Design: 4 / 5
Build Quality: 5 / 5
Functionality: 4 / 5
Sound Quality (in): 4.5 / 5
Sound Quality (out): 4 / 5
Battery: 5 / 5
MSRP: $299.99 (CAD)
Overall: 4 / 5
Way back in 2008, there was a movie called Definitely, Maybe. In its opening seen, Ryan Reynolds was walking down the street, wearing a pair of truly wireless earbuds. Being a gadget junkie, I became obsessed with hunting down a pair, only to realise that they didn't exist. But even back then, Bluetooth was on the rise, and I knew that it was just a matter of time before something similar would come out. So when Platronics came out with the Backbeat Go, I jumped at the opportunity to get my hands on a pair. While they were, "good enough", it really wasn't anything to write home about.
Fast forward another 5 years. Left, right, and centre, were truly wireless earbuds that were being launched. I threw up a little in my mouth when the Airpods came out. And I almost ran to the store to get the Sony WF-1000XM3 when I heard of its release. But, after learning my lesson with BackBeat Go, I decided to wait. Let's wait and see what the reviews look like. But... y'all ain't here to reminisce and ruminate on my past.
Y'all can read and watch any number of Youtube reviews, but you're here to look for the truth and the real deal. So here we go:
They are fantastic---ish. The sound quality is pretty awesome, and there isn't any discernible latency. They're great if you want to listen to classical music, and jazz, but they're a bit light on bass if you're into EDM and HipHop. There has been a complaint that neither headphone allows for volume control, but there's actually an easy workaround. Use the voice assistant. I have no issues with that at all.
They are comfortable---ish. Using the right tips, the headphones aren't likely to fall out of your ears, but for extended wear, they do start getting a bit uncomfortable as the tips are quite deep in your ear, and it's like you've stretched the canal out a bit. I'd say, keep it within an hour or so, and you're fine.
They are sexy---ish. They do look great, but if you're looking for that minimalist design, this one's on the large side.
This is a great gadget for commuters that listen to jazz, contemporary, classical, or podcasts. It's got top of the line ANC for buses and metros, they look sharp, and they sound great. You'll only need to charge them about once a week, and even with newer devices coming out, they still rank (to-date) as one of the best.
If you're looking for something to exercise with, I still think that you're better off with something with an over-ear loop so that on the off chance that it DOES pop out, you'll not be crawling around trying to retrieve them. They're also not IP rated, so you probably don't want it drenched in sweat.
Bottom line, there isn't a single bit of kit that I think is great for all users. But for the right user, this is still a fantastic device.
Cheers.
Showing posts with label Wearables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wearables. Show all posts
Thursday, 14 May 2020
Saturday, 6 January 2018
Product: ZeTime Smartwatch
Design: 4.5 / 5
Build Quality: 4 / 5
Functionality: 4 / 5
Ergonomics: 4 / 5
Durability: -- / 5
MSRP: $296.88 (CAD)
Overall: 3.5 / 5
I've been thinking about getting a Smartwatch for quite a long time now. But as the (Cr)Apple iWatch states right up in the 1st paragraph of their battery description, their GOAL was for 18hrs of usage on a full charge. How much sense does that make? It doesn't even last a full day! And what if you forget, or are unable to charge? You're pretty much wearing a $500 bracelet. So I started looking at hybrids, which I also scratched off my list, because the only notification you get, are a small blinking light (indicator), and a bit of a vibrating buzz, upon which, you still have to pull your phone out of your pocket to see what the heck is going on. It's no different than having your phone vibrate in your pocket to tell you that you've got an incoming notification because unless you pull your phone out, you really have no idea what's going on.
The beauty of the ZeTime is that, while the battery to power smartwatch functions will last about 3 days (reviewers have indicated they've gone up to a week), the analogue watch will still power on for up to 30 days. It's the same battery, and this is on a single charge. So even if you forget to charge the ZeTime, you can at least still use it as an old fashioined watch. Not only that, It's actually quite a beautiful time piece.
I'm not going to go on about all its features (you can watch the video up top for that), but some observations of the watch after playing around with it for a bit.
It runs its own OS so functionality isn't quite as seamless as it would be if you were wearing an Android or Apple wearable, you don't have FULL smartphone capabilities, and while you're supposed to be able to be able to make your own pre-set responses on Android phones, all of the pre-set messages I added ended up looking like gibberish that looks like Chinese, but don't even make sense in Chinese.
