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I have the lower-end Sport model, and even at its cheapest price point, the build quality is light-years ahead of the plastic-y feel of the first Pebble. So far, the watch has taken quite a beating — my 7 month old loves hammering the screen and tugging on the band, so it's pretty resilient and I haven’t noticed any scratches on the face (yet). 

One of my favourite features of the Pebble was that I could safely skip through podcast ads while driving, using the dedicated hardware buttons. This is difficult to do with the Apple Watch, as you need to use the touchscreen or Siri — neither of which are 100% reliable when you’re attempting to use the watch eyes-free. I would like to see the side button repurposed to an “Action” button that would behave differently depending on the current app — in Music, this could be the skip / forward button, for example. I’m not confident that will happen, but one can hope! 

Taptics are cool, if a little under-powered. It's a weird sensation at first — definitely more of a tap than a standard vibration. It reminds me of getting a very light electric shock, without the painful sting (showing my electronics background here). Even at max setting, however, I've missed quite a few notifications — usually iMessages, so I’m not 100% sure if that’s actually a software issue instead. I’ve started wearing the watch strap a notch tighter, which seems to have helped somewhat. 

The built-in watch faces are fun to tinker with, but the "complications" provided are very limited right now, and some of the choices are a bit strange. For example, if I have an analogue face, but want to also show digital time as a complication, I can use the World Clock complication. That's does exactly what I want, except that it insists on showing "DUBLIN" or "DUB" next to the time, depending on the watch face. Firstly, I'm in Galway (which isn't a selectable city) and secondly, I would prefer if it gave me the option to remove the city name altogether — it's totally unnecessary. For now, I've resorted to changing the DUB to a single "•” character (complications don’t support emoji either 💩), which looks a little odd, but better than the alternative. 

Siri on the watch works better for me than it ever did on iPhone. Sending dictated texts is great, although I wish it could turn off the prompt to send as text or audio clip and always send as text. This would help speed things up a little. (Update: @amanakbar kindly pointed out that there is a setting to do exactly this in the Apple Watch iOS app). 

Taking calls is seemingly useless at first, but it actually works great in the car, and I’ve been told that the audio quality on the other end is perfectly fine.

I was initially concerned about battery life, after having read a few rumour sites prior to the launch of the watch. To date, I’ve yet to see my watch run out of battery, even after being used heavily over the course of 16+ hour days. The battery level is usually hovering around 30% when I set it down to charge at night. 

I tend not to have too many notifications hitting my watch, so that probably helps a lot with battery life. Phone, messages, calendar events, and Twitter mentions are enough for me. Enabling apps like WhatsApp would be quite distracting, so I tend to err on the side of essential notifications only. 

A lot has been written already about the Activity app (and HealthKit) and how it’s starting a revolution in fitness and will improve health the world over, blah blah blah. It’s a nice marketing spiel for Apple, but I don’t buy into that hype at all. Similar to the JAWBONE UP and Fitbit, the onus is on the wearer to work toward their goals. The watch is not some magical device that will motivate you to get fit — you need to want to do so for yourself. 

  And if you are in that mindset, Activity works really well. The watch is very good at coaxing you into exercising more. I’m only just getting back into running after a few months off (let’s call it "parental leave"). On days where the Exercise ring is not filled, I feel a strong urge to get out there and run. 

The Stand reminders are useful, and much appreciated, as I work sitting at a desk all day long. I also use my Stand time as an opportunity to fetch a glass of water for myself, which I rarely did before getting the watch. I still don’t drink enough water, but it’s a healthy habit to get into and I’m glad I have the watch to remind me to do so. 

Speaking of healthy habits, the Workout app is very cool. I love the way it taps you for 1km intervals when running or walking — it’s a subtle indicator and gives a nice, little motivational boost during the activity. 

On my first run with the watch, I tried using the Runkeeper app coupled with my iPhone. Unfortunately, due to hardware limitations, and some funky bugs in Runkeeper, it turned out to be a bit of a disaster. I ended up with about three different runs recorded in Runkeeper and lost some data. I also dislike running with my phone, even in an armband strap — it’s just too bulky and expensive to be carrying around during a workout. 

Since then, I've run wearing both my Polar RC3 GPS watch and the Apple Watch. I use the Polar for recording my route and upload it to RunKeeper, and I use the Apple Watch for recording the workout into Activity and keeping track of my heart rate**. It feels a bit goofy using both watches, and I’d love to have GPS in the Apple Watch itself, but it’ll do for now***. 

