Develop Bugs

Sony Smartwatch Review. (Pro's - Con's)

First Impression
Apps
Hardware (Use)
Other post reviews in this tread
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(Mine is black)
The day I got my Sony LiveView, I had one problem: The screen wasn't working.
But this was only 2 months ago, so I got a discount coupon from the store and bought the SmartWatch as it just arrived in store.
1. FIRST IMPRESSION
As usual, the design caught my eye, it looked even nicer then the pictures google image gave me.
As every geeky person would do is to try turning it on but that didn't quite happen as I thought it would, you had to charge it 2 hours before you can start playing it. That of course you had to find out yourself as the paper guide told you nothing about waiting.
Charging it is taking the device of the wristband, opening the clip and placing the L shaped cable between the clip and... god this is hard to explain.
It's like clipping it to your belt, but the belt is the cable. There!
2. APPS
Anyways, Once I installed the necessarily software to connect the phone, the first thing you notice is that you get a menu with all Sony apps designed for the SmartWatch. Quite handy as you don't need to start searching for them on the app store. It even has a predefined shortcut to search for apps with "SmartWatch" so you don't have to start typing it (Yey for the 2.3Seconds win!)
Installing an app is as easy as agreeing with the terms and downloading it. Once installed, the app is active on your mobile AND watch.
You can select any installed app such as Twitter or Facebook, even Find Phone tool (VERY handy for girls and there maze purses between tampax and rocks...) with various settings. Some apps can be defined as gadget on your home screen.
Some apps are being created by cool nerds to enhance the flexibility of your watch. One of my favorite is the VFinder, an app who can take pictures with your phone camera, you see the camera on your watch with around 1-2FPS. (Yes you that lives next door a pretty girl, no more peaking, use your phone and watch!) Or the GPS tool, see how fast your driving, how high your climbing and where the hell on this planet your standing.
Maybe a Maps app? There are two who are being worked on, but you can test it already. They both are really bad for now, the one using google maps is the worst. But it's still in early stage... right?
3. HARDWARE
Now, to how handy this tool really is...
First of all, it reacts as it should with your finger(s), but then again, some buttons are to small.
When you double tab the watch, you have a 70% chance it will turn on.
You are also able to shake the device to wake it, but only a 10-20% chance, and not just a little shake, more like shacking a cocktail!
As alternative, you have a ON button on the side.
So, when you manage to turn on the watch, you get the digital clock, with the day (Mo, Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa,Su) and the day of the month. You don't get to see the month and year.
Once you tab on it, you get the homescreen. On the homescreen you got the gadgets. Wiping your finger on the screen to the left and right, you get to slide between gadgets. I got mine defined on Twitter, Facebook and Events (missed calls, SMS, MMS, etc). The Gadgets are fullscreen buttons, clicking on them will give you more info. When reading your incoming SMS, you can slide up and down to read the whole thing.
Using two fingers and tabbing them both together on the screen makes you go back, I would have preferred a double tab, as sometimes you just can't tab with 2 fingers when smoking a sigaret (Or something else.)
Once back on the homescreen, you can slide down to get the menu. On the menu you find your installed apps. Sliding left and right again you get to find more of your apps.
I happen to have noticed, some apps freeze the watch (Or phone, still sorting it out) till you reboot the watch or force close the app on your phone. Restarting the app will make it work again.
Quite disappointing tbh.
Now about the device main app. It's missing some things we could all use...
For instance, I'd love to change the Screen Timeout time to 10 seconds, as for now it turns off to fast.
Having a function to turn off or dim vibrate would be amazing so i don't have to take off my watch when sleeping.
Changing the screen brightness would be handy for certain things.
Having an option to add a background, change UI colors and styles would be amazing to have, as it's your special watch, you want it to be yours only.
PROS & CONS
Pro's
Design
Multi-touch screen
Size
Respounds Time
Very cool apps
Con's
Can't see screen well in sun
Music Player volume buttons to small to touch on screen
Menu should be fullscreen menu buttons like Live View (It's to small to work with when driving/biking)
Some apps could use more options
Sometimes screen doesn't show image, but still reacts to touching
Should have WAY more settings. (eg. Screen Timeout, Customizations, Vibration strenght, Brightness, etc)
Shaking it to wake up works 1 out of 10 times only
4. Other post reviews in this tread:
matej1990 said:
First-time-use-charging is pain in the ass. I connected it to the charging cable, but wasn't sure if it's charging or not... no LED light, no response from watch... nothing. In begining I thought I recevied defective one, that is not charging. Also using custom (too) short USB cable instead of micro USB cable is simply dumb. I think charging is the main failure of this watch.
Watch battery indicator is also not use accurate. It was showing about 50%, but next hour it shut itself down.
Apps are not to good, but they are getting better and better. Unfortunately Facebook and Twitter apps are realy bad. Almost just plain text with no forming. Mail notifications are currently bad.
Weather app is very good, but it needs option for current location not just predefined location.
Find phone, Messaging, Missed call, ModeChanger, TicTacToe, StatusView, Counter, GPS Viewer, GPS Map, Slideshow and Battery Level apps are useful and good working!
Music player needs bigger buttons!
I would prefer bigger screen, but i got big hands, so this is not for everybody. Also pixel densiti and screen brightnes is too low.
Also it would be cool it it would have mic and speaker, so I could answer phone calls from the watch.
And one more tip: the easiest way to check your watch is double tap on the alu ring/band. It apparently uses accelerometer to wake up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will update this post once in a while, but not very much.
Thanks for reading. I respect each one of you, so please respect my thread.
PVTD
Oh and You might have noticed my bad wordplay, I ain't native English speaking.

