Sony SmartWatch 3 evaluation

The SmartWatch three SWR50 is a tool from Sony that lets you see notifications out of your phone — along with emails, calls, texts and even GChats — proper on your wrist. The smartwatch, which runs the Android put on working system, additionally responds to voice commands, so you can ask approximately the climate or send emails just by using speaking.

One characteristic that separates the SmartWatch three from many different smartwatches is that it has built-in GPS, so you can song workouts with no need to bring alongside your cellphone. And in case you want to pay attention to track in your run, you could down load songs to the smartwatch itself, which pairs to headphones via Bluetooth.

It prices $250, which is about the middle of the price range for smartwatches.

but the device also lacks some features that have emerge as not unusual in wearable devices — it would not have a heart-rate display, and it does not tune sleep by way of itself. (but, you may down load apps to the SmartWatch 3 to track sleep.) further, it really works only with Android phones, so you're out of luck when you have an iPhone.

if you're mainly interested in fitness-tracking capabilities, you would be better off with another device. even though the SmartWatch 3 tracks the overall amount of time which you are energetic each day, and your daily step overall (which you may view at the watch itself), it offers little in the form of motivation and, as previously stated, lacks a heart-rate reveal.

but if you're seeking out an extension of the experience in your phone, the SmartWatch 3 is not that terrible. The potential to go looking the tool with voice instructions is a plus, on the grounds that there may be no button urgent. The watch vibrates while you acquire a notification, and you can respond out of your wrist. And if you're keen to track your exercises while not having to hold a cellphone in conjunction with you, then the SmartWatch 3 may appeal to you.

still, the tool is quite big and heavy, that's some thing to do not forget earlier than you buy. similarly, the apps which you download need to be managed one by one, that may make matters complex.

i found the Sony SmartWatch three to be a as a substitute large device with a clunky feel. The display at the watch face is 1.6 inches (four centimeters) along the diagonal.. because i am a petite female, the tool seemed large on my wrist. It feels as although it's designed to fit an average-length guy. (this is a trouble with many smartwatches that are available in best one length. In contrast, the Apple Watch will come in  sizes.)

The SmartWatch 3's strap is adjustable, but it also has a clasp — its design guarantees the 2 ends of the strap in no way come aside. (The Samsung gear 2 uses a comparable clasp.) It makes for a cozy fit, however I had to mess around with it pretty a bit to get the watch on and rancid, which I didn't like. there's absolutely no need for a watch strap to be so complex.   

but regardless of these design flaws, the SmartWatch 3 also has some splendid features. It has a shade display screen, and there are a number of history presentations to choose from, which lets in you to customise the device. And you may even pop the watch face out of the strap and positioned it in a special strap — proper now, the strap comes in black and lime, and the employer says a chrome steel strap can be to be had soon.

another plus is that the backlight on the display activates while you twist your wrist to examine the watch, so there's no need to press any buttons to peer the time. And the display is "transflective," which means it is able to mirror and transmit mild — i found I could examine the display without problems even in bright daytime.

The watch is also water resistant, so you do not ought to fear approximately getting it moist, as long as the charging port is closed. you could even take it in water up to 5 toes (1.5 meters) deep. however, Sony recommends you restrict the tool's time in the water to 30 minutes, so this isn't always a device you want to use to music your swimming exercises.

The SmartWatch 3's battery lasts most effective two days, even though this now not unusual for smartwatches. (some fitness trackers, on the other hand, get as a minimum per week's well worth of battery, and the battery on the idea peak, which has a heart-fee monitor, lasts 4 days.)

before you start the use of the tool, you have to download the Android put on app on your smartphone, and the app then walks you thru the way to use the watch. This walk-thru explains all of the swiping and tapping you want to recognize to apply the watch. despite the fact that i discovered this option to be beneficial, i was still once in a while a bit harassed when using the watch itself.