Update: I’ve since released a free app that combines the watch’s heart rate with your RunKeeper activities. Download it here.

Despite all its V1 flaws and limitations, I’m enjoying the Apple Watch, and I'm excited to see it improve over the next few updates (both hardware and software). I’m still unsure if the app ecosystem will take off as well as it did on iPhone, but even with the stock apps alone, it's a solid purchase for gadget geeks. For non-techies, it will be a harder sell for Apple. It just isn’t a device you need to own right now, and that’s a difficult obstacle to overcome for a €300+ gadget. It’s not an iPhone on your wrist — not yet — but it’s a very useful accessory for one. 

* If this post looks too long for your liking, check out The Oatmeal’s strip on the Apple Watch: http://theoatmeal.com/blog/apple_watch 

** As an aside, I *much* prefer the watch for heart rate measurement versus the chest strap that came with my Polar — I’m sure it’s less accurate, but it’s by far the more comfortable option. 

Apps

Workflow (iOS)

Workflow is an amazing app that lets you creat custom "workflows" that can automate tasks using various iOS system functions and extensions from third-party apps. It's a little bit like programming your own mini-apps. If you've ever used Automator on OS X, you'll be right at home with Workflow.

Unread (iPhone)

I'll admit, I hadn't paid much attention to Unread until Jared Sinclair blogged about his disappointment with its sales numbers and the subsequent sale of the app to Supertop. I was intrigued, and gave the RSS reader a try, and was delighted to discover a beautifully-crafted reading app, that had been meticulously designed with ease-of-use in mind. Coupled with a subscription to Feed Wrangler, it has rekindled my interest in RSS.

Monument Valley (iOS)

The deserving winner of Apple's iPad Game of the Year award for 2014, Monument Valley is a gorgeous, mind-bending puzzle game, with really fun game mechanics that need to be seen in action to be appreciated.

Retro for Instagram (iPad)

Instagram, surprisingly, still don't have an iPad-sized version of their official app. I believe that the company line is that Instagram is a mobile-only product and that they don't consider the iPad a mobile device, which seems silly to me, especially since the release of the iPad mini.

Regardless, the absence of an official app has allowed third-party developers step in - the best of which has to be Retro, which allows you view those spectacular holiday snaps in all their iPad-sized glory.

Threes (iOS)

Another puzzle game that has heaps of personality. Like a cross between the multiplication tables and those sliding puzzles you sometimes get in crappy Christmas crackers. That's not really selling Threes very well, so you should really check it out for yourself!

Hex Fiend (Mac)

A super-simple hex editor for Mac that also has a really-useful feature for comparing two binary files.

Hopper Disassembler (Mac)

If you love hacking things and fancy disassembling other apps to see how they tick, Hopper is a really powerful tool.

Hola (Desktop Chrome plugin)

I love Netflix, but sometimes the Ireland catalogue just doesn't cut it. When combined with the Hola plugin, I can use my existing Netflix account to watch content from the US or UK Netflix catalogues (for now, at least). No messing around with DNS or subscriptions - it's a simple one-click plugin (that can admittedly be a little flakey, but it's worth it).

Podcasts

Serial

You've probably heard a lot of coverage of Serial, a new podcast that tells a story over the course of an entire series of episodes. The premiere season focuses on a real-life whodunnit - the murder of a teenage girl in 1999, and a reporter's mission to prove the innocence or guilt of the man sentenced for the crime.

Review

A group of geeks meet to discuss various movies, TV shows, and comic books. It's a lot of fun.

Kumail Nanjiani's The X-Files Files

Kumail Nanjiani is a comedian and actor - you may be familiar with him from HBO's Silicon Valley series (more on that below) or from the Harmontown podcast that I listed last year - whose obsession with the X-Files has led way to this suprisingly-entertaining guide through the various episodes of the classic 90s horror/sci-fi show. One for fans and newbies alike.

Song Exploder

This podcast is a must for music fans. Each episode looks at a single song by a band or artist and deconstructs the various parts and tracks, with help from the artist themselves. A fascinating insight into the creative process of musicians as well as the recording process.

Television

Fargo

It was with great reluctance that I approached the TV adaptation of the Coen Brothers' classic movie, Fargo. Thankfully, it was not a straight adaptation (or reboot), instead choosing to tell a different story, with different characters, in the same quirky and loveable world that we glimpsed back in 1996.

