[Other SmartWatches] rObOtHi:
Average watch - Could be better

I have a Mlais watch from Geekbuying, I have been wearing it for about two weeks. Here are my thoughts and findings.

Device name: Mlais watch FA97

Watch firmware version: Mlais_AG_V1.5_20160530

Fitwear Watch Assistant application version: 2.2.0

The hardware is good quality and by that I mean that the watch is well made, looks durable and fits comfortably. I will add that I have changed the strap and have not used the one that comes with it (a standard 20mm watch strap fits perfectly; if you are looking for a replacement.)

My gripes with the hardware are the sharp edges which should have been filed down either side of where the strap pin fits. The strap and pin on each side prevents the edges being able to cut the skin (but I think I will take a needle file to them and smooth them off just for safety.) And the fitting of the watch to the magnetic charging cradle. It is just not snug enough and sometimes the watch needs to be pushed down a few times to establish a stable USB connection.

So to sum up the rest of the watch briefly, I will say that there is huge room for improvement and it misses my most basic of expectations greatly. The problem is the software. If this watch had Android wear, it would be at the right price point. In it's current form, there are so many bugs that the software prevents a very capable wearable from becoming a smart watch. It really is just a watch with a step tracker, heart rate monitor and compass.

Areas I have found that let this device down:

The watch firmware -

Bluetooth connection becomes forgotten after a while, even when in close proximity to a paired device. I suspect that this is because the paired device is running Android M and the watch has been designed and tested with Android L. So I don't think that this watch is compatible with Android M or above (yet?)

The wireless connection menu crashes when "Advanced" is selected.

When the developer menu is activated by tapping the build number in the about config menu, scrolling down to view the developer options crashes the settings application.

When notifications are turned on, you only get the option of sound with vibration or silent without vibration. This is entirely impractical. As I would expect that vibration settings should be open to fine grained based upon message type (sms, email, im, etc) or by application.

Most of the watch faces are pig ugly. The "App store" which is part of the assistant application has not a single watch face worth downloading IMO.

Most of the watch faces have an always on, lower resolution version which appears on the watch during standby (this can be deactivated.) Most of the low res watch faces mostly look odd. None of the watch faces have a simple digital always on watch display. Even the digital ones. The analog face appears instead when a digital face is enabled.

Some of the watch faces display the time in China and not in local time. There is no option to correct the time on the watch.

Yesterday is spelled incorrectly in the step tracker chart (scroll down from the step counter, Yestoday.)

The default menu which appears when swiping from top to bottom on the watch face has tiny fonts and icons but enough space to make them larger.

The default menu which appears when swiping left to right (settings) is uglier and less user friendly than the alternative wheel setting (this may be personal preference but I am pretty sure it just looks better)

Notifications do not disappear or expand when taping or swiping on them in the menu which appears when swiping the watch face from bottom to top. A message can be swiped away and it disappears for a few seconds but then reappears later. If I tap on a message, there is no further expansion of the message.

The calculator, calendar, contacts, filemanager, gallery, music and phone apps are very basic, have tiny fonts and cramped layout.

The IOS assistant menu item is always present in the main menu and cannot be hidden.

There is no ability to control music playing on a paired device (a simple media player app which lets you change track, volume, stop, pause, shuffle, repeat, etc would have been welcome.) Instead there is just a basic music app which allows you to play music files from the watch's 1GB file system through the watch's loud speaker. I don't have bluetooth speakers or headphones to test if pair and play is possible.

The Fitwear Assistant application -

Requires unknown installation sources to be turned on before installing on an Android phone.

When installing anything from the "App Store" which is part of the assistant application, the selected software is installed on the phone as a normal application and also the watch (I don't need to access a watch face on a smart phone.)

Limited filtering options for notifications. Apps can be black listed for notifications from the phone to the watch but that is about it. It is not possible to set ring or vibrate as an alert type from the application.

You need to manually check for updates using the assistant application. (Watch firmware updates look like they can also be done from the watch if it is connected to a WiFi hot spot.)

The application is very basic and you are forced to install it onto a device when the watch is first turned on or factory reset so that it can be paired. The watch can pair without it. Having a WiFi function should mean that the watch is able to offer the application or a link to it's download. Instead the only way to obtain the application is by scanning a QR code which appears on the watch face (the same QR code is on the back of the manual IIRC.)

Cool things about the watch -

A swipe from right to left on the touch screen, when the device is in standby will wake the face and show the step tracker immediately.

The compass is a nice touch.

It has about 1GB of storage.

The battery life is pretty good. In aeroplane mode, the battery lasts well over 48hrs with the always on screen, on.

I intend to wear the watch until the Huawei watch receives the Android Wear 2.0 update and comes down in price. Unless something better comes along.

Sorry about the long post; thanks for reading if you got this far. :good:

Hopefully someone in this tread will be able to port recovery and then hopefully a decent ROM comes along for this watch. ;)