After my apple watch fell apart, I vowed to give up watches. I went years, decades really, with just my phone as a time source.
Then, the issues started.
Although I didn’t care for the apple watch monitoring everything about my life, it had a few features that I find really handy. I like alerts when I don’t have my phone physically on my person. I really like “find my phone”. And I like being able to check the time without pulling out my phone, something I find rude when people do that to me.
Enter the Wyze Band.
I have three wyze cams I use to check on the dogs when I’m not home. The pan camera is especially useful, since I can focus on where they normally are, but can also see if the door is shut. Even though Jasper hasn’t tried to bolt into the alley when one of us arrives in a while, he’s too young and stupid for me to take that chance. So if both of us are headed home and I need to verify she didn’t get there first.
And they were cheap. As is the band.
It’s a fitbit knockoff, to be sure. But at $29, it’s cheap and it does those three things I like, and a little more. For instance, I can control the cameras with it, somewhat.
Couple things I found irritating.
First I don’t care for the band, and there are no options to change this.
I’m a big dude. The band is a little small for my wrists.
It has no motion sensor, so you have to touch it to see the screen. A minor irritation. You also have to allow the app to run in the background on your phone if you want the find phone feature to work. Another minor thing. I’m not sweating the monitoring threat. Sure they’ll collect some data, but not as much as Apple, and certainly not as intrusive.
What I like?
I like that if it gets smashed, I’ll simply chuck it. I like that it does the few things I need. And I like the fact the battery lasts more than a few hours. It’s life is measured in days.
They have an apple watch clone coming, which I’ll probably get. Why not? It’s only $48.
Inspected By Pat 