Really nice review i have ordered mine from expansys.in waiting for it !.And thanks for the review

First-time-use-charging is pain in the ass. I connected it to the charging cable, but wasn't sure if it's charging or not... no LED light, no response from watch... nothing. In begining I thought I recevied defective one, that is not charging. Also using custom (too) short USB cable instead of micro USB cable is simply dumb. I think charging is the main failure of this watch.
Watch battery indicator is also not use accurate. It was showing about 50%, but next hour it shut itself down.
Apps are not to good, but they are getting better and better. Unfortunately Facebook and Twitter apps are realy bad. Almost just plain text with no forming. Mail notifications are currently bad.
Weather app is very good, but it needs option for current location not just predefined location.
Find phone, Messaging, Missed call, ModeChanger, TicTacToe, StatusView, Counter, GPS Viewer, GPS Map, Slideshow and Battery Level apps are useful and good working!
Music player needs bigger buttons!
I would prefer bigger screen, but i got big hands, so this is not for everybody. Also pixel densiti and screen brightnes is too low.
Also it would be cool it it would have mic and speaker, so I could answer phone calls from the watch.
And one more tip: the easiest way to check your watch is double tap on the alu ring/band. It apparently uses accelerometer to wake up.

matej1990 said:
First-time-use-charging is pain in the ass. I connected it to the charging cable, but wasn't sure if it's charging or not... no LED light, no response from watch... nothing. In begining I thought I recevied defective one, that is not charging. Also using custom (too) short USB cable instead of micro USB cable is simply dumb. I think charging is the main failure of this watch.
Watch battery indicator is also not use accurate. It was showing about 50%, but next hour it shut itself down.
Apps are not to good, but they are getting better and better. Unfortunately Facebook and Twitter apps are realy bad. Almost just plain text with no forming. Mail notifications are currently bad.
Weather app is very good, but it needs option for current location not just predefined location.
Find phone, Messaging, Missed call, ModeChanger, TicTacToe, StatusView, Counter, GPS Viewer, GPS Map, Slideshow and Battery Level apps are useful and good working!
Music player needs bigger buttons!
I would prefer bigger screen, but i got big hands, so this is not for everybody. Also pixel densiti and screen brightnes is too low.
Also it would be cool it it would have mic and speaker, so I could answer phone calls from the watch.
And one more tip: the easiest way to check your watch is double tap on the alu ring/band. It apparently uses accelerometer to wake up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had that very same impression at first. I will quote this in my review, as the same thing happened to me. The battery was showing 50% if not more and suddenly, I could not revive the thing. I used it for 1 day and a half and it died already :/
Abou the dubble tabbing, you would need a hammer, as I had to almost hit it
LED and Micro-USB would have been handy. Now I have to order a new cable in case the watch dies while driving/working... Worst case scenario, lose the cable...

PVTD said:
Abou the dubble tabbing, you would need a hammer, as I had to almost hit it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, no hammer in use!
You just have to get used to it. It works surprisingly good!

One downside is also that it actually is no watch, it's a clip. It is unnecessary bulky because of the clip. 12,5 mm instead of 8,5 mm. So I can easily imagine a scenario where i break the clip by getting cought somewhere since it does not lock in closed position. This would cause the "watch" to be unuseable since you can't charge it properly nor wear it as a watch anymore.
It also not a real watch because it does not show the time without interaction.
I want my MBW-150 back
Nevertheless it has some awesome apps like the camera tool and GPS map "Google Maps for Smartwatch" finally works like a charm.

the sony smartwatch is Waterproof ?, You can splash in the water or surmeger?

It's just dust and splash proof. So... it's not waterproof. No submerging!

Just a little heads up.
Mine stopped working yesterday. It stopped reacting till I placed it back in it's charger.
So, what I now get is a fully charged SmartWatch MN2, who only works when you place it in it's charging cable.
Once every (around) 30 seconds it reboots on it self, then searches for your phone.
Your phone says it's still connected, so the SmartWatch keeps searching till you reset your phone's Bluetooth device list.
Once reconnected, you need to be lucky to be able to use it at least 15 more seconds before it reboots and searches infinitely again.

PVTD said:
Just a little heads up.
Mine stopped working yesterday. It stopped reacting till I placed it back in it's charger.
So, what I now get is a fully charged LiveView MN2, who only works when you place it in it's charging cable.
Once every (around) 30 seconds it reboots on it self, then searches for your phone.
Your phone says it's still connected, so the LiveView keeps searching till you reset your phone's Bluetooth device list.
Once reconnected, you need to be lucky to be able to use it at least 15 more seconds before it reboots and searches infinitely again.
MOD EDIT: Inappropriate language deleted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about the sony live view or the sony smart watch?
because the live view is known to have all such probs! and in this thread we are talking about the smart watch ok

rn9215 said:
Are you talking about the sony live view or the sony smart watch?
because the live view is known to have all such probs! and in this thread we are talking about the smart watch ok
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ment SmartWatch sorry. I read a LiveView topic before and confused myself.
The SmartWatch is what i ment :S

PVTD said:
Just a little heads up.
Mine stopped working yesterday. It stopped reacting till I placed it back in it's charger.
So, what I now get is a fully charged SmartWatch MN2, who only works when you place it in it's charging cable.
Once every (around) 30 seconds it reboots on it self, then searches for your phone.
Your phone says it's still connected, so the SmartWatch keeps searching till you reset your phone's Bluetooth device list.
Once reconnected, you need to be lucky to be able to use it at least 15 more seconds before it reboots and searches infinitely again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is EXACTLY what has now happened to mine! Got to send it to a Sony Repair place now.

