So...this is my post about my Apple Watch :).
Things to note:
1. I am probably the worst person EVER to discuss an Apple product with anyone...because I'm not techy at all. My friend Lori has to help me with my iPhone all the time. The minute it starts acting up, I call her...which is more often than she would probably like. Lori was among the many surprised by this purchase :).
2. "How do you like your Apple Watch?" is now the number one question trending on my blog, IG comments and email ;). Okay, maybe not the number 1...but it's pretty darn close! Since so many of you are asking, I thought I should probably share.
3. I'm really hoping some of you Apple Watch owners will share tips/tricks/advice because I know I'm not maximizing my watch to the fullest...so any other info would be great!
Remember way back last April when I asked you guys if I should get a Fitbit or not? I had been contemplating this purchase for sometime, so I did what I often do...I polled you guys :). The response actually really surprised me. The Fitbit is slightly polarizing with you ladies. Some of you swore by them, some of you were not happy with yours, some of you didn't know what a Fitbit was...the response was fierce and all over the place. And because the "do you love Fitbit?" answers were so diverse, I decided against it at the time. I did have at least one person comment and another person email me that they would invest any Fitbit money I had into an Apple Watch instead...and for some reason, those comments stuck with me.
Fast forward to October...
...remember when we were in New York and randomly ran into two friends walking down the street in Soho? Stephanie (in the middle) lives in NYC and our friend Laura was there visiting her. Well, they had just come from the Apple store because Stephanie apparently had been flipping out over her Apple Watch so much that Laura had just purchased one too. So, when we bumped into them, they were on an Apple Watch high...and apparently, it was contagious.
After we parted ways, I told Andrew that they had basically convinced me to get an Apple Watch. His response? You wouldn't know how to work it. #thetruthhurts #yetthetruthisthetruth
So, I once again, I put the Apple Watch thought out of my head. Fast forward two weeks and...the speakers on my iPhone stopped working (I had no sound coming out). I made an appointment at the Apple Store and took my phone in. They do what they do there...they take your product that needs to be repaired in the back and then they park you on a stool next to some sort of Apple product...and as luck would have it, they parked me next to the Apple Watches where there was a video explaining the watch and how you basically can't live without it. I sat there and watched that video play over and over and over again for 45 minutes. And then I knew I needed one. Product person placement works like that in the Apple Store.
So, the first week in December, I bought myself an Apple Watch. I remember it clearly...I met Erika at the mall that day and I told her I was buying an Apple Watch...and she looked confused. Friends, apparently my technology ineptness is apparent to everyone! That being said, I bought myself a watch and took it home.
I went home...I opened the box (it does NOT come with instructions), I went online to Apple's website and watched every video they had on using your watch...and about 1½ hours later, I was obsessed with my watch. OBSESSED.
Andrew came home from work and saw my new watch, pretty sure he called me a dork and we sat down to dinner. By the time dinner was over, Andrew wanted a watch too. He had watch envy. So, I bought him one for Christmas...'cause the watch is cool y'all.
You can send another Apple Watch little drawings, handwritten pictures, your heartbeat and such...so, pretty much all day long, I'm sketching him a heart or a smiley face. He's really good at drawing pictures and sending them to me on my watch. He laughs because I can pretty much just draw a smiley face, a heart and XOXO. I like to hold my finger down and send him my heartbeat. It's easier than drawing a picture and it's sweet :).
Okay, that's how I ended up with the watch...this is why I love the watch...
1. I hardly ever look at my phone now. It's weird but true. The watch DOES NOT replace your phone...they work together. My phone can be anywhere in the house (like at the bottom of my purse in my closet) and my watch will ring if my phone is ringing (and I can answer and carry on a conversation with someone from my watch), it notifies me of everything from email to text messages, FB notifications, Pinterest repins, Instagram likes...whatever you have it set for, it will notify you. And it's so much easier and less distracting to glance at your watch on your wrist then check your phone or computer. I even have mine set to notify me of Red Sox news. So, during a game, if I'm not watching, I can still get quick notifications without having to look at my phone. I don't know about you...but most of the time, I don't need to be looking at my phone. I just hear it ping and I wonder if it's a client getting back to me about a vacation...when it's usually something like this...
...an email that doesn't require my immediate attention. I just glance at my wrist, see that it's not important and keep on doing what I'm doing (which at the moment is typing this post for you!). And if I'm upstairs folding laundry and hear my phone ringing downstairs...instead of running down the stairs and across the house to see if it's a client/a doctor/my kids' school (you know, someone important that I need to speak with right away) I can just answer on my wrist...or, if I see that it's let's say my dad calling for the 12th time that day to talk about the Red Sox, I can hit "decline" and either call him back later or talk to him when he calls the 13th time ;).
