LG G Watch: Cheap and Angry Android Wear
The LG G Watch was the first wearable gadget with the Android Wear operating system, which, in principle, is not surprising, since it was LG that developed and released the last two Nexus. Was the first pancake lumpy and what can you expect from the Wear platform, read on.
The hardware, on the one hand, is locked into an ultra-compact case, in which you cannot install anything decent or attach a nuclear battery; on the other hand, it is dictated by the device’s own needs for computing power. Smart watch. So that all this splendor does not slow down, it provides recognition of voice commands, it worked, in fact, like a clock (in all senses) the manufacturer did not spare his efforts and means. Under the 1.65-inch screen (resolution 280x280 pixels) are hidden: four-core processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (1.2 GHz, ARM v7); Adreno 305 video accelerator (operating at 450 MHz); 512 MB of RAM; 4 GB of data storage, as well as GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 LE and even NFC modules. However, the same set of hardware went to many competitors, and it’s unlikely that we will see a Snapdragon 800 watch after a year (why does it have a watch ?!) - rather, they will install a 64-bit version of the younger 410 chip.
The declared volume of the battery is ridiculous 400 mAh, while the real volume (by opening the devices by amateurs and marking the battery inside) turned out to be slightly higher. With an average juz-case of such a battery, the hours will last for two days, no more, and then to achieve similar results you need to turn off the “permanently on screen”. The clock will activate the display when you look at it - a gyroscope and an accelerometer are responsible for this feature.
The display is a standard LCD with a resolution of 280x280 pixels. Once, a similar (320x240) resolution was on smartphones and communicators, but now even on the clock it seems to be something familiar. The resolution of the display is really not supernatural, but it visually quite pulls on the “retina” - the pixel grid can only be distinguished under a magnifying glass.
')
The LG Watch comes in a neat, cardboard box, as compact as possible and unremarkable. The watch itself is made of several types of plastic, which is why it turned out very light.
The case is rectangular, minimalistic, without any design delights and controls (except the touch screen). Watches are in white and black, the first look more feminine, the second - universal and simple. Surprisingly, neither the case nor the strap collects dirt and prints.
The rear panel contains charging contacts in the docking station (one minus, they could be placed symmetrically or in two corners so that the device would not give a damn about the placement in the docking station). The watches have dust and moisture protection, capable of withstanding immersion in water to a depth of 1 meter, although, according to the manufacturer, only 30 minutes.
The watch strap is made of “silky” rubber to the touch, its back side (the one that faces the hand) is covered with an interesting (seemingly and tactile) pattern, however, it does not give any “clutch” with the hand and does not give any feeling at all. watch on hand. It would be better if he was on the front part :) Clasp is the most common, metal.
It's okay to photograph this bulging pattern on a black clock, so here's a render of white :)
Something to add here is still difficult - everything can be seen in the photo.
Boxes with watches are not replete with related accessories. The manufacturer has managed the docking station, mains charger, USB-microUSB cable and paper warranty instructions. Everything is packaged neatly, but there is no cover, no cloth, no spare parts for the bracelet, or anything else in the kit. On the other hand, everything you need is there, and the buyer does not pay extra bucks for all sorts of "ryushechki."
The clock turns on ... turns on ... damn, but where is this button ?! Well, there is no button, so open the instructions. It turns out that to get started, you need to place the clock on the charging docking station. By itself, it is magnetic; after powering up, the clock will instantly come to life and will offer to begin work with a choice of language.
Next - they will require the installation of Android Wear on your smartphone. After a simple pairing procedure and a short training (both on the watch itself and in the phone), the gadget is ready to work.
All control is reduced to tapas (rarely) and swipe (very often) on the touch screen. The first thing is to update the device to the latest version of Android Wear 5.0, if the watch does not offer it yourself - you can find information about the update in the "settings" of the device itself.
The update brings some improvements both in the field of navigation by the clock, and in directly managing them, plus adds support for new dials, applications, addons. True, there is one drawback. Android Wear 5.0 does not allow you to set an interface language on the watch that is different from the smartphone itself. The previous version allowed. That is, even if you have Russian for Google Now, and the main language of the smartphone is English, then the clock will be in English, despite the fact that they are rather an interface for Google Now, rather than the smartphone itself.
So, what smart watches offer, besides determining the time on them, of course. Paired with a smartphone, watches can access notifications that come to the phone. Not calls and SMS, but notifications from applications that can be useful on the clock: emails from the client, notifications from Twitter and messengers. To do this, you must connect the "mirroring" of notifications in the application Android Wear. This is done in the settings of the smartphone itself , in the notification section. All interactive notifications (for example, from a player, with music playback control) also work on the clock.