It's a little frustrating
I like my Smartwatch so far. I've had it a couple weeks. Music control works great with DoubleTwist & the FindMyPhone app is great (if you're in bluetooth range). The Endomondo app is nice too as I keep my phone strapped to my arm while running.
My main complaint is the actual app buttons. 9 times out of 10, when I tap the icon to launch the app, it thinks I'm swiping and goes back to another screen. So frustrating. Better firmware with slightly larger buttons or something better come quick. I almost chucked the thing across the room. Luckily, the strap was too tight & I had calmed down by the time it came off.

Ok i am so confused .. I wanna ask what is main difference between Liveview and LiveView2(Sony Smartwatch)
I am planing to buy one so which one should i go for and why .. !!!??

o0k00l said:
Ok i am so confused .. I wanna ask what is main difference between Liveview and LiveView2(Sony Smartwatch)
I am planing to buy one so which one should i go for and why .. !!!??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Liveview was Sony's first smartwatch I would say version 1. I have that also no where near as good as the new Sony smartwatch.

Wow ... very smarter !!
Thanks

hi
I've just orderd a Sony smart view 2 but its sold as a smart watch can anybody tell me the difference please many thanks

Nice
I want to buy one

Scratch Guard
Does this watch requires scratch guard ???

drjamit said:
Does this watch requires scratch guard ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that it does not scratch !

[Q] Sony SmartWatch Compatibility

Hello,
Is Sony SmartWatch compatible with Galaxy Note 2? Has anyone tried using it? I'm planning to buy one, is it worth or not?
Thanks!

Yeh I'm using it, it works great, fully compatable.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

jadaress1 said:
Yeh I'm using it, it works great, fully compatable.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Do you have standard or custom rom installed?
I use the omega (3.0), no connection possible (not detected in BT).
nevermind the above.
I reset the watch (15 secs button press) reinstalled all smartwatch software and it works perfectly

Sony Smartwatch MN2 call handler app issue
Hi
My friend bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and i tried to connect the Sony SmartWatch MN2 of mine with it, and its paired perfect, every thing is fine with it but when there is a call i can only find the decline button in smartwatch no Answer button, so is the same thing happening with you ??
Is there any option to make the answer button activate, or it is not working only for me ??
And what about the music App ??
Please Help me !! as i wanted to buy Note 2, but dont want to waste my SmartWatch MN2

ShawkatAlam said:
Hi
My friend bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and i tried to connect the Sony SmartWatch MN2 of mine with it, and its paired perfect, every thing is fine with it but when there is a call i can only find the decline button in smartwatch no Answer button, so is the same thing happening with you ??
Is there any option to make the answer button activate, or it is not working only for me ??
And what about the music App ??
Please Help me !! as i wanted to buy Note 2, but dont want to waste my SmartWatch MN2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if the sony smartwatch is anything like my motorola motoactv, then the answer button only pops up if you have headphones connected to the watch itself. if no headphones detected, it will default to decline.

ngr.hd said:
Hello,
Is Sony SmartWatch compatible with Galaxy Note 2? Has anyone tried using it? I'm planning to buy one, is it worth or not?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works, but not flawlessly. There's an issue with the OS that can activate talk-back (or parts thereof). It only comes into play if you install some of the third-party notification apps, like Watch It (really good). It can be fixed permanently (in a non-ideal why) or temporarily fixed (less convenient but does not require disabling Engines). You'll know when you've got this issue, because your phone will unexpectedly say to you "the folder is opening..." when you open a folder. It's a minor irritation, but it gets on your nerves very quickly.
The watch itself works very well with my Note 2. Never dropped connection so far, seems to reliably get notifications (I have actually started to turn some off - as I get more than I thought I did!).
I like how it works with my phone. I see the Smartwatch as an evolutionary step to a decent version, which hopefully Sammy or Google will release. And at $100, you can't really go wrong.
Quite a few apps, and one or two of the paid ones are worth it, but mostly the free ones will do you just fine.
Hyppy New Year

wizlon said:
It works, but not flawlessly. There's an issue with the OS that can activate talk-back (or parts thereof). It only comes into play if you install some of the third-party notification apps, like Watch It (really good). It can be fixed permanently (in a non-ideal why) or temporarily fixed (less convenient but does not require disabling Engines). You'll know when you've got this issue, because your phone will unexpectedly say to you "the folder is opening..." when you open a folder. It's a minor irritation, but it gets on your nerves very quickly.
The watch itself works very well with my Note 2. Never dropped connection so far, seems to reliably get notifications (I have actually started to turn some off - as I get more than I thought I did!).
I like how it works with my phone. I see the Smartwatch as an evolutionary step to a decent version, which hopefully Sammy or Google will release. And at $100, you can't really go wrong.
Quite a few apps, and one or two of the paid ones are worth it, but mostly the free ones will do you just fine.
Hyppy New Year
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually i just wanted to know that the apps for smartwatch are perfectly working with Note 2 or not, as i tried the call handler app in smartwatch with note 2, then i find that there is no accept button on smartwatch to accept the call only decline button is there and also find the issue with the music app. So the issue is just with mine or every one facing the same . If you are facing the same issue then is there any way to get rid of this.
Please please please reply.

