It's been a while since I've had an Apple watch, but if I recall correctly you have to pair the watch with your phone to set up wireless connectivity. My watch was a series 2 and did not have cellular capability, so I'm not sure how that works.
The irony of that observation is that today’s 10 year olds can probably wade through learning how to use one easier than a majority of senior citizens can.
Having an Apple Watch, and thankful for everything that it does in my life (and in Bobby’s), it is my opinion that every senior should have one, both for their safety, and to monitor their heart health. I know that is not viable, because not every senior even knows how to use a cell phone, much less a smart phone or a smart watch. And some are not interested in monitoring their health like I am. Bobby and I call them our “Dick Tracy Watches”, because we remember reading that old comic strip, and it is amazing how far ahead of time his device was ! You need an iPhone to set up and program your Apple Watch, so to just get a used watch would not do you any good at all, @John Brunner . If you have a cellular Apple Watch, then it works on its own cell service and not just on the one from your iPhone. This has been really important for Bobby, because when he was working underneath a house, fixing the pipes, he didn’t want to take his phone under there and chance ruining it. With the watch, he could call for help using that if he was somehow trapped under there, or something else went wrong.
Apple watches are a lot of fun to have but the one thing I like the most is that I hate to carry around a cell phone and in fact, I hate phones period but I have to be able to communicate with my wife if she’s having a problem. If ya put a phone in your back pocket someone will invariably get butt dialed at some point in time or it’ll get cracked from sitting on it. If I carry it around in my hand, it’s a hand that is occupied and useless for anything else other than as a resting place for a cell phone. If I have to have a phone, it’s much better on my wrist than in my hand, pocket or wherever else a person can find to put one. Now, I no longer have to carry a cell phone and to tell the truth, I generally only use the thing for a hot spot when I’m out in my shop and want to hear some music from the Ipad. To think about it, I’m not too sure that I can’t use my watch for that too. I don’t text anyway but if I wanted to, all I have to do is dictate the message to Siri and the text will show up wherever I want. In my book, the phone is almost useless.....almost.
@Yvonne Smith Your husband and I are in the same boat. I, too, end up in that crawlspace more often that I care to think about, and as I said before, I always have my cellphone on me for 911 purposes. I'm fortunate that there are very few dead spots on my property. I gotta be in some remote, overgrown gully to completely lose the signal. There are Smart Watches for non-Apple (Android) phones as well. Some of the Android watches have the capability to be an autonomous phone (without having to have a paired phone nearby), just as some Apple watches do. Verizon has a "Shared Number Plan" where you can share the same phone number on up to 5 devices. On first glance, it seems that the charge is $10/month per shared device, but I believe you need a certain level of Base Plan. For those who are interested and might not want to replace their non-Apple phones: Here's a comparison of Apple vs Android watches. Here's a buying guide on Android watches. Verizon sells a "SmartCare" watch for $149, specifically designed for seniors (one-button 911, automatically notifies contacts, etc). It has some of the "physical activity tracking" features on it. Not sure what other software it may come with, or that may be available for it. I just might stop by my Verizon store and chat. I've already had my smartphone fall off while cutting the acreage on my tractor. Fortunately, I recalled where I drove through the low-hanging brush so was able to find it. Even more fortunately, I didn't run over it.
I think that the concept of having a smart watch for safety and health benefits is what is important, even more so than what company makes the watch; so if a person is using an Android phone and wants an android watch , that makes sense to me. I have had an iPhone for a long time, my whole family uses Apple devices; so for me, an Apple Watch is the most logical choice. I think that writing down which features are most important to you, and then looking for a compatible watch in the price range you want to spend is a good way to decide. Some people only need a watch with basic safety features, and other people (like me) want to have just about every health app there is available for their phone and watch; so the needs of each person can be different. If you get an android smart watch, I am looking forward to you starting a thread about how well you like it and how it compares with the Apple Watch !
Yeh, I didn't mean to be an Android sales guy. I wish I got commission!! I was pointing out that folks didn't have to buy a new phone to get this technology, since I bet most of us (like me) don't have Apple. I'm curious to see what my Verizon store has to offer. I know the folks in there pretty well.
I saw an Apple Watch being demonstrated by a salesperson in BestBuy recently...I had to turn away to stifle a laugh! If I had one, I'd marvel at all the unnecessary Hi-Tech features it possessed...but I'd be too embarrassed to be seen in public with it on my wrist! Harry
Yes, I too would be embarrassed to have something on my wrist that I couldn’t operate. By the bye....have you wound that Timex today?