Watches
I never saw the point of them. I don’t see the problem with analog or digital watches. Everything is regressed to a tiny square of a screen, that you barely look at. I just find it as an unnecessary distraction.
Light Bulbs
I work in retail and I stock these things all of the time. We have light bulbs, that are smart now because why? They’re stuffed with wireless functionality, just so you can simply change a color or maybe dim it through phone. More unnecessary apps, more unnecessary functions just for cheap attraction.
Kitchen Appliances
I’m bundling them all here.
There is nothing you’re gaining an advantage of, when slapping a screen on any appliance and relying on some unsupported app on your phone for basic functions.
You must log in or # to comment.
its not really about watches. its about a two way wrist communicator. Its just a smaller cell phone. I don’t like smatphones but im kinda tempted by a watch I can make phone calls on.
Smartwatches are mainly used for fitness tracking at this point although I do like my Pebble and Fossil Hybrid watches quite a lot
people rely too much on the heart rate, blood pressure hting its very inaccurate. apparently they otc for CGM for your blood sugar, again that is super inaccurate compared to the Rx version, its also pretty much useless for people dont have TYPE 2 diabetes.
I don’t think people should be using it as a replacement for medical devices but it’s a convenient way to collect semi accurate health data if you just want general trends
My smartwatch has literally changed my life. I got it because I needed to keep track of blood oxygen on a regular basis for a medical condition, and while the finger clip reader was okay I wanted something I had on me all the time. But the mere fact that I could see, on an ongoing basis, how many calories I was burning was extremely motivating to my adhd mind, and I started exercising, then tracking calories and dieting, I’ve built muscle, lost fat, and actually changed my lifestyle in general. And don’t tell me I could have done those things without a smartwatch— years of empirical evidence contradict that statement.
I feel stupid for not getting my one several years sooner.
Everything is regressed to a tiny square of a screen, that you barely look at.
This is precisely why I love my smartwatch. With the watch, I get a notification, I look at my wrist and read it, 95% of the time it’s nothing important and I dismiss it, and then I go about my day.
Without the watch, I’ll get a notification on my phone, 95% of the time it’s nothing important and I’ll dismiss it, but now I have the entire fucking internet just sitting in my hand so why shouldn’t I look up how tall Greg Davies is?
I find that a smartwatch helps me to mitigate distractions, rather than introducing new ones. It’s honestly been one piece of tech that I could actually still recommend to people these days.
Fun fact: Greg Davies is actually only 5’11". He looks taller because Alex Horne is so short at only 5’5".
That can’t be true, I refuse to believe it
Wikipedia:
Greg Davies has been noted for his height of 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), which often plays a role in his comedic performances.
Pfft, as if Wikipedia is a reliable source. Do your own research: go and stand next to Greg. He’s just a little fellow.
Light Bulbs
I work in retail and I stock these things all of the time. We have light bulbs, that are smart now because why? They’re stuffed with wireless functionality, just so you can simply change a color or maybe dim it through phone. More unnecessary apps, more unnecessary functions just for cheap attraction.
I don’t use them myself, but I think that there’s value in having a remote control that can flip the lights on and off in your pocket.
I don’t know if smart bulbs are the most reliable or cost-effective way to do that, but they are less-intrusive than running some lighting control wiring.
If we define smart as “AI powered”, then all of them.
Kitchenappliances.Washer/dryer come to mind as well.
I personally use both a smart light bulb and a smart watch. The smart watch is to track my heart rate during running and light bulb for wake up and sleep routine for my 1 year old.
Smart switches can also turn on and off heaters and light bulbs, smart washing machine is very optional but timing it so that it completes when I finish work is nice, some people can time heavy electricity use for night time or peak solar to reduce cost.
None of these need to be smart but there are some benefits for some of them.
My dishwasher doesn’t even have a proper screen, just an LED timer, some buttons, and a few status LEDs.
It stopped working about a month ago and I was livid when I learned why.
The tech who came to fix it, said it probably needed a software update, removed the toe plate, plugged a wifi hotspot into a network jack I didn’t know about, and the thing started working fine 5-10 minutes later.
I didn’t even know the thing had software to update.
I use my watch for lots of things besides just knowing the time.
As an example, I use it as an alarm. It vibrates on my wrist and doesnt wake up my spouse.
I also use it to play and pause kodi on my TV. And to control the outside speakers when I’m in the yard.
Its also great for quick notifications when you are away from your phone, and its also great for finding your phone.
Smart interfaces are fine (as long as they connect locally and do not require a cloud connection).
Stop stuffing AI agents and voice controls into everything. It’s just an excuse to have a microphone that’s always recording.
I have to disagree on the smart watch, I was of the same feeling at first, tried one for a while, then broke my phone screen. I could still get calls and messages though my watch, most importantly the 2 factor codes for just about everything.
So smart watches are good because you can’t care a for a phone? What device will you need after you break your watch?
While a lot of smart devices may seem unnecessary, they come into their own for less able / older people as it makes them more accessible
Uhh, damn near all of them. But, that’s an opinion coming from an able bodied person. A lot can be useful for those with mobility issues.
Not to nitpick, but can you give an example?
I can’t think of any which don’t already have a better non-“smart” alternative.
I’m not claiming they are the best solution. Just that they can be useful. Smart thermostat, you don’t have to get up to change the temp, or deal with any small buttons/controls. Smart light bulbs. Again, don’t have to get to turn the lights on or off. They’re are a variety of ways to do this without smart bulbs though.
The list is gonna be similar reasons for most of them. If it’s difficult to get around, anything you can do without having to move can be helpful.
Non able bodied person here. I’ll keep the dumb versions thanks.
I was just sitting here thinking that yes, most smart appliances are just a tax on vain people, that have to have something extra to show off how special they are. But then I read your comment and got a dose of reality check.
oh yea like the samsung FRIDGES, washing machine,ovens, and people too ignorant/dumb to figure out you wont have this problems if you got a normal one. and the SMART MATTRESSES that malfunctioned.
Toilet
other than the bidet, a regular toilet doesnt need a “smart” feature.
I would have agreed with you a few years ago, but after a visit to Japan I’ve gotta say we’re living in the stone age everywhere else
Japanese toilets aren’t networked, they’re just fancy.
Cars, and while we’re at it, ditch the touch screens as well.