The second (and, in my opinion) decisive feature is the Google Now system, which actively displays various information on the device screen. Your calendar, navigator and personal assistant no longer need to get out of your pocket - it is always on your wrist. The interface consists of all the same cards, and the assistant is controlled by voice and swipe.
Whether to allow them or not is your choice. The clock will count the distance traveled and share it with the Google Fit Google Fitness Hub , which will aggregate your daily physical activity. In principle, the phone itself copes with this, without a clock, but with reduced accuracy.
The most important value of "smart" hours - you do not miss the notice. Neither about calls, nor about letters, nor about meetings. If the phone is in a bag, on a table, under a table, in a jacket or somewhere else, everything will come to your watch anyway. The second crucial feature - for the losses.
You put one of the applications (for example, this ), and you can always "find" the phone nearby (at home, at work) by activating the beep from the clock. A couple of times I found the phone in my trouser pocket, which was on me, but I saved myself 5-7 minutes of frantically searching for the device before leaving the house. The third bonus is only for owners of smartphones with BT 4.0 LE. If you connect the clock on the “economical” BT 4, then the charge of the “big brother” is almost not consumed, but the battery life increases, mainly due to the fact that you do not have the phone to read incoming notifications and do not “wake” it Voracious systems in the form of a screen and a processor.
+ Very light;
+ Waterproof;
+ Charging from the docking station;
+ Do not collect dirt, dust and prints;
+ Upgrade to 5.0 without problems.
- You can put on the "wrong" charge and remain without a charged battery;
- There is no alternative way to charge, if you lose / break the dock, you will have to buy a new one;
- The display is not OLED-type, regular TFT;
- Do not measure the pulse;
- Primitive design.
At the time of this writing, the cost of hours in the store Yulmart is 9990 rubles.
LG, as the pioneers of the platform Wear, created an excellent gadget. Yes, it is simple, deprived of some features (such as a pulsomer, in order to have the functions of fitness bracelets at the same time), has an ascetic design and not the most outstanding autonomy, but with all this it works as it should - show time and reminders, notify everything .
The device is quickly addictive and significantly saves the charge of the smartphone for those tasks that the watch itself cannot cope with - the company's first “pancake” was unequivocally “not lumpy”.
Our previous reviews:
» Transformer Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro
» Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop Suite
» LEGO Mindstorms EV3
» Digital Levenhuk USB Microscope DTX90
Specifications
The hardware, on the one hand, is locked into an ultra-compact case, in which you cannot install anything decent or attach a nuclear battery; on the other hand, it is dictated by the device’s own needs for computing power. Smart watch. So that all this splendor does not slow down, it provides recognition of voice commands, it worked, in fact, like a clock (in all senses) the manufacturer did not spare his efforts and means. Under the 1.65-inch screen (resolution 280x280 pixels) are hidden: four-core processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (1.2 GHz, ARM v7); Adreno 305 video accelerator (operating at 450 MHz); 512 MB of RAM; 4 GB of data storage, as well as GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 LE and even NFC modules. However, the same set of hardware went to many competitors, and it’s unlikely that we will see a Snapdragon 800 watch after a year (why does it have a watch ?!) - rather, they will install a 64-bit version of the younger 410 chip.
The declared volume of the battery is ridiculous 400 mAh, while the real volume (by opening the devices by amateurs and marking the battery inside) turned out to be slightly higher. With an average juz-case of such a battery, the hours will last for two days, no more, and then to achieve similar results you need to turn off the “permanently on screen”. The clock will activate the display when you look at it - a gyroscope and an accelerometer are responsible for this feature.
The display is a standard LCD with a resolution of 280x280 pixels. Once, a similar (320x240) resolution was on smartphones and communicators, but now even on the clock it seems to be something familiar. The resolution of the display is really not supernatural, but it visually quite pulls on the “retina” - the pixel grid can only be distinguished under a magnifying glass.
')
Appearance
The LG Watch comes in a neat, cardboard box, as compact as possible and unremarkable. The watch itself is made of several types of plastic, which is why it turned out very light.
The case is rectangular, minimalistic, without any design delights and controls (except the touch screen). Watches are in white and black, the first look more feminine, the second - universal and simple. Surprisingly, neither the case nor the strap collects dirt and prints.
The rear panel contains charging contacts in the docking station (one minus, they could be placed symmetrically or in two corners so that the device would not give a damn about the placement in the docking station). The watches have dust and moisture protection, capable of withstanding immersion in water to a depth of 1 meter, although, according to the manufacturer, only 30 minutes.
