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Why a Gadget Geek Engineer Who Ignored Smartwatches Found Joy in Self-Reflection
I wrote down these summary notes because I couldn't explain it well when I told a friend, "I've been wearing a smartwatch lately."
TL;DR
- I started using the HUAWEI Band 7 (Phone: iPhone)
- Smartwatches—or rather, wearable activity trackers—are fun
- It's interesting to have "my state" recorded and be able to reflect on it
- Heart rate recording
- Looking at heart rate records from when I ran a bit, during exercise, or while traveling is fun
- It's fun to look back and see that my heart rate actually spiked when my stress levels were off the charts
- Sleep recording
- I'm happy that I can accurately track when I fall asleep and wake up
- It's interesting to understand my sleep quality by seeing REM and non-REM sleep durations
- It's good that things like "Oh, I woke up in the middle of the night and messed with my phone" are also recorded
- Great for noticing notifications even when my phone is slightly out of reach, especially the 10-minute pre-meeting notifications
- A 14-day battery life under normal use is a real weight off my shoulders
- The ease of just charging it while in the bath (and it's fine even if I forget and wear it into the bath one day)
A Gadget Geek Who Had No Interest in Smartwatches
I am what you'd call a gadget geek.
Going way back, I've spent my time buying and trying all sorts of electronic devices, from PDAs like the PalmVx to Sony Clie, Windows CE Pocket PC,
feature phones, iPad, iPhone, multiple Androids, Kobo, Kindle, Amazon FireHD,
Microsoft Surface (2-in-1 PC), Windows laptops, MacBooks,
noise-canceling headphones, sleep headphones, bone conduction Bluetooth earphones (Shokz),
mixers, USB microphones, ultrawide curved displays, monitor arms, standing desks,
keyboards, MIDI controllers, etc...
My favorite media outlet is, of course, Gizmodo Japan.
That one category I haven't touched at all for the past few years: smartwatches.
Since I mainly use an iPhone and a MacBook Air, I naturally thought that if I were to buy one, it would be an Apple Watch.
It's not that I didn't have a habit of wearing a watch; rather, I was a strange kid who had been wearing a wristwatch since my early teens.
However, I just couldn't bring myself to take the plunge.
Wait, it's not that I never touched smartwatches at all.
I once wore a smartwatch called the Pebble Steel—though the company itself is now gone. Pebble was a lot of fun. I even used to make my own apps and install them.
Pebble was quite an aggressive device for its time around 2012, featuring an e-paper display. It couldn't do all the fancy things modern smartwatches can, but it was a charming little thing with a low-refresh-rate black-and-white always-on display. Pebble had great battery life. If I remember correctly, it easily lasted about a week. But in 2016, Pebble was acquired by Fitbit, and the brand vanished. I remember using it until around 2017, but one day I lost the charging cable and couldn't charge it anymore, so I stopped wearing it.
Image: The Pebble Steel with a Leather Band (Black) back in its heyday.
Writing this reminds me that there's one more thing I used.
The Sony wena wrist leather.
This one isn't really a smartwatch; it's almost just a regular wristwatch, but curiously, the leather band has Rakuten Edy built-in, allowing for Edy payments. Since it's not a smartwatch, it can't record or notify anything, but the experience of making electronic payments with a wristwatch was great. It gave me a sense of satisfaction that made me understand why people find paying with Suica on an Apple Watch so convenient. Since it's a regular watch, the battery lasts a very long time—specifically about two years. Traditional watches are the best. However, it stopped working earlier this year due to internal rust. The cause was likely sweat. I wore it even when cycling over 100km, so I suppose it was inevitable.
Image: The Sony wena wrist leather back in its heyday. You can still buy this today if you want to.
Yes, Smartwatch Battery Life is Way Too Short
Looking back, the reason I was hesitant about smartwatches (especially the Apple Watch) has become clear. The battery life is just too short.
Apparently, the latest Apple Watch Series 8 finally reached 36 hours in low power mode.
People are saying "The Apple Watch Ultra lasts 56 hours! Amazing!"
The Google Pixel Watch—which I can't use because I'm on iPhone, but I keep an eye on—is said to last 24 hours.
Don't make me laugh.
I understand that it's mostly fine if you just charge it while you're in the shower every day, but I'm very forgetful. I'm at the level where I occasionally forget to charge my phone before bed and panic the next morning.
Despite that, I'm picky enough to hate carrying around a power bank.
Usually, just worrying about my phone's remaining battery when I'm out for a bit is nerve-wracking enough. I absolutely don't want to add another device like that to the mix.
I want at least five days of battery life, something that can withstand a bit of neglect if I forget. Especially since it's something I wear.
Because of that, I've been spending my time feeling conflicted ever since the original Apple Watch was released, unable to pull the trigger.
Suddenly Getting My Hands on a HUAWEI Band 7
In the midst of all that, I happened to get a HUAWEI Band 7.
My wife, who wanted to make her smartwatch debut, had bought a HUAWEI Band 7 to try out. Once she realized that a smartwatch was a good fit for her, she decided to switch to an Apple Watch, and I ended up receiving the HUAWEI Band 7 as a hand-me-down.
Since I usually work from home remotely, I don't really have much trouble without a wristwatch, but as I mentioned earlier, my Sony wena wrist leather had broken, and my left wrist felt empty. It was a timely offer, so I decided to give the HUAWEI Band 7 a shot.
