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Ask Slashdot: Wrist Watch For the Tech Minded
NNUfergs writes "Sure, my smartphone can deliver just about any piece of information I could want in under 30 seconds, but I miss being able to just look at my wrist to get the time, date etc. I've been shopping around for a while and haven't come across anything particularly inspiring. There are loads of various features that have been incorporated into watches, but you usually only see a small, specialized set in a given watch. Budget is always a concern, but I am willing to invest in a quality time piece. In short, I'm not looking for a piece of jewelry; I'm looking for a gadget to wear on my wrist. Are there any neat, fun or just plain cool watches out there for techies? What do you have?"
The light is from a radioactive Tritium source - automatic cool points, and its actually useful, the hands are bright enough to see in any light without needing a second hand to push a button.
It's a programmable watch by TI. sells for 50$, but 50% deals are regular.. so you can snag one for 25. Has a bunch of things inclusing heart monitor reciever, altimeter and temperature sensor.
http://dilemma.gulecha.org - My philospohical short film.
Bluetooth e-paper watch with apps, talks to both Apple and Android. Made a splash on kickstarter earlier this month:
www.getpebble.com
You can't buy it now, but I have a hard time believing this isn't the future of watches, in terms of not needing to pull the phone out of your pocket, it can send just about anything to the watch, and you can use the watch to control your phone.
"Old man yells at systemd"
Casio G-Shock GB-6900 Bluetooth watch. Uses Bluetooth Low Energy with compatible devices (iPhone 4s, few newer Android phones) so it doesn't drain power like other past Bluetooth enabled watches. Sync to the time on your phone, lets you set phone alerts/alarms/ringtones/etc, read text messaging and email, etc. Good companion piece if you don't like take your phone out of your pocket.
http://www.tokyoflash.com
They have an array of really cool designs that are pretty damn geeky. Its pretty easy to tell the time on most of them, but for some telling the time is the equivalent of a binary clock.
Man you have to read between the lines. He wants a toy for his wrist. He doesn't seem to care about style too much. The geek stuff is just what he wants. I get that. It's fun. I could understand if you were saying this on the FHM website or the Gentlemen's Quarterly, but this is slashdot. To the OP: My Watch is a citizen, it's called an Eco-Drive watch. The neat things it has are a slide rule around the outside for converting things, it runs on sunlight and it will connect to a radio broadcast to correct the time. It has lots of cool dials on the front. Stay true to your techie roots. Don't be one of these guys that calls themselves a hacker because they can open a dos prompt. Don't be that guy!!
Mean what you say...say what you mean.
Geek can be a style! Check out this amazing Nixi Tube Watch. It's awesome, geeky and pretty great to look at. It doesn't go too well with an Armani suit, and it isn't quite classy enough to flash around a funeral, but it sure would score you some points at a geeky interview.
This one's tricky. You have to use imaginary numbers, like eleventeen... --Hobbes
Smart phones may be "better", but they're also about ten times bigger and there are plenty of times you don't carry a phone, but would wear a watch. I used to own a Casio full scientific watch (in the '80s) and used it as such all the time.
I once had a concierge at a 5 star hotel tell me he could always figure out a customer by observing two things: his shoes and his watch.
The watch is to men what the handbag and shoes are to women. It is the ultimate fashion accessory. It can be a sign of status like a Rolex. It can be a sign of one's interests like a Bell & Ross. It can be a sign of ones appreciation for artisan watch craft like a Breguet. The question when buying a watch is not what features does it have. Do you really think anyone spends 100K on a Breguet because it tells accurate time? It is a very traditional status symbol of style so find the one that says what you want to say and enhances you personal brand.
True men of leisure don't require watches as they have all the time in the world.
I am really disappointed that there was no anti-google rant in your post. But back on topic...
Try to motoactive watch. GPS, music, radio, android- based, records your workouts, syncs with your android phone to receive texts and messages. And touch screen. What more could a geek want?
http://phandroid.com/2011/10/18/motorola-actv-a-smart-fitness-watch/
How about respect for mechanical watches? They are true marvels of engineering and work very well. Just because it's electronic doesn't make it any better.