ShawkatAlam said:
Actually i just wanted to know that the apps for smartwatch are perfectly working with Note 2 or not, as i tried the call handler app in smartwatch with note 2, then i find that there is no accept button on smartwatch to accept the call only decline button is there and also find the issue with the music app. So the issue is just with mine or every one facing the same . If you are facing the same issue then is there any way to get rid of this.
Please please please reply.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SmartWatch is not fully compatible with the Note 2 for the phone answering App. It only works fully with Sony phones. There is no accept-call option in anything other than Sony phones.
Regards.

Considering you probably will want to take the phone out of your pocket before answering it, I don't see that as a real issue. "watch it" (and other programs that use accessibility settings) clashes with some other settings on the phone causing unexpected voice feedback and disabling the continuous input on the stock keyboard.. Other than that its fine..

joshofbass said:
Considering you probably will want to take the phone out of your pocket before answering it, I don't see that as a real issue. "watch it" (and other programs that use accessibility settings) clashes with some other settings on the phone causing unexpected voice feedback and disabling the continuous input on the stock keyboard.. Other than that its fine..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can we control our music player functions like play/pause,next,previous,forward-rewind also how is the battery backup with continuous use. I am also thinking of buying this product. Also does it have a earphone audio out port?

liondroid said:
Can we control our music player functions like play/pause,next,previous,forward-rewind also how is the battery backup with continuous use. I am also thinking of buying this product. Also does it have a earphone audio out port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can control music: start/stop, last/next, volume up/down.
No, there is no earphone port (use bluetooth headphones - who needs cables?)
I have found the watch controls music flawlessly, albeit not very conveniently in all honesty. Personally, I use the watch more to screen incoming messages and notifications. I don't try to do anything too fancy as it's easier to just use the phone.
On the subject of incompatibility with the TTS engines, there's no doubt this is an inconvenience, but not a great one. What happens is that the Note II (and I think other Android phones) starts talking to you when you don't want it to. For me, the biggy was it speaking out aloud "the folder is open..." (or "...closed") whenever I opened/closed a folder containing Apps. To say the least, it's distracting. If you disable the TTS engines (as I have done, undone, redone etc.) to fix the "folder is open..." issue (which fixes it for me, anyway) then you lose "DRIVING MODE" capability (which I rarely use) at least, and probably other speech apps too. The good news is that Navigation still works fine, even with the Samsung and Google TTS engines disabled. This is clearly not ideal, but only Google can fix it at the OS level, and they seem to be in no hurry at all.
I still think the Sony watch is a good product, as it allows me to receive and screen emails, RSS, tweets and to read them discreetly. It's much less distracting (and much less obvious, e.g. at meetings) than trying to read a phone.
I do still hope Samsung looks at this market though, as they will clean Sony's clock if they ever launch a similar product.

wizlon said:
It works, but not flawlessly. There's an issue with the OS that can activate talk-back (or parts thereof). It only comes into play if you install some of the third-party notification apps, like Watch It (really good). It can be fixed permanently (in a non-ideal why) or temporarily fixed (less convenient but does not require disabling Engines). You'll know when you've got this issue, because your phone will unexpectedly say to you "the folder is opening..." when you open a folder. It's a minor irritation, but it gets on your nerves very quickly.
The watch itself works very well with my Note 2. Never dropped connection so far, seems to reliably get notifications (I have actually started to turn some off - as I get more than I thought I did!).
I like how it works with my phone. I see the Smartwatch as an evolutionary step to a decent version, which hopefully Sammy or Google will release. And at $100, you can't really go wrong.
Quite a few apps, and one or two of the paid ones are worth it, but mostly the free ones will do you just fine.
Hyppy New Year
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this exact issue and its driving me nuts!!!!
How do I turn off the 'open folder, close folder' talk back setting??
I am so glad someone else has this problem, thought i was going crazy.

BazzaR22 said:
I have this exact issue and its driving me nuts!!!!
How do I turn off the 'open folder, close folder' talk back setting??
I am so glad someone else has this problem, thought i was going crazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh. No it's very common. I know of two fixes: one is TEMPORARY, but does not require you to disable any apps; the other seems to PERMANENTLY fix the problem, but it results in disabling TTS apps. You have to figure out which of these two evils is the lessor:
Temp fix - go to setting-> applications and find the two TTS Aps (Google and Samsung). Clear the cache on both. It temporarily fixes the problem (on my Note II anyway). Bad news: it comes back, seems to be random. I have never figured out why, and now I don;t even try...
Permanent fix (the one I have today). Go to settings->apps and DISABLE said google and Samsung TTS engines. Problem goes away, but you may lose some important functionality (I haven't - Driving Mode is killed, but I don;t use it anyway). You can always re-enable these apps, by going to settings->apps, scrolling all the way to the bottom and re-enabling them. I have tried re-enabling, but this little bug comes right back after a random delay, so now, I just accept it.
Regards,
Andrew
PS - don't blame Samsung, blame google. This is their problem.
PPS - all SonyWatch notification apps seem to trigger this - on my Note II anyway. I tried 'em all.

