Just recently, Apple computer finally introduced their new Apple watch. Typical of the Apple products that we all know and love, they look that they will be beautifully made, incredibly elegant, truly cutting-edge, and a bit on the pricey side.  There are unlike any other watch, in part because of the amazing array of applications that have already been created for them, which allow you to do much of what you might do you want to phone on your wrist. 

But, as is often the case, Apple was not the first. Back in the early summer of 2012, I was introduced to the crowdfunding phenomena through probably the first smart watch.  It was called the pebble, and it promised the ability to be notified that messages were coming through my iPhone, whether they be a phone call, or a text message. Additionally, there would be a wide range of apps that would run on this phone.  

Comparring the Pebble with the Apple watch is a little bit like comparing your first cell phone, with an iPhone. The screen is small and black and white. Though very well-made, the watch is plastic. And though there are a wide range of apps available, they don’t rival the amazing array of capabilities in the Apple phone. But, having this thing has really changed a lot of the way but I use my phone, and the way I get information. Right now, the screen that is being displayed on my watch shows the time, the date, and the weather and temperature. Okay, I can see the weather outside the window of my car. But the temperature is a nice feature. If somebody calls me on my phone, or texts me, or a wide range of other apps that are set on notification, my watch or let me know. Sometime this is very cool when it’s information I want to get immediately. Sometimes it’s kind of a pain in the neck because a watch not only changes the screen it vibrates letting me know I’ve got the message. For some reason, when somebody post something on Facebook that mentions me, it doesn’t just notify me once, it notifies me three times. The same is true for the calendar. This really isn’t the fall, watch, it’s just understanding how to make sure that only one application notifies you at a time.  Also, it’s amazing the array of iPhone apps that have notification built into them.    

The only thing I’m missing is a voice link between the watch and my phone.  Ironically, this is not for phone calls.  I honestly rarefy makes calls on my iPhone.  I’ve got a bluetooch headset and Verizon as a provider so my calls are solid and my voice good.  But, most of my friends are on ATT & their calls are almost always difficult to understand or even dropped because of an iffy connection.  But, I’d love to be able to use Siri without getting out my phone.  In search of this feature, I invested in an Indiegogo supported company, Kreyos, who promised a new watch, the Meteor, that would do allow just this and many other cool features.  Sadly, the watch was a total failure.  It was next to impossible to use, VERY cheap in it’s build, and the audio quality was beyond horrible.  

So, in retrospect, what’s it been like having a smart watch over the past year and so.  Nice.  I can’t say that it’s indespensible, but I’ve been very happy to have the link to my iphone.  

Years ago, I thought I would give one of those food sealers to try.  You know, the ones where you put whatever you want to save in a plastic bag, which the air is then sucked out of, and the bag is heat sealed with a special machine.  Unfortunately, I was less than thrilled.  First, the sealer didn’t seem to really suck the air out that well, and then, once you open the bag, but you could refill it with the heat sealer, it was a real pain in the neck. It ended up costing quite a bit, especially in wasted plastic. 

Recently, I started getting a weekly box of farm direct veggies.  I realized that I wasn’t able to use all of them and ended up having to throw out a bunch because they would go bad before I could really store them properly. So, I started looking at getting another food sealer.  The only problem was my memory of my first experience. Then I discovered that Foodsaver, one of the more popular manufacturers of these things, makes an interesting alternative that’s cheaper and allows you to reuse the bags.  First, it has zippered bags with special valves on them.  Then, there is a vacuum pump which fits on this valve and sucks out all the air.  You put in the items you wish to save, make sure the bag is it tight, and then use the vacuum pump and viola la,  you got basically the same thing you can do with one of the heat sealing machines.   The difference is, if you want to use something from the bag, you just open it up like any other zippered bag, take out what you want, then reseal it and use the vacuum pump again.  Easy Peasy!!!  The vacuum pump is known as the Foodsaver FreshSaver handheld vacuum sealer, and The zippered vacuum sealer bags are available in quart and gallon sizes.  The pump is about $20, while the bags run about $10 for a box.  So far, I’m very impressed!

I’ve been a huge fan of crowd funding since I “invested” in my first product, the now well known Pebble Watch, which communicates with my iPhone through bluetooth and notifies me of phone calls, messages, and even the temp and weather using one of my favorite apps.  

The process was simple.  I committed to $110 and, when it went into production, I would get one of the first watches off the line.  Yes, the watch was delayed…by 6 months, and no there weren’t many faces or apps when it came out.  But, all in all it worked great and has grown to earn it’s place on my wrist.  

Only a month after I gof my Pebble, a new watch, named the Kreyos Meteor, appeared on Indiegogo and it promised even more.  And it would have both a speaker and a microphone it it.  Like my Pebble, it would notify me of calls but I could actually answer them on the watch.  It also had a wide range of sensors and matching software for tracking movement and all kinds of other cool things.  So, I made a committment to it.  Like the pebble, it didn’t come out by December of 2013 as promised but I finally got mine just a week ago in August of 2014.  No big deal.  

Accept, the watch is DEFINITELY not what I had hoped.  First, there was no manual or guide what so ever.  Then, the blueooth connection is very unstable and doesn’t communicate with the app designed to control the watch over half the time.  The control buttons on it are also very stiff and difficult to use and, for all I can tell, none of the multitude of sensors works.  Finally,and most depressing, though I did get the watch to talk to my iPhone, the sound quality from it’s speaker is so bad that I can’t understand even Siri.  

Yes, there will be software updates to the watch (though installing them is a crap shoot).  But, the problems with the speaker (which apparently everbody is having) is a hardware one.  Additionally, the buttons may loosen up with time, but it’s still very confusing.  Sadly, this is an example of a product that was a good idea but maybe not ready for prime time.

Guy Kawasaki, former product evangelist for the Macintosh computer, wrote a book once names, “Rules for Revolutionaries”.  In it, one of his bits of advice was when it came to getting a product to market, “Don’t worry, be crappy!”  He spoke of the original Mac.  Though a revolutionary computer, it had too little memory, wasn’t exactly fast, and was generally agreed to be something that was not exacly “ready for prime time”.  I know because I bought one and, though it started a love affair that continues to this day, it was anything but perfect.  But Apple knew that Microsoft was scrambling to get the first version of Windows out and, if they didn’t push the Mac out the door, MS would dominate…even though the first version of windows was AWFUL!!!   

Sadly, in the case of the Kreyos, though they are the only watch with voice link, there are lots of other watches on the market now that are better (the Pebble included) because they are easier to use and actually work.  And this fall, in all probability, Apple will introduce the iWatch (sic) and the rest will be history.  

Do I feel cheated like so many other Kreyos owners who are already clamoring for full refunds.  I can only reply with a resounding NO!   When you committ to a product that has never been created before, you’ve got to accept you are taking chances. Not everything will work beautifully.  Will Kreyos be able to fix my watch?  I sincerely doubt it.  I think the problems with the speaker in particular are too severe to be a simple software fix.  Do I feel I deserve a refund?   No, because I knew what I was getitng myself into.  BUT, I would like a discount on a new version of the watch when things are fixed, if they survive.  They had a good idea but it ended up being “too crappy” on intial introduction (to use a phrase from Guy)

The moral of the story is to realize that when you invest in a product through Kickstarter or Indiegogo or any of the crowdfunding websites, you need to realize that you are basically rolling the dice that this wonderful new technology will be what it promises to be.  You are basically gambling you’ll get what you want.  And, if you are not a gambling man (or woman), then you shouldn’t click that pledge button.