
LG G Watch R - jbernardo95
http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#main
======
iandanforth
Correct me if I'm wrong, but most (all) of those product photos are faked. If
you're curious what it looks like on a real wrist:

[http://media.gizmodo.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2014/10/DSCF71...](http://media.gizmodo.co.uk/wp-
content/uploads/2014/10/DSCF7149.jpg)

From full Gizmodo review here: [http://gizmodo.com/lg-g-watch-r-review-worthy-
of-your-wrist-...](http://gizmodo.com/lg-g-watch-r-review-worthy-of-your-
wrist-even-if-andr-1652833562)

~~~
nilkn
Wow, that looks bad on a small wrist. That's basically a deal breaker for me.
I also think that default watchface looks very tacky, though I'm sure that can
be changed.

The Moto 360 suffered the same problem. Here's what it looks like in a
promotional shot:

[http://www.droid-life.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/03/moto-36...](http://www.droid-life.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/03/moto-360-2.png)

And here's what it actually looks like on someone with thin wrists:

[http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-
EK187_PTECH__G_...](http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-
EK187_PTECH__G_20140904164633.jpg)

~~~
vxNsr
I've seen the moto 360 in person, on a smallish wrist (compared to mine) and
it looked fine, I only noticed it was the 360, because the screen was off.

Somehow it looks thicker in the pictures than it does on your wrist, then
again I don't really care because I got a WP which won't work with any of
google's stuff D:

~~~
nilkn
I just saw a Moto 360 on display at Best Buy, and you're right. It's a lot
smaller and lighter than I expected. Although it does look bad in that photo I
linked to, honestly I was really impressed with how it looked on my wrists--
and my wrists are pretty small.

------
puccal
This page makes 360 separate requests and loads 55MB of assets. They did not
minify or concatenate assets. It disables itself unless it is used at specific
aspect ratios. It disables scrolling and requires clicking small triangles to
navigate sideways.

Just so you can look at photos that are all fake.

Fire the designers.

~~~
twelvechairs
It also ordered me to rotate my screen 'for optimal service' (in fact I
received no 'service').

Suboptimal to say the least.

------
listic
In all the smartwatch reviews I have read, I fail to see the high-level
overview: what kinds of tasks should I be able to accomplish with this kind of
device, at all?

Are Android Wear devices only usable in a vicinity of my Android phone or can
I use them without one? Could I use them with an iPhone, Firefox OS phone,
Surface Pro tablet, 3G modem or any Wi-Fi source (Moto 360 does have Wi-Fi)?

Do Android Wear devices need apps written specifically for them, and/or
specific support in a tablet/phone app. Say, I know there is a VK app for
Android, but I'm not sure about smartwatch support. Should I be getting VK
notifications (or whatever watch is good for) by default?

Could I pair a Wi-Fi-equipped smartwatch with a Bluetooth headset and get rid
of a phone, with smartwatch providing VoIP connectivity over Wi-Fi?

What kinds (if any) of non-default configurations can I expect to use a device
like that? (default being pairing it with an Android phone and a specifically
supported app)

~~~
itp
I'm not sure if you're asking because you legitimately don't know, or just
underscoring how terrible some of the marketing and advertising for these
devices has been. If it's the former, though, a lot of the info you're asking
about can be found online[0]. In general, though, the primary mode of
operation of an Android Wear device is to work with the existing notification
system of an Android device, so most apps should automatically have some
reflection on the watch. If they take advantage of Android notification
actions, you may be able to interact to a degree with them right off of the
watch.

Android Wear devices don't (as far as I know) work with non-Android phones
because non-Android phones don't give them the required integration with the
notifications and applications.

[0]: [http://www.android.com/wear/](http://www.android.com/wear/)

~~~
TheTaO
The Microsoft Band at least seems to be more targeted towards health focused
users although it can do all of the smart things that these smart watches do.

[http://www.microsoft.com/Microsoft-Band](http://www.microsoft.com/Microsoft-
Band)

~~~
easytiger
except you have a massive 1/2cm thick chunk of hard plastic the whole way
around your wrist.

------
aaronbrethorst

        Facebook
    
        Alice Yang tagged you
        in a post: Jon, check
        out this song from
        utube, it's aweso
    

[http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#outdoorstyle3](http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#outdoorstyle3)

Pass, thanks.

