Category Archives: Watches

The Ultimate Rugged Companion: Meet the Hammer Watch Plus

The first of my series of reviews of Hammer hardware, I’ve been testing the Hammer Watch Plus for the past few weeks!

Step aside, delicate timepieces; the Hammer Watch Plus has arrived to redefine ruggedness and reliability in the world of smartwatches. This is the next generation of the Hammer Watch, boasting a robust design and a plethora of features tailored for those who push their limits and demand the best.

Hammer Watch Plus
Hammer Watch Plus

A Visual Masterpiece

The Hammer Watch Plus features a stunning 1.35-inch AMOLED display with a crisp resolution of 390×390 pixels. The vibrant, high-resolution screen ensures that every detail is sharp, whether you’re checking your heart rate or navigating through the wilderness.

Built to Endure

True to its name, the Hammer Watch Plus is as tough as they come. Certified with an IP68 rating, it’s resistant to water spills and mechanical damage. The metal bezel and additional bumpers protect the screen, making it a perfect companion for the most demanding outdoor activities.

Unmatched GPS Precision

For those who venture off the beaten path, the Hammer Watch Plus offers precise GPS navigation supported by Beidou and GLONASS satellite systems. Whether you’re trekking through dense forests or exploring urban jungles, this smartwatch ensures you never lose your way. The electronic compass is an added bonus, providing reliable direction no matter where you are.

Sport Mode Galore

Fitness enthusiasts will revel in the Hammer Watch Plus’s extensive selection of sports modes. With 20 preloaded sports profiles, you can track your workouts and progress in real-time. From running and cycling to swimming and hiking, this watch covers all bases, helping you aim high and push your limits.

Health Monitoring On-The-Go

Keeping track of your health has never been easier. The Hammer Watch Plus monitors your heart rate, analyzes your sleep patterns, and tracks blood oxygenation (SpO2) levels throughout the day. Additionally, it keeps a count of calories burned and steps taken, providing a comprehensive overview of your health metrics.

Stay Connected

Even while you’re on the move, staying connected is effortless with the Hammer Watch Plus. It supports notifications from numerous messengers, apps, text messages, and calls. Now you can keep up to date with important information without interrupting your workout.

Long-Lasting Battery Life

Worrying about battery life is a thing of the past. The Hammer Watch Plus comes equipped with a 440 mAh battery, allowing up to 14 days of operation on a single charge. The upgraded magnetic charger ensures that your watch powers up quickly and efficiently.

Enhanced Functionality with HAMMER W+

The Hammer Watch Plus pairs seamlessly with the new HAMMER W+ app, available on Google Play and the App Store. This app enhances the watch’s functionality, providing additional features and more detailed data. It’s compatible with Android 5 and iOS 10 and higher versions, ensuring a smooth and integrated user experience.

Final Verdict

The Hammer Watch Plus sets a new standard for rugged smartwatches, seamlessly blending durability with advanced functionality. Perfect for adventurers and fitness enthusiasts alike, this device offers a robust design that can withstand the harshest conditions while providing precise GPS navigation and comprehensive health monitoring.

With its long-lasting battery life and extensive range of sports modes, the Hammer Watch Plus is built to keep up with even the most demanding schedules. Its bright AMOLED display ensures clear visibility in any environment, and the IP68 certification guarantees resistance to water and mechanical damage.

Stay connected and informed with smart notifications, and enjoy the enhanced features offered by the HAMMER W+ app. The Hammer Watch Plus isn’t just a tool; it’s an essential companion for those who push boundaries and strive for excellence in every endeavor. This is the smartwatch for those who demand more from their gear, offering reliability and innovation in one rugged package.

1257 Miles in an Electric Car – Part 1 – A Plan is Hatched.

Holzhausen’s drawings of the Model S
Holzhausen’s original drawings of the Model S

10th July 2017

I was sitting in my office in Martlesham on the 10th July 2017 chatting to a colleague about Tesla cars. The conversation had started after he noticed the framed artists sketch hanging on my wall.

I have driven a number of Tesla Model S cars in the past from the excitable P85+ to the ‘Insane’ P85D. They are very exciting cars to drive, not just because they are fully electric and pack extremely powerful single gear motors, but because you feel your are riding on the coattails of automotive history, participating in an irreversible shift change in motorvehicle technology. It’s very exciting!

The conversation moved on the the Model X and Model 3, Tesla’s entries in to the SUV and ‘affordable’ markets. The Model X has recently appeared in the UK, the Model 3 is two years away from being available. We continued to chat for the rest of lunch, but the seed was planted.

That evening I wrote an email to Tesla’s press office requesting the loan of a Model X for review. Nothing specific, simply available dates.

The next day I received a reply from Tesla, it’s explained that things were very busy with the Model X, but the 5th and 6th of October was available for a test drive, did that suit? I puzzled for a while, in the past I had been loaned vehicles for a little longer, to give me time to get to know the vehicle, two days seemed a bit short to get a proper review in place. So, I followed up with an email, requesting a little longer.

I quickly received a reply from Tesla asking what my plans were? OK, good question, time to put on my thinking cap.

15 July 2017

My initial idea was driving from Lands End to John O’Groats, but after a little bit of Googling, I discovered that this had already been done in a  Tesla and well documented on YouTube, there was nothing original to achieve in travelling down this this ‘road’.

But wait a minute! Was there? I live about 40 minutes from Ness Point, the most easterly point in the UK. Nestled in Lowestoft, Ness Point at first glance seemed a little unloved. Some thought and effort has been made to build a stone circle, with plaques showing distances to well known points in the UK. It’s quite nice, but the surroundings aren’t that impressive, but it seemed like the obvious starting point for a challenge and wasn’t too far from home.

Now to find the most westerly point of the UK.

