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Any Android smartwatch? (programming.dev)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/buyeuropean@feddit.uk
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I liked the Fossil Neutra and then saw it's from Texas, so... My research started. A quick glace through a search engine didn't return anything... Hence, I'm asking you

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[โ€“] 4 points 1 year ago* (4 children)

I am big Garmin fan. I love my Fenix 6. But this model has no touch screen (what is a pro point in my world). They also have models with touchscreen: https://www.garmin.com/de-DE/c/wearables-smartwatches/

Garmin is a Swiss company, but their operative headquarters are located in the US. So.. not sure if its really a European company.

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  • [โ€“] 8 points 1 year ago

    At some point we should have a serious discussion about what does it even mean to be a European company, to put in focus a common idea, even if it has blurry edges and if it doesn't translate neatly in all situations.

    We're discussing smartwatches, and Suunto gets shut down for being headquartered and operated from Finland BUT owned by a Chinese holding.

    At the same time Garmin is a Swiss corporation, but run from Kansas, so that's not European.

    And all all all smartwatches are made in China anyway. Maybe I should make a post.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    Based on its Wikipedia page, it seems it is only Swiss in the sense that it is legally located in Switzerland since 2010. It was founded in Kansas and its operational HQ is in Kansas.

    I was planning on getting Garmin this year, but considering other options now.

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    For what it's worth, I absolutely LOVE my Garmin Instinct 2s, whether it's yank tech or not.

    The user experience manages to be really good even without a touch screen, the tracking is very very good, and it works extremely well with Gadgetbridge.

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    That last point was what attracted me to one of these watches in the first place. I really want to avoid having to have any account with anyone and to store any data on any remote servers. I plan to use any data from it in my "own personal Strava". For now I use a cheap Xiamoi wristband connected to Gadgetbridge for HR-monitoring and FitoTrack on my phone for GPS.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    Are you me 8 months ago? I was using Mi Band 8 while looking at maybe eventually buying a Garmin Instinct type watch. Then the Xiaomi died during a quick swim in the sea in early october and I pulled the trigger on the Instinct 2S solar.

    The Garmin is great, it's so superior to the Xiaomi in literally everything that it's not even funny.

    So you have a difficult choice, between European (Polar) at the cost of having to use their App, or Gadgetbridge, and then Garmin is really the best choice by far from almost any angle.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 1 year ago

    So you have a difficult choice, between European (Polar) at the cost of having to use their App

    Well, seeing as this is a non-starter for me, Polar is out of the question. Seeing as we are in the Buy European-community, I'll rationalize it by the fact that I am avoiding their app which is probably running on American cloud infrastructure. :)

    I plan to still use my Mi Band 7 for tracking HR outside of activites. But it is acting up a little - screen sometimes won't turn on, and I have to either connect it to a charger or use the "Find device"-option in Gadgetbridge. We'll see how long it lasts, I've been using it for two years so far. Ideally I would have a band with no screen that just records data that I can view in Gadgetbridge / my own setup, but I've never been able to find that (which again would work with Gadgetbridge).

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    I really like my Garmin. I would love to find a source that breaks down how they operate and how European they could be considered being.

    I hope my current Fenix lasts long enough for me to find a good alternative. Open source and locally managed data would be great but consumer friendly alternatives have quite a way to go still.

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  • [โ€“] 4 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    Oh man, do you have a minute to talk about our Lord and saviour Gadgetbridge?

    It's an open source, 100% local Android app that can be used to replace vendor app for certain wearables. And it works really well with my Garmin Instinct 2s.

    https://gadgetbridge.org/

    You can keep your Fenix going, and cut out the American server.

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  • [โ€“] 1 point 1 year ago* (1 child)

    First time I hear about Garmin being referred to as a Swiss company - whatโ€™s your source? AFAIK, theyโ€™re American though and through.

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    "Garmin Ltd. is a Swiss[7] company headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland[2] with operational headquarters in Olathe, Kansas."

    https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garmin

    So, its a faky Swiss company, but.. yeah.

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