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OnePlus is developing a new companion to your smartphone and the release is nigh. Its illusive smartwatch will be released in “early” 2021. It was Pete Lau, OnePlus CEO, who said so: “we're making one,”
he wrote on his personal Twitter account in early December, before adding that it is “to be released early next year. Wishes do come true”.
As we know, this will be Take 2. Before, way back in 2016, after completing the design on its wearable at the time, the Shenzhen-based company “decided to scrap it”. The reason was “we have to be focused”, Lau said to the
The Wall Street Journal (paywall). Now, the foray into a new segment is bound to happen, even if we don’t know the key details: design, specs, availability and even the price(s) are yet to be announced. The hype train is about to leave the station and many of us are sitting passengers eagerly awaiting the
choo-choo departure.
Of body…
On the
Weekly Update 367, Oliver Z., Head of Product, asked the community about the design and the features, the ever-critical price range too. And you versed about shapes, talked money, illuminated and guided the thread with spec sheets varying from reasonable to idyllic, from plausible to everything but the kitchen sink. The truth is, we know very little about the body of the device.
A great, vibrant AMOLED panel? The Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus as a beating heart? More than one size to fit different wrist diameters? LTE-independence? A generous battery capacity to avoid the dreaded charge-every-night routine? And RAM to match the processor in a smooth waltz, emulsifying a snappy experience? If you noted the abundance of question marks, they’re nothing but a symptom of what we (don’t) know about the physical aspect of it. Speculate away, grounded by the examples of the industry offerings.
... and soul
Not to get metaphysical, but the hardware you’ll potentially love will be fed by its Operating System.
OnePlus is working “closely” with Google in the software forefront. Will the smartwatch run Wear OS? We don’t know, but let’s assume for a moment it’ll be a OxygenOS-flavoured experience, that OnePlus is getting ready to offer a tailor-made digital affair to adorn your wrist. Wear OS “definitely has room to improve,” said Lau in conversation with the
Input Magazine. Well, how, then, is one of the questions I want to leave you with.
What do you expect from the software that will be exploring the hardware, extracting from its power to offer you, the paying customer, an experience that sways you? The do's and don'ts, if you want and will. Fast and fluid are a given, but let’s talk features and integration; let’s talk examples you saw or thought about; let’s talk details never, ever too small and grand-experiences you want to have when you use the watch on a daily - or nightly - basis.
More to the point:
what do you expect from the inevitable application that will be installed on your smartphone? Perhaps you are already anticipating the exciting times ahead, plotting, planning and wishing beta channels for both the Operating System and the application.
You, the intrepid digital explorer willing to have a rough around the edges stay while getting the stage ready for the arrival of the grand audience,
what would you love to test and analyze, scrutinizing the beginning of something memorable?
The Fitbit case study
The Fitbit hardware can feel premium, but it doesn’t transcend any norm. Even with the Fitbit Sense, the more expensive and sensor-rich option, the customer choice is often associated with the application. More than what the company manages to extract from the array of sensors, it’s how the information is presented to the end user that’s often touted.
A few examples, then. You have a section to track your sleeping patterns (Awake, REM, Light and Deep), you can manage your stress levels, your exercise, check the heart rate at a glance - actual and resting; you can even track your temperature during the night and measure your oxygen saturation level (SpO2). A lot of information? Yes. Too much information that will slowly stop being verified after the honeymoon phase? Perhaps. But it’s there and it’s a rich comprehension of the inner workings of your body.
More: you have a community at your fingertips - Feed, Friends and Groups included. And, crucially, the customer has a blooming Discovery section. More than health coaching, there are guided programs, challenges and adventures to partake in, an ocean of exercises that your Fitbit will gladly track. When using it, you can feel the app interconnected with the device, reaching every nook and cranny of the hardware.
It is not a bad case of bloatware, but a myriad of features co-sponsored by integration.
Would you, the OnePlus fan, like to have this digital counseling associated with your OnePlus smartwatch or would you prefer a more Wear OS by Google approach when it comes to treating your data?
For example: imagine OnePlus creates a section here on the forums fine-tuned to the smartwatch diapason. You could see that section inside the app, the challenges created by the company or fellow members, you could compare stats, get motivated trying to overcome all the second places. Reach to and connect with beloved friends. You could even check photos of landmarks and read anecdotal stories about others' goings. Would you want that?
Your time has come
Not untapped, but OnePlus knows its fervent community is more than a clutch. By living the present of the new product, its future will always be rooted within you, shaping it with your ideas and feedback, avoiding pitfalls and soaring to new heights. Before the arrival of information officially stamped, please share your vision of what you want and what you don’t want to see on your phone sourced directly from the sensors.
In the end, a great smartwatch without an excellent companion app, is nothing but a
great island on your wrist. You have the power to make it an archipelago aspiring to become a continent.
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