Ardnamurchan Lighthouse sits on the most westerly mainland point of the UK accessible by a short ferry ride at Corran and a two hour drive along single track roads across an extinct volcano. There even appeared to be a ‘rapid’ charge point a few miles away at Kichoan Pier, which would set a challenge outside of Tesla’s ‘Supercharger’ network.

The plan was hatched, but it was just the beginning.

Matt Porter
The Gadget Man

The Gadget Man – Episode 82 – Gadget Review of the Year

Its my last broadcast of the year and I so talk about my top 5 gadgets of the year. Listen to the stream to hear what I thought of the following :-

These are all products I’ve reviewed in the past, so you can click on each of them to take you to it’s relevant feature.

 

The Gadget Man – Episode 81 – Huawei Watch

Huawei Watch reviewed by Matt PorterWhen I started out as ‘The Gadget Man’, I always thought that Watches were the obvious gadget, something you would recognise as a gadget, be it Dick Tracy, Star Trek or Thunderbirds. Being able to communicate with your nearest and dearest by talking to your wrist seemed to be the a really futuristic thing to be doing, so it was my first port of call. Having now tested 8 smart watches and wearables, I was really looking forward to getting my hands on the Huawei Watch.

If you haven’t heard of Huawei, you should have. They are one of the leading communications and technology companies in the world and have been manufacturing Smartphones for some time now, but it is the Huawei Watch that I wanted to see.

Huawei Watch reviewed by Matt PorterThe Huawei Watch is a premium Android Wear device, noticeably weightier than other models and with a much brighter, high res screen that stays on the whole time. Like the Moto 360, the Huawei Watch sports a round screen, but unlike the Motorola device it uses the entire screen and the ‘flat tyre’ is absent. This means that their are no external sensors on the screen, so auto-brightness is not an option, but saying that; I prefer this trade off because using the whole screen makes the watch look all the more realistic.

This is one of the first Android Wear devices to officially support iOS so iPhone users are not simply tied to the Apple Watch. When I say officially, I can confirm that I have paired a Moto 360 with an iPhone as well, but it isn’t officially supported.

Huawei Watch reviewed by Matt PorterAs with all Android Wear devices, it makes use of Google Now with the ‘OK Google’ trigger to do lots of difference tasks. There is no speaker in the watch, just a microphone, so don’t expect to use the watch as a speakerphone (just yet). Personally, I’m surprised that this functionality hasn’t been added to Android Wear, it was present in the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 more than 18 months ago and worked really nicely. I’m certain the trade off against battery use was one of the reasons not to include it, but it’s a shame though.

Aside from the pre-installed apps supported by Wear, other apps are reliant on what is installed on your handset. I’m a keen (electric assisted) cyclist and I’ve personally tried a number of cycling related apps, as soon as these are installed, the watch automatically installs a Wear capable add-on, whether this is a information window or live map, it’s always intriguing to see what the developer has deemed worthy of the watch-face. Some good and some not so.

The Huawei Watch uses sapphire crystal as it’s watch face which is much harder and scratch resistant that other toughened glass and seems less prone to fingerprints. The display is a 1.4 inch AMOLED display which gives excellent blacks, this is because AMOLED screens use self illuminating pixels and don’t require a generic back light, so blacks are not lit at all. This sounds great, but in bright sunlight the display suffers which is a common problem with the technology. The watch has built in Wifi, which allows for updates without the need for a phone in the vicinity, but as will almost all wearables, you really need a phone nearby to get the full potential.

The watch itself is manufactured from cold forged stainless steel and the watch strap is a very high end leader fastener. All in all the watch feels expensive and very high quality. The rear of the watch has a magnetic four pin coupling for charging and in the centre is a heart rate sensor which works with Huawei’s fitness software and Google’s ‘Fit’ system.

Battery life is really pretty good for a watch that is effectively switched on the whole time, but in standby mode a different clock face is used which uses lots of black and therefore lots of pixels are being lit. Very clever decision by Huawei.

Huawei Watch reviewed by Matt PorterI was particularly looking forward to reviewing this watch as it looked like a real contender to the Apple Watch. I love the circular face smartwatches that make you feel that these wrist worn wearables are something more that a boring square display. I was fond of the Moto 360 which is slightly larger and the Huawei device certainly didn’t disappoint.

 

 

The smart watch is still finding it’s feet and I would suggest it will find them by the next generation of wearables. Whether is can be established as a replacement for smartphones is a question we will have answered eventually, but until then the Huawei Watch does a superb job of using the available technology to it’s maximum.

Thanks to Huawei for the loan of the watch, I’m very grateful for your efforts.

 

 

Smartwatch Guide 2015

It’s certainly been a busy time for smart watches over the last 18 months and we are certainly seemingly spoilt for choice. We’re also not spoilt for price options either, there should be no reason that you shouldn’t be able to find a smartwatch to suit yours or a loved ones  style.

To help find the right watch, our friends at Mighty Skins have produced a handy infographic that details everything including price, compatibility, functionality and battery life.

You can download the info graphic, by clicking the image below or head over to Mighty Skins themselves.

Smartwatches-IG-2015_Mighty-Skins

The Gadget Man – Episode 66 – Slow Watch, Life is short, be slow

This week, I talk to Mark about the Slow Jo 09 24 hour watch. To hear what I had to say, listen to the audio above and read on!

I am sometimes asked ‘What is a Gadget’, I guess my definition is an object that improves our way of life. This doesn’t necessarily need to be a mobile phone, it can be cars, bikes or any number of different things. When we think about watches, it’s easy to think about the high technology smart watches which integrated GPS and compass pushing information to us in what seems like urgent abundance. Continue reading The Gadget Man – Episode 66 – Slow Watch, Life is short, be slow