Smart watches: overpriced and under featured or mostly.....

[Iamsoda]

Hello tech nerds or normal people that come here,

Smart watches: overpriced and under featured or mostly.

I really like my U8 bluetooth smart watch, but what bother me is high end smart watches are about the same in features or worse. Why is this? Now before you go saying "Cause that U8 is cheap Chinese crap" let me give you a quick review on it.

Pros"
battery life 3-4 days (Closer to 3)

touch screen works very very well

interface is pretty good

really nice matte finish giving it a metal look

glass screen [Don't believe me? I had one for a long time and one day I cracked the screen by running it into a concrete wall. They watch faired better the I did. Still worked fine, but there was a rough edge on the screen 😉 ]


Features:

Android notifications from the taskbar ( This includes everything from app updates to sms. When I get emails I see title and who it is from, but with sms I can read the entire message and see the sender information

sync 100 contacts' information
Vibration alerts (this is such an amazing feature, instead of sound the watch can vibrate for alerts
remote camera shutter button
stop watch
alarm clock
remote bluetooth music control with pause/play previous/skip Song title and artist
you can also play music out the speaker on the watch which is decent
pedometer
3 different screen looks (one look like apple icons the others are lameish)
and some other random cr@p

All-in-all I love this watch and I paid $25ish for it. Why can't they make something like this, but better build quality for under $75?

P.S: if you do jump the gun and buy the U8, pm me if you have any issues. The included instructions aren't helpful and the app they have you use isn't the best. I found a different app and know everything about this watch.

P.P.S. This is not a sales call, but an honest review on this smart watch and the question why isn't there more like this?

 

[4745454b]

Speakers in my watch aren't a priority for me. Though I guess for some it might be. Looks like it's missing the health stuff a watch should have. I've recently joined a gym with my GF and I'm looking for a watch with a heart rate monitor on it. I think the biggest reason why we don't have "good watches for under $75" is the market is still to new. As with computers they should get cheaper/faster with time. But "wearables" have only just arrived.

 

[Iamsoda]

Speakers in my watch aren't a priority for me. Though I guess for some it might be. Looks like it's missing the health stuff a watch should have. I've recently joined a gym with my GF and I'm looking for a watch with a heart rate monitor on it. I think the biggest reason why we don't have "good watches for under $75" is the market is still to new. As with computers they should get cheaper/faster with time. But "wearables" have only just arrived.

But you have to admit this offbrand watch has a ton of features and the price is to die for. I mean does adding health stuff make it 5 times the price?

 

[4745454b]

My point was that I want to pay for something that has the features I want. Don't need a speaker on my wrist. And I'm not sure notifications are worth it. If it's going on my wrist I want it to do the things I want/need. It seems for you $25 for this is. For me it isn't. I'm excited about where this might end up as we all wanted Dick Tracy watches right? I suspect in time there will be many different options.

 

[Iamsoda]

My point was that I want to pay for something that has the features I want. Don't need a speaker on my wrist. And I'm not sure notifications are worth it. If it's going on my wrist I want it to do the things I want/need. It seems for you $25 for this is. For me it isn't. I'm excited about where this might end up as we all wanted Dick Tracy watches right? I suspect in time there will be many different options.

Yeah I am mostly crazy about the notifications and music control. The vibration alerts are icing on the cake. Still there are many smart watches with little (pedometer only) or no health tracking, yet they still cost an extravaganza?

 

[Iamsoda]

Also to throw a wrench into this, I have a friend who is building a smart watch with some other friends ( He is a computer engineer nerd). It will be touch screen and have all those health features: Heart monitor pedometer, tracking calories, and many other things. It does not have notifications or camera shutter stuff, but it only cost him $35 in parts. Why are smart watches costing 5x this? Labor can't be adding that kind of cost.

 

[4745454b]

Don't forget to factor in R&D, profit margin, etc. Things don't just cost parts + labor.

 

[Iamsoda]

Don't forget to factor in R&D, profit margin, etc. Things don't just cost parts + labor.

I see and the profit per item margin is up, because not enough people buy it?

 

[4745454b]

They are new so it time to milk the early adopters. LOL. This probably means once the market matures your knock off basic watch is going to be $<20.

 

[Iamsoda]

They are new so it time to milk the early adopters. LOL. This probably means once the market matures your knock off basic watch is going to be $<20.

Yeah well I would rather get a new gpu for $300+ then a smart watch 😛

 

[Citizen XVIII]

I've worn a Moto 360 daily since last September. Last week, I went to work without it for the first time (wasn't feeling well and left it on my nightstand), and I felt naked all day. It does everything I want it to do, and it looks nice on my wrist. Just don't understand people who've never worn a nice smartwatch hating on them. I was in the market for a new watch anyway, and my 360 was in the price range I was looking in for a traditional watch.

Haters gotta hate, I guess.

 

[Iamsoda]

I've worn a Moto 360 daily since last September. Last week, I went to work without it for the first time (wasn't feeling well and left it on my nightstand), and I felt naked all day. It does everything I want it to do, and it looks nice on my wrist. Just don't understand people who've never worn a nice smartwatch hating on them. I was in the market for a new watch anyway, and my 360 was in the price range I was looking in for a traditional watch.

Haters gotta hate, I guess.

Please don't assume things about me. We all know what assume means.
I actually had usage of a moto 360 and pebble watch (I borrowed them from friends for a week each)
I agree they are great watches, love the features but their prices don't match what they are. I didn't feel $300 worth of features in the moto 360. $300 for a watch when that is 3/4 the price of my phone? I am just not feeling the value. I suppose if you got money for a Porche, vacation in the Bahamas twice a year, and a 10 million dollar house, then it might seem like a solid purchase. However for us down-to-earth people a $300 smart watch isn't in the bill.