Sony SmartWatch 3

http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/smartwear/smartwatch-3-swr50/

by SoulMan • 12 years ago

23 71 12 years ago

post_break5• 12 years ago

It looks similar to a watch I've seen all over the news. Can't remember the name of it though. (Also IP68 isn't really waterproof. I take it back, I thought it was IP67 whoops)

orjan• 12 years ago

OK, I'll bite. First: this watch was introduced before the Apple Watch. I doubt either Sony or Apple knowingly copied the other. Second: it's tricky to define "waterproof". IP68 specifies continuous immersion beyond 1 meter. If that's not enough for you, well... Keep looking. :)

post_break5• 12 years ago

Yeah I goofed, I thought it was IP67 specs. Got them confused. Also I was just joking about the apple comparison.

morganvachon2• 12 years ago

This is Sony's fourth attempt at a smart wristwatch, going back to 2010 with the LiveView. I have the first Sony SmartWatch (second in the whole line, released after the LiveView) and it is crap compared to watches that came after like the Pebble, which I also own and use currently.

The SmartWatch 2 was a huge improvement over the previous model, but it didn't impress me enough at the time to buy it so soon after the last one; I ended up getting the Pebble instead. This one though, looks like what I'm really looking for in a smart wristwatch. I'd happily trade my Pebble for one, and probably will once they start selling it in the US.

As for the waterproof rating, IP68 would be "no ingress of dust" (the "6" in the rating) and "the equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water (immersion beyond 1m)" (the "8" in the rating). That sounds pretty much waterproof to me. Now, if you mean it's not a diver's watch, well of course it isn't, and never claimed to be. A diver will wear a diver's watch, not a device that connects to a phone she wouldn't dive with anyway.

post_break5• 12 years ago

Yeah I just edited my post, I goofed on the IP68 thinking it was IP67.

I had the first sony smart watch and it was amazing for its time. Then I got the pebble and loved it. Now I'm onto the Moto 360 and not looking back.

paullth• 12 years ago

"Demand great"

bhouston• 12 years ago

Apple is so good with the showmanship that it seems to have sucked the air out of competing watches. Is sony even trying?

BTW, this was announced back on September 3 or sooner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbDDWubWKaQ

post_break5• 12 years ago

Mean while everyone with a Moto 360 is getting asked "Is that the Apple Watch?!?!" myself included. You should see the deflated look on their face when you tell them that the Apple watch is square.

umsm• 12 years ago

I'm not sure the deflated look is because of the shape. Apple created a lot of hype with their watch.

JohnTHaller• 12 years ago

They were so good with showmanship that many people missed the fact that it's a complex thing you need to swipe, tap and spin a wheel on to interact with a multitude of tiny apps on in a very un-Apple way.

Tyrannosaurs• 12 years ago

I'm not sure if I'm defending or criticising Apple here but frankly we saw too little of the Apple Watch to really know what the interaction is like.

Right now it looks interesting but it's hard to say much more than that.

unfamiliar3• 12 years ago

When they introduced the digital crown as an interaction mechanism I thought it was genius. When they showed the home screen I realised they had lost their minds.

krisgee• 12 years ago

Another boring black square. I want someone to innovate on the Moto 360 already.

arpit• 12 years ago

Like LG's R Watch? http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/04/lg-g-watch-r-hands-on/)

thoughtpalette• 12 years ago

That actually looks pretty good! Reminds me of 007 Goldeneye for the N64.

RankingMember4• 12 years ago

This torrent of chunky rectangular smart watches are all about as sexy as the Casio calculator watches from way back when. I still think those calculator watches are a cool piece of old tech, but I don't know anyone who would wear one un-ironically.

hardwaresofton4• 12 years ago

I've owned a wide range of smart watches (sony smartwatch 1, sony smartwatch 2, galaxy gear 1), and people actually compliment me/notice the watches quite frequently -- considering what they do/contain (essentially being very small computers), they're exceptionally small

easytiger2• 12 years ago

And still less useful than this from the 90s:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GAWSAY

stronglikedan2• 12 years ago

How do you like the Smartwatch 2? I have enough points on my Sony card to pick one up, but I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I would actually use it.

