If you look closely, you’ll see that I just completed my exercise goal
with a swim in the Pacific Ocean.
Posted on 07/15/2015 9:10:18 PM PDT by Swordmaker
The most common question I get about my Apple Watch is this: “Is it waterproof?”
Everyone from followers on Twitter to Laguna Beach lifeguards have noticed that I wear my watch while swimming and want to know how this new device holds up when it comes in contact with 71% of the Earth’s surface.
This report will explore how well the watch works when it’s exposed to water. I’ll also make some recommendations for Apple to improve the usability of its Workout app, especially when tracking water sports.
The first thing I wanted to know after the Apple Watch announcement was its water resistance. Swimming is my favorite way to work out, so I knew I’d want to use the watch in the water. But there wasn’t much information available other than Tim Cook saying he wore his in the shower.
Luckily, as the watch got closer to shipment, a key piece of information was published in the user guide:
Submerging Apple Watch is not recommended. Apple Watch has a water resistance rating of IPX7 under IEC standard 60529. The leather bands are not water resistant. Water resistance is not a permanent condition and Apple Watch cannot be rechecked or resealed for water resistance.
A little bit of research shows that “IPX7 under IEC standard 60529″ means the watch can be submerged in 1 meter (3.3 feet) of water for up to 30 minutes. That’s certainly more than a shower and perfect for the kind of swimming I do.
(Excerpt) Read more at furbo.org ...
Yeah. I thought that was pretty funny, but I understand it. Folks like him, (and myself for that matter), really enjoy the worksmanship and engineering that goes into modern mechanicals. I plan to hit him up for an update after he's had it for a year.
I wouldn't call it much better, considering it has far fewer functions that the Apple Watch and with the heart monitor which is built into the Appe Watch is only $50 less expensive for a device with less capability. Not a good buy at all.
Batter life is up to 3 weeks when using in watch/activity mode (10 hours when using GPS).
It can also be paired with your smartphone for messages/emails/etc. but can be used without a smartphone too.
I suggest you read the numerous negative comments on Amazon from the people who actually bought the Garmin's Vivoactive and found what a poor product it is. . . and how poorly it works. Quite a few of them failed in the first few times they were used. The screen is very hard to see being designed to be a reflective LCD rather than backlit except when occasionally when the user pushes a button to see it and then poorly backlit (the instructions say to try different angles of reflected light to see the screen better!), and the Bluetooth connectivity is problematic, with frequent failure to connect or disconnecting in use and failure to completely download data. The lack of backlighting is the way that Garmin extends it's battery life.
Sorry, it's not a better "smartwatch" at all. . . just one that made poor engineering choices. Yes, it probably is a better underwater option. . . you can dive to 50 meters with the Garmin's Vivoactive. . . but you can't see the screen that far down and the users say it doesn't measure your swim.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.