Overtime with the NOWA Shaper Blue Matter

Courtesy of NOWA

So I've gone well-past overtime with my review of the NOWA Shaper Blue Matter, but as I learned the hard way with reviewing both the Withings, and more frustratingly the Kronaby connected watches, you have to really see how a connected watch performs over a longer time frame.  The prior two disappointed on several levels in terms of functions actually working following the review period.

So it goes without saying that I was a bit skeptical about yet another connected watch delivering on what was promised.  Suffice it to say, NOWA was facing an uphill battle on convincing me.

The NOWA packaging is pretty basic - cardboard box with instruction manual.  That's all.

One key differentiator for NOWA is design.  To produce a connected watch that actually looks good.  And in terms of design?  It's a winner -

A very clean, minimal design.  And this already points to a certain fallacy perpetrated by some of the other brands.  They have tried to jam several functions into a watch, slapped in various push buttons, and fairly thick cases.  Not so with NOWA -

 

Courtesy of NOWA

The case itself is 9.75 mm thick.  In comparison the NOMOS Orion neomatik is 9.4 mm.  

The fit and feel of the NOWA was great. Although the diameter is 40 mm in diameter, owing to the flatter, thinner case height, it fits nicely.

The lug width is 20 mm in diameter, and the lugs are proportional, not massive, not "tinny", but to quote Goldilocks, they are just right.

The strap is a very soft, extremely comfortable leather.  Fairly basic, but absolutely in keeping with the aesthetics of the watch.

Quick release spring bars are used, allowing easy swapping of straps.

A nice, simple claps secures the watch to the wrist -

 
The case back has a somewhat raised back, but this does not impact the comfort in wearing the watch.

You will note that there was some very slight scratching on the central portion.  It is worth noting that this area has a high polish finish, making it more susceptible to light scratching when writers are less than gentle.  The main backside of the case is a matte finish, with the bezel, crown and lug tops being polished.

So let's ask that awkward question - how was the functionality?
Spoiler alert - it absolutely delivered on every function as promised.  Unlike Kronaby where you select from a menu of different functions, the folks at NOWA selected a specific set of functions that they felt most people would want, and opted not to try and offer everything.  Per NOWA, the features are:

BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY

Connect wirelessly to your Smartphone.

This is particularly useful as it ensures longer battery life, and you will not need to charge your watch overnight.

 

WORLD TIME UPDATES

Gives you exact time anywhere in the world

Works, I used it when traveling to Tokyo earlier in September.

 

ACTIVITY TRACKING

Daily record of your steps, distance, calories burned

Works, I need to walk a bit more.

 

SLEEP MONITORING

Sleep duration, Sleep quality (Deep, light)

Works, I need to get more sleep.

 

SMART CONTROLS

Reject call, Find my phone, Camera control

Works, I particularly like the camera function with the "wrist shake" option.  Quite literally you shake your wrist gently and your smart phone will take the picture.

 

FITNESS CLOUD

Connect to Health Kit and Google Fit

Can't personally comment on it. 

 

I'll be concluding this tomorrow, stay tuned!

Introducing NOWA

A new smart/connected watch will be hitting the market place in the next few weeks, and it looks set to be a strong contender in a somewhat befuddled market space.

Courtesy of NOWA

And in fairness, a great deal of this befuddlement has been down to over-promising and under-delivering on features beyond the basics found in a Withings.  Promising seemingly exotic functions ceases to be relevant when said features and functions don't work.  So in fairness, as of right now?  The choices are still either getting a Apple/Android watch or getting a connected watch that will give you sleep, steps,  possibly a second time zone.  

And it seems that more and more, that is what is realistic and also what is needed and wanted right now. 

Courtesy of NOWA

NOWA is going to try to push the envelope a bit further by offering a few features found in other, more expensive connected watches, such as the ability to take a selfie with a push of the crown, an alert to an incoming call, and a feature to locate a lost phone.  This last feature was also promised by Kronaby, and in my test experience worked initially, but following a few weeks it did not, and no amount of contact to customer support was able to correct it.

Now to a certain extent, there are several watches out there that will offer these features, but many will come at a higher cost.  And the ones that come in at, or under this amount are somewhat lacking in the aesthetic department.

Courtesy of NOWA

One other thing that NOWA did that was a few steps ahead of the others?  They realized that the watch, in and of itself, did not need to come in multiple sizes.  Their take was simple and to the point - one size fits all with a few variations.  Without the need to create multiple sizes and case designs, they have streamlined their supply chain.  You can have stainless, gold finish or black.  And the other smart idea (which is really simple when you think about it)?  Quick change straps.

The battery life is somewhat limited - 8 months when in use.  But on the plus side, it does not require nightly recharging.

And the price might finally fit the ideal sweet spot -

Pre-orders will cost $149, and the proposed retail is $199 (for stainless), slightly higher for black or gold finish.


Here are the pertinents -

CASE SIZE

40 mm

CASE THICKNESS

9.75 mm

STRAP WIDTH & FITTING

20 mm (165 to 215 mm circumference)

WATER RESISTANCE

30 m (3 ATM)

BATTERY LIFE

Up to 8 months

MOVEMENT

Swiss Parts Ronda Quartz

CASE & CLASP

316L Stainless steel

COMFORTABLE STRAP

Full grain Italian leather with real nubuck lining

SCRATCH PROOF GLASS

Flat mineral with Sapphire coating

INDICES

Solid metal

BATTERY

Standard CR2025

BLUETOOTH LOW ENERGY

Connect wirelessly to your Smartphone

WORLD TIME UPDATES

Gives you exact time anywhere in the world

ACTIVITY TRACKING

Daily record of your steps, distance, calories burned

SLEEP MONITORING

Sleep duration, Sleep quality (Deep, light)

SMART CONTROLS

Reject call, Find my phone, Camera control

FITNESS CLOUD

Connect to Health Kit and Google Fit

90 Days with the Withings Activité Pop

This is going to be a different sort of review.  I had reached out to several of the brands who have already released connected/smart watches - but nobody responded to my request for a review.  So in the end I went out and purchased a Withings Activité Pop to conduct a 90 day review.

Without going into too much detail, a few months ago I personally experienced a bit of a neurological scare. Everything now appears to be okay, but as someone reaching what has been kindly referred to by others as "a certain age" I took this as an opportunity to focus my energies on a healthier approach, more sleep, increased activity, and with a move to the Boston area on the cards and a pursuit of activities in addition to cycling that will help better wire the brain to the body (tai chi), etc., this seemed like the perfect chance to put the promise of a connected watch to the test. And 90 days seems like a fair amount of time to get a real feel for how the connected watch will really perform and how it will (hopefully) positively impact my health.

So for the next 90 days, I will be channeling the spirit of the Hayek men wearing a watch on each wrist - a mechanical on the left, the Activité Pop on the right. I will provide an update every 10 days so that you will have 9 installments a final review 90 days from tomorrow.

90 Days with the Withings Activité Pop starts now.