Smart watch questions

[RoxMonster]

My birthday is coming up and one idea I had was possibly asking for an Apple watch or some sort of Smart Watch. Honestly, I know really nothing about them. I also know there are other kinds of wearable tech, so maybe an Apple watch isn't what I need. Here is all I'm really interested in being able to do with the watch:

-Track my steps
-Track workouts, specifically hikes/walks and the mileage I go. Also want to be able to track mileage on a bike. Right now I just use Map my Run app on my phone for this.
-Want to be able to see and answer texts on the watch.

And that's it really. I like being able to see texts on the watch because I teach and can't have my phone out while I'm teaching but it would be nice to glance at the watch and see if anything important is coming in. Or when I'm hiking or something and my phone might be in my pack to not have to stop and take it out if I hear a text come through. I mainly would like something that tracks my activity/steps and motivates me to move more during the day. I also have fat wrists and I'm assuming there are different size wristbands you can get? 

So is an Apple Watch my best bet?

[goldengirlz]

I’m pretty sure that certain FitBit models allow you to at least look at texts (and maybe respond?), but I do like my Apple Watch. (I was a FitBit user for years until H got me an Apple Watch for our last anniversary.)

I like the Apple Watch because 1) it looks better (at least on me — plus H got me the Hermès strap to go with it and it feels dressier) 2) responding to texts is fairly seamless (I like that you can scribble with your finger to type) 3) It has some neat features I didn’t even know I wanted, like being able to fast forward through a playlist without getting my phone out, or being able to use Outlook, check the weather or Shazam a song — all things that I don’t really need but offer some incremental bonus.

Like the FitBit, it also syncs to my calendar and to-do list.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I would go with whatever brand would pair best/easiest with your phone. We are not an Apple family so I never considered an Apple watch. I have a Samsung Galaxy Active 2 for the past year and a half (so might be newer tech out there), but I am still happy with it. I can get texts and fb messages and respond, answer phone calls, track workouts and heartrate, but I don't know if it can track bike rides. I know it doesn't track steps if I'm riding a bike, but you might be able to start a workout manually and track?
I also like that it's easy to switch bands because I like variety. I also change the watch face often

[devonpow]

I love my Apple Watch! Does a great job tracking steps/activity.
You can “compete” with other friends with Apple watches for daily goals (there are daily goals to hit for exercise, calorie burn, and standing) etc. It syncs with my peloton easily etc.

[RoxMonster]

I have an iPhone so I think an Apple Watch will probably be best.

Can you get bands that are a variety of sizes? I know they probably have different notches on them but I have pretty chunky wrists and want it to be comfortable.

[notoriousmeg]

My Apple Watch band is magnetic so very adjustable

[devonpow]

Mar 7, 2021 19:42:19 GMT -5 devonpow said:

I love my Apple Watch! Does a great job tracking steps/activity.
You can “compete” with other friends with Apple watches for daily goals (there are daily goals to hit for exercise, calorie burn, and standing) etc. It syncs with my peloton easily etc.

I have fairly normal wrists (I think?) and for the standard band it comes with I can use the smallest hole or next smallest and both are comfortable. There are 7 all together. So I think it should be fine for a large range of sizes

[laurack]

I love the Apple Watch! My only complaint is the battery doesn’t last super long, 1-2 days depending on activity.

I use it for all kinds of exercise. It’s amazing how accurate it is for swimming - it knows how many yards of each stroke and is always right.

[sadlebred]

You'd be better off with a Garmin Watch or Garmin Edge cycling computer for anything more than a casual ride. I love my Apple Watch but not for cycling.

[RoxMonster]

I am definitely a VERY casual bike rider ha! But thank you for the info.

[celeste]

I love my Apple watch! I mostly use it for texts, timers, fitness, and music/podcasts.

Mine came with two sizes of bands, so I’m positive you’ll find one that fits you. There are also bands that use velcro or magnets.

[msmerymac]

If you have an apple phone, the apple watch is probably your best bet. You can even get one that's a generation or two old (still brand new) and save a little money. You can answer texts with pre-loaded responses (like, "Great!" "Yes" "sounds good" "in a meeting" "give me a minute" or custom ones) - I'm not sure any watch has the same texting ability as a phone, really.

[Velar Fricative]

Mar 7, 2021 22:13:46 GMT -5 @hiphopanonymous said:

I just remembered the fitness service Apple provides is only available to people with Apple watches, so if you have any interest in that sort of app, lean to the apple watch.

This is exactly why I opted for the watch when I was in the market for one in the fall. I already had an iPhone and an iPad and had recently bought a non-Peloton indoor cycling bike when the announcement about Apple Fitness+ came out. Figured I'd get the watch and give Fitness+ a try and I love it. I love the activity rings.

