This is a good write-up. I'm a pretty serious runner so I've been using Garmin for ages across several different watches. I'd agree that they're not great in terms of "smart" watches, but they...
This is a good write-up. I'm a pretty serious runner so I've been using Garmin for ages across several different watches. I'd agree that they're not great in terms of "smart" watches, but they have gotten much better from what I've heard. While I wear mine 24/7 I don't get any phone notifications or anything, I don't even store music on it.
Also, just since you mentioned it. I've never had a screen protected for any of my Garmin's and have never had any issues with it, I also tend to bang it against table/counter edges and walls way more regularly than I should.
My biggest complaint with Garmin is that their API isn't open to the public, and you have to be a business to get access (although I'm unsure if/how much they charge for it), which makes it difficult to use the data for projects. Relatedly, I have yet to find a good way to export all historical data from the Connect dashboard.
I am pretty sure the Apple Watch ultra bands should line up exactly the same with the 40-44-45 watches. I have a knockoff alpine loop that lines up almost perfectly, but I can’t speak to apples...
I am pretty sure the Apple Watch ultra bands should line up exactly the same with the 40-44-45 watches. I have a knockoff alpine loop that lines up almost perfectly, but I can’t speak to apples bands.
I have had the milanese loop for years. I finally got a stainless steel S8, and the combo looks spectacular. I really like it. I used to wear it daily. I have since switched to the sport loop since I like the soft fabric, but I keep my milanese loop with me to dress up my watch. The next band I want is the purple leather link, but I haven’t been able to justify the money for that yet.
Nope, merlion. I wanted one that was purple, but apple doesn’t make them, so I got a super cheap one on aliexpress and some purple dye. It worked great, but the crappy glue holding the band...
Nope, merlion. I wanted one that was purple, but apple doesn’t make them, so I got a super cheap one on aliexpress and some purple dye. It worked great, but the crappy glue holding the band together fell apart. I found the merlion knockoff on Amazon, since it was the only one stitched instead of glued (the apple one is glued too, but they probably use a better glue). It actually turned out better because the dye took much better to the main elastic band than the smaller webbing that makes the loops, so it’s deep purple and lilac two toned.
I've been daily driving a milanese loop for the last two years. At first I swapped to a sport loop to exercise in but eventually I got too lazy. I think it's slightly less comfortable than the...
Does anyone here have the magnetic leather band or the Milanese Loop? Would you recommend either of those for casual wear?
I've been daily driving a milanese loop for the last two years. At first I swapped to a sport loop to exercise in but eventually I got too lazy. I think it's slightly less comfortable than the cloth loops, mainly because there's less friction, and thus it needs to be tighter on your wrist, but you get use to it. I don't notice it being discomforting in daily use, or even while exercising.
I think it looks the best out of all of the Apple Watch bands. It's nice and thin, unlike the sports loop, where the loop back looks a bit odd with the smaller watch sizes. The steel link looks a bit like you're trying too hard to dress up an apple watch IMO. The milanese is a good mixture of looking nice, and not looking too out of place dressed up or dressed down. The magnetic buckle (? not sure what to call it) is one of my favorites, it's easy to get on, and easy to adjust unlike the velcro.
In terms of colors, black is more casual and more muted. If you're not in the sun, it can be hard to distinguish that it's a milanese band, which could be good or bad. The silver one is flashier, it's clearly the milanese.
I fully agree with this, but I’d like to add a caveat about working out in the Milanese loop. If you want reliable heart rate measurements with many workouts, the Milanese loop just won’t work. It...
I fully agree with this, but I’d like to add a caveat about working out in the Milanese loop. If you want reliable heart rate measurements with many workouts, the Milanese loop just won’t work. It doesn’t stay tight enough to keep the watch against the skin. If you are running on a treadmill, you will probably be fine, but anything with wrist movement isn’t going to work.
“ You can plug your Garmin into your computer and sync its data to open-source programs instead if you really want to.” I’m just curious what open source programs you are using? I’m hoping some...