The watch strap is made of “silky” rubber to the touch, its back side (the one that faces the hand) is covered with an interesting (seemingly and tactile) pattern, however, it does not give any “clutch” with the hand and does not give any feeling at all. watch on hand. It would be better if he was on the front part :) Clasp is the most common, metal.
It's okay to photograph this bulging pattern on a black clock, so here's a render of white :)
Something to add here is still difficult - everything can be seen in the photo.
Equipment
Boxes with watches are not replete with related accessories. The manufacturer has managed the docking station, mains charger, USB-microUSB cable and paper warranty instructions. Everything is packaged neatly, but there is no cover, no cloth, no spare parts for the bracelet, or anything else in the kit. On the other hand, everything you need is there, and the buyer does not pay extra bucks for all sorts of "ryushechki."
Work with the device
The clock turns on ... turns on ... damn, but where is this button ?! Well, there is no button, so open the instructions. It turns out that to get started, you need to place the clock on the charging docking station. By itself, it is magnetic; after powering up, the clock will instantly come to life and will offer to begin work with a choice of language.
Next - they will require the installation of Android Wear on your smartphone. After a simple pairing procedure and a short training (both on the watch itself and in the phone), the gadget is ready to work.
All control is reduced to tapas (rarely) and swipe (very often) on the touch screen. The first thing is to update the device to the latest version of Android Wear 5.0, if the watch does not offer it yourself - you can find information about the update in the "settings" of the device itself.
The update brings some improvements both in the field of navigation by the clock, and in directly managing them, plus adds support for new dials, applications, addons. True, there is one drawback. Android Wear 5.0 does not allow you to set an interface language on the watch that is different from the smartphone itself. The previous version allowed. That is, even if you have Russian for Google Now, and the main language of the smartphone is English, then the clock will be in English, despite the fact that they are rather an interface for Google Now, rather than the smartphone itself.
So, what smart watches offer, besides determining the time on them, of course. Paired with a smartphone, watches can access notifications that come to the phone. Not calls and SMS, but notifications from applications that can be useful on the clock: emails from the client, notifications from Twitter and messengers. To do this, you must connect the "mirroring" of notifications in the application Android Wear. This is done in the settings of the smartphone itself , in the notification section. All interactive notifications (for example, from a player, with music playback control) also work on the clock.
The second (and, in my opinion) decisive feature is the Google Now system, which actively displays various information on the device screen. Your calendar, navigator and personal assistant no longer need to get out of your pocket - it is always on your wrist. The interface consists of all the same cards, and the assistant is controlled by voice and swipe.
Whether to allow them or not is your choice. The clock will count the distance traveled and share it with the Google Fit Google Fitness Hub , which will aggregate your daily physical activity. In principle, the phone itself copes with this, without a clock, but with reduced accuracy.
General impressions
The most important value of "smart" hours - you do not miss the notice. Neither about calls, nor about letters, nor about meetings. If the phone is in a bag, on a table, under a table, in a jacket or somewhere else, everything will come to your watch anyway. The second crucial feature - for the losses.
You put one of the applications (for example, this ), and you can always "find" the phone nearby (at home, at work) by activating the beep from the clock. A couple of times I found the phone in my trouser pocket, which was on me, but I saved myself 5-7 minutes of frantically searching for the device before leaving the house. The third bonus is only for owners of smartphones with BT 4.0 LE. If you connect the clock on the “economical” BT 4, then the charge of the “big brother” is almost not consumed, but the battery life increases, mainly due to the fact that you do not have the phone to read incoming notifications and do not “wake” it Voracious systems in the form of a screen and a processor.
Advantages and disadvantages
+ Very light;
+ Waterproof;
+ Charging from the docking station;
+ Do not collect dirt, dust and prints;
+ Upgrade to 5.0 without problems.
- You can put on the "wrong" charge and remain without a charged battery;
- There is no alternative way to charge, if you lose / break the dock, you will have to buy a new one;
- The display is not OLED-type, regular TFT;
- Do not measure the pulse;
- Primitive design.
At the time of this writing, the cost of hours in the store Yulmart is 9990 rubles.
Results
LG, as the pioneers of the platform Wear, created an excellent gadget. Yes, it is simple, deprived of some features (such as a pulsomer, in order to have the functions of fitness bracelets at the same time), has an ascetic design and not the most outstanding autonomy, but with all this it works as it should - show time and reminders, notify everything .
The device is quickly addictive and significantly saves the charge of the smartphone for those tasks that the watch itself cannot cope with - the company's first “pancake” was unequivocally “not lumpy”.
Our previous reviews:
» Transformer Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro
» Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop Suite
» LEGO Mindstorms EV3
» Digital Levenhuk USB Microscope DTX90
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/375433/
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