I have an apple watch… it charges over ether and can teleport me to Mars ocasionally, on a full charge.
Can’t wait to smash it with a hammer, same as my iphone.
I was looking at a garment descent watch for scuba diving. They don't use usbc directly on the watch because of the water rating
At that scale, the connector and the necessary electronics are too large.
Some watches already have USB - C. but I find it interesting to see if you are correct or not.
I would see standardizing wireless charging as a decent alternative...if it didnt take up even more space.
It's also hard to make a port like that water resistant. Using wireless charging is easier to make flat and seal tightly.
If you mean a USB-C port in general, they can be made waterproof. If you mean something specific to putting one in the most compact form factor possible, that might be true.
And that requires more space than a typical port. In a compact device that is difficult. A flashlight is literally one of the simplest electronic devices there is and bulk is often a plus for comfort.
It's not that it's too large to exist, but it's certainly large enough that it'll make a dent in the battery space, and smartwatches are already battery-starved compared to dumb ones.
Its a terrible idea for a number of reasons, but as everybody else is saying, that doesn't mean you give up on standardization.
I wrote the post above. So far, the USB-C watch has lasted over 3 days and still has over 50% battery power.
Obviously, at that price it isn't running a cellular radio or GPS. BLE is amazingly efficient - as are the built in sensors.
Let’s ignore the iPod nano 6th gen, which managed to fit a 30 pin dock connector and a headphone jack into a watch sized body
And yet, I literally have one on my wrist now. It's not noticeably bigger than the Pixel 3 watch.
Here's a video of it in action - https://tube.tchncs.de/w/vYTnG6eKghnicdNj5nkhVx
This is confirmation bias, you know it’s possible so you’re discounting downsides.
Yes, a connector can fit in the watch, but the internal footprint of the connector is comparatively huge. All the other components of the watch would need to be designed to fit around a large connector essentially directly in the middle of the device internals.
If that’s really important to you, more power to you. I don’t have an issue with it existing. I do have a bit of a problem with pretending that compromises aren’t being made in features to accommodate it.
A standardized magnetic pogo pin connector would meet my needs quite a bit better, personally.
A standardized magnetic pogo pin connector
That's something I hadn't considered before. What a neat idea.
I can't imagine how filthy the port would get on mine. Industrial work places and open ports are not~~conductive~~ conducive to the healthy life of electronics.
Btw, using fiddly electronics in a work environment is neither.
I don't know if you looked at the photo in my post - but there's a rubber flap covering the USB-port.
Yeah. That makes it splash resistant, not water and grime proof. I have a pair of bone conduction headphones I wear at work with that flap and I still have to use contact cleaner on that port like at least once every couple of weeks.
The Verge says:
These devices are too dang small, and the technology isn’t there yet. Most standard connectors, like USB-C, are too large to fit within a smartwatch or on devices that are meant to mold to your body. The smaller the device, the more difficult this becomes.
To which I say:
Bullshit!
Watches are small, but the USB-C connector isn't massive.
The USBC plug may not be "massive" but it still adds more bulk to the watch.
it might be rubbish as both a watch, Android device, and masc-coded jewellery - but it shows that USB-C is viable for devices of this class.
just because cheap ass watches use USBC ports doesn't mean it's a good idea. you need to know how these USBC watches actually hold up in the long run before you make that judgement.
I miss my pebble. It was such a good watch. It would last a week on one charge with eink.
The power connector was the fiddliest thing in the world and proprietary so when it failed and the batter failed soon after...the watch was dead.
yeah a standard charger would be nice, but I'm not sure the answer is USBC.
I have a Garmin watch. Lasts 2+ weeks on a charge depending on how I use it.
From listening to a 1hr presentation by a furry in VR chat. Its likely because USB C is bloated. Its to complicated if all you need is power delivery in a small form factor.
You could use a usb c connector and not comply with the rest of the spec maybe idk shit about electronics.
As I understand it you can do USB-C at a basic 5V level with 2 resistors, and for a watch that would be plenty of power.
This sounds like an authoritative post. Thread over.
Unfortunately it's a bit of a misinterpretation. Yes the overall USB C spec is complicated, and cables can support different things without being labelled clearly, but you can use it just to deliver power much more simply.
But the other person said they don't know anything about electronics and that means they are a straight shooter and that means they are more correct
Aaaaaauuuugh
That's fair
When my latest Fitbit dies, I'll be taking a look at the UNA watch.
USB-C charging and repairable.
The only thing lacking is some Fediverse presence.
kickstarter
Oh damn that's unfortunate, wake me up when it's a real product
Man that's a taco ugly in your face logo to always have at the bottom of your watch face. It's not subtle at all.
A usb-c port would be a large percentage of the volume of your standard wearable. Percentage that could be used for battery
Most wearable chargers are a few flat contacts or a tiny qi charger coil
Because the port and the associated internal hardware would take up a huge amount of space.
It's not much space to a smartphone, but to a device the size of a watch, the USB-C port would end up being the largest internal component.
Wireless charging is the answer for most watches, though it means cases can't be all metal and glass.
I assume you mean having a USB-C port on the side of the watch. Having that port would allow water to get in to the case, the cradle-style charges used by smart watches allow the case to be sealed to prevent water damage. Even if you are careful about not wearing the watch when bathing, or in the rain, or in a pool, its unlikely you remove you watch every time you wash your hands or wash dishes.
My ~~spoon~~ USB-C port is too big
eta: JFC, who wrote this?
Here is a modern smartwatch with USB C
Picture of a fucking brick with straps
Seriously, none of those "examples" are anything I would consider wearing, and I have clubs for hands
This is very dumb.
Now, if it was annoyed by magnetic pogo connectors not being standard we could talk. Wireless for watches, too.
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
