SPOT Technology Evaluation

March 6, 2005

2005-03-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

The SPOT watch has now been packed in the case for return to Microsoft tomorrow.

March 5, 2005

2005-03-05T23:00:00.000-08:00

Today I wore the watch to work. I didn't use any features other than time.

March 4, 2005

2005-03-04T23:40:00.000-08:00

I've been wearing the spot watch again.

While thinking about what specifically has disappointed me about the watch, I've come to some conclusions. Looking back, the technology seemed pretty impressive when we were first issued the watch. I really think my disappointment lies in the failure to deliver the brand experience promised on the web site and on the package. "Replacing Luck"; what does that mean anyhow?

I'll have to think about this some more before writing my technology report.

February 28, 2005

2005-02-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

I recharged the watch last night and am wearing it again today.

February 27, 2005

2005-02-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

I was in Las Vegas for a conference. Because I did not have time to reconfigure the SPOT watch, I left it at home. When I arrived home yesterday, the battery was almost depleted.

February 17, 2005

2005-02-17T23:22:00.000-08:00

Today I wore the watch at work all day and used it to tell time. That's it.

February 16, 2005

2005-02-16T22:51:00.000-08:00

Today I spilled some surgical instrument cleaner on the watchband. It became so slippery that I had to use a needlenosed pliers to remove it.

I'm not using any features other than time. I read my news when I check my e-mail. That's when I get the weather info too.

February 15, 2005

2005-02-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

Today I wore the n3 to the gym. I accidentally left it in the tray on the treadmill and had to drive back to get it. I tried to wear it while running, but it was too large and uncomfortable.

My concern is that I will loose it in the next couple weeks if I continue to carry it with me but am not wearing it. The woman at the check-in desk who gave me back the watch asked, "is this from the 70's?" I guess it doesn't look like "radical" technology either.

February 14, 2005

2005-02-14T23:35:00.000-08:00

I wore the product to class tonight. Several other students commented that they are now only wearing the watch to class. Half way through the lecture I took it off because it hurt my wrist. I don't even use it as a watch anymore.

February 9, 2005

2005-02-09T23:37:00.000-08:00

Today I wore the n3 to work, then took the watch off as it was catching on my doctor's jacket at work. I used clocks in the exam rooms for heart rates/ respiration rates. Basically, I carry the watch with me at all times, but I hardly wear it anymore.

February 8, 2005

2005-02-07T23:18:00.000-08:00

Tonight I put on the watch to go to class. After not wearing it for 3 days, it was very uncomfortable. I ended up putting it on my breifcase. Again, I used my cell phone as a watch.

February 7, 2005

2005-02-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

My confession is this. I haven't worn the n3 SPOT watch in 3 days. I genuinely do not like this product. It concerns me that I must continue blogs at this site until the completion of the project. What will I write about?

Yesterday, my project team met early in Bellevue to work on our vendor paper. Only one person (out of 5) had the watch on. Diane had hers in her purse. We all talked about what we liked and disliked about the watch. Although we all liked the use of fm frequencies and the "real time" updates, we all agreed that without the ability to customize applications, the watch was not "radical" in the least. Also, it is simply too large and uncomfortable for daily use. None of us would ever purchase the product.

February 1, 2005

2005-02-01T22:54:00.000-08:00

Today I saw an ad for a training watch that tracked GPS in addition to heartrate. It allowed the user to see exactly how far they ran and tailor their workout and fitness goals. I wonder if this would be possible with the SPOT watch. Since it uses multidirectional FM frequencies, it is probably not able to use GPS. Still, the prototype for this new watch looked much smaller and more comfortable than the n3.

January 31, 2005

2005-01-31T21:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight in class I spoke to several classmates about their SPOT watches. It appears that the class is becoming polarized. Renee and I both agreed that we were not impressed at all with the technology. Christian & Knot really liked the watches, though both agreed it was more as a novelty than as sustainable, useable technology.

My wrist was so irritated from wearing the watch all day that I took it off and attached it to my bag. My sleeves on both my shirt AND jacket would not go over the top of the n3. They bunched up at its base. I didn't use it for anything today. Even though I was wearing it, I used my cell phone to check the time, find movie times and check e-mail.

January 30, 2005

2005-01-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

My watch still says "Register." I've noticed that now I only receive minimal updates; news, weather, basic stocks. My selections from msn.com seem to have been cancelled or lost by the company.

I really do not miss the lack of services, so I have been slow to register again. Honestly, if this were I technology I owned, I would return the watch to the store and request a refund on the 1 year service plan.

I have tried to be positive with this product in the beginning. Frankly, I am more unimpressed with the n3 SPOT watch technology as time goes by. I'm not sure what I will continue to write in my blog other than thrice weekly updates of my lack of enthusiasm. Meanwhile, I really miss wearing my expensive, swiss watches... Sigh.

