SMART WATCHES (WEARABLE TECH), FINALLY COMING OF AGE: IS IT FOR YOU!?

June 2015

Since the announcement of the iWatch, the Apple community and many other tech observers and first adopters went berserk with the possibilities, but for me and many skeptics, I wondered, do I really need another device??? my initial feeling is no, but most recently as many more companies have launched their own high tech wearable tech/Smart Watches with many many more features and compatible with Android devices I have begun to see a possible use for myself.

Motorola, LG, Huawei, ASUS, Fitbit, Tom Tom, Addidas, and Microsoft are now making these watches as a coordinated effort with Google to offer Android users a plethora of options, including Square and round designs, sizes and designs for women and men,  Multiple digital watch faces to choose from, sport & heart rate tracking for your exercise routines, whether running, walking or climbing, and of course you can check your Gmail, Calendar, Facebook and play music as long as it is linked and synced to your phone. Technically, your phone and Android powers the watch, with the watch being the truncated "display unit" for the information on your phone. So these watches won't function fully without your phone, at least not yet, I'm sure Google is working on building and further miniaturizing mobile cell technology so these watches can run on a version of Android built for watches. one day soon I expect, but for now, you need your phone nearby to use these watches. Of-course certain basics will continue to work without your phone's Android processing power, like the watch faces, time, date and GPS tracking. Some even offer music downloads so you can listen anytime.

For me the most attractive feature is the GPS tracking of my exercise and the main reason I would opt for one of these new devices, so I don't have to get a fitbit or sport tracking device. having all the other added features is a bonus, but then I think to myself, I could already do all that with my Android phone, the Samsung Galaxy 5S, so do i really NEED to get this watch!? what's the opportunity cost, what else can I spend this $400 on?? For me the LG Urbane is the most attractive of the bunch, offering a classic watch style with a round design and built in Wifi. However, I feel buying one of these watches is more for status symbol than actual utility of the device, so since I'm not one who typically runs with the crowd, for now I'll pass, I don't need this status symbol. You on the other hand may want it precisely for that reason. maybe you want to be the first among your friends to have this wearable tech. So this holiday season you can expect a lot of discounts and competition for these new devices as these manufacturers battle it out for market share.

UPDATE 11/20/15: It's about 5 weeks before #Christmas and one week before the biggest shopping day of the year, #BlackFriday, (the day after the #Thanksgiving #Holiday), and as #predicted #SmartWatch ads are becoming more frequent and repetitive with #Samsung leading the charge as HP and #Movado team up to build and share one #smartwatch. if you're in the market, i expect the best prices will come to you the week after Christmas.

Read more about these watches here, at the officical Android Blog: http://officialandroid.blogspot.com/2015/09/android-wear-new-watch-styles-and-sizes.html

Even Free this T-Mobile Offer is VERY VERY BAD FOR YOU

To begin with it DOES NOT include YouTube! probably the streaming service everyone uses most of all. So granting free access to some streaming services and not others, even if free, is just another way for them to get to cap data access, ANY CAP ON DATA ACCESS IS BAD FOR NET NEUTRALITY, THAT IS, THE IDEA THAT EVERYTHING ON THE INTERNET SHOULD HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO YOU, THE CONSUMER. T-Mobile has listed about 24 streaming sites including Netflix and Hulu that is included in the offer, but why not YouTube and more importantly educational sites like The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is working to put all their art online and offering video tours online. But you and your kids cannot stream that content for free with T-Mobile.

Whats worse, is that in a few months, they'll roll-out a monthly subscription for this service, or you will be bombarded with advertising if you continue with the free service, just as Hulu did when they added the subscription service ads went to an average of 180 second every ten minutes from a low of 60 seconds every 15-20 minutes. I experienced that myself. see this screenshot below.

in this screenshot, you can see the white dots on the episode slider below each one represents an average of 180 seconds of ads every 10 minutes or so, up from 60 seconds every 15-20 minutes before Hulu introduced its subscription service. You can expect a similar result from T-Mobile. 

When T-Mobile rolls out it's subscription service, they will require you to PAY EXTRA, for the other streaming sites not on their list of 24. like YouTube, and thats whats dangerous for you, this service should be free for ALL streaming, not just the 24, that why it's bad for net neutrality and you. I for one will be saying NO to this new offer. 

T.C. Sottek, writing for the Verge, says "except it’s more difficult to stop because, as the FCC might say, there’s "no obvious consumer harm" in giving people free stuff. Of course, "free" isn’t really free, is it? This scheme is called "zero rating," and people like Susan Crawford have been warning us for a while about the risk it poses for the open internet. The only reason Binge On and Music Freedom sound like such a great pro-consumer deal is because the top four mobile ISPs — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile — have manufactured a market based completely on artificial scarcity." click verge above to read the complete article by T.C.Sottek. 

Every advocate for Net Neutrality will tell you the same thing, this is bad for you and for net neutrality. There is enough bandwidth to give everyone free unlimited streaming service, but these Carriers don't just want to charge, they intend to over-charge you and over-price these services for the express purpose of removing money from the bottom and moving up to the top 1%. So say no to this offer and yes to Net neutrality. Yes, that's my opinion and I'm encouraging you to say no too.  very soon your carrier will do the same thing offering a fake free streaming service, say no. Free is not always good and in with this T-mobile offer it is not good for you or for the internet. Free now means you will PAY MORE later.