So, the #1 reason I love my watch is because I am less interested in my phone now. #amen
2. I love the fitness app! Okay, I'm totally into the fitness app on the watch. It is constantly monitoring my heart-rate, tells me when I've been sitting too long (it will buzz and say that I need to stand up and move around), counts my steps (A-mazing! I'm now totally aware of the days when I move less then other days. Counting my steps daily has really helped my overall fitness because you know what...some days, I just don't move enough). It counts my calories, measures distances for me (like when I walk or run), tells me how many calories I burned/steps I took/what my heart rate was in fitness classes...the app is so helpful!
3. Siri is my new bestie. I don't really use Siri on my phone, but on my watch, I use her all the time! I can be driving and while holding on to the steering wheel with both hands the whole time, I can just say, "Hey Siri, text Andrew that I'll be there in five." and bam, it's done without ever glancing down. (I know Siri works like this on your phone too...but your wrist is just way more convenient than picking up your phone!).
So, these are the three things I love most about the watch. I would say that if I could make any improvements to my watch they would be:
1. Longer battery life. My watch works for about 1½ days (I charge it every night before bed and the battery is typically around 45%). I wish the battery lasted two full days without charging.
2. I wish it were waterproof! If my watch was waterproof, I wouldn't take it over. I would shower and swim with it on :).
So, your watch face can be very basic (with just the time), you can put a picture on there (maybe of your kiddo along with the time)...there are a million ways to customize the watch face. I like this as my watch face...
#1: The date
#2: The red dot lets me know that I have a notification waiting for me (in case I missed it). I just swipe up to see what it is (an email/text/missed call/Red Sox score/etc)
#3: The time
#4: I have my fitness app info on the watch face to let me know how active I've been that day. Calories burned (on this day, I set my active calories to 300), number of minutes I exercised so far that day, and number of hours I've been standing (it recommends you stand at least one minute of every hour, so I had done that at least four hours that day).
#5: My timer/alarms. I bake and cook so much that I love being able to set the timer on my watch and then walk away from my kitchen. This way, I know I won't miss my timer when my food is done cooking...my watch will beep and vibrate!
#6: The battery life left on my watch.
#7: The current temperature.
You can click any of those options and it will open up and show you more info. Like if you click on the temperature, it will open the weather app and show you the 24 hour forecast/7 day forecast/radar/etc.
If you press that top button on the right then all of my apps open up. There are so many great apps! I have it synced with my phone, so that all of the apps on my phone that are Apple Watch compatible will automatically show on my watch. If I wanted to, I could scroll through Instagram on my watch, get directions (the navigation/direction app is awesome! It vibrates every time you need to turn, so in NYC, it was super helpful!), you can sync music on here and then when you're out walking/running, you can hear songs off of your watch and don't have to carry your phone. It syncs right up with your Bluetooth device. Love! Pandora plays through your watch, there's Twitter, my Bible app (for daily verses or looking up scripture), my Fox News app is on here (so I get notifications when something around the world happens right to my wrist), my Starbucks app is on here so I can pay right off my wrist when ordering a drink...and those are only a few!
Now, I'm old-fashioned and still use a regular planner instead of my planner/calendar on my phone...but that is an option too. Andrew has his calendar synced with his watch so that he gets reminders, alarms for appointments and such right there on his wrist. He can also scroll through and look at other dates as well (the whole app opens right up).
A few more basic facts before I finish...
1. There are two sizes of watches and I bought the bigger size because I like big watches. The guy at the Apple store said the size I bought is typically bought by men instead of women...but I like my watches big so I purchased the 42mm case instead of the 38mm. Same watch, two different sizes.
2. I bought the gold aluminum case (it also comes in silver, black and rose gold). The aluminum cases are the least expensive options.
3. My watch came with a navy band, so I bought one white band and a taupe band to use instead (and gave Andrew my navy). It's super, super, super easy to switch out bands!
4. I bought the Apple protection plan for my watch and I'm glad that I did because about four weeks after purchasing mine, it stopped working and Apple just overnighted me a new one. I've had my new one now for over four months and haven't had a single problem.
Whew! I think I've covered pretty much everything!
I hope this helps some of you out who are trying to decided if you need one or not. Please feel free to leave comments below if you have questions and again, if you have an Apple Watch, please, please, please feel free to leave other tips and tricks that I left out!
Annnnnd...don't forget to check out my foodie blog today...
...for the easiest little pasta salad recipe ever! My Bleu Cheese & Cranberry Pasta Salad will have everyone around you jealous during lunch. It's just so darn good!
If you're doing our Every Day in May challenge, it's up today! Click here to see today's challenge.
Happy Tuesday!