[LG Watch Sport] roebling:
All the reviews I've read of the new LG Watch Sport say Android Pay works on it, thanks to the giant NFC chip on the bottom. And, formerly smartphone-only functions like "OK Google" and Google Maps are now supposed to work on this watch, even when the linked phone isn't present.

Not true.

I bought the watch on the first day, Feb. 10th, and set it up. Since then it's been on my wrist but it hasn't been away from the Android smartphone it's linked to. But today I needed a new health card for my work and some groceries. So, as I'm new in town, I found a "Doc-In-A-Box" on Google that's nearby and that advertises that they do the government-form DOT physical that my job requires.

I put the doc's office address into "Maps" on my new watch and I told it to navigate there. Leaving the subdivision, though, I noticed the watch was searching for my location. even though it had been fine in the house before I left.

As the weather's nice, I held my hand out the car window, south side to face the satellites, and I drove in the direction I was pretty sure the business was. At each stop light on the way, I checked the watch, wondering why I hadn't heard it yelling directions. At every stop the watch still showed the neighborhood where I'd started, still searching for my exact location.

When I got to the "Doc-In-A-Box", it was still searching. Inside, waiting, the watch eventually gave up, saying "Smartphone required to complete action" or something like that.

As it turned out, the "Doc" was similarly useless, doesn't do DOT physicals. So I pushed the "OK Google" button on the watch to ask it for another place nearby. But "OK Google" wasn't OK at all. Instead of finding another doctor the watch said "Something went wrong. Can't reach Google at the moment". Plenty of bars of cellular and WiFi, too, but instead of "OK" I got "Oh NO".

At the grocery I was going to use the Android Pay I'd linked my bank account to over the previous weekend. As required, I'd even locked the watch screen, for extra security, in case my arm fell off a public place and I didn't notice. My bank must have been really pleased about me activating Android Pay--day after I did it they sent me a long email saying how great and secure Android Pay would be for us both. As I was checking out of the grocery store, since no one was waiting behind me, I unlocked the watch, selected Android Pay, and saw an image of my bank's debit card briefly. But as quickly as it appeared it went away and the system message: "No cards are linked to this account. You must link an account on your smartphone before you may use this app" appeared.

So "Google Maps" on your wrist? Forget it. At best, it's just a second screen. And "OK Google" doesn't work. And neither does Android Pay.

On the plus side? Battery life is good--still ALL DAY, like the LG Watch Urbane 2nd LTE was, even though LG lopped 20% off the size of it.

Edit: The smart watch was not tested with the AT&T SIM in came with but with an MVNO's and this largely or ENTIRELY explains the problems I had with the device. For some reason, it takes a few days for the watch to get reliable connections with the MVNO's SIM--had the same problem with the Urbane 2-LTE when I bought it, but I'd forgotten.

Without a doubt, the LG Watch Sport does everything the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Ed. LTE does and MORE.