Had to resurrect this thread, are you guys talking about the smart watch 2 or 1? I am thinking of buying smart watch 2 atm.

Use cases with the Moto 360

Let's discuss how we use this watch so that we can share ideas with each other to further increase our experiences with it.
1) obviously notifications. I really like the fact that I don't have to pull out my phone to check every notification. I look at them on my watch and I can dismiss the ones that aren't important or choose to take out my phone if it is a notification that needs immediate attention.
2) I play Ingress, so getting portal attack notifications or comm message notifications are really handy. I can then decide if I want to pull out my phone to recharge the portals or simply dismiss the notifications.
3) speech to text is awesome. When people text me, I can reply by voice which it sends through my hangouts. One thing I noticed is that when I say 'OK Google', I don't have to wait for the prompt to show up to issue my command. I simply say all at once, "OK Google send text to (name) mobile." The animation catches up, then waits for my message which then I say what my message is.
Especially handy when I'm driving since I can still read the watch while I have my hands on the steering wheel at the 10 & 2 positions to make sure it got what I said.
I get many different hangouts notifications from different recipients so it's nice that I can pick which message I want to on my watch, then respond to them by voice all from my watch.
4) navigation is really helpful. I can now start Google maps navigation and get turn by turn alerts on my watch while running Ingress on my phone so I can still collect XM while driving and not miss out on navigation instructions.
The notification vibrates on my watch and lights up with the instruction, and even though I'm in the Ingress app, I still get the voice prompts from my phone which tells me to "stay on the second lane from the right" which the watch doesn't show. It only shows me that I need to make a right turn at such and such street. Really handy.
5) I'm very forgetful so before i got the watch, I set reminders with time and dates on my phone. But now, I can simply say "OK Google set a reminder for tomorrow at 12:00 pm to wish mom a happy birthday" all from my watch.
6) I installed the Pebble Locker app which allows me to make my watch a trusted Bluetooth device so I can bypass my lock screen code. And when my phone gets too far away from me (if someone were to steal it), the Bluetooth connection gets disconnected and locks my phone automatically.
These are just a few of my use cases where it's been incredibly helpful to not constantly pull out my phone from my pocket.
What are yours?
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

I can control my Chromecast from the watch. I'm watching a movie through Google play and I have playback controls.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

Mine controls the lights, garage door, nest, alarm, and fireplaces with voice commands. Besides moto360 and android wear, also needed autovoice, tasker, xposed framework, ifttt, homeseer, and zwave.

dolebomo said:
Mine controls the lights, garage door, nest, alarm, and fireplaces with voice commands. Besides moto360 and android wear, also needed autovoice, tasker, xposed framework, ifttt, homeseer, and zwave.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome. I wish I could do that.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

For that Pebble Locker app, can you shorten the distance the phone will lock?
I.e. the Moto 360 Bluetooth range is pretty far and I don't want the phone to be still in its unlocked state if I wonder 25 ft away from the phone.

lanwarrior said:
For that Pebble Locker app, can you shorten the distance the phone will lock?
I.e. the Moto 360 Bluetooth range is pretty far and I don't want the phone to be still in its unlocked state if I wonder 25 ft away from the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I don't see an option for that in the app.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

The_other_ray said:
4) navigation is really helpful. I can now start Google maps navigation and get turn by turn alerts on my watch while running Ingress on my phone so I can still collect XM while driving and not miss out on navigation instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I hate about navigation on the watch is that starting it will turn on the screen on my phone. If I need walking direction and the phone is on my pocket, this will burn a lot battery and the phone is prone to accidental touches.

lanwarrior said:
What I hate about navigation on the watch is that starting it will turn on the screen on my phone. If I need walking direction and the phone is on my pocket, this will burn a lot battery and the phone is prone to accidental touches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I noticed that also. So knowing that, I just turn my phone screen off before putting it in my pocket.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

The_other_ray said:
Yeah I noticed that also. So knowing that, I just turn my phone screen off before putting it in my pocket.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This creates extra steps for me:
1. Say "Ok, Google. Navigate to Starbucks"
2. Get phone out of my pocket
3. Wait till routing calculations is done
4. Turn off screen
5. Put phone back in pocket
Kinda defeat the hands free feature of Android Wear, isn't it? [emoji12]

lanwarrior said:
This creates extra steps for me:
1. Say "Ok, Google. Navigate to Starbucks"
2. Get phone out of my pocket
3. Wait till routing calculations is done
4. Turn off screen
5. Put phone back in pocket
Kinda defeat the hands free feature of Android Wear, isn't it? [emoji12]
Click to expand...
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Oh, I'm totally with you.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

The_other_ray said:
2) I play Ingress, so getting portal attack notifications or comm message notifications are really handy. I can then decide if I want to pull out my phone to recharge the portals or simply dismiss the notifications.
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Click to collapse
I also play Ingress and I have had attack notifications off since i got my Black Gaurdian long ago, but i turned them back on the day i got my 360 and i love seeing them pop up. I can hit "Open on Phone" and when i pull the phone out of my pocket Ingress is already loading/loaded so i can recharge and/or @ the attacker in Comm.

The_other_ray said:
5) I'm very forgetful so before i got the watch, I set reminders with time and dates on my phone. But now, I can simply say "OK Google set a reminder for tomorrow at 12:00 pm to wish mom a happy birthday" all from my watch.
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Click to collapse
One thing that annoys me, and this is more of a google now problem, is the card that shows up for an hour before reminders. I wish there was a way where you can either keep it from showing up early at all, or at least make it 10 min or something. For most reminders, I don't need it to cover my watch face for an hour and if I swipe it away I don't even get reminded at the correct time. Has anyone else noticed this?

