IP is Becoming an Asus Zealot! Asus ZenWatch 3

That's such a crazy low price for such an excellent watch!

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Further proof that I kill all good device lines simply by purchasing them. Not only was the Asus Zenwatch 3 not included in Google's announcement of the Wear Oreo update, but Asus no longer lists the Zenwatch 3 for sale in their store, and possibly official word is that the entire Zenwatch line has been discontinued. Boy, I sure can pick 'em, right? Haha.

Thankfully, the Oreo update (even for phones, but especially for smartwatches) isn't that overwhelmingly awesome of an update. Unfortunately, that means there won't be a Zenwatch 4. Oh, well. I'll just enjoy my Zenwatch 2 and 3 as long as I can. I think my next smartwatch hasn't been released yet, as no other current watch models have capture my interest.

 

IP - I feel the same way - wait - let me check what time it is on my Pebble Time Steel!

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Well, it's the end of a rather short-lived era for Internetpilot...no more smartwatches.



My six-month-old Asus ZenWatch 3 stopped charging and won't boot. I think suspect it's a faulty/dead battery, which is just ridiculous for a watch that's still so relatively new. So, I decided to fall back to my trusty Asus ZenWatch 2, but it's acting really wonky with a lot of lag and I can't get it to properly connect to my phone, even after factory resetting the watch, repairing, etc. I could probably do something under warranty with the ZenWatch 3, but Asus Service is notoriously horrible and expensive (even for warranty work), so I'd probably be better off just buying a refurbished one. Honestly, I just think I'm done.

It was an interesting little foray into the platform, but after spending the last few days wearing my Citizen EcoDrive "dumbwatch", I'm finding myself completely over the whole smartwatch thing already. My dumbwatch is "waterproof" when neither of the ZenWatches are even water resistant, and it's REALLY been nice not having to worry about charging another device (other than my phone) on a daily basis.

The biggest benefit to my dumbwatch is that...well...it works, and therefore I can discern the time of day on it. Y'know...kinda what watches are for anyway?

RIP, ZenWatches!

 

IP - I'm sorry for the problems you've had with your Asus watches.

I use my Asus ZenWatch on the days I charge my Pebble Time Steel - which is only every 4th or 5th day. Sometimes I just wear it in the morning & go back to my Pebble.

I like the look of the ZW2. The last time I did a factory reset I didn't add in some of the apps I use to use for email & texting. I felt having access to previous texts & emails slowed the watch down. Now, I respond or read any notifications & then they are gone. If I want to read them again or reply to something I use my phone.

I know you tried the Pebble Time Steel. Unfortunately, even though it was color, the display was not as brilliant as my former Pebble Time. But in direct sunlight my PTS's display is brilliant. When in other situations & I have a problem seeing the display I simply shake my wrist & the backlight comes on & all is fine.

I do like having a smartwatch & Mrs scjjtt likes her Pebble Round (her display is much brighter - like my former Pebble Time). We both use them & find them useful.

My son, whose wife got him an Apple 10 about a month ago, bought the latest (3rd gen) Apple Watch. He really likes it, especially the ability to answer calls from it.

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I feel the same way. While my Pebble lasted longer, the feeling that I had to be in the know for every notification quickly became a point of irritation. I did not need to know. In fact, I often didn't want to know. I did suffer from phantom notification vibrations for quite a while, and in hearing my phone alert, I would suffer from a Pavlovian response, and without thought, check my wrist. Thankfully both have completely subsided.

My scrawny wrist is now happily adorned with my Swatch watch, which tells the time correctly and the charge lasts for years.

 

HC - I understand. I limit what apps can send notifications. I am most interested in 1 email account (church), texts & of course some threads (not all) from B.H. come through Tapatalk.

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While visiting our parents in OH I woke up at 2am this morning & got a drink. I noticed my phone light was beeping, indicating a notification from a favorite contact. I pressed 2 buttons on my watch - read the sentence or two of someone who resolved an issue for me that we've been working on. I quickly pressed a couple of buttons & sent a canned message - ''Thanks''. All of that took about 15 seconds & I didn't have to use my phone with the threat of waking Mrs scjjtt from the phone light.

My watch allows me to respond quickly to text & emails & move on with whatever I was doing & never touch my phone.

Also, the Map Navigation App is great - I turn off my phone screen & the next notification is on my wrist with vibrations at 2 miles & 200 feet before a turn or an exit.

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I think smartwatches will come into their own when AI and voice control really improve. That would make the interface much smoother. And of course batteries and processors will continue to improve to the point where they can really be useful.

 

Well, I just couldn't let go of the fact that I've only had the ZenWatch 3 for a measly 6 months when it abruptly died on me, so I after looking over all the paperwork, specs, Asus web site, etc. for probably an hour and still finding NOTHING about the length of warranty period, I opened a chat session with Asus support and discovered (after another 30 mins of the support rep trying to find the information) that there's a year warranty on the ZW3, so I will be sending it in under warranty.

When/if it's repaired, I might keep it and I might just sell it. I'm really liking my dumbwatch at the moment. I'm also really liking the Casio G-Shock I bought for more abusive activities. You never realize how often you have to charge a smartwatch until you go cold turkey like this without one. I swear, keeping a smartwatch charged is like a full-time job itself!