Posted on 04/20/2015 3:22:57 PM PDT by Swordmaker
he Apple Watch is, first and foremost, an iPhone accessory. It might be even more than that eventually, a truly independent gadget, but a vast majority of its current core functions -- making calls, sending messages, getting information, even playing any third-party games -- require your iPhone to be on, have Internet service, and be paired with the Watch via Bluetooth or a shared Wi-Fi network. If you're thinking about getting one, make sure you know that. It requires an iPhone 5 or later, and it can't even be set up without one.
Still, the Apple Watch can do a few things without your iPhone around -- more than I even realized. I left my iPhone behind and went for a stroll with just the Apple Watch to try it out.
Here's everything the Apple Watch can do when away from your iPhone:
Music
The Apple Watch has 6.2GB of available storage, of which 2GB can be used to store music. You sync music with Apple Watch via your iPhone and the Apple Watch app, no Mac or iTunes required (but, the music must be on your phone in the Music app, or in iTunes in the Cloud). Once your music is synced, you're free to listen as long you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones. I paired a few sets easily via the Apple Watch's Bluetooth settings: the ones I tested in the video above were the Plantronics BackBeat Fit, a highly-rated comfy pair of fitness-targeted wraparound wireless sport earbuds. In the Apple Watch Music app, you need to Force Press and select "Source" as Apple Watch. Once that awkward step is done, music plays just like on an iPod.
Fitness
Apple has two built-in fitness apps called Activity and Workout, and both work away from the iPhone. You can measure heart rate, too. Activity tracks steps, time spent standing, and active exercise. Workout allows timed exercise sessions that measure pace, distance, heart rate, and calorie burn estimates for various activities. The only thing you can't do away from your iPhone is track your walk or run with GPS: that requires your iPhone. Third-party fitness apps can't be used away from your iPhone, either. In fact, all third-party apps -- those not created by Apple -- need an iPhone connection to work.
Apple Pay
Once you set up a credit card for Apple Pay to work on Apple Watch, it keeps working even when your iPhone is not attached. Double-click the flat side button, and you can tap to pay at any Apple Pay-ready store. It's easy to use and addictive. If the watch is taken off your wrist, you'll need to enter a passcode to use it again. Because Apple Pay doesn't use your actual credit card number, you can cancel it from your iPhone and deactivate your Apple Watch's Apple Pay function, even if the watch isn't online at all.
Passbook
You can store boarding passes, tickets and gift cards in Passbook in the form of QR codes, and it's a great alternative to Apple Pay for a lot of stores and services. It's easy to open your cards and tickets, and QR codes even get brighter when you display them, for easy scanning.
Photos
There's a small photo album app on the Apple Watch that stores up to 500 photos from your phone library or iCloud. It's hard to see pics on the small screen, but it's a cute replacement for the itty-bitty wallet photo.
Alarms, timers, world clock, stopwatch...and watch faces
Apple has several timer and clock apps apart from the stylized watch faces, which also work when your iPhone is disconnected and offline. You can use Apple Watch like a full-featured chronograph and watch, or as an alarm clock. And of course, you can use Apple's own beautiful watch faces, too, which will still tell time.
Reading messages, recent calls and even offline voice mails
You can't make phone calls away from your phone, but you can see who's called recently, and read already-sent texts. Shockingly, you can even listen to voice mails! The Apple Watch syncs visual voice mail, and most of them will play back on my watch even with Airplane mode turned on. You won't be able to receive new messages without connecting your phone again, but at least you can browse missed connections.
That's it for now
Hopefully, someday, the Apple Watch will use its Wi-Fi antenna to get data on its own, or to pair with other devices like the Apple TV and Macs (it already has an Apple TV remote mode, but it's somewhat simple in its range of function).
In the meantime, you can experiment with the key features outlined above.
To the contrary, Google has a lock on and a strong interest in Android.
Apple just wants to sell hardware. Google wants to data mine all it can, to make money the way it does.
So you were offended by my post of “Thanks, still won’t buy one?” Ha Ha....
Yeah, reading has gone downhill ... but that downhill process was happening before the smartphones.
And, if you consider that you don’t really have to read or write very well, with the smartphones and other smart devices, you might say that these smart devices help people who can’t read and write very well.
One time (the only time I’ve personally come across it) I came into contact with a young person (about 18 or so at the time, back in 1999) who really could not read. It surprised me! But he somehow managed to squeak by, and on the computer, using instant messaging. It was strange!
Some 700 Freepers appreciate such posts.
If you don’t, you don’t have to be here. So why are you on this thread?
‘unhealthy obsession’ ... cute attempt at projection.
and yes, i’m quite aggressive when it comes to opposing the homo culture. obviously, you’re on board with their ideology.
Because someone forgot the (Caucus) tag?
So why are you starting a fight?
Just baffled by why you’re so insistent in telling us.
can’t read apple promos on your own? need someone to spoon feed ya.
You’re the only one injecting sexual politics into the topic. Please don’t.
I’m a satisfied Apple customer and user, along with about 700 other FReepers who want to be on the ping list, and I don’t consider that to be a problem.
I don’t care that a bunch of Microsoft users post their articles and I don’t care if you decide to get a Linux list going.
But then ... you seem to care that someone else posts something you have nothing to do with ... LOL ...
the title is clear, yes. i 'stumble' into these threads every time you guys post another one, as i browse the latest 100. over the past week or two, you and the crew have been pimping the next google-glass constantly. it's advertising, not news. not even close to news. and why it's tagged for religion is beyond me (unless apple zealots are finally admitting to their religious fanaticism)
I expect better of fellow Freepers.
considered it as an alternative term... but the others make the left flip out more (i think they see the term ‘sodomite’ as having lost its meaning so they don’t care)
There are a whole lot of other threads and topics that I don’t care in the least about. I don’t go to those threads and topics and ask them why they bother ... LOL ...
The way a person handles things on a forum is you tell by the title line whether you’re interested or not. If you’re not ... you don’t click the thread ... :-) ...
why not?
i thought they are proud to be the biggest homo company out there. isn’t that why tim cook had to push his bs on the world?
hell, i followed SJobs since the beginning and i’m still unsure of his sexuality. and you know... it never mattered. why? because he was making tech gadgets, not pushing a social agenda.
tim cook decided to push the social agenda. that’s his call. he made using any apple product part of the social ideology.
Guess you didn’t read from the start.
you two are so thick .
I'm sure owners of these will be thrilled a year or two from now when version 2.0 comes out, making theirs "old" and "outdated".
At least with a real watch, you spend money but the thing can last a lifetime.
According to Jeff Harmening, the COO of US Retail, “In the first half of the year our biggest innovation by far has been adding more cinnamon to Cinnamon Toast Crunch and consumers absolutely love it."
Will they have a deal where you can retrofit the new electronics slab into your existing jewelry frame?
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