really does remind me of a cheap Casio. Additionally, I was never able to get consistent operation for music on it. The buttons sometimes took forever to respond so I never new when a button press had really registered or not. On top of that it just quit taking a charge all of a sudden and never turned back on. The high price, limited and alpha software, and Jr High school appearance was too much so I ended up returning it. On the upside they were very gracious about the return and didn't give me a hard time about it at all.
[General Accessories] vectron:
Thank you guys for your feedback on both MW and Sony MN2SW. Hopefully one of these days I will get a chance to review Sony and Pebble watches.

Regarding Sony smart watch, can you preview POP/IMAP accounts in addition to GMail? How about Exchange account? That would be the most important features for me personally.

Regarding my MW Strata watch, its running SW/FW 1.35 and HW Rev F which supposed to be the latest. I have read about issues with pre 1.35 SW version and problems with battery and other functionality. v1.35 is solid and running like a champ. No issues with music control. Make sure you have in Watch Apps setting to enable Media Control Method as "Emulate headset buttons", and I also have "Inverse Media Player Buttons" since I care more about next/prev track skip rather than volume up/down control. What I like is how I can press Play from a that audio control and it starts playing on my phone, and it also displays the song name/artist (but only after the first track skip when it read the audio info). With a default audio player you have to start Play from the phone, and then can control it from the watch. No issues with a phone, but I did notice when I'm in a car and paired up with my head unit in there, I can receive calls without a problem, but sometime can't dial out. Hopefully they will be able to fix it soon.

Regarding response of the control and switching between pages on the phone, I do agree. CE and NE is painfully slow and sometime there is at least 1s-2s delay. It's simply because those custom Manager are not optimized for the latest firmware/software. When you use the latest official MW Manager - any control or switching between pages is lighting fast. That is why I put a lot of hope and will give MW guys a benefit of a doubt they will get the official MW Manager on par with NE Manager. If you combine features of NE Manager with a speed and graphics of a new MW Manager and add some custom analog and digital watch faces - it will take MW smartwatch to the next level.

Btw, thanks for the pointer about Augmented Watch app. I will test it out and let you know how it works for me (contacted them already, fantastic support and fast response from Adrian). Also, I wonder if your poor battery life has to do with a fact that you are not running v1.35? With everything I'm running right now (NE Manager, EA+ widgets, etc.) I had it charged up about 8 hours ago, and my watch battery is only 1% down. I had hardly any emails during this time, so not my "vibrations" or use of backlight. It was mostly idling during that 8 hours where I just check to see if I got any new emails by checking EA+ counter and Notification history. But still, that's impressive. Not pretty-face like Sony, but impressive in terms of geek-face functionality :D
[General Accessories] vectron:
Sorry bro, missed you post.

1) In a Quick Setup picture I posted, the middle setting on the left inverts the color. Also, NE Manager has an option to Invert LCD "where appropriate", and I assume it's tied up with a light sensor.

2) I think as technology will become more mainstream, the price will go down. Right now $130 is actually discounted from their usual $180 price. In my opinion Sony's MN2SW recent discount/price drop to $99 (I'm sure in lieu of slow sales and/or announcement of new smartwatch in the upcoming Asia EXPO) is more reasonable for this technology. Prime Time ready? I think software content is the main driving force and probably the reason why Apple, Samsung, and Google hasn't announced anything yet. Hardware is the easiest part in this case. The only way to be prime time ready is to have a strong app/widget and solid software/firmware content. That explains success of MetaWatch and Pebble open source release, and also recent announcement by Sony to open their code source for some devices. For sure, its Geek Time ready :)

3) Yep, have OBDII bt dongle and Torque premium. Unfortunately, never get a chance to use it in the car because I run Google maps Nav all the time. Both of our Nexus 7 tablet in use by wife and kids (those have bt connection), and my other cheap tablet doesn't have bt. But in general that app is SICK!!! Btw, MN800 thingy from Sony (I got it for $20 of ebay - nice teaser of Sony's smart watches) has a free Torque app/widget which connects to your phone and can give you a remote view of one of the gauges. I might just end up using it that way :)

As a side note, having these bt smart watches puts some toll on your battery. Considering that I had to install K-9 and TouchDown in order to access unread mail count and constant BT connection - that can cost you an extra 10%-15% of battery a day. More advantage to use ZeroLemon 9300; just wish those guys would release a rugged case soon!!!!
[General Accessories] apallohadas:
Good point. I started using a Motorola Roadster 2 bluetooth speaker in my patrol car. Just 100% awesome, but it does take it's toll a bit on battery as you mentioned. Perhaps 10% on a heavy day of calls and getting in/out of the car waking up the bt connection, etc.

