It's a Stupid Watch
By MrsJ
@SophiaMorros (5044)
Belews Creek, North Carolina
February 17, 2022 6:39pm CST
Hey, Mom! Do you want my old smartwatch? That’s what my son asked me several months ago. And I said yes.
I have not worn a watch consistently for many years and I’ve enjoyed being able to tell the time with just a quick glance at my wrist. But the gift is not quite the amazing tool that I thought it was going to be.
It tracks my steps and does that reasonable degree of accuracy. Supposedly it also tracks my heart rate. It seems to measure my heart rate fairly accurately as long as I am sitting still and not doing anything. But if I am actually exercising, or moving much at all it cannot be accused of precision.
Through an App on my phone, it also tracks my sleep. Which has been the most entertaining of all. Theoretically, it tracks the night hours as deep sleep, REM, light sleep and awake. I don’t think it does a terrible job of tracking deep sleep and REM, but it has a hard time telling whether or not I am sleeping lightly or am awake. There have been many times when I have been awake reading or playing with my phone, sometimes even checking the sleep tracking data only to discover that the phone thought that I was sleeping at the time.
Sometimes when I ask my husband if he slept well, he will check the data before answering. Me? I think I am a better judge of whether or not I feel rested than a computerized gizmo.
10 people like this
10 responses
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Feb 22
My son asked me if I wanted his old smartwatch, and I said no. I don’t even like wearing regular watches.
5 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
18 Feb 22
I honestly did not think I would wear it with any consistency...but here I am 4 months or so later, still wearing it.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (121604)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Feb 22
@SophiaMorros It would probably be the same way with me, especially if I got used to using it.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Feb 22
Vince has a smart watch too and it has all these functions and possibly a few more. It keeps a record of his heart rate too which the doctor finds very helpful. There are a few functions that he is trying to turn off. At 10.45pm, it plays a few notes of a lullaby, waking him up to tell him it's time to wind down as it's bedtime soon. He does seem to get a lot of pleasure from abusing it. 
3 people like this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Feb 22
@SophiaMorros Haha - that's pretty funny. My friend's phone has Siri on it and she once answered a question from the television - which really makes me worry about how much personal information it's storing somewhere.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (340216)
• Rockingham, Australia
25 Feb 22
@SophiaMorros So that's scary really, isn't it? Who is monitoring all this? 
@Juliaacv (51009)
• Canada
18 Feb 22
I don't mind a smart tv and a smart phone, but that is about where I drew the line.
I like a watch to tell me the time, nothing else is expected, so my simple little watch does that accurately and I'm pleased with it. Plus I can always tell you how I slept-no gadgets required. 
2 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
18 Feb 22
Primarily I use it as a watch and I appreciate that it also tracks my steps. Those features make it possible to leave my phone parked somewhere when I am at home.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25805)
• United States
18 Feb 22
@SophiaMorros Well, you got me thinking it might be nice to at least have a fitness watch. I have a couple of gift cards left over from Christmas I could use to foot the bill. I'm going to do a little online shopping and see what I find.
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
18 Feb 22
The smartwatch allows me to put my phone down while I am at home. It tells time, it counts my steps and it alerts me to phone calls and messages. (and I don't have to worry about it falling out of my pocket and into the toilet 
).
).1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137259)
• United States
18 Feb 22
Pretty has used different smart watches but hasn't been a fan of any of them.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137259)
• United States
18 Feb 22
@SophiaMorros I'm not sure what Pretty uses hers for but she's always wearing it. And then asks me what time it is and the date...
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
18 Feb 22
I only have one because it was free-to-me. I use it primarily as a watch and a step counter
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
18 Feb 22
It was kind. I can see why he up-graded to a more expensive model!
2 people like this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
18 Feb 22
@SophiaMorros He knew what he wanted.
2 people like this
@kaylachan (69824)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Feb 22
I love my smart watch, and find it very helpful. Helps the bettery life on my phone because I can bypass my phone for notifications. All tech has its up and down sides. Good luck.
2 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
18 Feb 22
Like many other things, under the right circumstances it is a useful tool.
@RasmaSandra (79892)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Feb 22
I lie just plain old regular watches, I don't even have a smart phone
2 people like this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
18 Feb 22
I have a smart-phone because it is a useful tool at this stage of my life. However, I have to be very mindful that I don't turn into a phone-addict-zombie!
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
24 Feb 22
Sometimes I take it off before I go to bed...other times it irritates me enough that I take it off in the middle of the night. The only jewelry I sleep with that never bothers me are the small hoops in my ears.