You swipe up and all the way down to scroll thru notifications or other capabilities, swipe right to "brush aside" notifications and swipe left to peer greater records about a selected notification or feature. This swiping sample takes a few being used to, and you might discover yourself getting lost with all the swiping.

thankfully, you don't must swipe the display to get entry to capabilities — you may also use the tool's voice seek. as an example, you could say, "ok, Google, show me my steps," to peer your doorstep remember for that day, or "good enough, Google, what is the climate?" to look the cutting-edge temperature. I preferred this "arms unfastened" function, and the watch constantly regarded to recognize what I stated. you could even send an electronic mail just by speaking to the watch. (Be cautious, although: if you do this, the watch will ship the email as quickly as you prevent speaking, so there won't be a danger to review the e-mail or test if you're sending it to the right person.)

to use the tool's integrated GPS, you'll first must down load an app for GPS tracking — I used the Google My Tracks app, which helps you to song both your distance and your steps. Then, you sincerely open the My Tracks function on the watch and start recording a run or stroll. you'll be able to see the period and distance of your workout at the watch itself, but to peer some other facts (which includes a map of your course), you may need to open the app for your phone after you end.

i discovered the GPS labored well, however the My Tracks app doesn't tell you when the device gets a GPS sign, and helps you to begin "recording" a exercising without picking up a sign. after I examined the device, I walked forty five toes before it registered that i would traveled any distance, and it wasn't clean at what point the watch had picked up a GPS sign.

The SmartWatch three does not song sleep through itself, so I downloaded the Sleep as Android app, which become the advised sleep app. I advised the app to apply my smartwatch (in preference to my cell tool) for sleep monitoring, and then began monitoring proper earlier than I went to bed. the primary few times I tried to tune my sleep, the characteristic crashed on the smartwatch, however I in the end got it to work. however, you might not be able to see any of your sleep information on the watch itself; you'll must view it in your phone within the Sleep as Android app. further, you can set an alarm at the SmartWatch three, which vibrates to wake you up, but in case you set an alarm thru the Sleep as Android app, it'll go off for your cellphone, and not at the watch.

One disadvantage of using a smartwatch that can connect to other apps is which you turn out to be having many apps that want to be managed one by one, that could get complex. the wear as Android app pretty tons let me change best the watch historical past and the watch settings.

you will ought to open a separate app (I used Google fit) to view your activity statistics, another app (Sleep as Android) to view your sleep and a 3rd app (My Tracks) to view GPS data. In evaluation, most health trackers will show you all of your fitness/sleep information in a single app, and the Adidas healthy smart can even display you your route within the same app if you deliver your cellphone on a run. in case you're used to handling plenty of apps immediately, this may no longer be a trouble, but folks who like to maintain matters simple may want to do not forget another tool.

As is the case with most smartwatches, the SmartWatch 3 doesn't do an awful lot that the common phone might not, even though the tool is a handy manner of tracking your runs. And having notifications seem to your wrist is useful if you have your fingers complete or do not want to reach to your smartphone to examine a textual content.

nonetheless, the tool is not intended to get you fit, so it offers little or no fitness data or insight into the statistics it tracks. The default step aim is 10,000 steps consistent with day, and the default interest time is 1 hour according to day. but, the device does now not explain why this quantity of pastime changed into selected because the default purpose, and does no longer provide suggestions or motivation for getting extra exercising.

The device's colourful display screen and the capability to read the display screen in many one-of-a-kind lighting fixtures situations make it useful as an eye. further, the capacity to look the tool with out urgent buttons can be appealing to some.

but in terms of motivation to get suit, the SmartWatch three comes up quick. no matter monitoring your steps and physical activity, the device would not ship you alerts while you've been sitting too lengthy (unlike the LifeTrak Brite and the Soleus cross), or notify you whilst you've almost reached your doorstep aim.

There are methods the SmartWatch three could be stepped forward. as an example, the tool could be supplied in more than one length, and consist of a heart-charge monitor and sleep-monitoring functions. universal, although, the SmartWatch 3 is not a bad smartwatch.