Apple Watch puts wonder on the wrist
We’ve had Apple Watch for just a handful of days, and we are completely hooked.
We anticipated falling wrist over heels for this little powerhouse, but we weren’t 100 percent certain how it would fit into our lives. As early tech adopters, we’ve been here before.
On April 3, 2010, for instance, we waited in line to be among the first people in the world to own an iPad. We had no idea how we were going to use it, and we didn't care. Fast-forward five years and we've once again snatched up a piece of technology without a clear idea of its functional value. Unsurprisingly, in just a few days we’ve identified multiple ways that Apple Watch has enhanced our ability to maintain our travel-centric NVR lifestyle.
Travel. Between the consulting work we do and our life as travel writers, we are on the road for a good portion of every year. All that jetting around translates into a lot of time spent managing reservations and navigating airports. Thanks to the Expedia app and airline-specific apps on Apple Watch, we can get alerts to itinerary changes, speed through security, and quickly find where our bags are arriving without unpacking our phones.
Navigation. This one is huge for us for several reasons. First (take it from two people who have been “relieved” of our phones on several occasions) it is not a good idea to walk around holding your phone in front of you as you make your way through unfamiliar streets. Not only does it make you a target, but it also can impede your ability to experience your surroundings. And isn't experiencing your surroundings the whole point of traveling?
Thanks to the baked-in maps app (and Expedia's app) on Apple Watch, we can keep our phones securely in our bag and navigate our way to our hotel with a few glances at our wrists. For example, when we recently stepped out of the metro station in Washington, D.C., we were able to simply tap on our hotel reservation in the Expedia app to see a map of the area, locate our hotel, and get walking directions—all right from Apple Watch.
Scheduling/Task Management. Our schedule can get a little crazy. It is not uncommon for us to meet a consulting client, catch a flight, go for a run, connect with a travel partner, attend a “press” event, and meet up with friends all in one day. Add to that a personal pact to never miss a deadline and our days can be challenging to manage.
To keep so many balls in the air, we are fanatical about calendaring and to-do lists. Apple Watch already has replaced the frequent buzzing of our phone with a gentle tap on the wrist—no, really, a TAP ON THE WRIST—letting the wearer know something needs attention.
Viewfinder Tip: You easily can change watch faces on Apple Watch to provide quick access to key details such as weather, world clock, and calendar events.
Social Media and Messages. We have a love/hate relationship with social media. On one hand, it is a critical part of the work we do, and has enabled us to meet amazing people from around the world who we now consider to be close friends. On the other hand, when we meet these people in person, social media threatens to disrupt actual connection with a constant feed of virtual “connections” pinging for our attention.
Having learned that a mobile phone sitting on the table unused can be a big impediment to meaningful conversation, we've appreciated having a discrete way to check and respond to texts, Twitter activity, and Instagram messages while keeping our phone completely out of sight. It provides a way to guarantee we don't miss key messages while keeping our commitment to never let our phone take precedence over people.
Fitness. When it comes to fitness, we are uncompromising. But that doesn’t mean maintaining a strict health and wellness routine isn’t challenging; we certainly can use all the help we can get to keep us on track. That is why we were so excited to put Apple Watch’s fitness tracking apps to use. Having the ability to see how active we’ve been in a day is very motivating.
We were eager to put the activity app to its paces when we arrived in Washington, D.C. As big walkers who strongly believe that the best way to experience a place is on foot, we knew we would make some serious tracks. Imagine our surprise when, on our first day in the Nation’s Capital, we learned that we’d covered more than 15 miles on foot! The activity app actually sent us a little medal for exceeding our goal. Of course, we chose to celebrate with cocktails; we’d more than earned them.
How do you envision the Apple Watch making your life easier?