Time for me to take a look at that Sony watch now!
[General Accessories] coquipr:
I think this watch has a lot of promise as soon as development kicks in more and more same as pebble one. As far as the sony Mn2 looks good but with the motoactv ypu can do the same as the sony and more by rooting the device where all the info is here in xda. One thing I like about the metawatch and pebble is the water resistant part were y o u can swim with it or take showers with it and still control your music player or so from the water. Time will add more and more of this smartwatches and better features.

sent from my t-mo note 2
[General Accessories] LuvinN1:
Thanks vectron. Yes I am running s/w version 1.35.

When I purchased my watch everyone on eBay was selling hardware version G. I purchased mine from the official site and received hardware E.

Apparently people on the support page / metawatch forums are getting 3 days of battery use i.e running 14 hrs a day @ an average of 5 messages per hour with h/w G.

From my research, h/w E's are the ones with issues. I have both the black and white frame metawatch and both are suffering from poor battery life.
[General Accessories] caguas56:
What Rom are you using on your Note and how do you have it set it up?.

---------- Post added at 03:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:12 PM ----------
[General Accessories] Killer Turtle:
For that price the watch is very limited.

I got the Motorola Motoactv when it was on sale for $150, it came with the wrist strap, belt clip, and heart rate monitor. It's full color touch screen, and runs android. I get 2-3 days out of the battery.
[General Accessories] vectron:
Yes, I think full water protection is an awesome feature. But the ability to view display in direct sunlight and under any indoor/outdoor condition - that is priceless. Plus you can set it up to turn the backlight on whenever you receive a message so even in the dark you can view your notifications. Haven't heard much about motoactv as a smartwatch since it always referred to as exercise watch, but I just looked up and see references how to enhance it's functionality with a rooted phone and augmented smartwatch app to get all the notifications and to be able to use it with any other phone beside Motorola.

Btw, my Note 2 is not rooted. Because of my work's Exchange security policy, I'm not allowed to root. So everything is stock and works as is.

And yes I do agree, with time we are going to see more and more new smartwatches. As a matter of fact, MetaWatch guys mentioned they are working on a lot of new updates, including new "sexy" hardware. I will definitely give them a benefit of a doubt. They were first out of the door, kept their kickstarter promise, and have a head start for next gen learning from experience of the current gen.
[General Accessories] coquipr:
Your right. I domt think is a bad watch just needs time to mature but i like it. Will probably wait a bit longer to see what comes down the pipeline

sent from my t-mo note 2
[General Accessories] caguas56:
What kind of launcher and wallpaper do you have on your note?

---------- Post added at 09:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 PM ----------

What kind of Launcher and wallpaper do you have on your Note?
[General Accessories] vectron:
Nova Launcher Prime - I love it!!!! The level of configuration (the grid of placement and resizing of everything) is insane. It's very fast, and I also like scrolling dock. Everything else is a bunch of widgets, Rings Digital Weather Clock, Smooth Calendar, Zooper Widget Pro (insane level of configuration - monthly calendar listing on the left, and "free mem" notification), and Circle Launcher (that ubuntu icon, I picked just for a picture, and phone icon on the right - bring up a circular set of shortcuts), and also Widgetsoid switchers, and Android Weather widget. I like to have everything on one screen in your face :)

With Nova Launcher I have desktop grip set to 8x8 now, but you can go up to 16x16. Helps to position all the widgets (and overlap them) any way you want to. Wallpaper is just just image I got from somewhere, just a dark texture with some dots, etc. It's not an active wallpaper (people been asking me about it). Just any neutral image, and lot of widgets positioned through out a screen.
[General Accessories] willfck4beer:
LOVE the torque plugin. Sick as hell!!!! I velcro my mn800 liveview to steering wheel and my note2 to dashboard... sick as hell!!!

IMHO... liveview mn800 does take some battery life due to bluetooth on note 2 ... but if you are using the liveview vs. the note 2 ... you are using much less net power on Note2.... in my experience Note2 battery life lasts a lot longer. You aren't energizing the screen of the note2 which is a beast in power draw. The screen is my highest consumer of power on note2.

Thanks for the info about metwatch!
[General Accessories] RedRamage:
Thought I'd chime in here with a few thoughts. I've been a MetaWatch user for over a year now and, for the most part, really enjoy it.

Probably the thing I hear the most dislike about is the screen itself. First, it uses a reflective LCD which makes it great for reading in many light levels, from bright sunlight to a dimmed interior light. But because it's reflective, it does take some getting used to. If you look directly head on, it's likely (especially indoors with multiple light sources in the ceiling) that you'll reflect light into your eyes and make it hard to read. You almost have to look at it at a slight angle, then it works perfectly. Takes maybe a week to get used to it and then it's so second nature and so easy that you forget it's even an issue.

