First impression: Casio's 'Smart Watch' - G-Shock GB-6900
So the battery to my Omega is finally running out after 5 years of daily use, it is pretty good going compared toĀ bondomatic's Tissot which has had two or three battery replacements in the same time. The downside of course, is that not only the battery change itself is a costly affair, but the watch had to be sent back to the manufacturer which take up to 6 weeks and that's long time to be without a timepiece. As I have worn a watch for almost everyday for the last few years, I'd almost feel lost, and dare I say 'naked' without it! With my birthday coming up soon, I thought I'd treat myself to a new watch to keep me occupied whilst my old watch is in for repairs...Ā
I guess that's enough excuses to justify my new purchase, so here it is - The Casio G-Shock GB-6900
Those who know me will know that I am a big fan of wearable tech, I've been tempted by theĀ PebbleĀ and Samsung's Galaxy GearĀ for quite some time but the thought of having to recharge these along with my other endless list of portable devices on a daily, or even weekly basis has put me off buying either of them. I already own theĀ Garmin 405CXĀ as a smart watch to keep track of my running, and nothing annoys me more than having the watch die on me during the session because I had forgotten to charge it the night before.Ā
Which is the reason why this G-Shock smart watch has caught my eye; Casio claims that it has a battery life almost about 2 years in-spite of it having Bluetooth switched on every day. Perhaps it can achieve this impressive feat because Casio has very cleverly chosen not to offer a full OLED screens like other smart watches and instead, make use of its simple existing LCD screen. Personally, I am not totally convinced that the battery will last as long as Casio's claim but anything measured in years is good enough for me.
Just like any other G-Shocks watch range, it's rugged and maybe a tad plasticky but it is well built. More importantly, it is the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity that interests me the most. When paired with an iOS or Android device, the watch will alert you of any incoming call, mail, Twitter, Facebook, reminders and Calendar alert via Casio's dedicated App. But not only does the watch receive alerts, Casio has updated this second generation watch to allow communications to flow both ways - the watch can be used to directly control music played on your phone.Ā
In a real-life test, I found the mail alerts being particularly useful. During a client meeting, I am being discretely notified by the watch for any incoming emails without appearing to be too distracted. I also see that 'Phone Finder' may be a useful feature as I have a habit of misplacing my phone on a regularly basis. With a simple press of a button on the watch, the phone will emit a predefined tone to indicate of its whereabout - You do however, have to be within range and connected to the phone itself for this to work so this feature does have its drawback.
So far, I am pretty pleased with my purchase, only time will tell (pardon the pun) whether the battery life can live up to its claims but it is a gadget piece that I think I will come to enjoy more as I discover its true potential.
I'll be reviewing Casio's iPhone App that accompanies this watch, look out for it in my next blog post!Ā
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