New smartwatches are bringing innovative features and functionality but one of the basics that each of them focuses on is notifications.
The smartwatch essentially started as an extension of the smartphone making notifications easily accessible. Not everyone needs fitness trackers or music players or wrist cameras on their watches. Also, a large number of users want their smartwatch to look more like a watch than anything else.
US based company Martian Watches introduced the Martian Notifier to target users who want their smartwatch to look like a conventional analog time piece and still fetch notifications from their smartphone. We try to find out if it's worth a buy, in our review.
Design Without doubt, the Martian Notifier is primarily an analog wristwatch when it comes to design. The watch sports a silicone band with a stainless steel clasp and has an anti scratch, acrylic crystal face. With its plastic frame, it doesn't really exude a premium feel but manages to look elegant albeit a little chunky. The back has a stainless steel plate. The wristbands are changable and costs Rs 1,200 (Flipkart is offering a free strap for the first 1000 customers). The strap is comfortable to wear and at 52gram, the watch is pretty lightweight and doesn't feel cumbersome. The watch is splash resistant but you'll not be able to wear it to the pool.
The right side of the watch sports a conventional watch crown for setting the time and a flap that houses the micro-USB port for charging and firmware updates. The port is deep and requires a special micro-USB cable supplied in the box. This means you can't charge it with just any micro-USB to USB cable. The left side features two metal push buttons - one for the menu and the other one to select. The other button can also invoke the phone's voice assistant though the watch doesn't feature a microphone.
The watch face sports a 96x16p graphic OLED display located at the bottom, which is essentially the 'notifier' window of the watch. There's an LED notification light just above the display. Other than these two components, the Martian Notifier looks like any other analog watch with two hands to tell the time.
Setting it up Martian Notifier works with all Android smartphones running version 2.3.3 or later version of the OS and iPhone 4S or later iOS smartphones (It also works with the 5th Generation iPod Touch, iPad Air, iPad Mini, 3rd Generation iPad).
We used the watch with an iPhone 5S and a Lenovo Vibe X2. We faced some issues while initially pairing the Notifier with the Vibe X2 but after that it worked fine.
By default the watch is set to pair with iOS devices and you need to go to the 'Setup' menu and check 'Android' to enable Android pairing. You can download the 'Martian Notifier' app on your smartphone and simply search, connect and pair the watch through the app, following which you'll be able to receive almost all phone notifications on the watch.
The app also allows you to enable or disable notifications for individual apps and set the intensity and pattern of the vibration alert. The app offers controls for all watch settings, ability to set up alarms and control 'do not disturb' settings.
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Using the Notifier True to its name, the Martian Notifier alerts you whenever you receive a notification with soft vibration pulses while the actual notification scrolls like a ticker in the OLED screen on the watch face with the LED notification light blinking along.
Interestingly, you can even tap on the watch face to dismiss or view the notification again (for up to 5 minutes) and see past notifications by pressing the menu button. However, the notifications are not really actionable. For instance, when you receive a text message, an e-mail or a WhatsApp message, you can't open it on the connected phone without touching the latter. Similarly, when you receive a phone call, the only thing you can do is reject it (by the press of the menu button).
While a number of people would wonder why we'd expect the watch to perform this action when the phone is in the vicinity, if you're used to an Android Wear watch, you're more likely to miss it.
Besides notifications, the Martian Notifier can also display time for a different timezone and weather along with forecast. It also has the ability to fire up the camera app even when the phone is locked (and not password protected) and invoke the shutter button. You can also set a 3 second timer. This is particularly helpful when you're trying to capture a group selfie. The watch can also help you locate your phone (if in Bluetooth range of 30 feet) by sounding an alert. While this feature works without problems, we found the piano alert to be soft especially when there's ambient noise.
There's also a leash feature that alerts you when you've moved out of Bluetooth range.
The watch's select button can also be pressed to launch Siri on the iPhone and Voice Dialer on Android. But remember, you'll need to use the phone's microphone to give the command.
The watch has a conventional battery that powers the timepiece and another rechargeable one for the smart functionality. The conventional watch battery lasts up to two years while the other one offers a backup of roughly five days. The backup offered by the Martian Notifier is still better compared to Android Wear watches and Samsung Gear 2.
Having said that, we have to acknowledge that the Martian watch offers limited functionality compared to other smartwatches. For instance, you can't control your music or track the number of steps travelled or reply to messages via voice.
Overall, the Notifier performs its limited function set well and presents all notifications just a second after it arrives on your phone.
Should you buy the Martian Notifier? The Notifier is now available at a discounted price of Rs 8,495. At this price, it is a good option if you're looking to buy an analog timepiece which is also capable of becoming your phone's extension without sporting an intimidating design. The Notifier is more of a 'semi-smartwatch,' if we may use that term.
But will you save on your smartphone's battery with notifications being displayed on the watch? We don't think that it helps in tackling this problem. Firstly, your phone battery will take a hit with Bluetooth being constantly on. The other issue is that you'll end up using your phone for things like checking emails and messages.
If you're looking for a smartwatch with more functionality, you could perhaps look at the LG G Watch or Moto 360. The G Watch is being sold online at prices close to Rs 7,000. There's no doubt that these devices are first-generation offerings and are far from perfect but offer a wider feature set.