The Fall

A gritty BBC crime drama, following the PSNI as they hunt down a serial killer. Heavy viewing, and slightly let down by its second series, but a still a very high standard of television.

Broadchurch

Another dark, brooding crime drama from the UK. This time, a young boy is found dead in a small, idyllic town. Again, tough subject-matter, but excellent viewing. Apparently a US version is either in the works or has already aired - watch the UK version first!

Silicon Valley

Hilarious send-up of the tech and VC industries, from the creator of Office Space, Beavis & Butthead, and Idiocracy.

True Detective

Holy crap. Best TV series since The Wire? We're only one season in, but it's definitely a contender.

Movies

Guardians of the Galaxy

You were probably living under a rock this year if you haven't heard about Guardians. Another hit from Marvel, based on one of their lesser-known properties. I've heard GotG compared to early Star Wars and Indiana Jones, which are both fair comparisons. Lots of fun.

Edge of Tomorrow

Apparently, it bombed at the box office. Apparently, Tom Cruise is too old to star in action movies anymore. I can’t say I agree. I really enjoyed this action / sci-fi flick, in which Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt battle against an alien invasion by re-living the same day over and over again.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

More time-travel shenanigans, featuring both old and new members of X-Men cast. Massively entertaining superhero romp. Switch off your brain and enjoy!

Frank

Michael Fassbender stars in this weird and wonderful movie about an indie rock band, fronted by the mysterious, masked, musical genius, Frank. Totally offbeat and really enjoyable. The soundtrack is excellent too.

Bad Words

A silly comedy, with a surprising heart. Jason Bateman plays a 40-year old childrens' spelling-bee contestant, whose ruthless tactics and vindictive behaviour earn him the ire of children, parents, and officials alike.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

One of Wes Andreson’s best movies, and definitely his best in recent years.

The Lincoln Lawyer

Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey turns out to be a great actor. Who knew? Both movies well worth watching, if you haven’t already seen ‘em.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Totally manic and OTT, Scorsese & DiCaprio hit it out of the park with this telling of the story of Jordan Belfort - an infamous con man, whose outlandish, corrupt behaviour in the 1980’s landed him in serious hot water with the federal authorities.

Music

Delorentos - Night Becomes Light

Another solid alt-rock album, from one of my favourite Irish acts.

Spoon - They Want My Soul

A band that will never seem content to make the same album twice, They Want My Soul, sees Spoon experimenting with new sounds, and samples (even imitating Dre in the process), but is still Spoon at heart.

Foo Fighters - Sonic Highways

One of the better Foos albums in recent years. Well worth a listen, especially if they’ve dropped off your radar since The Colour and the Shape.

Hardware

BOSE Soundlink Mini Bluetooth Speaker

Incredible-sounding Bluetooth speaker that my awesome wife bought me for Christmas. Replaced my broken JAMBOX, which didn’t sound nearly half as good as this. Solid.

GAME GOLF

I’d been working on the GAME GOLF team for the past couple of years, and we finally launched our digital golf tracking system last January. We hit the Apple Stores, got our iOS app featured in the App Store, Barack Obama became a fan, and I was interviewed on national TV news. Very big year for us, and 2015 looks to be even bigger. Can’t wait!

And Finally...

A photo posted by Vinny Coyne (@vinnycoyne) on Jan 10, 2015 at 1:45pm PST

Our little bundle of joy, Hannah Grace Coyne, arrived in late October. Words cannot describe the awe and admiration I have for my wife, Clióna, for carrying her and bringing her safely into this world. Despite the obvious bumps faced by any new parent, becoming a dad has been such a joyful experience. 

Routes

GET /routes.json

Lists all the available bus routes in the Galway transit system. This list is hard-coded and would need to be updated manually, should the routes ever change.

GET /routes/<timetable_id>.json

Returns a list of stops on a given route. Use the timetable_id retrieved from the routes.json API. In the reponse, the stops key will contain all stops, separated into two arrays — the separate arrays represent the opposite directions taken by the bus on the route.

Stops

GET /stops.json

Lists all the available bus stops in the Galway transit system.

GET /routes/<stop_ref>.json

Returns a list of departure times for a given bus stop. Use the stop_ref retrieved from the stops.json API.

Schedules

GET /schedules.json