Ideally I'd like to see a higher resolution, but honestly the resolution shown is pretty darn good for just about everything. Remember that you're not playing games or view facebook pictures on your watch. You want basic info displayed clearly. The resolution is fine for this.

Right now there is a glut of new smartwatches hitting the market. But what I think really sets the MetaWatch apart is their widget support. Being able to have a large amount of information available on my wrist with a quick glance... not buttons to push, no screens to flip through, it really, really nice. So far I haven't seen any other watch that supports this idea of readily available, "glancable" (to use MetaWatch's term) format.

Having said this, there is plenty I'm not happy with concerning the MetaWatch. Just about every SmartWatch company promises 7 days of charge, yet most get you two days at the most with every day use. MetaWatch is no different. I charge it every night... might be able to squeak out three days in a pinch.

Development of the official version has also been very slow. The CE or NE versions reviewed here are great, but those are also losing or lost community development. The problem is that the newer firmwares from MetaWatch will make the CE and NE increasingly incompatible with the watch so I think developers are reluctant to support something that is headed for a relatively quick end of life. And MetaWatch hasn't released the source code or SDK yet for Android, meaning the community can't support the new versions yet either.

I still have faith in the MetaWatch and I think the widget format is the winning format. But MetaWatch as to setup up on the development a little bit.
[General Accessories] willfck4beer:
I do like that multi widget parallel view at a glance thing metawatch has going on for it.

That's one thing I hate about liveview: switching between plugins to get information or control over something.

Wish there was one plugin to rule them all... so to speak.

Thanks for the great review Vectron and RedRamage for the addt'l info.
[General Accessories] vectron:
[MENTION=1206107]RedRamage[/MENTION], do you care posting a screenshot of your main screen? I would like to see if you are using something different from mine.

So far I'm trying to minimize my setup of phone apps to run along with MW. I do like EA+ widgets mirroring on my watch. I wish Augmented SmartWatch Pro app would have widgets to use with MW as well. So far it seems to support only Notification, and btw does a really good! My problem is that I have 2x IMAP accounts (Google and Yahoo), POP3 account (my ISP provider), and Exchange work account. Augmented SWPro can read and display notifications from all of these accounts without any need for K-9 or TouchDown apps, but it doesn't have widgets to display missed/unread email count like EA+. EA+ can access IMAP/POP directly but can't access Exchange without TouchDown.

I am not a fan of running K-9 and TouchDown on the phone (extra cpu and battery), if I can use Samsung's native Email and Exchange apps that work perfectly. Just walking you through my thinking process lol!!! So maybe I don't even need EA+ at glance widgets on my watch. When I'm wearing my watch I will get vibration notification and it's stored in queue of notification if I didn't have a chance to glance at it. If I have my watch off, I will look at the phone to see if I have blinking "blue" notification light.

How do you have your MW setup and your typical use? I welcome you or any other MW user to share their experience and watchface screenshots, please.

Btw, 2 day battery life is what I'm getting as well with fw 1.35 and hw ver F.
[General Accessories] RedRamage:
This is an old screen shot, so disregard the clock. That comes from an older developer firmware. I do like the clock better than the standard, but I like the battery life of the new firmware better:

Sounds like we're using much the same thing. I don't know if EA+ words with the Samsung native Email. I don't use K-9 though... just the native GMail for my "home" email address.

EA+ is a must in my opinion, and not just for the widgets. The Widgets are great, but what I really love is the notifications. TD notifies you like this:

1 unread email: Author/Subject

2 unread emails: You have 2 unread emails.

3 unread emails: You have 3 unread emails.

...

That's useless for a SmartWatch. The whole point of notifications on my wrist is to be able to glance and see if I need to do something about it now (like leave a meeting, or interrupt a phone call, or pull over to the side of the road) or if I can wait until it's convenient. If all that TD tells me is that I have 3 unread emails... that doesn't help at all.

EA+ gives individual notifications for email:

1 unread email: Author/Subject (1 unread)

2 unread emails: Author/Subject of new email (2 unread)

3 unread emails: Author/Subject of new email (3 unread)

...

I've already petitioned MetaWatch to work with EA+ with their new watch manager. I think it makes so much sense... don't re-invent the wheel if EA+ already gets you notifications and widget counts!
[General Accessories] vectron:
[MENTION=829432]tgtoys[/MENTION]: great write up!

[MENTION=1206107]RedRamage[/MENTION]: Damn!!!!!!! You are the one responsible for me getting EA+ lol!!!! When I first got the watch and found myself frustrated with MW Manager, I turned to MetaWatch Forum community and quickly discovered your review with that shot of your watch you have above. That is HOW I discovered all those widgets to begin with. Sorry, didn't put 2+2 together that it's the same "Red Ramage". Good job man!!!