I still wear them. I currently wear a CASIO Databank 150. I I only use basic stuff. Nothing fancy. I'd like to get a PDA watch but they are too heavy and big for my thin wrists. :(
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Build a watch. From parts. I am currently wearing my general-purpose utility watch, a waterproof automatic I made with an ETA 2824-2 movement and a one-of-a-kind nickel and brass dial I made that evokes a mid-century modern aesthetic. I've built several others, but they're more decorative than utilitarian. This is a watch I can wear no matter what I'm doing without worrying about it. Mechanical watches are AMAZING instances of applied science, and even though the technology hasn't changed substantially in decades, they still represent the pinnacle of micro-mechanical manufacturing. Understanding and working on watches is a decidedly geeky pursuit, but it isn't that big an undertaking to obtain the necessary knowledge to assemble and maintain one if you're already a well qualified geek. And chances are that you'll start to appreciate the aesthetic design aspects more once you get into it. Let me tell you, ladies do love interesting, classy watches - and telling them you made it yourself and there's only one in the world is catnip.
I am a geek attorney, but not your geek attorney unless you've already retained me. This is not legal advice.
A watch is just for telling the time - your other gadgets are for everything else.
That being the case, there are few things as geekishly awesome as an automatic (ie self-winding) mechanical wristwatch.
A little tiny machine, small enough to wear on your arm, that uses nothing but springs and harmonic motion to keep time, accurate to within a couple of seconds per day.
If you have the means, you can spend $_absurd on a status-symbol automatic watch.
If you don't have those means (or that inclination), you can get some serious bargains.
My everyday watch is a Vostok. http://www.vostok-inc.com/ . Delivered from Moscow for under $100. Seemingly indestructible, and more than accurate enough - I only ever need to adjust it if it stops, after not being worn for a couple of days.
I've seen some Seiko 5 automatics recently on Amazon for similar prices. More elegant (and delicate) looking than my Vostok (which is more like a watch movement set in an anvil), but very good little units.
Second-hand mechanical watches can be found for even less.
Get some cheap watchmaking tools off Ebay and pull a cheap mechanical watch to pieces, just for fun. Because you can.
The Torgoen T01 sports a slide rule bezel. These aviator-style watches are like a poor man's Breitling, with battery-powered Swiss movements assembled into their housings in China. I've had mine for over six years, and I love it. The hands and numerals are large with phosphorescence that remains strong throughout the night. There's also a separate hand that reads in 24-hour time and which can be set to another time zone -- handy if you conduct overseas business.
I have a Tissot T-touch. Looks like an ordinary watch. It uses a touch screen to bring the underlying gadgets to life. Altimeter, compass, barometer, thermometer, etc. Goes well with a suit too!
Yes but as chips grow smaller and voice functions grow easier to use the watch might just come back.
Say you have a watch, with a good sized data storage for music, able to make cell phone calls, and bluetooth. Combine with an earpiece and decent voice commands and then you don't really need nearly as big of a screen.
I always thought that this binary display watch is a rather novel way to spray your geek scent on. It is also fairly styilish and not too loud in design - the LEDs only come on when you press a button.
Moved to http://soylentnews.org/. You are invited to join us too!
The original Pulsar digital watch was marketed through upmarket jeweller, Tiffany and Co. A solid gold version sold for $2,000 and a stainless steel model for $275.
Digital watches initially caught on only in the US and very few were exported. There was a strong market for them in 1973 and prices dropped quickly. Other firms entered the market, including Bowmar, which also pioneered the early pocket calculators in the US.
These are only sold at the gift shop in the Restaurant at the end of the Universe and at the Big Bang Burger Bar.
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
Second the MOTOACTV if it's a gadget timepiece your after.
If you're not in a hurry there is always the Pebble
And if you want a cheaper alternative we have Sony's offering. It says it is running Android but CMW seems to have debunked that claim.
That said I also believe as others here have stated that your watch is more about style and status
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/ipod_accessories/cases
The best part is that I have built about 600 of them myself. The bad part is that I just spent 4 months of Nixie watch profits on more Nixie tubes.
