Six Things We Want From an Android Smartwatch

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You're asking way too much. This is a wristwatch; it tells the time. Maybe it can show other simple measures such as footsteps or the afore-mentioned heart rate. Aside from simple measurements like these, it is not a computer, a multimedia host, or a web browser; if you need those, get a smartphone or tablet (which can also tell you the time). A wristwatch needs to be small, and require minimal attention (daily or even weekly charging is OUT); this may preclude even simple chores like showing the weather.
 
I agree with Onus. I like the idea of a smartwatch, but for basic purposes like time, weather, checking emails, steps, etc. When I need to watch videos and browse the web, I might as well pull out my phone.
 
"storing Internet cache so that the browser isn't burning up the battery charge by downloading pages over and over." - what the hell did I just read?
 
I looked at the 6 items, and said, nope, don't need any of them. If pebble would get off their rear and get BLE working on Android, it would be perfect for me. I just want my alerts without getting my phone out and turning it on.
 
I dunno about going too far overboard for a smart watch; the main thing I want from one is long battery life. While installing apps directly on it would be nice, I'd like to see these be as lightweight as possible, offloading tasks to another Android device if paired. I'm also not too fussy about onboard storage being huge, just needs something modest, though a Micro-SD slot wouldn't go amiss if it can be done while keeping the smart-watch water resistant (I like being able to check the time even if it's raining).But yeah; a smart watch needs to be a watch first, it shouldn't require charging every day or be so bogged down with cruft that I can barely use it. While I don't want it to just be an accessory for my phone, the apps need to stay focused on lightweight, quick tasks like getting reminders. Quick answering of calls coming to my phone would be nice. I'm not so sure about requiring WiFi support though, personally I'd be fine with just sharing my phone's connection, and setting up a computer to share its network connection via Bluetooth, then just have a button on my watch that can tell it when to connect, or have it connect automatically to sync every so often. WiFi seems like too big a battery drain for a device that only really needs small amounts of data.
 
I just want a clock on my wrist. If it counts my steps, or measures my heart rate, without significantly affecting battery life, I'll consider it a bonus. Otherwise, a battery-sucking "smartwatch" is an answer in search of a problem.
 
I feel that a smart watch needs 5 basic functions.1. Tell Time, Obviously2. Email/Sms Capability, likely by voice control3. Fitness capability, Include a pedometer, gps and heart meter4. Every function that Google Now Offers5. Style, Connectivity and Battery life also play a part. I want 3 day battery life at least.
 
This is way too many features. It is a watch. If I want to watch (no pun intended) a video I would just pull out my phone. I don't want my watch replacing my phone! The perfect smartwatch would be simple: weather, notifications (email, text), fitness features, music control and basic watch functionality (stopwatch, tells time). All this while being lightweight, inexpensive and having at least a week of battery life would be amazing.
 
Because few people will pay $200 for a heart rate monitor. They already exist bud. This is not for that.
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Obviously you are not educated in the heart rate monitor market. Some of those devices go for well over $200 for the nice ones. Plus, you wouldn't just be buying a heart rate monitor, it would be a feature of the smart watch. In a time where smart watches are clawing at relevance, it only makes sense to include features for athletes and people who work out.
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I do own a heart monitor far over 200$ and there is very few chances for me to buy a swmart watch to replace it. The sport devices may seem overpriced (and maybe they are a little) but they are built for sport. My smartphone got corrosion for having spent 30mn in my pocket during exercise. Thus I don't want to try it with a smartwatch.On another hand, I wonder who the well would want to watch video on a watch? what is this article seriously?????you have a phone, you have a tablet, you may have a laptop and you would watch a movie on a less than 3" screen? Seriously stope meth people... Give us a watch with at least a week of battery, ability for call or simple requests (like messaging, running apps...) but avoid the crappy function no one will use more than one time and which will squeeze the battery.If people like this Kevin Parrish continue to write such stupid articles we will see 1080p screen on 2" watch for useless purpose except marketting...
 
The idea of Internet Browser & video playback sounds really funny. No one wants watch a movie or read news in their watch! Unless they want their eyes to get damaged!
 

I think you're missing the point; features are fine, but there's usually a cost in complexity, or power consumption, neither of which is a good thing for a smart watch to have. I just want smart watches to stick to being simple devices that can do a few useful things of their own, while hooking into a more powerful device to act as an accessory.

For example, instead of my watch giving a full-fledged calendar app, it might sync with my calendars then just show me alerts for calendar events; if I want to edit those events I'll then use my phone. Or if the watch can do it, it'll just be very basic (picks a default event name and calendar, and simply lets me set a time).

Hardware features like WiFi only have marginal benefit to a smart watch IMO, and would be too much of a drain on the battery for what it would add.
 
Wow, Apparently there are many here that aren't aware of fitness bands.
Just stop by your local Best Buy and you will find bins full, like smart watches nobody really wants them either.
But, if you must have one there many brands to choose from they monitor everything and tell time.
 
At least a week of battery? Ha, it needs to last for months, if not years, like a watch does today.
This "device" is a money-grab; one more gadget to be upgraded every year (or more often), requiring some kind of subscription service (or increase to another, like your data plan), and one more "shiny" to keep people distracted from the stuff that really matters.
 
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