I've posted before how I've tried to support product and hoped for an aggressive update schedule so this device will function as a watch. I'm still enjoying my old Pebble Steel as a wonderfully reliable watch that does everything it's supposed to do and does it well. I was hoping the legacy Pebble team brought to Fitbit would bring the same performance to the Ionic, yet the new device has not lived up to its predecessors.
So, I picked up a Ticwatch E. Granted, the Ticwatch has many features missing that are supposed to be supported on the Ionic, but the Ticwatch does what it's supposed to well.
Ticwatch Pros:
- Watch setup works fairly well. It was a little bumpy, but a device restart (like many new devices) and cache clearing of Android Wear solved that
- Connectivity is far better. It's not perfect and the watch needs to be restarted perhaps once a week or every other week so far, but it's much more reliable than my Ionic
- Turning your wrist actually shows the time without pushing a button. It's not perfect and works in the realm of 80-90% of the time, but I don't have to push a button to show time. It's a watch first and foremost. I'm still learning gestures, but haven't really needed/used them.
- Readily receives emails on my phone and the interface is intuitive to read them
- Respond to notifications on my wrist. It's simple, but an option. Not an option on the Ionic.
- Price is half of the Ionic.
- Music controls on the watch work well.
- My wife is on the other end of the bleeding edge of technology from me and she enjoys using her new Ticwatch E.
Ticwatch Cons:
- Ticwatch feels like an old-school Swatch. Not as professional of an appearance as the Ionic. Addressed that by buying a $24 Barton 20mm leather band on Amazon
- Lacks some of the bling features of the Ionic, though I don't miss them at all. I'm not going to run a triathlon while wearing my watch because, well, I'd probably die trying to run a triathlon
- Not made in America, but neither is the Ionic
- Battery life is listed as shorter, though I've not seen a problem. It lasts well over 24 hours and charges quickly. I bought an extra charging cable just in case I need to charge on the go, but it's not been needed.
- Ticwatch app is very limited. Not many features. But, truthfully, it doesn't matter. It is a watch that shows notifications and email and does it reliably. I think I may have actually found a reliable challenger to my Pebble Steel. The Steel still wins in the categories of battery life and reliable connectivity, though. I think the Steel hasn't lost a connection in a few years. Why is that so hard to replicate in newer devices, as it's the same phone, regardless of the variety of watches I've used?!
- Limited watch faces. Would be nice if there were more choices, but not a big deal for me. I found one I like and my wife found a different one she likes.
It seems Fitbit shot for the moon for an Apple competitor with their watch and fell flat. It would have been better to shoot a little lower and get a solid product instead of throwing in so many features and having a multitude of them not working properly.
