The Kardiamobile thread got me thinking about these things again and I'm seriously looking at the Ultra model. But a couple of questions before I drop the benjies.

As I understand it, these are now "standalone" provided you pay for an extra plan. I understand this to mean that I can use it for calls/texting without needing to have it paired with my phone. So, if I run into town and forget my phone I'm still contactable...kind of important when I'm on call. Is this correct?

Along that same line, does the watch have the same phone number as my phone or does it have a different number and I'd need to set up call-forwarding to the watch number?

Also along that same line, what kind of coverage/reception does the watch have? I live in a marginal cell coverage area (2-3 bars pretty consistently). Will the watch necessarily have poorer coverage than a full sized phone?

Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
The Kardiamobile thread got me thinking about these things again and I'm seriously looking at the Ultra model. But a couple of questions before I drop the benjies.

As I understand it, these are now "standalone" provided you pay for an extra plan. I understand this to mean that I can use it for calls/texting without needing to have it paired with my phone. So, if I run into town and forget my phone I'm still contactable...kind of important when I'm on call. Is this correct?

Along that same line, does the watch have the same phone number as my phone or does it have a different number and I'd need to set up call-forwarding to the watch number?

Also along that same line, what kind of coverage/reception does the watch have? I live in a marginal cell coverage area (2-3 bars pretty consistently). Will the watch necessarily have poorer coverage than a full sized phone?

Thanks.

So as a new owner I can try and answer your questions.

You still need to pair it to an iphone for setup etc. However with a cellular plan you can leave your iphone at home and get calls/texts to your watch. It has the same number as your iphone.

I do not have a cellular plan as I always have my phone with me. I cannot speak to coverage but I would imagine it has the same or slightly worse reception based on the size of the watch and the antennas contained within.

I have used several iterations of the AW to include the Ultra, most recently.

I do use mine frequently without my phone present and I find the cellular connection to be comparable to my phone (iPhone 12). (Can't give you a bar to bar comparison, but the only places I've noticed trouble with the reception on the watch have been in the same places where my phone would also have difficultly.)

I always toy with idea of upgrading to these.

My thought is if you buy it you really should get the plan. It is an outstanding idea to have basically phone capability without the phone. As a runner/hiker it’s a no brainer to me.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
It is an outstanding idea to have basically phone capability without the phone.

This is where I'm at. I hate having to be attached at the hip to my phone. But...I also hate wearing a watch. Lesser of two evils and all that.

Thanks for the info guys.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I hate having to be attached at the hip to my phone. But...I also hate wearing a watch.

I see people make comments such as these all the time and, while I realize we're all different, this I just don't "get."

I throw my phone in my left-front pocket when I get dressed in the morning and there it sits. Unless I need it I really don't think about it (*). Same with my Apple Watch. It serves as our wakeup alarm (**), so I wear it to bed (***). It goes on the charger in the morning and, when it's done, I strap it on and don't think about it again until and unless I need it.

Mind you: I use both of them, on-and-off, pretty much the entire day, every day. Even if I don't go anywhere. So maybe that's one difference?

(*) Then again: I don't have a "phablet," so it neither weighs much nor takes up much room.
(**) Yes, wakeup alarm, even though retired. We found ourselves staying up later and later, getting up later-and-later. Had to put some enforced regimen back into our lives.
(***) Plus we have Lutron Caséta lighting. I hit the "All Lights Off" scene once we're in bed and out go all the lights. No more stumbling around in the dark But what got me to start wearing it to bed was our security alarm system. If it goes off at oh-dark-thirty I can see on my watch what triggered.

One thing to note about the Ultra.
You MUST have headphones in order to make/receive phone calls.

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:
One thing to note about the Ultra.
You MUST have headphones in order to make/receive phone calls.

That's a deal breaker.

ETA: Not according to Apple

quote:

You need Bluetooth headphones or speakers to listen to most audio on your Apple Watch Ultra (Siri, phone calls, voicemail, and voice memos play through the speaker on Apple Watch Ultra).

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I hate having to be attached at the hip to my phone. But...I also hate wearing a watch.

I see people make comments such as these all the time and, while I realize we're all different, this I just don't "get."

I just don't like being connected to anything. I wore a watch for decades, religiously. Then, about ten years ago, I just stopped. With clocks everywhere and a cell phone with a clock, there was no need to wear a watch (other than bling and I don't do bling). Since then, I don't like having one on. I suppose that I could get used to it again though.

I recently upgraded to the Ultra from a Series 7. Little bigger screen, little brighter, biggest improvement for me is the 2 day battery life which I have actually been able to stretch to about two and a half days. More waterproof as well.


Both were the cellular model, I didn’t activate cellular on either since I always have my phone so for me it is just another expense. I usually have my iPad Mini with me as well as my old eyes appreciate a larger screen.

