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New & Emerging Technologies by Subject Headings
By Alan J. Pierce (Android) & Jessica Nunes (Apple)
pierceaj@techtoday.us jessica-nunes@techtoday.us
Huawei Smartwatch Review
     The first thing you should know if you purchase a Huawei smartwatch is the proper way of pronouncing its name. Huawei is pronounced “Wah-Way”. Once pronouncing the name is out of the way the most significant reasons that I could find for purchasing this watch are, in my opinion, it is as luxurious looking as the newest Apple and Samsung product and much prettier than the rest of the competition. Besides its outer beauty it will work with your iPhone (running iOS 8.2+) or almost any brand Smartphone (running Android 4.3+). The model of the watch that I was using to write this review was the $499.99 Black Stainless with a Black Stainless Link Band. See photo 1a, b, & c. Every model of this smartwatch, regardless of price, has the same functionality and the same extremely difficult to damage sapphire crystal protecting its display. The review will cover its strengths and its weaknesses. When this review went to press Huawei was selling 6 different models that ranged in price from $349.99 to $799. To meet the publication deadline all testing was android based. Our intern Jessica Nunes is now testing it with an iPhone and her findings will be added to the online review as soon as they are available. You can check out the differences and perhaps see new models of this watch online at the official Huawei website: <http://www.gethuawei.com/buy-huawei-watch>
     All the different models have a 1.4 inch full circle AMOLED 400x400 resolution display. See photo 1 again. At this moment in time Huawei is the only smartwatch manufacturer that is protecting all of their smartwatches with a sapphire crystal. Most cellphone and smartwatch manufacturers use Gorilla glass on their displays. Because of cost they only use Sapphire crystal to protect their camera lens.
     Huawei has miniaturized and stuffed Into a case that is only ˝ inch thick a microphone, gyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, heart rate reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4GB ROM, 512MB RAM, 300 mAh battery, and a re-charging port. It comes with a magnetic charging dock that plugs into the charging port on the bottom of the watch. See photo 2a & b. Depending how you run the watch you can expect to recharge it every other day.
     Huawei smartwatches use the Google Wear ™operating system.  You use Bluetooth to pair it to your smartphone.  You need to download Google Wear from the Apple App store or the Google Play Store.
If a cloud icon is showing on this watches face at the 12:00 position it means you are not connected to your smartphone.
     Since Huawei didn’t include a speaker in their watch you cannot do Dick Tracey style phone calls. You can however communicate through your watch to your smartphone using the watches internal speaker by lifting your arm and saying “Ok Google”. This is especially helpful if your smartphone is out of reach or it is inconvenient to pick it up. Without wireless headphones all communication from this watch is basically visual. It can vibrate to get your attention when it receives messages from your smartphone. On your smartphone you use the Google Wear app to determine which notifications will go to the watch.
Reasons to Drool
    
It is very luxurious and it will work with both Apple and Android smartphones. The screen resolution is beautiful and it is extremely easy to read messages from your different apps. You have many beautiful watch faces to select from and it only takes seconds to switch from one to another. The watch has a pedometer and many health recording functions including a fit program, activity tracker, heart rate monitor, and many exercise challenges. It will perfectly mesh with many exercise apps that you can download from the Apple or Android Stores to further enhance its use as your, on your wrist, fitness guru. Not only does it link to your phone using Bluetooth you can also link Bluetooth devices directly to this watch. With a wireless Bluetooth headset you can use its Wi-Fi in combination with its Bluetooth to perform many tasks even if your smartphone is out of reach or it is inconvenient to pick it up. It also has a quick connect band which makes it very easy to use different Huawei bands for different social occasions.
This watch, with its many faces, can easily be mistaken for an expensive analog time piece.
1a
1b
1c
1A
The charging dock is magnetic and it is placed on the watch so the contacts on the block and watch line up.
While charging the clock the screen changes to this charging screen.
2a
2b
Appearance
Screen
User Manual
Clock Choices
Phone & Texting
Watch Notifications
Hi Google Watch Control
Control of Music
Android
Appearance
Screen
User Manual
Clock Choices
Phone & Texting
Watch Notifications
Hi Google Watch Control
Control of Music
Apple
Not So Cool
    
Without a built-in speaker you cannot do Dick Tracy style phone calls and it does not have a camera. You cannot adjust the vibration intensity. You use the watches touchscreen to view and use the different apps directly on the watch and when you stop directly engaging an app, the display returns to the watch face. I was disappointed that when you lifted your arm up again the watch couldn’t be set to return to the last viewed screen. 

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