PsychDrummer said:
One thing that annoys me, and this is more of a google now problem, is the card that shows up for an hour before reminders. I wish there was a way where you can either keep it from showing up early at all, or at least make it 10 min or something. For most reminders, I don't need it to cover my watch face for an hour and if I swipe it away I don't even get reminded at the correct time. Has anyone else noticed this?
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Yup, I noticed that as well. That doesn't make any sense.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2

The_other_ray said:
Yup, I noticed that as well. That doesn't make any sense.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2
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Click to collapse
I rather use Any.do for reminders but I won't be able to set it as a default app. At least I don't think.

I got my Moto 360 yesterday and tried my primary use case this morning. Wife and I run marathons and like many (some? ) runners we obsess over our stats. We've been using Garmin 410s to record our runs. My problem with that is that the pace is reports while running is really noisy - not useful for helping me to maintain my goal pace. The other issue is that the HRM gets bad readings later in my rn, probably because I perspire heavily. I got a bluetooth chest strap and it works great on my phone. But the phone is a relative PITA to use on runs. I have to keep it in a zip lock bag in a pocket and pockets are few in running gear. It's great to have an accessory on my wrist that can give me instant stats w/out digging my phone out of wherever I stowed it. Better yet, a tap on the phone starts recording when I'm ready to run, not before I stick my phone in my pocket. And when I'm done, the phone uploads my stats automatically.
good stuff

Lollipop and NFC unlocking

Just upgraded my N5 to Lollipop and was thinking of setting up Smart Lock from when I’m at home and at my desk at work using NFC tags. I use a four number PIN to unlock my phone, which is getting a little tiresome.
Is this even possible? Not sure what the range of a tag is – would I have to place the phone on it or would it be enough if I put a few tags around the house? Also how to I go about programming the tags to unlock – can I use the phone for this?
Thanks

You need to tap the back of the phone with it, and then you still need to swipe the screen to unlock it, you set it up by going to settings>security>smart lock>trusted devices

Thanks for clarifying. Didn't realise that I have to tap a NFC tag, so that won't be suitable for my purposes. Smart (Un)lock with a Bluetooth device should work though, and easily cover my flat. I could buy something small and cheap that I can always leave plugged in, acting as my personal unlock device - any ideas? Probably won't even be using it, perhaps a pair of Bluetooth speakers?
As for having to swipe to unlock - that's perfect and exactly what I'm looking for. Just want to avoid entering a PIN when at home/work

I'm using my smart watch as a trusted device and then, no need to unlock, just swipe up.

You could use something like this ring if you like wearing rings.
http://www.amazon.com/Titanium-avai...9&sr=8-1&keywords=nfc+ring&pebp=1416329643681
I've noticed that with a smart device setup (have the Bluetooth in my car setup) that while the device is connected it does not go to sleep. I would expect some pretty nasty battery drain if you're always connected to a device. My phone battery lasts the day with pretty moderate use with 15-25% left. If I kick it up a notch then it seems not last the whole day, or at least need charging at the end of the day.
I wonder if people see the battery drain with the smart devices connected all the time...

patmann03 said:
You could use something like this ring if you like wearing rings.
http://www.amazon.com/Titanium-avai...9&sr=8-1&keywords=nfc+ring&pebp=1416329643681..
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Click to collapse
These are crap, you have to fiddle a LOT to get the phone to "see" it.

chuotdx said:
I'm using my smart watch as a trusted device and then, no need to unlock, just swipe up.
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Click to collapse
This would indeed be the easiest solution to the “problem”, but I'm just not into smart watches… seems like yet another device I have to check and I want a watch that lasts for years on one charge. Speaking of smart watches, one of my colleagues was just handed the developer edition of the Razer Nabu at a conference – that’s definitely something I’d consider getting for my better half who walks a lot at work. I has some interesting functions apart from the usual step meter.
patmann03 said:
You could use something like this ring if you like wearing rings.
http://www.amazon.com/Titanium-avai...9&sr=8-1&keywords=nfc+ring&pebp=1416329643681
I've noticed that with a smart device setup (have the Bluetooth in my car setup) that while the device is connected it does not go to sleep. I would expect some pretty nasty battery drain if you're always connected to a device. My phone battery lasts the day with pretty moderate use with 15-25% left. If I kick it up a notch then it seems not last the whole day, or at least need charging at the end of the day.
I wonder if people see the battery drain with the smart devices connected all the time...
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion, but rings just aren't my cup of tea. Maybe a cheap BT speaker such as http://ebay.to/1tdepnM would work? I could leave it plugged in at all times in a hidden spot and just never use it.
Regarding the device never going to sleep - that must surely be a bug? Or the worst design decision for a while. Have you tried other BT devices?

