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(More customer reviews)It is a rare individual that so objects to having a phone in their pocket that they would go outside the accepted norms presented to you by commercials, their peers, and most notably the the narrow niche that the marketing people at phone service providers have pigeonholed the North American market. What's not to love about an overblown smart phone coupled with a 2 year contract? Well, if you're addicted to Facebook, then you will never understand, and this phone isn't for you. If not, well, you may appreciate the utility that this item presents.
So having a rare moment of tech geekiness, I evaluated the state of the mobile phone industry, and decided one day that somewhere in the world, a watch phone must exist. Seeing as I don't get a kick out of smart phones like iPhones or even Androids, (which practically labels me a crackpot) I decided I wanted one. My search led me to this model, which seems to have a different name every where you find it.
Opening up the package was like many other electronics, though there's a few niceties included which really increases the value of the purchase. You're given an extra battery, which you will likely need to keep handy if you like keeping Bluetooth powered on. You're given a BT headset, which is great to have for this watch for normal everyday conversations. One thing of note, however: having a mono headset for a watch that offers you A2DP stereo output is missing out on a great feature.
The watch boots up quickly. I was traumatized at one time by a Blackberry so this was important.
There's nothing to dislike about the home screen. There are some seemingly useless icons along the top, and some old skool Nokia-looking font offering you the menu and name lists. I would love to change the font, though I think that is impossible. It does at least tell you if Bluetooth is connected.
The first item that I scrutinized was the touch screen. Navigating a 1.5" screen is tricky, considering your finger is about 1/4 the size of it. This is made simple, however, with a retractable stylus that lives in the wrist band. The touchscreen is straighforward, not over sensitive, and a 'click' requires putting a decent amount of pressure on the screen. This all adds up to a very useable touch screen. Believe it or not, you can get along using just your finger if necessary, though for long-term use, you'd better have the stylus.
The next item for inspection: text input. I make about 20 calls a month, but send about 200 texts. You have the option for handwriting recognition or a little keyboard. The keyboard is amazingly useable, however due to the small size, you'll have a lot of trouble entering text while walking, or while riding on a city bus. These are situations where the handwriting recognition will work, though its a lot slower. The keyboard isn't perfect though.. You can enter numbers easily, but to switch back to letters requires menu navigation. It needs work in the next release but is useable.
Next item of scrutiny was the speakerphone. In many ways this watch is not a thoroughbred; its a phone that was turned into a watch. For instance, if one has no headset attached, answering the phone will result in a quiet squeaky voice talking to you, that cannot be heard unless you hold the phone to your head. Eventually, however, the wise user will find the 'Handsfree' soft key that will go to speakerphone. Unfortunately, while the speakerphone is loud enough, the quality is terrible. This is a headset phone only, unless you want to hold your watch up to your ear.
Bluetooth connectivity is a bit buggy when connecting to my Jabra BT80. I believe the issue is that the headset will present 3 bluetooth formats to the watch phone simultaneously: ACRPT, Handsfree, and A2DP Stereo output. If one was to bond the two together and then make a call, there is a bad connection. One has to disconnect the Stereo output using the Bluetooth menu when using the regular handsfree profile, and vice versa. If one knows to do this, then it is manageable, though I worry how a less techie user would respond to this. If one does not expect to use the stereo feature it would not be an issue. Again, more work to be done in the next release.
Now on to the fun stuff. I use the audio player quite a bit, and this is made easy because of the 16 GB micro SD card that I have installed. I have loaded up my whole music selection on there. The sound quality through my stereo headset is great. The combination of watch, jukebox, and headset would be enough to make this watch worth it. Nitpicks: The player does not acknowledge folders. Every song has to be in the "My Music" directory. An annoying problem is that there is no way to designate play order or use a playlist. One is stuck with whatever play order the player comes up with, and the playlist file is in a mystifying proprietary format which cannot be edited.
Video and camera: They work and they seem to have a number of features, like white balance, banding, and lighting filters which sound like they'd give you better results. I have not pulled any pictures or video off onto the PC to see how they look.
MMS works and is functional. One major problem: one is restricted in the size of message downloads to somewhere around 500 Kb, regardless of the size of the memory card.
The watch also has organizer functions which include a Calendar, To-do list, Alarm, and Ebook reader. They are there, though I wish there were a few more. For instance, a general 'text document' would be very useful for taking lists. The watch also features an FM radio, though it requires the wired headset to work. I don't love FM enough to carry the headset with me, so it isn't useable for me.
The watch technically will do WAP internet off of GPRS. This has functioned for me, but is of low quality. You'll find only a minority of web sites will function with this phone.
My last nitpick. I paid $180.00 for a watch with no 'second' hand!
All in all, it is easy to see that many features could be better on this watch. The hardware seems to be impressively useable and well-designed but the software is lacking. I'd be interested in developing apps for this.
With all the minor problems, this watch will fit the needs of some users perfectly.
I would like to give a shout out to Victor International, who I bought this watch from. My first phone had a display problem a few days after receiving it. The good folks at Victor replaced it quickly with no questions asked. Thanks!
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VIP Watch Cell Phone Stainless Steel Wide 1.5" Screen FM
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