The smartwatch essentially started as an extension of the smartphone making notifications easily accessible. Not everyone needs fitness trackers or music players or wrist cameras on their watches. Also, a large number of users want their smartwatch to look more like a watch than anything else.
US based company Martian Watches introduced the Martian Notifier to target users who want their smartwatch to look like a conventional analog time piece and still fetch notifications from their smartphone. We try to find out if it's worth a buy, in our review.
Design Without doubt, the Martian Notifier is primarily an analog wristwatch when it comes to design. The watch sports a silicone band with a stainless steel clasp and has an anti scratch, acrylic crystal face. With its plastic frame, it doesn't really exude a premium feel but manages to look elegant albeit a little chunky. The back has a stainless steel plate. The wristbands are changable and costs Rs 1,200 (Flipkart is offering a free strap for the first 1000 customers). The strap is comfortable to wear and at 52gram, the watch is pretty lightweight and doesn't feel cumbersome. The watch is splash resistant but you'll not be able to wear it to the pool.
The right side of the watch sports a conventional watch crown for setting the time and a flap that houses the micro-USB port for charging and firmware updates. The port is deep and requires a special micro-USB cable supplied in the box. This means you can't charge it with just any micro-USB to USB cable. The left side features two metal push buttons - one for the menu and the other one to select. The other button can also invoke the phone's voice assistant though the watch doesn't feature a microphone.
The watch face sports a 96x16p graphic OLED display located at the bottom, which is essentially the 'notifier' window of the watch. There's an LED notification light just above the display. Other than these two components, the Martian Notifier looks like any other analog watch with two hands to tell the time.
Setting it up Martian Notifier works with all Android smartphones running version 2.3.3 or later version of the OS and iPhone 4S or later iOS smartphones (It also works with the 5th Generation iPod Touch, iPad Air, iPad Mini, 3rd Generation iPad).
We used the watch with an iPhone 5S and a Lenovo Vibe X2. We faced some issues while initially pairing the Notifier with the Vibe X2 but after that it worked fine.
By default the watch is set to pair with iOS devices and you need to go to the 'Setup' menu and check 'Android' to enable Android pairing. You can download the 'Martian Notifier' app on your smartphone and simply search, connect and pair the watch through the app, following which you'll be able to receive almost all phone notifications on the watch.
The app also allows you to enable or disable notifications for individual apps and set the intensity and pattern of the vibration alert. The app offers controls for all watch settings, ability to set up alarms and control 'do not disturb' settings.
Read More:- How to transfer balance from one mobile to another. , Domains For Sale Only Via H2K App , HTC Desire 820 review
Using the Notifier True to its name, the Martian Notifier alerts you whenever you receive a notification with soft vibration pulses while the actual notification scrolls like a ticker in the OLED screen on the watch face with the LED notification light blinking along.
Interestingly, you can even tap on the watch face to dismiss or view the notification again (for up to 5 minutes) and see past notifications by pressing the menu button. However, the notifications are not really actionable. For instance, when you receive a text message, an e-mail or a WhatsApp message, you can't open it on the connected phone without touching the latter. Similarly, when you receive a phone call, the only thing you can do is reject it (by the press of the menu button).
While a number of people would wonder why we'd expect the watch to perform this action when the phone is in the vicinity, if you're used to an Android Wear watch, you're more likely to miss it.
Besides notifications, the Martian Notifier can also display time for a different timezone and weather along with forecast. It also has the ability to fire up the camera app even when the phone is locked (and not password protected) and invoke the shutter button. You can also set a 3 second timer. This is particularly helpful when you're trying to capture a group selfie. The watch can also help you locate your phone (if in Bluetooth range of 30 feet) by sounding an alert. While this feature works without problems, we found the piano alert to be soft especially when there's ambient noise.
There's also a leash feature that alerts you when you've moved out of Bluetooth range.
The watch's select button can also be pressed to launch Siri on the iPhone and Voice Dialer on Android. But remember, you'll need to use the phone's microphone to give the command.
The watch has a conventional battery that powers the timepiece and another rechargeable one for the smart functionality. The conventional watch battery lasts up to two years while the other one offers a backup of roughly five days. The backup offered by the Martian Notifier is still better compared to Android Wear watches and Samsung Gear 2.
Having said that, we have to acknowledge that the Martian watch offers limited functionality compared to other smartwatches. For instance, you can't control your music or track the number of steps travelled or reply to messages via voice.
Overall, the Notifier performs its limited function set well and presents all notifications just a second after it arrives on your phone.
Should you buy the Martian Notifier? The Notifier is now available at a discounted price of Rs 8,495. At this price, it is a good option if you're looking to buy an analog timepiece which is also capable of becoming your phone's extension without sporting an intimidating design. The Notifier is more of a 'semi-smartwatch,' if we may use that term.
But will you save on your smartphone's battery with notifications being displayed on the watch? We don't think that it helps in tackling this problem. Firstly, your phone battery will take a hit with Bluetooth being constantly on. The other issue is that you'll end up using your phone for things like checking emails and messages.
If you're looking for a smartwatch with more functionality, you could perhaps look at the LG G Watch or Moto 360. The G Watch is being sold online at prices close to Rs 7,000. There's no doubt that these devices are first-generation offerings and are far from perfect but offer a wider feature set.
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