Btw, from Bill's latest reply (CEO of MW), he said they are working on a lot of new updates and a brand new "sexy" version of the hardware. I can't wait!!! I honestly think MW guys, even with their previous Fossil smart watch experience, are packing more experience with Strata/Frame version and with their next hardware version of the watch going to release a killer mature product covering both superior functionality and looks. Like I said, I'm giving them benefit of a doubt because they were ahead in the game and now working on the next gen.
[General Accessories] tgtoys:
Let's hope we're not left in the dust! The new hardware is called the Nuovo design, from designer Frank Nuovo of Nokia. I really hope it's just an aesthetic update..if they change the guts around we're all gonna be left with FW 1.35-1.4 and Noah Edition as is for a looooong time. The updateis, in my mind, the reason the strata dropped to $129 a few weeks back. Looks like it will be replaced, Frame is still as-is though?

Hopefully with the new design will come a push for software as well. We really need this sucker to be cracked open (as in open source) so the talented guys from sites like this can get their paws on some code.

Ha glad I could make the connection for you! [MENTION=1206107]RedRamage[/MENTION] is and has been one of the main contributors to that (very, very lacking) forum.
[General Accessories] vectron:
Hmm, Nuovo, uh? I still would like to see a higher resolution screen and some kind of a deep black background mode for cool analog style watchfaces. How about this, use Strata style design with a molded wristband where you run charging cables through a band to a hidden flat usb connector. How cool would it be not to have any need for clips or extra connectors? Just take your watch off and plug a wristband into usb connector ;) I also hope if they are updating hardware, use whatever the latest highest capacity battery they can get a hold of.
[General Accessories] jlczl:
I don't think they're ahead of the game. They seem to be one generation behind. See what Sony just introduced for this September:

http://www.androidcentral.com/sony-s-next-gen-smartwatch-adds-nfc
[General Accessories] RedRamage:
That's pretty slick looking... We'll have to see how it comes out. In my opinion there are three things you need to hit on:

1. Viewable in all light levels.

2. Battery life.. minimum of 2 days... bare minimum, and that's with heavy use.

3. Widgets for quick and easy information without having to hit a button.

Obviously this is just my opinion based on my needs. Your millage may vary.

It looks like the sony haas at least some level of widgets, which is good. I'm a little worried about the screen's viability in bright sunlight. And while I won't say no to color, I don't want it to compromise battery life. My watch is only for the most basic of instant info. It isn't for reading love emails or looking up phone directories. I don't need color, and if you can do a better readable screen and/or vastly improve battery life, I'd prefer you didn't do color.
[General Accessories] vectron:
+1 on all of your comments, my needs are exactly the same!

Sony display is very nice, but I see a lot of complains about it's visibility in a direct sunlight or just outside. I love my Note 2 and VITREO tempered glass, but it's so hard to view the phone outside. Plus, OLED display along with all fancy apps will drain the battery down to probably 1 day or less of realistic heavy use. At the same time, I'm jealous seeing all those cool analog watch-faces and knowing Strata can't do that. Also, I'm glad to see Sony listened to complains about water resistance, not to the same level as MetaWatch but at least don't have to worry about someone splashing your watch.

Does Sony announcement means "competition over, go home" - not, really. They have more hardware and software resource, and can have a quicker design/production turnaround. I would be curious to test their new smart watch, but as of now I don't see anything revolutionary. What I do see is 2nd Gen watch (if you don't count LiveView) where they are continuing with the improvements. Kreyos looks interesting as well, time will tell when it's released (I might get a chance to review that watch). Pebble - looks like over hyped; would have been interesting to see the comparison between Pebble and MetaWatch from someone who have used both for awhile rather than first impression type of review you read from pro reviewers.
[General Accessories] apallohadas:
Another +1.

Only thing to add is PRICE. Sorry, but SmartWatches at high price ranges will keep it away from the mass market. I'd rather buy a Suunco watch for $250 than a smart watch that I have to charge every 2 days.

Despite the added functionality it'd be hard for me to justify to myself (or the wife) why I spent $250 on a watch that doesn't wash the dishes and feed the dogs.
[General Accessories] speedyink:
+1

That screen just looks so...1995 or something. It reminds me of these for some reason

Even though the screen on my Motoactv isn't on all the time, with the higher resolution and full color is sure does look nicer. Even in direct bright as can be sunlight it's entirely readable, so really the only downside is you have to wake the device (either by wrist shake or button). I have turned the backlight off for always on screen, but it changes the days battery life to more like a single day.
[General Accessories] general forceps:
I have a phone watch that charges exactly like that. If interested I can take a snap later today.

---------- Post added at 01:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:50 PM ----------

And, by the way, if the SONY SW2 requires you to double tap the screen or press a button to turn it on, no deal for me.

If you leave screen on at all times batt life rarely exceeds 6h.

Yes, 6h.

Rgds