I’m a simple guy. Old fashioned, I suppose, in that I like things that just work. Printed magazines. Manual levers that move car seats forward and back. And intentional walks that involve four thrown pitches instead of a gesture to first base. You get the gist.
But I also love newer technology that’s dependable. Like Chromebooks, for instance. After years of dealing with Macs and Windows machines that perpetually slowed to a crawl, my three-year-old Toshiba Chromebook hums along at least as fast as the day I bought it.
So I was a little bit cautious and curious when recently receiving Fossil’s Q Marshal Cory Richards Edition touchscreen smartwatch, to test out for review. I’m a traditional watch fan, which surprises nobody who knows me. I own several models. They always tell the proper time and date until the battery needs replacing, look stylish, and their screens are visible in any kind of light. I’m particularly a fan of Fossil watches, but I’m not sure if I really need what a smartwatch can add to the table. And I know I’m not alone in the latter, yet smartwatch sales will reportedly see double-digit growth percentage in 2017. I’ve just never needed to check my wrist for text messages, to set an alarm, or see driving directions. I can do all that from my cell phone, which is usually in my pocket or sitting in a cradle in my car.
But I’m open-minded. So I was really looking forward to seeing what this new Fossil can do. Especially because it’s armed with the new Android Wear 2.0 system update that lends it fresh functions, like running stand-alone apps that reside right on the watch. It’s a very attractive model that comes with two bands. One is a silver metal chain-link style, the other is brown leather. I opted for the latter. Switching between them was a breeze, by the way. After charging the watch up and synchronizing it with my Android phone, it was ready for use.
First thing I did was page through the available faces. There’s a nice selection that comes with the unit, but I found hundreds of others in the Google Play store that were either free or very inexpensive. And it’s funny how some of the faces can transform it into a very pricey-looking watch.
Next thing I did was perform a Google search on Cory Richards, to see who he is. He’s apparently a talented mountain climber and adventure photographer. I’m not sure why Fossil selected him to be its poster boy, but I’m sure there’s good justification.
After that, I started playing with the various features. The only trouble I had was making two phone calls through the watch. The calls connected just fine, but sounded garbled on my end. The person on the other end for the first call could not hear me at all. On the second call to a different person, she could barely hear me. But to be honest, I doubt I would use the Fossil’s phone feature if I owned the watch. It’s just not me.