The heart rate monitor is a bit fickle; it has a tendency to bounce around a bit. But if you patiently sit around and keep pressing the 'check now' function, the overall average seems like it should be accurate enough.
The watch is also able to take photos, but it uses its own camera software. So if you're used to HDR+ features, or portrait features, you will not be able to use these features if you're taking photos by controlling it with the watch.
Response rate isn't the greatest, but it's not so slow that it will start pissing people off. And as stated before, it's still got some bugs, but I think it's a pretty good effort for a 1st gen device. This watch, is not a finished product, nor is it for everyone. But, for the moment, it can be the perfect timepiece for SOME people. This watch is for you if:
1. The primary function for it is to TELL TIME.
2. You want some kit that makes you look like a sexy beast.
3. You're only looking to view notifications and messages and not respond on the watch.
4. You don't REQUIRE fully developed smartwatch capabilities.
CONCLUSION: Smartwatches at the moment aren't a bit of kit that can be all things to all people. There are sacrifices that will need to be made. Full smartwatches seem to have a pretty dire battery life. Other hybrid style smartwatches... Well, just don't ok? For the time being, this one is pretty good as a monitoring device. I've come across two other time pieces that might potentially be better, but....
1. Pebble. They've ceased daily operations, so I guess you can't buy that.
2. Martian. I'm not sure how trustworthy they are. While their new phone (looks like ZeTime + voice) has been kickstarted, every other item that they sell is out of stock on their website.
~Cheers.
Build Quality: 4 / 5
Functionality: 4 / 5
Ergonomics: 4 / 5
Durability: -- / 5
MSRP: $296.88 (CAD)
Overall: 3.5 / 5
I've been thinking about getting a Smartwatch for quite a long time now. But as the (Cr)Apple iWatch states right up in the 1st paragraph of their battery description, their GOAL was for 18hrs of usage on a full charge. How much sense does that make? It doesn't even last a full day! And what if you forget, or are unable to charge? You're pretty much wearing a $500 bracelet. So I started looking at hybrids, which I also scratched off my list, because the only notification you get, are a small blinking light (indicator), and a bit of a vibrating buzz, upon which, you still have to pull your phone out of your pocket to see what the heck is going on. It's no different than having your phone vibrate in your pocket to tell you that you've got an incoming notification because unless you pull your phone out, you really have no idea what's going on.
The beauty of the ZeTime is that, while the battery to power smartwatch functions will last about 3 days (reviewers have indicated they've gone up to a week), the analogue watch will still power on for up to 30 days. It's the same battery, and this is on a single charge. So even if you forget to charge the ZeTime, you can at least still use it as an old fashioined watch. Not only that, It's actually quite a beautiful time piece.
I'm not going to go on about all its features (you can watch the video up top for that), but some observations of the watch after playing around with it for a bit.
It runs its own OS so functionality isn't quite as seamless as it would be if you were wearing an Android or Apple wearable, you don't have FULL smartphone capabilities, and while you're supposed to be able to be able to make your own pre-set responses on Android phones, all of the pre-set messages I added ended up looking like gibberish that looks like Chinese, but don't even make sense in Chinese.
The heart rate monitor is a bit fickle; it has a tendency to bounce around a bit. But if you patiently sit around and keep pressing the 'check now' function, the overall average seems like it should be accurate enough.
The watch is also able to take photos, but it uses its own camera software. So if you're used to HDR+ features, or portrait features, you will not be able to use these features if you're taking photos by controlling it with the watch.
Response rate isn't the greatest, but it's not so slow that it will start pissing people off. And as stated before, it's still got some bugs, but I think it's a pretty good effort for a 1st gen device. This watch, is not a finished product, nor is it for everyone. But, for the moment, it can be the perfect timepiece for SOME people. This watch is for you if:
1. The primary function for it is to TELL TIME.
2. You want some kit that makes you look like a sexy beast.
3. You're only looking to view notifications and messages and not respond on the watch.
4. You don't REQUIRE fully developed smartwatch capabilities.
CONCLUSION: Smartwatches at the moment aren't a bit of kit that can be all things to all people. There are sacrifices that will need to be made. Full smartwatches seem to have a pretty dire battery life. Other hybrid style smartwatches... Well, just don't ok? For the time being, this one is pretty good as a monitoring device. I've come across two other time pieces that might potentially be better, but....
1. Pebble. They've ceased daily operations, so I guess you can't buy that.
2. Martian. I'm not sure how trustworthy they are. While their new phone (looks like ZeTime + voice) has been kickstarted, every other item that they sell is out of stock on their website.
~Cheers.
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