With the 6.5 version och Google Play Services trusted places can be used.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/1...usted-places-feature-to-lollipops-smart-lock/

ea_umea said:
With the 6.5 version och Google Play Services trusted places can be used.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/1...usted-places-feature-to-lollipops-smart-lock/
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Fantastic, thanks! I'll give this a spin right away
Edit: works like a charm here at work. Got the smart lock message upon the first unlock, subsequent unlocks are just a swipe away

I was so excited to finally have a use for my NFC tags when I heard about the Smart Unlock feature.
First thing I did was put a NFC sticker on my vehicle dock and added it as a trusted device. Sure enough, the phone doesn't ask me for an unlock pattern; great! HOWEVER, there is just one little problem.... After unlocking, I'm presented with the "New tag found" full-screen message which you have to manually close EVERY SINGLE TIME!
What's the story here? I've done some digging, and there's even an Xposed module to disable this message. This simply cannot be the way that Google intended for this feature to work.... Any ideas?

StNickZA said:
I was so excited to finally have a use for my NFC tags when I heard about the Smart Unlock feature.
First thing I did was put a NFC sticker on my vehicle dock and added it as a trusted device. Sure enough, the phone doesn't ask me for an unlock pattern; great! HOWEVER, there is just one little problem.... After unlocking, I'm presented with the "New tag found" full-screen message which you have to manually close EVERY SINGLE TIME!
What's the story here? I've done some digging, and there's even an Xposed module to disable this message. This simply cannot be the way that Google intended for this feature to work.... Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found a fix for that, give me a min to find it again
I can't find it again.............I do know that it used 2 apps, and one was a sort of tasker app that you told it to do nothing

idbl_fanatic said:
I found a fix for that, give me a min to find it again
I can't find it again.............I do know that it used 2 apps, and one was a sort of tasker app that you told it to do nothing
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Click to collapse
Thanks all the same, but I still think that there has to be a simpler answer here. Using a third-party application (or two!) to mask the problem cannot be what Google intended.

Google intended for NFC to be used to transfer between devices... The tags are more of a third-party support. Download Trigger, and all you have to do is register the tag. You can even set it up to do things like launch your media player, activate Bluetooth, turn up your volume, etc.

I used an expired transport card which has an NFC chip. Stuck it on the car cradle and works just fine. No need to click away any message after the initial pairing

Chris Hansen said:
Google intended for NFC to be used to transfer between devices... The tags are more of a third-party support. Download Trigger, and all you have to do is register the tag. You can even set it up to do things like launch your media player, activate Bluetooth, turn up your volume, etc.
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Click to collapse
That may be what was originally intended, but Google has since added other features that are built in. For example, you can write a WiFi access point to a tag and it will now connect automatically WITHOUT the need for third party apps like Trigger. I still don't believe that a third party app should be required for smart unlock to work as intended.
I'm starting to think that perhaps it is the type of tag I'm using, or perhaps there is a "null" record that can be written to a tag which will prevent the built in reader from popping up.

StNickZA said:
That may be what was originally intended, but Google has since added other features that are built in. For example, you can write a WiFi access point to a tag and it will now connect automatically WITHOUT the need for third party apps like Trigger. I still don't believe that a third party app should be required for smart unlock to work as intended.
I'm starting to think that perhaps it is the type of tag I'm using, or perhaps there is a "null" record that can be written to a tag which will prevent the built in reader from popping up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure why you're so against the app, but regardless, you should try it out. Use it just to write to your tag. Uninstall the app afterward. Should still work as you want it to. I have one in my car that I configured with Trigger (when it was still NFC Task Launcher). Haven't had the app installed on the last few phones I've owned, but it still works as intended - turns on my Bluetooth, ups the media volume, and launches Play Music.
As far as your tag, I believe you are correct. I vaguely remember a similar issue some years ago where the tag kept prompting with that empty message.

Chris Hansen said:
I'm not sure why you're so against the app, but regardless, you should try it out. Use it just to write to your tag. Uninstall the app afterward. Should still work as you want it to. I have one in my car that I configured with Trigger (when it was still NFC Task Launcher). Haven't had the app installed on the last few phones I've owned, but it still works as intended - turns on my Bluetooth, ups the media volume, and launches Play Music.
As far as your tag, I believe you are correct. I vaguely remember a similar issue some years ago where the tag kept prompting with that empty message.
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Click to collapse
It's not that I am against the app (or any of the others in the Play store)... And you are 100% right, there's a lot of functionality in those apps, and it can certainly solve my issue. It's just that when Google adds a feature like this, they don't *require* you to download an after-market app for it to work. And a full-screen popup whenever you approach an NFC tag set as a "trusted device" literally BREAKS the feature in my opinion. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of it and find out what I'm doing wrong.

StNickZA said:
What's the story here? I've done some digging, and there's even an Xposed module to disable this message. This simply cannot be the way that Google intended for this feature to work.... Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have some kind of app installed which performs actions upon touching an NFC tag (eg trigger)? I had the same messages pop up every-time, but once I installed an app and related a "display on" action to it, the messages stopped. If you don't want the tag to do anything just let it do something trivial, like enabling mobile data (which is probably enabled already anyway when you're driving). I hope this works for you.

StNickZA said:
After unlocking, I'm presented with the "New tag found" full-screen message which you have to manually close EVERY SINGLE TIME!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Freeze Tags.apk with TiBu. Profit.