“ You can plug your Garmin into your computer and sync its data to open-source programs instead if you really want to.”
I’m just curious what open source programs you are using?
I’m hoping some day someone cracks Garmin watches so they would be compatible with Gadgetbridge. Despite Garmin’s solid privacy policy, I would still like to avoid sending my data to their servers.
The choice with Garmin right now is basically Bluetooth with a Garmin account, or USB with the option to self host. If you’re happy to live with only batch sync over a cable, it’s a pretty...
The choice with Garmin right now is basically Bluetooth with a Garmin account, or USB with the option to self host.
If you’re happy to live with only batch sync over a cable, it’s a pretty straightforward to parse/import FIT files (at least in dev terms - end user experience may vary) without any of your data going outside your own devices. If you want live data over Bluetooth it’s either the proprietary SDK or reverse engineering their protocol, and to the best of my knowledge nobody’s completely figured out the latter yet.
ok yea, I am familiar with pulling .FIT files via USB, works quite well with my android phone as well. I hope someone eventually 'jailbreaks' the garmin products so we can use the bluetooth...
ok yea, I am familiar with pulling .FIT files via USB, works quite well with my android phone as well.
I hope someone eventually 'jailbreaks' the garmin products so we can use the bluetooth functions in an open manner.
My sister had a Fitbit (unsure which model), but after experiencing a bunch problems with it, including battery life issues similar to yours, she also replaced it with an Apple Watch a few years...
My sister had a Fitbit (unsure which model), but after experiencing a bunch problems with it, including battery life issues similar to yours, she also replaced it with an Apple Watch a few years ago, and she couldn't be happier. My father also has an Apple Watch too and absolutely loves it as well... especially since it allows him to answer texts and calls while on the golf course. ;)
I personally couldn't justify the cost of getting one for myself. However, after reading a review of the Amazfit Bip U Pro on Wareable, I bought one of those instead... and I also couldn't be happier with it, especially considering the price! It's basically midway between a base model Fitbit and an Apple Watch in terms of functionality. And almost 2 years later it's still going strong, and I still only have to charge it once every 3-4 days or so. My only complaint with it was that the wristband was absolutely terrible, very cheap feeling, and sweat constantly built up under it since it had no ventilation holes... but thankfully that was easily fixed by replacing it with a leather one with vent holes.
Good to know, thank you for mentioning this. A while ago I did a quick search to find a fitness tracker without mandatory cloud / tracking and wasn't successful in finding anything. Any software...
More importantly, Garmin does not rent-seek a subscription to allow you to access metrics your tracker already collects, like Fitbit does with Fitbit Premium. With Garmin, you pay for your device once, and you get access to all of your data that it collects. You don't even need to use Garmin's apps or website, or connect the device to your phone. You can plug your Garmin into your computer and sync its data to open-source programs instead if you really want to.
Good to know, thank you for mentioning this. A while ago I did a quick search to find a fitness tracker without mandatory cloud / tracking and wasn't successful in finding anything.
Any software in particular that you know about?
This is a good write-up. I'm a pretty serious runner so I've been using Garmin for ages across several different watches. I'd agree that they're not great in terms of "smart" watches, but they have gotten much better from what I've heard. While I wear mine 24/7 I don't get any phone notifications or anything, I don't even store music on it.
Also, just since you mentioned it. I've never had a screen protected for any of my Garmin's and have never had any issues with it, I also tend to bang it against table/counter edges and walls way more regularly than I should.
My biggest complaint with Garmin is that their API isn't open to the public, and you have to be a business to get access (although I'm unsure if/how much they charge for it), which makes it difficult to use the data for projects. Relatedly, I have yet to find a good way to export all historical data from the Connect dashboard.
I am pretty sure the Apple Watch ultra bands should line up exactly the same with the 40-44-45 watches. I have a knockoff alpine loop that lines up almost perfectly, but I can’t speak to apples bands.