51Cards• 12 years ago

Same here as well, Pebble and LG Gear, and noth have been noticed and complimented on frequently.

RankingMember4• 12 years ago

The question, then, is whether they're complimenting you because it's new and they've never seen it before or because they actually think it's a good-looking watch. People complimented PT Cruiser owners when those things first came out. :P

jader201• 12 years ago

This torrent of chunky rectangular smart watches

Genuine question: Did you include "rectangular" because you would prefer a circular smartwatch? I genuinely don't understand why people would want a round smartwatch. I don't see how a round screen would provide a good UX (this is why they don't make round monitors, or round smartphones).

Even if watches are traditionally round, I wouldn't want to have to build a UI around the constraints of a circular screen.

Whether you implied this, I have seen multiple people voice their preference for a circular smartwatch, so just trying to understand the logic vs. the constraints it would impose.

RankingMember4• 12 years ago

It's not so much that I want a round smartwatch, but that I know I don't want a rectangular one, because to me they're an aesthetically unpleasing sacrifice of form for function.

I'm sure a watch that was 6 inches wide and went halfway up my forearm like a gauntlet would be awesome to type on and read email, but I wouldn't wear it because it'd be super ugly.

nilkn3• 12 years ago

I have no doubt that you're right that UX is easier to do on a rectangular screen than a circular one.

The problem is that a watch is an object of fashion first and foremost. That's why you can find people willing to pay $10k for a Rolex Submariner or, say, an Omega Speedmaster "Dark Side of the Moon". They're the ultimate status symbols. That's what watches have become -- status symbols.

Apple clearly understands that with their Edition edition (though they didn't think through that name very well) and the general high-end finish of all the watches (even the Sport edition has a stainless steel frame around the watchface), but I think it was a mistake for them to choose a rectangular screen. I personally had hoped Apple would be the first company not just to make a circular smartwatch, but to also design a custom UI for a circular screen as well (as opposed to just slapping on Android Wear like the Moto 360 does).

bigtunacan• 12 years ago

Heh; I had one of those Casio calculators as a kid and I loved it. Then again, maybe that's why I got picked on so much :(

Kayou3• 12 years ago

Same specs as Samsung and LG smartwatches, toy-like design, unpractical charging port, 230€, not really interesting.

cskau• 12 years ago

..except GPS

fudged71• 12 years ago

I haven't seen NFC on others either

Kayou3• 12 years ago

Sorry, I didn't see the GPS. So if there are apps compatible with this, then it can distinguish itself from other smart-watches. Would be nice to go running without a smartphone and still tracking the speed.

morganvachon2• 12 years ago

toy-like design

I think this is due to Sony marketing it as an "active watch", similar to the fit bands that also look like rubber toys. Personally I like it, at least the black one. It actually looks nicer than the Pebble, not that the Pebble is a standard of style.

drivingmenuts• 12 years ago

So, basically it's a watch and a pedometer?

Can anyone please come up with something more interesting than counting the number of steps I take during the day?

TillE• 12 years ago

Apple's promised hearbeat sensor is a good step towards making a more advanced fitness/health device, at least. Even though I'd rather have that as a thin Fitbit-style band rather than a chunky touchscreen watch.

marincounty2• 12 years ago

Yea, I think the Fitbit style is the design they should shoot for. They could use the wrist band to hide precious IC space, along with the antenna for the GPS.

personZ• 12 years ago

Note that a number of available smartwatches already have heartbeat sensors (Gear 2, Moto 360, LG G Watch R, etc). You didn't exclude this possibility, but just wanted to clarify for any who wondered.

dozy2• 12 years ago

It should be noted that the Samsung Gear Live (one of the first two Android Wear devices from last June), as well as the Moto 360 both have a heart sensor, powered by an LED on the back of the device, just as Apple's will.

fla2• 12 years ago

Shameless plug : We sell high-end digital watches ( != smart watch ) at www.slyde.ch

Feedback appreciated.

marincounty2• 12 years ago

They are just fancy jump hour watches? Or, am I missing something?

notjustanymike2• 12 years ago

Well if you insist.