The determined Real Programmer can write Fortran programs in any language.
How does a phone in your pocket tell you the time?
There's a reason wristwatches supplanted pocket ones.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Scuba diving? Watches are quite handy there, while phone cases might leak.
While working? You can angle your wrist around to see if it is nearly time for dinner without putting your tools/workpiece down, switching off the machine or crawling out from under something to unzip your overalls to reach your jeans' pocket.
In fact, it would be an idea to not take the phone to work at all if possible, I have broken 3 at various times as they get crushed in my pocket ( a colleague managed to break one of those Land Rover tough phones at work, but that was by trying to clean the swarf out of it with an air line ).
Cheap waterproof digital watches just keep on going, and you can use abrasive compound to clear enough of the scratches away to read the display. Or smear grease on it if you are lazy.
They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
http://leapsecond.com/pages/atomic-bill/
That said, I bought a new watch recently. I had four criteria:
- Maintenance free - electronic but no need for battery replacement (mechanical watches need an oil change every few years)
- Radio controlled, receiving all three standards (OK that kind of includes the one above)
- Titanium case
- at least moderately waterproof.
That whittled it down to a manageable set and when I saw a Citizen Nighthawk on sale I hit it.
thegodmovie.com - watch it
Sony Smartwatch?
Yeah... but unlike so many other advertisements every one of your dollars that goes to Sony really does support terrorism :)
Exactly the same reasons why I have a Casio GW-2500BD-1AER:
- Solar powered (as long as I wear it at work, which is inside all of the time, it stays charged 100% meaning it'll keep running for 6 months in total darkness)
- Multi Band 6 radio sync every night so it's always correct (unless I'm on vacation further North in Norway) and I'm always on time.
- Both digital and analog
(- and since it can withstand 200m of water pressure I can safely think of it as being properly waterproof).
I hate to braeak it to you, but you are in the minority. In the real world, women actually appreciate a man with style. Not sure about 1K man-earings ... odd comparison, but whatever ... but stylish clothing, nice watch, nice car, yup women do dig them. Show up in your cheeto-stained armpit-holed thinkgeek tshirt and android held like a lightsaber in your meaty paw ... all their questions are pretty much answered before you even utter your first 'whatsup?'.
And would I choose a stylish watch to act as a compliment to my phone ... in a cold hard second! Pebble hardly qualifies as stylish, but is on the right track. I don't want to dig my phone out every time it dings or rings, esp. in meetings, at meals, driving, among friends, at a movie, on a date, on a hike, riding my bike, etc. but life and work demand this attention. A watch would clearly be much better and more socially graceful.
Heh, but look who I'm talking to.
There's a reason wristwatches supplanted pocket ones.
Fashion trends are cyclical.
After enough years, everything old is new again.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Really? Like what. I cannot think of one.
If you happen to work in a secure facility, often you can't even bring the phone into the building.
I just came in here to recommend the Citizen Eco-Drive and I see I'm not the only one. Listen, I bought mine about 3 weeks before Service Merchandise liquidated in 2002. The lady there didn't know how to resize the band so mine fell off about 5 times (hitting pavement) before I finally took it to get the band fixed. It was unaffected by the trama. The watch simply kicks ass and takes names.
So, mine is now 10 years old and still looks sharp. The slide rule still works, the battery still works, and I've never changed the battery since it recharges itself with the built-in solar panel. It's a geeky watch that doesn't look geeky. It has all the time zones in it and does day light savings time (manually) so I can easily tell what time it is when traveling. It has alarms and stopwatches and all that, too.
It's also a joy to read how it's programmed to save battery. At the bare minimum, if it's totally dark the second hand will simply park at 0 and quit moving. When exposed to light, it will race around to catch up.
Did I mention the slide rule?
Lastly, my wife - who is an asian babe - loves it. That alone should do it for you.
Do you have ESP?
You must be single, or have a very understanding partner who lets you bring a cell phone while making love or cuddling.
You must be single too, because if a woman ever caught you looking at your WATCH while love-making/cuddling, you probably would have been a chalk outline at a crime scene by now.