~~~
nkozyra
Just chilling on the beach with my smart phone and sweater.

There very definition of not "getting" the beach.

~~~
bane
not to defend the lousy advert too much, but up in the Northern Coastal areas,
we have beaches too, and they're nice to go to even when it's a little chilly
(actually the next month or two is actually my favorite time to go to the
beach, temperature in 50s and 60s, nobody there, wildlife is out in droves
migrating or fattening up for winter)...

but then again, he's wearing shorts so....

~~~
nkozyra
Yeah if the guy were wearing pants I wouldn't have made the comment.

I mean clearly it's an aesthetic for an advertisement, but it does not make
said aesthetic appealing to me. Yay, I can take my work to the one place I
should find some semblance of relaxation and best yet I can dress like a Lands
End model. Sold!

------
carsongross
I'd love to see a round smart watch that homaged the Rolex GMT look-and-feel
and then utilized a rotating (and maybe clickable?) diver-style bezel for
input (maybe like the 1st gen ipods) in addition to the touch screen.

Classic, understated look, but another few interesting dimensions of input.

~~~
daeken
Wow, why has no one done the rotating bezel yet? I hadn't thought about it
before, but that seems like such a simple, obvious way to interact with a
smartwatch. That should be done.

~~~
hbosch
I think some of the trouble with a rotating bezel is accidental input. I have
a diver with a sturdy, mono-directional bezel, and it gets bumped around to
odd positions from time to time -- maybe once every couple weeks. And that is
with a bezel _not_ designed to be used often.

A UI-driving bezel would have to be bi-directional, for starters. Then, it
would have to be looser AND more resilient than normal bezels, since they will
be used more often. And even once those items are fine-tuned, we only have
navigation without confirmation. Do we press the bezel to confirm? Can the
bezel be mounted as a rocker, for multiple inputs, like a volume key? Maybe. A
glass or ceramic capacitive bezel, though, would really "wow" me!

I concede that I'd rather have a bezel input than Apple Watch's crown input,
which to me looked inconvenient, but seeing as the jury is still out on round
vs. square design for these "smartwatch" UIs (a rotating bezel only works on
round watches) it would be quite risky from a usability perspective.

~~~
carsongross
I think the bezel would need to be tight enough to not bump easily, and then
not be used for destructive input. If it was selection (maybe face selection
by default) and got bumped, not a big deal. Or maybe a mix of both a physical
bezel with a capacitive function to determine if a finger is causing the
rotation? (I do love the tactile click when I rotate mine.)

The concept does require OS-level support though, to get value out of it.
Given that Apple didn't do it, I have a hard time seeing it coming out any
time soon.

Too bad. I wanted my smart Rolex GMT.

~~~
hbosch
Agreed, the satisfying click of the bezel rotation would be a painful loss.

However, the later-model iPods had a pretty satisfactory capacitive wheel with
4 selection inputs on each directional. The capacitive nature inhibits
accidental inputs... maybe not all, but most.

The Nest UI is also wonderful with it's rotation and selection method.

Honestly it would be very interesting to see something like a movable bezel be
utilized on a watch... I would definitely like to see it be explored.

------
fcoury
The website is horrible. I hate that it dictates how your browser should be
sized, with the brilliant text "Please adjust your BROWER for optimal
service." \-
[http://cl.ly/image/2i3w2y3h3K35](http://cl.ly/image/2i3w2y3h3K35)

~~~
peter_l_downs
It's using some weird kind of JS resizing, too – window size doesn't matter
but aspect ratio does. Side scrolling instead of vertical, and almost all of
the text content is contained in background images. Just terrible.

------
slipperyp
Call me a nitpicker and you'd be right, but the screenshots in this[1] and
other ads[2] where they showcase this watch for GPS navigation while on a bike
(or motorcycle) where the watch is _not_ doing a 90 degree rotation on the
content area so you can read it while your hands are on some handlebars really
bugs me. I guess it bugs me more than some model getting on a motorcycle
wearing what looks like a blazer with no helmet or gloves, too.

But to make this comment, say, 20% hn worthy, can someone explain whether it's
unrealistic that I think the accelerometer should be able to figure out the
"holding handlebars with forward velocity" scenario and orient the display
properly?

[1]
[http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5](http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5)
[2]
[https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=motorola_mo...](https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=motorola_moto_360_leather_black&hl=en)

------
snarkyturtle
I find it weird that these smartwatches don't have GPS built in them. I feel
like if you were to use it on your runs/bikes, you'd prefer to just be able to
take your watch rather than having both your phone and watch.

I could definitely see how excluding it would help price and battery life, but
to have a selling point be "it helps with fitness" but with a caveat of "oh,
but you have to bring your phone with you too" kinda kills the whole appeal.