Nfc Tools
What your phone does when you touch an NFC depends on the URI that is written on the tag. You can easily check that by downloading NFC tools and scanning the tag in question. If the tag is writable and you want nothing to happen when you touch it with you phone, try writing following URI to the tag with NFC Tools: bad://access/development

Question How To Improve Hearing Aid Function

I have a Pixel 6 Pro and Widex Moment 440 Hearing Aids. My aids are paired to my phone without issue, and I can successfully interact with them through the Widex app to switch programs, etc. But streaming of any audio (phone calls, music, audiobooks, podcasts) is so very poor that they're entirely unusable as streaming devices. Both aids cut in and out for the first 30-60 seconds of streaming, and then both aids cut out all together.
Widex is aware of the issue, but is opting not to make efforts to address it because they believe the issue lies with the Pixel 6/6 Pro, so much so that they formally delisted the Pixel 6/6 Pro, and recommend that I switch to an iPhone. I'm a Google gal through and through, with a home/life full of Google devices/products, so I don't want to switch to an iPhone, but I really would like to be able to stream to my aids.
Does anyone have any thoughts on how I might address this issue?

Try disabling all global power management ie adaptive battery, put unused apps to sleep.
Network reset.
Developer options>bluetooth settings, look through those (this image is a Samsung)
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Play with it...

I disabled adaptive battery, and I'll slowly work my way through the developer options, with a bit of testing after each step.
With "put unused apps to sleep", are you referring to the function of adaptive battery, or something else?
What are you referring to with "Network reset"?

Not sure how settings are laid out on a Pixel.
To check if global power management is disabled; Developer options>standby apps, all buckets should show as active. However global power management can't be disabled here.
The network reset is somewhere in settings under connectivity.

I confirmed via standby apps that all bucks show as active.
Are you suggesting that I should do a network reset? If so, will it remove all of my wifi and bluetooth connections?

Karine said:
I confirmed via standby apps that all bucks show as active.
Are you suggesting that I should do a network reset? If so, will it remove all of my wifi and bluetooth connections?
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Click to collapse
Yes and yes it will reset all to default, which is why you do that.
It's not uncommon for it to become misconfigured. Set up the devices again when it's done. Maybe a different order of adding them would help. Try the hearing aid first and see if it works.

I'll give it a try, perhaps tomorrow, or after, once I've run with today's tweaks for a bit.

Karine said:
I'll give it a try, perhaps tomorrow, or after, once I've run with today's tweaks for a bit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just do it. I don't even think twice about it. A easy fix when it works
The bt device may also have its own reset in its software but may not do as well.
Again make sure the device has all its needed permissions including any in accessibility. It may not have prompted you to enable them during installation. That happens occasionally. Look it all over like a hawk. Playing in settings is fun, don't worry though as it's almost impossible to crash* a stock Android... explore it.
*always back up all your critical data redundantly to preferably 2 hdds that are physically and electronically isolated from each other and the PC. Crashes are very rare but can happen, being prepared to do a full reload at any time will save you time and grief.

blackhawk said:
Just do it. I don't even think twice about it. A easy fix when it works
The bt device may also have its own reset in its software but may not do as well.
Again make sure the device has all its needed permissions including any in accessibility. It may not have prompted you to enable them during installation. That happens occasionally. Look it all over like a hawk. Playing in settings is fun, don't worry though as it's almost impossible to crash* a stock Android... explore it.
*always back up all your critical data redundantly to preferably 2 hdds that are physically and electronically isolated from each other and the PC. Crashes are very rare but can happen, being prepared to do a full reload at any time will save you time and grief.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I check accessibility permissions? I don't think I've encountered that before.

Karine said:
How do I check accessibility permissions? I don't think I've encountered that before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On Samsung's it's in settings.
With Google it's usually documented. This may help you.

blackhawk said:
On Samsung's it's in settings.
With Google it's usually documented. This may help you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!

Karine said:
I have a Pixel 6 Pro and Widex Moment 440 Hearing Aids. My aids are paired to my phone without issue, and I can successfully interact with them through the Widex app to switch programs, etc. But streaming of any audio (phone calls, music, audiobooks, podcasts) is so very poor that they're entirely unusable as streaming devices. Both aids cut in and out for the first 30-60 seconds of streaming, and then both aids cut out all together.
Widex is aware of the issue, but is opting not to make efforts to address it because they believe the issue lies with the Pixel 6/6 Pro, so much so that they formally delisted the Pixel 6/6 Pro, and recommend that I switch to an iPhone. I'm a Google gal through and through, with a home/life full of Google devices/products, so I don't want to switch to an iPhone, but I really would like to be able to stream to my aids.
Does anyone have any thoughts on how I might address this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a P6Pro and Resound hearing aids. They are pretty much working well. If the sound isn't piped to my ears and turn off and turn on Bluetooth and they connect properly. But the best hearing aid phone I ever had was my OnePlus 7 Pro. There was a button on the volume slider to pipe the sound to the phone, the ears, the car, or any other paired device. I miss that button!
Karine said:
I have a Pixel 6 Pro and Widex Moment 440 Hearing Aids. My aids are paired to my phone without issue, and I can successfully interact with them through the Widex app to switch programs, etc. But streaming of any audio (phone calls, music, audiobooks, podcasts) is so very poor that they're entirely unusable as streaming devices. Both aids cut in and out for the first 30-60 seconds of streaming, and then both aids cut out all together.
Widex is aware of the issue, but is opting not to make efforts to address it because they believe the issue lies with the Pixel 6/6 Pro, so much so that they formally delisted the Pixel 6/6 Pro, and recommend that I switch to an iPhone. I'm a Google gal through and through, with a home/life full of Google devices/products, so I don't want to switch to an iPhone, but I really would like to be able to stream to my aids.
Does anyone have any thoughts on how I might address this issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse