Apple Watch Series 3 Review
I received an Apple Watch Series 3 for Christmas with little to no knowledge on the gadget. I was thrilled when I opened the packaging and see a shiny new toy to play with, but I knew I would have to do some research on it before I could share too much information with you all.
There are two versions of the Series 3 watch. One that starts at $329 and includes GPS and another that starts at $399 and has both GPS and cellular. Both watches come with Siri which is different from the previous versions of the watch. I have already used Siri a lot on mine to send texts and call people. I have also used the GPS, and I find it really nice that it vibrates when you’re coming close for you to turn. You can even have both your iPhone and your watch going at the same time for auditory instructions as well as the vibration notifications.
Like I said, I knew little to nothing about the apple watch other than the fact that it tells time and connects to your phone. I love the idea of not having to check my phone too much with this little gadget around my wrist. I asked for the rose gold 38mm watch because one, it best matches my other jewelry, and two, it matches my phone. I like the way the blush band matches my clothes as well.
The Series 3 watch is much more than anything I could ever have hoped it would be. It seriously does everything. First, the set up is extremely simple. I pulled it out of the box Christmas morning and it was set up in 5 minutes. So easy. It connect with your phone and sends you your texts right to your watch if you aren't on your phone. If you're on your phone, it won't send you a notification though, which I really like. I feel like I'm drowning in junk emails, I don't need anymore notifications than necessary.
Once again, Apple has sold me on something I absolutely never thought I would need. You can also call from your Series 3 watch. I never thought I would actually need this, but I've used it multiple times. When my hands are full or when I'm cleaning around my apartment I can keep my watch on and call my mom or make a quick phone call to my friend.
Another thing that I love is the way you can design your watch face. Apple creates watch faces for everybody. You can choose what to display on our watch face whether it be your daily step goals, the weather, your messages, your heart rate, even your favorite place. I love the time lapse location faces. The Eiffel Tower one lights up at night and it's so beautiful.
The way notifications are set up is really interesting too. Because the watch connects with your phone so, when you aren't on your iPhone, you will receive notifications to most of your apps. For example, I receive Snapchat notifications on my watch from my phone. It's a nice way to quickly see what deserves your immediate attention and what can wait until you're off the road, out of class, or at home. I actually find myself using my phone less than I used to.
Necessities -- Apple thought of everything when it comes to the necessities of the watch. They have all of the essential apps needed to make your life easier. It also syncs up to your phone, so you can make a list on your phone and still see it on your watch. It comes with the classics like the weather, reminders, iTunes, files, apple pay, and timer. My favorite of the essentials is the alarm clock. I will sometimes fall asleep with my watch on and track my sleep and when I do, I use the alarm. For a tiny little machine, the alarm is very effective. If vibrates on your wrist to gently yet, promptly wake you up. Sometimes I set an alarm on my watch for when my shift is over at work or when to move on to a new study topic.
Messages and Calling -- I've already mentioned them, but yes, you can call and text from your watch. Calling is really simple but you can only talk through speaker or through bluetooth headphones. It's still really easy to use and really useful at the right times. Messages are a little tougher, but what can you expect when you're typing on a one by one inch screen. Apple helps you out as much as they can though by creating quick responses like yes, maybe, no, thank you, be there soon, on my way, here, and ok so you don't have to type them. You can also speak your responses -- which are heard pretty well by the device. Finally, you can hand scribble the letters and the device will turn them into type.
Email -- One of my favorite features is the email app. I can get all of my emails from JMU, Daily Dose, and my personal accounts. A lot of promotional emails won't display on the app which is totally understandable, but most important emails are honestly the ones with strictly text anyways so it doesn't bother me.
Workout -- The workout apps are really nice. The app comes with daily fitness goals like standing up, steps, and calories burned. You can set this yourself which is really nice. The app store has plenty of apps for people who run and lift weights. The greatest array of apps is for the fitness category, so you can definitely find one that works best for you. The watch is even water resistant so if you enjoy swimming to get your exercise on, you can track your laps and heart rate in the pool without worrying about ruining your gadget. I have used mine at the gym and it's great for tracking your progress and see your day to day improvements.
Relaxation, Meditation, General Health -- One of the features that this device offers that I never knew would be helpful are the relaxation and mediation apps. I don't have anxiety but I have been known to get stressed out very easily. When I get stressed, I forget to breathe and that has resulted in a panic attack or two ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The heart rate app has helped me track my stress because I can see how high my heart rate gets when in class or doing a presentation at school. Even this past weekend when I flew back to Richmond I could tell that I was freaking out and needed to calm down. Calming down brings me to my next topic of the breathing reminders. Like I said, I forget to breathe when I get stressed and nervous my watch reminds me to breathe and chill out. It came up more than once on the flights this past weekend.
Music and Listening -- Your Apple Watch connects right to a pair of Bluetooth headphones so investing in a pair of Bose or Beats headphones is a great idea. You can get your iTunes, Spotify, and even Podcasts on your watch which makes listening on the go that much easier. I like the fact that I can take my headphones and watch to the gym and not have to worry about having my phone on me. I can also listen to music on the bus rides to and from school without having to keep my phone on me either.
GPS, Siri and Cellular -- What really sets apart the Series 1 from the Series 3 is the gps, Siri, and cellular features. The GPS is fabulous, I've used it multiple times as I have mentioned before. I also love asking Siri to send a text when I'm driving or have my hands full -- siri-ously it's so helpful lol. The biggest features is that, yes, you can add cellular to your Apple watch for just $10 a month which eliminates the need to carry your phone around with you 24/7.
APPS I LOVE:
ESPN -- The Apple watch ESPN app gets right to the point and tells you second by second updates with the game clock and scores. I like being able to follow along with the Yankees, JMU, the Cubs, and UVa wherever I go.
Bible Verse -- My Bible verse app sends me a scripture each morning at 8. I like starting off the day with some positive words of encouragement.
Uber -- You can call an uber right from your watch which is always a great tool to have. I call Uber's weekly so I think having this app is good have.
Remote -- Apple Watch has a remote which means I can control my Apple TV and computer from my watch which I think is helpful because I'm always losing the little Apple TV remote!
