In 2012, the ability to be able to check that I had received a text message or email, or be able to check who was calling me without whipping out my then oversized Samsung Galaxy S3 was a really great idea.
I'd often be walking to the pub and hear a notification come in, yet would not want to get my smartphone out due to having to unzip my jacket on a cold night whilst I fumbled with my gloves. If it was raining heavily, I'd be even less inclined to risk soaking my treasured phone.
I have plenty of different notification sounds for different apps and contacts, but anyone who has ever experienced the "phantom vibrate" will know that feeling - Maybe it was a call or text, but I can't be sure if my phone really did vibrate or ping.
- You can't be sure, so you have to check, and wouldn't it be easier if you could glance at your wrist?
Also, I love a bit of astronomy, and on a good clear night, the last thing I want to do is ruin my night vision by being blinded by my smartphone's massive, glaring screen.
In 2012, I'd have happily bought a smartwatch or other similar wearable.
Then, all the major manufacturers began to produce ever more complex smartwatches, at ever more unaffordable prices.
To add to this, the ever increasing popularity of running and fitness trackers landed on the scene, and now there are a myriad of devices to choose from.
The thing is that I never bought a wearable for one reason - Battery life.
I have moved away from analogue watches due to their hunger for batteries. I'm a practical man, and watches do get trashed through daily tasks and my other pastimes. For this reason, Argos is my chosen watch retailer for a half decent digital watch that tells the time and not much else.
The thought of having to charge my watch once a week is enough to make me hate the idea of having a short battery life on a watch. As for charging daily, well, I've never got over my first Android smartphone which needed at least a nightly charge!
Whilst I was thinking about what to write in this article today, I decided that I'm still a long way off wanting a smartwatch, however this article on Engadget made me stop and admire this Apple Watch strap:
Yes, it is ostentatious, bordering on vulgar, but I do love Russian style. I know that there are many people who would call this "tasteless", but if you are going to fork out a lot of money for a high end smartwatch, you really should make it look like a watch. You want to stand out, you want people to notice.
I think that it is stylish, but then again I also loved the look of the LG KC560 from 2008:
Ok, maybe this phone was a step too far, but for sitting in a Moscow nightclub sampling premium vodkas, I would have been very happy to be carrying this phone.
So I'm still not sold on wearables.
Fitness trackers? I don't need on; all I want is a timepiece that holds charge and notifies me of texts, calls and emails.
The only fitness tracker I would want doesn't exist (I love sailing, and a cheap Android phone in an Aquapac is all I need for tracking my progress around a racecourse or reliving moments on a cruise).
I can't even make use of a smartwatch or wearable during the day, as I work in a high security environment and anything but the most basic mobile phone (without a camera, of course) is prohibited. Even then, my basic Nokia has to be switched off and left in a locker outside of whatever building I'm working in.
For me, smartwatches are out, for the foreseeable future anyway.
But then my wife sees one advertised on TV and tells me what a great idea they are for anyone who spends time outside! So now I'm left wanting one for those occasions when I do find myself enjoying the great outdoors and don't want to keep dragging my phone out of my pocket!