I have had the milanese loop for years. I finally got a stainless steel S8, and the combo looks spectacular. I really like it. I used to wear it daily. I have since switched to the sport loop since I like the soft fabric, but I keep my milanese loop with me to dress up my watch. The next band I want is the purple leather link, but I haven’t been able to justify the money for that yet.
Nope, merlion. I wanted one that was purple, but apple doesn’t make them, so I got a super cheap one on aliexpress and some purple dye. It worked great, but the crappy glue holding the band together fell apart. I found the merlion knockoff on Amazon, since it was the only one stitched instead of glued (the apple one is glued too, but they probably use a better glue). It actually turned out better because the dye took much better to the main elastic band than the smaller webbing that makes the loops, so it’s deep purple and lilac two toned.
I've been daily driving a milanese loop for the last two years. At first I swapped to a sport loop to exercise in but eventually I got too lazy. I think it's slightly less comfortable than the cloth loops, mainly because there's less friction, and thus it needs to be tighter on your wrist, but you get use to it. I don't notice it being discomforting in daily use, or even while exercising.
I think it looks the best out of all of the Apple Watch bands. It's nice and thin, unlike the sports loop, where the loop back looks a bit odd with the smaller watch sizes. The steel link looks a bit like you're trying too hard to dress up an apple watch IMO. The milanese is a good mixture of looking nice, and not looking too out of place dressed up or dressed down. The magnetic buckle (? not sure what to call it) is one of my favorites, it's easy to get on, and easy to adjust unlike the velcro.
In terms of colors, black is more casual and more muted. If you're not in the sun, it can be hard to distinguish that it's a milanese band, which could be good or bad. The silver one is flashier, it's clearly the milanese.
I fully agree with this, but I’d like to add a caveat about working out in the Milanese loop. If you want reliable heart rate measurements with many workouts, the Milanese loop just won’t work. It doesn’t stay tight enough to keep the watch against the skin. If you are running on a treadmill, you will probably be fine, but anything with wrist movement isn’t going to work.
“ You can plug your Garmin into your computer and sync its data to open-source programs instead if you really want to.”
I’m just curious what open source programs you are using?
I’m hoping some day someone cracks Garmin watches so they would be compatible with Gadgetbridge. Despite Garmin’s solid privacy policy, I would still like to avoid sending my data to their servers.
The choice with Garmin right now is basically Bluetooth with a Garmin account, or USB with the option to self host.
If you’re happy to live with only batch sync over a cable, it’s a pretty straightforward to parse/import FIT files (at least in dev terms - end user experience may vary) without any of your data going outside your own devices. If you want live data over Bluetooth it’s either the proprietary SDK or reverse engineering their protocol, and to the best of my knowledge nobody’s completely figured out the latter yet.
ok yea, I am familiar with pulling .FIT files via USB, works quite well with my android phone as well.
I hope someone eventually 'jailbreaks' the garmin products so we can use the bluetooth functions in an open manner.
My sister had a Fitbit (unsure which model), but after experiencing a bunch problems with it, including battery life issues similar to yours, she also replaced it with an Apple Watch a few years ago, and she couldn't be happier. My father also has an Apple Watch too and absolutely loves it as well... especially since it allows him to answer texts and calls while on the golf course. ;)
I personally couldn't justify the cost of getting one for myself. However, after reading a review of the Amazfit Bip U Pro on Wareable, I bought one of those instead... and I also couldn't be happier with it, especially considering the price! It's basically midway between a base model Fitbit and an Apple Watch in terms of functionality. And almost 2 years later it's still going strong, and I still only have to charge it once every 3-4 days or so. My only complaint with it was that the wristband was absolutely terrible, very cheap feeling, and sweat constantly built up under it since it had no ventilation holes... but thankfully that was easily fixed by replacing it with a leather one with vent holes.
Good to know, thank you for mentioning this. A while ago I did a quick search to find a fitness tracker without mandatory cloud / tracking and wasn't successful in finding anything.
Any software in particular that you know about?
Ah, that's not as good as I hoped. Still nice though to have the option at all.