January 25, 2005

2005-01-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

My watch still says "Register" and I haven't had time to look into the situation further. All the features are still available except for "Horoscope."

I've pretty much decided that I do not see any appreciable benefits to this product. It is uncomfortable to wear and I never use the features other than the time. I will continue to wear it until we return the watch to Microsoft, as this is our class assignment.

January 23, 2005

2005-01-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

On Friday night (Jan 21) I noticed that my watch had "Register" as an option. Althouth I'm continuing to get feeds for weather, news, etc., two categories (horoscope, international news) are now absent.

I haven't had time to log on and try to figure out why this has occurred. With the 12 Month Free: MSN Direct Smart Plan, it shouldn't have happened. I will check to see if there is a customer service line I can call.

January 20, 2005

2005-01-20T22:02:00.000-08:00

Last night I downloaded all horoscope signs so my staff could read them. Every day when I arrive, they all use the watch to read them.

I wanted to see how long the battery lasts on a single charge, so I haven't been charging the watch. Yesterday morning, the watch had very low power, so I recharged it and wore my other watch to work. The n3 lasted approximately 5 days on a single charge.

I'm getting used to wearing this larger model on my wrist.

January 18, 2005

2005-01-18T22:01:00.000-08:00

Today I spent some time reviewing the product instruction manual. I really didn't see any information on the "message" feature of the watch in the manual. My plan is to log onto the website after posting this blog to see what additional information is there. Right now, I wouldn't know how to have someone send me a message.

At lunch today, my friend Daira played with the watch. She thought it would be quite useful to have. We went to a movie, and I used the feature to find movie times. It was convenient, as we changed our plans several times and were able to find updated movie information quickly.

I drove to Frye's yesterday to buy an iPod. While I was there, I looked for the n3 to see how much it retailed for. I assumed the watch would cost in the range of $75-$125. I was shocked to see it it listed at $299. This is not a technology I would purchase for myself.

It would be nice if the watch were more pliable. Because it is large and bulky, I often find myself taking it off my wrist to find information. The band and overall design make this difficult to do.

January 16, 2005

2005-01-16T11:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday at work I was quite impressed with the watch. The weather screen said "partly cloudy, 34 degrees" in the morning. At about 12:15 pm, I looked at the watch and it read "snow, 31 degrees." I looked outside and it was snowing.

Several clients asked, "Is that a new Microsoft watch?" One was a Microsoft employee who told me about some project management work he completed on the technology. He seemed very curious to hear what I thought.

I'm convinced that this is not something I would every purchase for myself. But, since this is for a class assignment, my plan is to re-read the instruction manual and customized website to see if there are other features I have overlooked and am not utilizing. The "Message" function would seem to be more useful if it allowed SPOT users to reply. Additionally, it would be nice if more features could be added. For example, I would like to download traffic information to aid in my 20 mile commute to and from work.

January 13, 2005

2005-01-14T00:23:00.000-08:00

Today I was extremely busy at work. I used the watch only to look at the time. I was constantly 10-15 minutes behind with my appointments as I had a surgery that ran long.

January 12, 2005

2005-01-12T23:45:00.000-08:00

Today I wore the watch to work. I found it to be quite large and a bit uncomfortable to wear. By the end of the day, my medial maleolus (bump on the inside of my wrist) was red and irritated. The watch does seem to be well built. Several people commented on the size of the watch.

My co-workers and staff all enjoyed looking at the watch and seeing its features. Most were impressed by the constant "real-time" updates. Several asked me to enter their horoscopes so they could check them every day. I was surprised that the technology would be considered that novel and interesting to others. I currently have a palm computer & cell phone with on-line capabilities. I will admit, the easy access to the information made the watch more appealing than I would have expected. Still, I wish it could be smaller, more comfortable and stylish.

January 11, 2005

2005-01-11T23:38:00.000-08:00

Today I picked up my Suunto n3 at Seattle University. I read the box and was anxious to get home and activate the plan. Unfortunately, it took nearly 5 hours for the watch to initially charge. I had a board meeting for work, so I wasn't able to get online until later this evening.

When I finally activated the plan, I found the activation process and the quick start guide to be very user friendly. Additionally, after learning the buttons, the watch's functions were fairly self explainatory. I didn't expect this to be the case, as the instruction manual seemed a bit confusing and lacking in detail.

January 10, 2005

2005-01-10T22:44:00.000-08:00

I set up this blog site for an assignment for MBA560: IT Management. It will be used as a day-to-day assessment of Microsoft's new SPOT (Smart Personal Object Technology) watch.

I will pick up the watch tomorrow morning at Seattle University.