Image: HUAWEI Band 7
Using it... This thing is interesting!
The HUAWEI Band 7 has great battery life. It lasts 14 days. This is incredible. It even surpasses the Pebble Steel.
Of course, compared to a regular watch like the Sony wena wrist leather, it doesn't last nearly as long, but if it lasts two weeks, even someone as lazy as me will manage to charge it at some point during that period.
What I found interesting once I started using it were the heart rate recording, sleep tracking, and notifications. Actually, I hardly use anything else, so I keep the screen off at all times—partly for the battery's sake. I've also disabled the "raise to wake" feature, so the screen is basically pitch black most of the time. My typical usage involves waking the screen with the side button just a few times a day when I want to check the time.
Heart Rate Recording
Since I started wearing the HUAWEI Band 7, I've been able to record my heart rate.
Usually, I don't pay much attention to it, but at certain moments, such as:
- After sprinting a few dozen meters because I was almost late for a train
- During or after a hill climb while riding my road bike for fun
- After something nerve-wracking happened (like a meeting with a client)
- After taking a walk
In moments like those, being able to think, "Oh, I wonder what my heart rate is like right now?" and check it is actually quite fun once you start doing it.
I'm quite out of shape, so when I do a hill climb on my road bike, it easily hits around 165 bpm.
The other day, I had the opportunity to guide visitors at a certain business exhibition. My stress levels were off the charts, but when I checked my heart rate during a break and saw it was at 165, I couldn't help but laugh to myself. Was I guiding people while sprinting at full speed?
It's fun to see my own data quantified in ways I hadn't noticed before.
It's similar to the enjoyment of checking the status screen in an RPG, even if it's not right after leveling up.
Image: My heart rate record. I see my heart rate really settles down while I'm sleeping.
Sleep Recording
I'm also writing this article at 3:00 AM, but I very often have trouble sleeping at night.
That being said, ensuring enough sleep time and good sleep quality clearly affects performance the next day, so I was concerned about it.
I was concerned, but until now, I hadn't been able to collect much data.
I used to use an app that recorded sleep-talking after falling asleep, but I stopped because it was a hassle to start it every time.
In the midst of that, I became able to track my sleep with the HUAWEI Band 7.
Whether I accidentally fall asleep, pass out on a night when I couldn't sleep, wake up to an alarm, or oversleep, the reliability with which it records everything is amazing.
Thanks to this, I was reminded that I really go to bed too late every day. Today, I'll probably get to sleep around 4:00 AM.
Even if it's something you kind of suspect, there's a certain impact when you're presented with it as an actual record. It's fun.
It feels similar to how I felt when I first started a recording diet and was shocked by my own calorie intake.
For humans, it's quite difficult to change one's consciousness based on "vague feelings" alone (broad generalization).
Image: My sleep record. It feels like the pace of switching to non-REM sleep is high...
Notifications
As I mentioned before, since I usually work from home remotely and all meetings are online, you'd think there's no way I'd be late.
But I actually end up being late quite often. Or rather, I forget. I'll be aware of it until 30 minutes before, but then 5 minutes before the meeting, I've suddenly forgotten all about it.
Other times, I lose track of time when I'm concentrated on a task.
If I'm sitting in front of the computer, I'll notice the on-screen notifications.
However, if I decide to take a break or start doing chores with the thought of "giving my eyes a rest before the meeting," it's all over.
Before I know it, it's 5 minutes after the meeting started. It's the worst.
Especially when I'm resting or doing housework, my phone might be on my desk somewhere in the house, so I don't notice the notifications on it.
Even in those cases, as long as I'm within the house, I'm well within Bluetooth range, so the HUAWEI Band 7 will vibrate with a "bzz-bzz."
This is subtly great. I don't even need to see the content of the notification; after all, I was supposed to remember the schedule 30 minutes ago.
Just the fact that it vibrates "bzz-bzz" has saved me on several occasions, so it's been a real help.
Long Battery Life
I've already mentioned it, but since it's important, I'll say it again: the HUAWEI Band 7's battery lasts. It lasts 14 days. This is truly amazing. With a 14-day battery life, even someone as lazy as me will find a time to charge it at some point during those two weeks.
I mean, I know that an Apple Watch is also perfectly usable if you charge it every day while in the bath (or whenever). But the peace of mind of having almost no consequences even if you forget to charge it once or twice is very comfortable.
"Ah, I'll just charge it tomorrow."
Thank you, HUAWEI Band 7, for your generosity in tolerating such laziness.
Summary
I wrote these summary notes because I couldn't explain it well when I told a friend, "I've been wearing a smartwatch lately," but looking back, I think I was able to write quite a bit. As I'm sure all you engineers know, reflection is important (broad generalization). Since this summary is essentially about reflection, you'll forgive me for posting this as a Zenn "Idea" article, right...?
Now that I've reached this point, my bad gadget geek habit is acting up. Specifically, "Are there any other smartwatches with long battery life?"
Right now, I'm curious about the smartwatches from Fitbit, which acquired Pebble. I have a feeling the app's atmosphere might be better than the HUAWEI health app.
Please let me know if you have any recommended smartwatches. And let's chat about other gadgets too.
Junya Kitayama
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