I have toyed with the idea of dumping the cellular on the iPad, and putting it on the watch. Not sure if the watch on cellular would act like a hotspot like the iPhone or iPad with cellular do. If so, that might be the better way for me to go. Watch and iPad mini instead of watch, phone, and iPad…

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I just don't like being connected to anything.

Ok, that I can understand. It's kind of like the property of one of my best friends. When I first started going up there, cell coverage was so thin you had to stand in just a certain spot and hold your phone up just so to get even one bar. And once you got that one bar you didn't dare move. (Which made dialing tricky.) He liked it, because it disconnected him from everything in the "outside world" while he was up there.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
... no need to wear a watch (other than bling and I don't do bling).

Nobody but Apple geeks wears an Apple Watch for its "bling" factor, so no worries there

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I suppose that I could get used to it again though.

Careful: You could more than "get used to it." As I noted: Even in retirement I use my Apple Watch several times daily--I would say probably every day. I could list all the ways I use it, but, I'm sure you've seen them before. Suffice it to say I find it a very, very handy bit of kit.

This coming from a guy who resisted "smart" phones up until <looks...> 2013, when I bought the HTC Sensation, the first "smart" phone for either my wife or me, off eBay.

Well, I ordered one up (Ultra). I'll give it a try for a few weeks and see how I like it. I suspect that it might be a little bulky for me, but if so I'll swap it out for the 8.

We'll see. I'm gonna be Dick Tracy.

Watched a bunch of Youtube videos on it and it sure looks like a slick little gadget.

A woman in our weekly handgun shooting group has one of these Apple watches.

It's amazing what she can do with it and it even has a gizmo that senses if you've fallen (accelerometer) and asks if you're okay, or something like that.

She does texting, phone calls and other things also. It's perfect for a widow like her who has had 2 knee replacements, 1 hip replacement and one shoulder replacement and has a high risk of falling when alone.

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:
One thing to note about the Ultra.
You MUST have headphones in order to make/receive phone calls.

Ideally, but not 100% true actually. I've done speakerphone calls on mine.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:
One thing to note about the Ultra.
You MUST have headphones in order to make/receive phone calls.

Ideally, but not 100% true actually. I've done speakerphone calls on mine.

I've tried that.
I can hear them through the built-in shitty speaker.
But nobody can ever hear me.

quote:

(**) Yes, wakeup alarm, even though retired. We found ourselves staying up later and later, getting up later-and-later. Had to put some enforced regimen back into our lives.

LOLz. Had a friend who had to do this, but on the backend and in relation when "happy hour" started He realized after 6 months of not working that 1:00 p.m. was a non-good answer long term....

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Watched a bunch of Youtube videos on it and it sure looks like a slick little gadget.

Oh, it's a neat little gadget, all right. That's the problem. If you really use it you'll eventually wonder how you ever got along without it

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
Ideally, but not 100% true actually. I've done speakerphone calls on mine.

I've tried that.
I can hear them through the built-in shitty speaker.
But nobody can ever hear me.

I've used my SE for making and receiving phone calls several times. People at the other end are surprised when I tell them I'm talking to them via my Apple Watch.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:

quote:

(**) Yes, wakeup alarm, even though retired. We found ourselves staying up later and later, getting up later-and-later. Had to put some enforced regimen back into our lives.

LOLz. Had a friend who had to do this, but on the backend and in relation when "happy hour" started He realized after 6 months of not working that 1:00 p.m. was a non-good answer long term....

We still sometimes get to bed/sleep later than what we regard as "optimal" (lights out NLT midnite). I simply tweak the alarm time up, for the next wakeup, to give us 7½ hours of sleep.

I have the Ultra and love it.
Older eyes needs the bigger screen.
I don’t have the cellular enabled as previously
stated I always have my phone with me.

quote:

Originally posted by creslin:
One thing to note about the Ultra.
You MUST have headphones in order to make/receive phone calls.

Can confirm this is not true. I’ve received calls directly to my Ultra without my ear buds.

As far as the plan, it is a $10/month add on to the attached phone number for Xfinity. I could get by without the cell service on it but for only $10 a month I’ll keep the option available to me. The only times I’ve gone without the phone is while out on a long walk. I listen to podcasts while walking and thought it would be better without the phone in my gym shorts, but the Podcast app on the watch is clunky, IMO.

I’ll probably use the watch only once the doctor cleared me to get back to weight lifting. I don’t like anything in my pockets while doing squats and deads.

I’m coming to believe that I’m the only person in my 40s (43 actually), who loves my old school, analog watch. Granted, I’ve had the same watch since I was 17, a gift from my parents, so there is real sentimental value there (I’ve easily spent more than it’s purchase price in maintenance and repairs), but still less than one of these “Ultras” (just barely). Maybe a Gen-X thing, living booth sides of the digital world, but I reject having an electronic device attached to me 24-7. (Of course, my wife loves her i-Watch… same age).