Smart Watch Update - 2023 Summer Edition

 I've been rocking Samsung Galaxy Active 2 (died after hot tub submersion) and then Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (I had to take it off as my Sony Xperia 1 mk3 died after our trip to the beach).

I tried re-pairing Samsung Galaxy 5 to my iPhone just to find out that it can not be done. Bummer.

So now I am at the crossroads of either getting another Android phone, another iPhone compatible watch (Apple Watch probably), both or neither.

Let's refresh what I use the watch for.

Most useful feature is picking up a call when the phone is stuck somewhere out of reach. There were several times when I was able to answer the call from childrens school or my mom when otherwise I would had to let it go to voicemail. Useful, but with planning it all can be done with a phone.

 Sleep tracking - the phone lets me know how I slept. However, if I had a terrible night I already know and  tracker or no tracker is going to help me. 

I though the tracker could let me know if I am getting sick or being stressed out but that tech is not there. 

Exercise tracking - I could make it keep track of my heart rate and calorie counting but as I join either the group class that has a rhythm of its own or just follow the workout over headphones again the smart watch is just a glorified timer.

For hiking I would set the watch, but the same can be done with the phone.

For walking I tried using the watch but the constant buzzing if I decided to slow down to take a picture or keep up with the kids make it an annoyance on Samsung.

My conclusion is that I will probably try an Apple watch Ultra to see how it fits my lifestyle as a hands free calling is useful but I am in no hurry as the "wrist computer" doesn't have a killer feature that I must have. And I have missed my old Seiko for way too long.

The best camera is the one you have availabe at moments notice

Los Angeles Zoo - Giraffe Feeding

The camera you use the most is the one you have with you. But let's not kid ourselves - cell phone cameras still leave a lot to be desired - I still prefer the ergonomics and image control of a stand alone camera. Why would I want to use an inferior cell phone camera when I have superior dedicated one?

I've been always carrying camera in a camera bag with its lenses and accessories when I am on the move. That made camera less accessible for spontaneous shots.

I never liked camera straps as I felt they left cameras exposed and more vulnerable to damage by dangling next to the body. I always preferred to have a hand strap (the one I've owne was with Canon 1DS Mk3). However, with a camera "in hand" you don't have a free hand when needed. So I would carry a small bag to place the camera into when not shooting. This strategy works relatively well but prevents grab shots as it takes about 30 seconds to get the camera out of the bag and shooting. 

To have camera accessible at moments notice it either needs to be in your hand or within a grabbing distance. I've done some research on YouTube and Reddit and decided to try a Blackrapid strap system. There are 3 parts to the system - strap itself, FastenR5 attachment point that screws into your cameras tripod mount socket and ConectR swivel carabine. Swivel carbine slides up and down the webbing material strap so you can quickly get camera up to your eye level to grab the shot. 

I've picked up a used strap with a storage pocket on top of it - that sounded like a good idea, but by placing a spare battery in a top pocket it made the strap unbalanced and it kept shifting forward/back around my shoulder and made it less than ideal for carbine to slide up unhindered. At the end I placed nothing in the "pocket" area to maximize padding comfort. Also I shortened the strap to have camera hang above the hips to prevent the camera banging into the side of my leg. The camera did not interfere with my LL Bean Traveler fanny pack that I wear as well for carrying my phone and wallet. 

I am also going to try the Blackrapid strap with a stabilizing strap running under the armpit to prevent sliding. Whichever strap works better that's the one I am going to keep. I am also curious about Spider holsters - I've seen photogs use them more than once. I might try them as well in the future as I do like hanging things around my waist.

Is "premium data" a money grab by the carriers?

What is "premium data"? Many carriers advertise that as a feature yet no one is clearly defining what it is. Carriers want you to be very scared when you run out of "premium data". Lets look at AT&T postpaid offerings: AT&T UNLIMITED PREMIUM℠ PLAN - "Unlimited talk, text, & high-speed data that can’t slow down based on how much you use" which is unlimited premium data. AT&T UNLIMITED EXTRA® PLAN - "Unlimited talk, text, data + 50GB of Premium Data. After 50GB, AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy." AT&T UNLIMITED STARTER® PLAN - "Unlimited talk, text & data. AT&T may temporarily slow data speeds if the network is busy." Only Premium plan offers unlimited premium data. Extra has 50gb of it, and Starter has NO premium data. What does it all mean? Every network has a capacity limit based on chanels of wireless connectivity and connection to the cell site. For example, if the backhaul to the cell cite has capacity of 10GB/s that is the maximum bandwith for all users connected. Now if you have enough users to exceed total of 10 GB/s throughput non-premium users have their speeds throttled and "premium" users should get faster speeds. But what if there is not too many people connected? In reality I find my "non-premium" data just fine. I don't see a difference when streaming audio or video. So in reality it does not matter.