Otherwise, even without the Fitness+ need, if someone's already in the Apple ecosystem it makes sense to go with the Apple Watch. I got a Series 3 for under $200 from Costco in the fall and it's totally fine for my needs, I don't need the more recent ones until this one is no longer usable. 

[mrssandro]

We are a Samsung family and FitBit works best for me since the fitbit integrates best with WW. I actually went with the Versa Lite from around two years ago. I plan to upgrade soon to the Sense when the price isn't crazy. I have tried the Samsung watches and fossil and the apps did not function well with WW but it was several years ago and perhaps they do now.

[tcu2003]

I love my Garmin Vivoactive watch! The downside is that you can’t reply to texts on an iPhone, but that doesn’t bother me - I can read incoming texts/see who is calling, and that works for my needs. The GPS function for tracking walks/runs is awesome! I’ve also used it to track treadmill workouts and swims. I don’t bike, so no advice there.

[InBetweenDays]

We're a Android family and I LOVE my Garmin Fenix watch. It has settings for all sorts of different exercises - running, hiking, biking, swimming, downhill skiing, etc. My favorites things abouy it are it can display up to 4 fields at once (and you can set/save different fields for the different types of exercise), has an altimeter for hiking, has maps built in for hiking that can show the trail, can store/play music, and of course syncs with your phone for texts and phone calls.

[sparty04]

Mar 7, 2021 22:57:08 GMT -5 laurack said:

I love the Apple Watch! My only complaint is the battery doesn’t last super long, 1-2 days depending on activity.

I use it for all kinds of exercise. It’s amazing how accurate it is for swimming - it knows how many yards of each stroke and is always right.

This makes me jealous. I have a 3 and I have to charge it halfway through the day, otherwise it will die before I go to bed.

I love my Apple Watch more than I ever thought and it's surprisingly motivating for me to get my exercise in every day. You can buy different watch bands for pretty cheap on Amazon. I have a magnetic one right now that I like

[ssmjlm]

I have a Garmin Vivomove and I wouldn't recommend it if you want anything outside of a step count fitness wise. It's ok and does what I was looking for at the time, but if you are looking for something for activity, I would go apple watch.

It doesn't capture stairs well at all and typically has a weekly issue syncing with my iPhone.

I needed something that was more watch/less tech due to wanting something still dressy for work, but would count my steps during the day of walking all over our building (pre-COVID).

[laurack]

Mar 8, 2021 11:08:42 GMT -5 sparty04 said:

Mar 7, 2021 22:57:08 GMT -5 laurack said:

I love the Apple Watch! My only complaint is the battery doesn’t last super long, 1-2 days depending on activity.

I use it for all kinds of exercise. It’s amazing how accurate it is for swimming - it knows how many yards of each stroke and is always right.

This makes me jealous. I have a 3 and I have to charge it halfway through the day, otherwise it will die before I go to bed.

I love my Apple Watch more than I ever thought and it's surprisingly motivating for me to get my exercise in every day. You can buy different watch bands for pretty cheap on Amazon. I have a magnetic one right now that I like

I also have the 3! I usually get 1 day out of it, but if I’m very inactive I might get closer to two days.

[laurack]

Mar 8, 2021 7:17:15 GMT -5 RoxMonster said:

I am definitely a VERY casual bike rider ha! But thank you for the info.

I’ve found it to be fine for bike rides and I tend to bicycle quite a bit when it’s not icy / below freezing out. I only care about basic stats however - time, distance, avg speed, heart rate range and don’t get granular with stats. The Apple Watch has been fine. I do also use strava for mountain biking as I like to track segment speeds and progress in thy respect but they can be used together.

[hbomdiggity]

If you have an iPhone, the absolute best feature of the watch is that it can page your phone with a ping sound.

Oh, is it just me that constantly misplaces her phone while on silent mode?

[penguingrrl]

I like my Apple Watch a lot. I’m otherwise in the apple universe and it syncs to my phone, which I was looking for. I pay the extra monthly fee ($5 I believe) to have cell capability so that I don’t have to lug my phone everywhere. This was supposed to be very important when running school tours at work (I work in a museum) but naturally thanks to Covid we haven’t had a tour since I got it. I wanted to be reachable while running tours without carrying a phone with me. I also like it when I bike my son to school since most of my work out clothes that I wear for that don’t have pockets, so I never had a great place to put my phone.

[RoxMonster]

Thanks, everyone. Since I'm an iPhone user, it sounds like an Apple Watch will be the best bet. And I love the sound of a magnetic band!