If
you want a smartwatch to make travel easier, Apple Watch is hard to
beat. But what about all those Android competitors? There are too many
to list here, including models from Sony and Samsung. Still, after
taking Apple Watch for a test run
several weeks ago, I gave a few popular watches for Android users a
whirl (one nimble contender, Pebble, is compatible with both Android and
iOS devices).
Apple
Watch, among the newest additions to the smartwatch market, raised the
bar in terms of intuitiveness and elegant functionality. And its travel
apps are perhaps the most useful to date. But of course, not everyone
wants an Apple. Below, a look at three popular Android options, and the
pros and cons for travelers.
Pebble and Pebble Time
From $99 for Pebble; $199 for Time
STYLE
With its colorless display and retro push buttons on the side of the
face — which, in an age of touch screens, is a refreshingly
uncomplicated way to navigate — the boxy Pebble calls to mind the watch
David Hasselhoff used to summon his talking car in “Knight Rider.” It
doesn’t have a touch screen, and its “e-paper” display (it’s easy to
read in sunlight) isn’t as crisp as others. But you’re not buying this
(or any smartwatch) for looks. Like Crocs, it’s about utility. Besides,
the company’s second-generation watch, which is being rolled out as I
type, is, well, cute. One model of the new Pebble Time, with a gleaming
white silicone band and color display, has a sporty Swatch-like look
made for summer.
TRAVEL APPS
Unlike its competitors, Pebble can go days without charging. It’s also
water-resistant. You can shower with it on or go surfing or swimming.
However, the first generation can hold only eight apps at a time. On iOS
you’ll find versions of some travel apps such as Yelp, but many
standard apps are not available. There’s no Hotel Tonight or Expedia,
for example. So I branched out and tried Toilet Finder, an app that
alerted me to nearby bathrooms— or tried to.
NAVIGATION
If you want directions on your Pebble, you need to load an app. The
most helpful iOS app I tried was PebbleNav, but you have to enter your
destination on a companion app that lives on your phone. It’s only after
doing this that Pebble comes to life with turn-by-turn directions. An
added step, yes, though after setting it up you can put away your phone
and just glance at the watch’s detailed turn-by-turn directions,
something that’s missing from a number of competitors.
LG Watch Urbane (Android Wear)
About $350
STYLE
This watch may be chunky, and the stitched leather strap may be
slightly stiff, but it looks like the real thing (that is until you
start talking into it).
TRAVEL APPS
You primarily use this smartwatch by saying “O.K., Google” and then
asking for directions to, say, a museum, or instructing the watch to
send a text or an email or jot down a note. When I lifted my wrist and
spoke aloud, “O.K., Google, how do you say ‘table for two’ in French?,”
up popped the words: “table pour deux ‘table for two in French’ ” Neat.
(Though this wasn’t quite so smooth when there was a lot of ambient
noise and the watch couldn’t hear me.) As with all smartwatches, popular
travel apps are pared down or must be used in conjunction with the
phone. For instance, to call up an American Airlines boarding pass, the
watch told me I first had to view it on my smartphone.
NAVIGATION
Google Maps makes navigation on this watch among the best to be found
on a wrist. Ask for directions and up pops an arrow indicating which
direction to begin driving or walking, along with the number of miles
you should keep heading in that direction.
PROS
Good navigation, voice-activated search and the ability to send texts
and emails from your wrist make this a handy digital companion on the
road.
MOTO 360 (Android Wear)
From $149.99
STYLE
The fat, round face of the Moto 360 felt as weighty as an antique
pocket watch, though the oversize color touch-screen face makes for
easier reading. And you can customize, choosing from several bands and
faces with the company’s “Moto Maker” at motorola.com.
TRAVEL APPS
Like the LG Urbane, you talk to this smartwatch by saying “O.K.,
Google” and then making a request. When I asked it to send an email it
instantly asked “To whom?” When I asked for directions to the nearest
gas station, it brought up choices from Mobil and Exxon. You can load a
travel app such as Orbitz, but tap the icon and, as with the Urbane,
you’ll be directed to your phone to fully use it.
NAVIGATION
After asking the watch to navigate to Union Square, New York, it showed
me an arrow and the direction to set out. More detailed directions,
including a map with turn-by-turn voice directions, appeared on my
phone. Even if I were just planning to use Google Maps on my phone, it
was still faster to ask the watch and allow it to instantly display a
map and fire up navigation.
PROS Good navigation and effective voice-activated search from a watch that’s less than half the price of the Urbane.
CONS The travel apps are pared down; you’re better off using most of them on your phone.
| This article reprinted from:http://www.nytimes.com |
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