You website and products looks like they were happier in the Adobe Flash era of the Internet. The navigation is a disaster; small horizontal bars with lethargic animations make me dread trying to get anywhere on the site. The font selection and logo look like you told a design intern to make something look expensive.

Size wise, your website is 1,600 pixels wide. 1,600! This means you'll see horizontal scrollbars on a 15" Macbook Pro. Since it's not even remotely responsive, you've eliminated anyone coming to your site on a mobile device and even the iPad retina in portrait mode. If you can't be bothered to make it responsive (not really challenging considering the limited amount of content) at least make a mobile optimized site.

Then there are pages like this: https://www.slyde.ch/en/concept/engine

There is no reason the text should scroll on a page like that. It's a drab wall of text with no formatting, links, or really any kind of structure. Why have you made a boring wall of text -harder- to read?

Why is there a carousel navigation at the bottom of the page? Circles like this are traditionally used in carousels (which themselves are universally hated), and not for entire pages. I have no idea where those buttons lead and I'm pretty sure lots of people miss them (you could test that with Google Analytics). The confusion here is compounded, since they -do- work as a carousel on the homepage.

Regarding the watchfaces: am I correct in seeing you're selling these for $100 per engine?! Do you expect to compete on any meaningful level with the iWatch and Android Wear? Or is this one of those 'premium' experiences that certain people are happy to pay for?

So, all in all my feedback is this looks like a site trying to be premium without a clear understanding of what the word means.

fla2• 12 years ago

Thanks for the feedback. I coudn't agree more with the remarks you made about the website. It defenately needs some improvements.

Regarding the watchfaces: am I correct in seeing you're selling these for $100 per engine?!

Yes. These watch faces (we call them virtual engines) are created by professional watch designers.

Do you expect to compete on any meaningful level with the iWatch and Android Wear? Or is this one of those 'premium' experiences that certain people are happy to pay for?

No, because we are not a smart watch, simply an high-end digital watch. The product is premium by its materials and craftmanship. (For example: The Slyde is water resistant up to 30m).

So, all in all my feedback is this looks like a site trying to be premium without a clear understanding of what the word means.

Point taken, there is defenately some things we have to improve with the communication.

Thanks for you feedback!

jryle80• 12 years ago

Sony wearable are powered by Android Wear. Does anyone know if Android Wear supports BLE out of the box? I suppose it does but am not sure about light devices such as Sony SmartBand. There doesn't seem to be any mentions on the page.

dozy2• 12 years ago

I could be mistaken here but it seems BLE is not only "supported" but may indeed be a requirement of all Android Wear (aka Android API level 20) devices. AFAIK every Android Wear watch has noted an Android 4.3 requirement for the paired handset, which is also the API level (18) where BLE was introduced to Android.

SchizoDuckie• 12 years ago

It looks like flava-flav's clock on that little girl's arm http://i.imgur.com/1GJsajR.jpg

skc2• 12 years ago

Ahh, they missed a trick. Where Apple is going to kill them isn't even on functionality, but customizability. That's especially ironic considering it's iOS vs Android.

ate3562• 12 years ago

Like the non-standard band the Apple watch has.

skc2• 12 years ago

Yep. It's a fashion accessory first. Not sure how Sony missed that.

diydsp• 12 years ago

Yeah, i think you mean for instance when it says "colors available" and there are TWO. 1. Black (okay), and 2. crazy weird yellow-green. I have no stake in this game, but srsly, you'd think they would understand that more colors/styles => more customers. And that's the easy part. Getting the electronics right was the hard part... gosh.

twodayslate• 12 years ago

Only 2 days of battery life.

I prefer the form factor of the SmartBand, but that only has 3 days of batter life (with eink display!). I'd rather get the Garmin vivosmart which as 7 days of battery life.

taternuts• 12 years ago

As a Moto 360 owner, I smile a little bit with each new released smart watch that's just another ugly rectangle

Shad0w59• 12 years ago

Love the fact that this has a throwback Sony Sports yellow color.

Sony SmartWatch 3

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