Ask HN: Have you been able to replace your smartphone with a smart watch?
7 comments
Yeah, I do it all the time :) It doesn't "replace" a smart watch, but you can make phone calls and get directions and schedule lyfts, and that's really all you need.
If you're interested in this idea and drive a car, I would encourage you to experiment by leaving your phone in your car's glove compartment.
[1] https://taylor.town/leave-your-phone-at-home
If you're interested in this idea and drive a car, I would encourage you to experiment by leaving your phone in your car's glove compartment.
[1] https://taylor.town/leave-your-phone-at-home
I think that I could probably survive, battery life aside, but I probably wouldn't choose to leave my phone at home.
Directions, payments, communications, calendars, and notes are the essential things, and especially with Keep single note tiles watches do most everything pretty well.
If I had a cell enabled watch I might consider trying, but I don't want to pay for the extra line, I just wanted to be able to put my phone in a backpack most of the time.
Using them takes active effort though, it's not like you automatically look at your watch for the time or to check a notification, "Check phone" is probably stronger than any other reflex.
Everything else requires at least a tiny bit of thought but "I heard a noise gotta check it" is effortless and you have to actively learn to not look at it all the time or physically leave the phone far away if that's your goal.
Directions, payments, communications, calendars, and notes are the essential things, and especially with Keep single note tiles watches do most everything pretty well.
If I had a cell enabled watch I might consider trying, but I don't want to pay for the extra line, I just wanted to be able to put my phone in a backpack most of the time.
Using them takes active effort though, it's not like you automatically look at your watch for the time or to check a notification, "Check phone" is probably stronger than any other reflex.
Everything else requires at least a tiny bit of thought but "I heard a noise gotta check it" is effortless and you have to actively learn to not look at it all the time or physically leave the phone far away if that's your goal.
I was able to, and did for almost 3 months! I loved every second of it. What made me switch back recently was not having a camera. I have a few things at my job where I need to be able to take a photo. I am hoping to change that workflow so I can go back to just the watch.
For me, the question was "Can I reduce my dependency on mobile devices by 90%?". And for me that answer was No. If all you do on your phone is reply with either "Yes" or "No" and use Siri for all other things, then yes. I found even for driving directions that my Apple Watch is just a nice to have during the drive, but I still prefer to input the destination using my phone.
I view smart watches as a convenience, but smart phones are a necessity.
I view smart watches as a convenience, but smart phones are a necessity.
Well, I couldn't even make myself wear one and it dies alone in a drawer (the screen popped out one day).
I could do that for special occasions like sports, short hiking's or going out to have fun but not much more. Oh wait, I wouldn't be able to buy bus tickets, show purchased tickets at the cinema or show an ID (soon to be implemented in Sweden) so skip the last one and we ended up with an expensive sports watch.
I could do that for special occasions like sports, short hiking's or going out to have fun but not much more. Oh wait, I wouldn't be able to buy bus tickets, show purchased tickets at the cinema or show an ID (soon to be implemented in Sweden) so skip the last one and we ended up with an expensive sports watch.
I have a cellular apple watch. Its does not exactly replace my iphone but it allows me to leave my phone at home when I go out to play with the kids or run errands.
What goal do you want to achieve?
Both the Apple Watch and Pixel Watch come with cellular versions that support driving directions and phone calls and texting and on the surface provide many of the functions of a smartphone.