~~~
sliverstorm
Excluding GPS doesn't just _help_ battery life. GPS is a power monster.

~~~
anonova
This. It seems like most people don't realize how much power GPS requires,
especially for it to be on 24/7\. Even advanced sport watches (e.g., Garmin's
Forerunner 620) don't last half a day with it on.

------
hiou
I wish someone would flip the paradigm upside down. Put the whole computer in
the watch and then have a dumb screen the size of a credit card that fits in
your wallet. You can use that for talking on the phone, browsing the web etc.
Make the watch primary and the big screen secondary.

~~~
CrazedGeek
A watch like that would probably have battery life of about 0.3 femtoseconds.

------
Raphmedia
Product apart, this website is horrible. I can't scroll with my mouse. When I
opened it on my vertical screen, all I had was a white background with "please
adjust your screen"(
[http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/images/common/rotate_bg.jpg](http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/images/common/rotate_bg.jpg)
)...

That's horrible. I had never seen this before.

~~~
tommyd
Was going to say the same thing, saw that both on my iPhone and on my desktop
(with a half screen width browser). Way to piss users off.

------
justboxing
"Take the Next Turn! Turn-by-Turn Navigation."

On a motorcycle, on the highway, looking down on your wrist and reading the
directions off a watch is a sure shot way to get killed. What were these
designers thinking?

~~~
dabeeeenster
Maybe they were thinking that you wouldn't use it on a motorcycle?

~~~
georgemcbay
The accompanying photo on the website is of a dude on a motorcycle.

[http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5](http://www.lg.com/global/gwatch/index.html#urbanstyle5)

Hopefully he's wearing a single-ear bluetooth or something in the ear you
can't see and getting his turn by turn that way, but the inset of a screenshot
and the highly visible watch on his wrist to match certainly give an implied
bit of poor usage advice.

In any case, more of a failure of the website marketing team than the watch or
Android Wear designers, but it is a valid point.

------
72deluxe
Those photos are massively overexposed or have some strange HDR processing on
them, but it's lovely to see material textures and facial hair in such detail.

The one photo to sell "checking your stocks" is a funny one. "I'm on a yacht
looking to the horizon and I NEED to know whether I should BUY BUY BUY or SELL
SELL SELL". What a witty photo.

~~~
jacquesm
You could probably apply that reasoning to 99% or so of all text messages and
facebook status updates.

------
sahaskatta
I really wish the could name their products better. Their two watches right
now are named:

\- LG G Watch

\- LG G Watch R

Fortunately, the product is fairly decent. (I've seen it in person.) I happen
to have a Samsung Gear Live, which is quite comparable in terms of specs. I
think that Android Wear probably needs another year (or 2nd generation of
watches) to mature a bit more.

~~~
efiftythree
Wonder if they will get a nastygram from Casio. "G-Watch" / "G-Shock".

------
eps
Perhaps a very naive question - how hackable is this?

I mean how hard is it to strip Android off all its phone-home Google goodness
and have just the kernel, basic OS services with complete root access? I used
to do a lot of embedded work, but I have to plead almost complete ignorance of
Android. This watch though ... damn ... so many possibilities for making such
a nice toy out of it.

------
mbesto
Given the amount of big brand smartwatches that keep surfacing but don't seem
to be gaining traction (or at least doesn't appear so) I get the feeling they
are going to go the way of tablets - in other words "there isn't a tablet
market, there's an iPad market".

~~~
sigmar
"there isn't a tablet market, there's an iPad market".

