Can a Smart Watch Save Your Life?

Doubt I'll ever get one. I see OCD in the future.

Besides, who knows it may be sending this data surreptitiously to someone else.

No thanks.0

The problem with the Apple Watch iPhone system is the watch is only allowed on the most expensive post paid plans; not any prepaid plans ie. plans like Trac. That makes it very expensive for you to get and setup for Mom or yourself. With taxes and the monthly $10 watch charge it can run around $100 a month

" It’s also the only smartwatch with a FDA-approved heart monitor. Apple Watch checks for unusually high or low heart rates, as well as irregular rhythms that could be signs of a serious condition such as atrial fibrillation (AFib). With the optional ECG app, Apple Watch can generate an ECG similar to a single-lead electrocardiogram."
What percent of the population would this be likely to ever help?
No problem with it if you need this type of monitoring but why pay the hefty Apple "cool tax" for many things that are not useful to 90% of people?

If this level of monitoring is really useful or likely to save your life, you should be getting a doctor to prescribe its use.

My wife and I like the Garmin watches because they have been water resistant.

>> Can a Smart Watch Save Your Life?
Only if it work reliably, which pretty much takes Fitbit out of the equation. They replaced my Charge2 5 times during the warranty period, all for the same problem. Then, once the warranty year was up (replacement units don't extend the warranty) all they would do was offer me 25% off the purchase of a new one (and why would I want to buy a new Fitbit when they've shown such a lack of reliability?)!

i have a garmin watch. it tracks my heart rate and walking steps. original cost at $125

I recently upgraded my Fitbit Surge to a Fitbit Ionic. I looked hard at Apple Watch, but the main reasons I didn't go with it were: 1) battery life, 2) battery life, 3) battery life. The Apple watch has to be charged nightly. I get 4-5 days per charge on my Ionic (less if I use GPS tracking). One of the most valuable features is the sleep tracking. It tracks your sleep stages (Deep, REM, Light) and your heart rate while you sleep. Very valuable healthwise. You can't do that when you charge every night. Did I mention the Apple Watch battery life?

A couple months ago, I bought the newest Samsung Galaxy watch, at Costco, for the bargain price of $280.00. That watch sold at Best Buy is currently retailing for about $50 to $70 more.

The units sold at Costco come with the bonus of a second charger, so one can recharge the watch either at home, or possibly at one's jobsite. The watch is remarkable in that the battery is capable of a three to four day run cycle, unlike some smartwatches that essentially need charging every night.

The Galaxy watch is extremely customizable, in that one can run it either as a analog face or digital face, with about five of each, built in and changeable to the watch. Hundreds of mini apps are available, some free and some available for usually way under $5.00 for various optional watch faces. You can change the faces at whim from a basic Casio digital to many that look like those spacey, high buck, G-Shock watches, with multi-colored stripes and secondary time readouts, or even a clone of high end Omega, Cartier or Rolex analog faces.

After about a half hour getting it paired up with my LG Android phone, I was awed with all the neat features available. The basic face shows the charge level, the month and date, the local outdoor temperature, as reported by AccuWeather as well as a cumulative total to steps walked, which resets back to zero, at midnight.

Oher apps allow one to download the list of phone numbers, and make and receive phone calls, ala Dick Tracy, on one's wrist. It also comes with a comprehensive sleep monitoring app that keeps track of the hours and minutes of light sleep, deep sleep and even REM sleep. A bar graph shows the amount of sleep one got overnight with that of the previous nights in the week, and calculates the efficiency of one's sleep. (This only works. of course, if the watch is worn while sleeping. I put mine on the charger about ever 3.5 days, as I get out of bed, during breakfast and then while in the shower.)

The Galaxy watch allow one to link-up with the Samsung Pay App, which, installed on the phone, allows the wearer to charge purchases by selecting that app by rotating the black bezel surrounding the watch face, and holding it up to the Near Field Communication (NFC) sensor, at the checkout register, without bringing out a credit card. A health app reminds the wearer, if they inactive for about 45 minutes, to get up and walk around, or to do some torso twists, to get the heart rate back up.

Bottom line, I'm very satisfied with the Galaxy Watch. With all the available apps and the long battery life, I think it's a winner.

That's all very well, but can they wash dishes and cook the evening meal?

If I need/want a watch, I'll buy a watch. Everything else is just "must have" baggage.

I have a Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro purchased from Best Buy refurbish sale for $89 (originally about $200). How much can be refurbished on a sealed wearable is beyond me, probably just a return. Tracks sleep, heart rate, fitness levels, reminders, notifications from phone and more. Recently had heart issues and now in cardio rehab. My Gear fit helps me keep track of all workouts. Waterproof. Does Spotify and more, still learning. Does need charging about every other day, do it during my morning wake-up routine. Better than spending $400 for an Apple.