This was true in 2010, but things change. Apple's tablet market share is at
23%

[http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/30/apple-ipad-market-
share-...](http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/30/apple-ipad-market-share-
satisfaction/)

~~~
r00fus
What about profit share? Are any major tablet vendors aside from Apple
actually making decent profits?

------
cronin101
BE AWARE OF THE RECENT STATE OF YOUR (CURRENT) HEALTH

That's... quite interestingly worded. It seems to suggest that it only
supports repeated single readings on-demand, a shame for sport enthusiasts who
would rather not be talking into their watch during the action.

------
bronson
"Be aware of the recent state of your (current) health by monitoring your
heart's pulse"

"Stay fit, keep control of your body"

"Please adjust your browser for the optimal service"

Guessing this is a translation of another site?

~~~
72deluxe
All you base are belong to us!

------
mxfh
_The Skeuomorph is strong with this one._

Why isn't there a single chronograph type clock face that displays the current
date in an easily readable form and does't clutter month and day of month all
other the place? It's just feels quite unimaginative to stick to the
limitations of an mechanical apparatus when you're using a digital display.

Is it possible to have some kind of reflective semi-translucent high contrast
High-PPI E-Ink with with a P-OLED Backlight? Or have it flippable?

------
huhtenberg
Why do these product images, all of them, look like a rushed photoshop slap-on
hack? Does it mean that LG views this watch as an experimental throw-away
project or something?

~~~
paulftw
I think LG, like others, is struggling to push this product out in time for
Christmas shopping. Won't be surprised if they ship it with rather obvious
hardware or design issues.

That "where to buy / coming soon" image is not clickable for me, though it
looks like an input field. Anyone else tried using it to find a pre-order
form?

~~~
koyote
It's already available in the UK and has been for a couple of weeks now.

------
aceperry
The fashion type ad is very good, and very different from most of the other
smart watch ads that I've seen. The other ads focus on the watch and
technology. The LG ad emphasizes the fashion aspect of the watch and is more
consumer oriented which is probably the best thing to do when expanding the
market to beyond the early adopters and techno types.

------
notatoad
wow, that's an obnoxious website. It won't show anything except a promt to
resize my browser window for "optimal service". my browser is covering half a
27" 2560x1440 screen, i think it's probably big enough to show a picture of a
wristwatch

------
hazz
This is the first smart watch I've seen that actually looks good. It's clearly
aiming to look as much as possible like a traditional watch when not actively
being used.

It does look huge on the woman's wrist on the second slide/page/section thing.
Big watches tend to be a men's fashion thing, so I wonder if this will present
problems.

The heart rate feature seems really out of place and useless. What use is a
recent history of your heart rate? Presumably there are plans to integrate
more features into the health part of things, because at the moment it looks a
lot like a "because we can" feature.

~~~
prawn
Large sunglasses quickly returned to fashion so it might work for a women's
watch too?

------
lmedinas
I haven't seen the LG G Watch R nor the 360 but from the specs the LG G W R
would be the one i would buy.

A better and more efficient processor makes things better on the LG.

------
pcurve
love the jab at google watch. As a watch wearer, I can see myself getting on-
board with this if the battery life is reasonable.

I doubt they will find too many female takers in its current form factor.

------
Shad0w59
CAMERA None

Such a strange feature to highlight.

~~~
microtherion
Judging from the heated reception that Google Glass got in certain places, it
appears that wearable cameras are a mixed blessing.

------
spaulo12
Wow. A "responsive" page that hates all but a couple specific aspect ratios.
It literally won't show you the page if you aren't in an aspect ratio it
expects. WTF? [http://d.pr/i/12ZBj](http://d.pr/i/12ZBj)

~~~
emp_
I had a similar issue, tfw "responsive" means adapting to the site rules, not
the other way around. Reminds me of "This site is best viewed in 1024x768",
just poor web dev work.

------
notastartup
I wish that this doesn't require any phone. I wish that the watch could
completely replace the smartphone. You'd look really stupid looking at your
watch all the time while you are walking or in the restaurant.

~~~
13
I'm not sure that's possible or desirable. They're relying on a bigger device
for their cellular connection. Given that there's no immediate mention of
battery life, we can assume it's quite a problem already without jamming more
radios in there.

------
_almosnow
On the 4th or 5th tab, the note ...

"Idea for an all new park that delivers fun, friendship and safety for
children of all ages."

... made me wonder, what have I done today to change the world in a good way?
[Spoiler alert: sarcasm]

