Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

DigitalEl · Jun 29, 2004, 06:27 AM

What the subject says. The FAQ on their webpage implies it's OS X compatible, but is anyone actually using one of these successfully? They're pretty sweet-looking, IMO... But oftentimes we Mac users don't get complete access to all of a product's features (or have to jump through crazy hoops) if it's not Mac native.

DigitalEl · Jun 29, 2004, 06:51 AM

While we're at it, anyone own a Timex Beepwear pager watch? Similar in concept to the above, I was an early-adopter of this product in the late 90s ('97 or '98, I believe). Beepwear.com just redirects you to the Timex website now, where there are no current mentions or iterrations of pager watches. Did cellphones and wi-fi enabled PDAs kill this altogether?

Look people, I'm bored with my Sony Clie and need a relatively cheap gadget fix... And remember my old Beepwear watch fondly. I was saddened there's no Beepwear '05 coming out, which ties into Address Book and iCal.

bbcclo · Jun 29, 2004, 11:49 AM

i don't really understand how that watch works.... how does it connect to the MSN network?

Does it have a monthly charge?

That little flash video didn't tell me much, except that I can change the layout of the time.

maxintosh · Jun 29, 2004, 12:05 PM

Those watches are GIGANTIC. I saw them in the store and I was shocked at the immensity of them! Besides the battery only lasts about 3-5 days and I've heard reports that coverage isn't that great...

Anyway, I owned a Timex Internet Messenger watch that was pretty nifty... it was the successor to the Beepwear. The whole paging thing got a little boring, but the automatic time setting was nice. Plus it made a decent sports watch. I bet you can still find them on eBay.

maxintosh · Jun 29, 2004, 12:06 PM

Originally posted by bbcclo:
i don't really understand how that watch works.... how does it connect to the MSN network?

Does it have a monthly charge?

That little flash video didn't tell me much, except that I can change the layout of the time.

Yes there is a monthly charge from Microsoft. As I remember, I got a year of service free when I bought my Internet Messenger (different service).

DigitalEl · Jun 30, 2004, 02:45 AM

Those watches are GIGANTIC. I saw them in the store and I was shocked at the immensity of them! Besides the battery only lasts about 3-5 days

I'm a big guy, so I don't mind a huge watch. Back in the Beepwear days, it was funny to see the "ladies" Beepwear, which no lady I know would've ever been caught dead in. As for the battery in the current ones, you just sit them in a dock at night for recharging. Sounds simple in theory. The old Beepwears used expensive hearing aid batteries... And replacing those did get old.

As for the cost, it was somethin' like $7 a month (with an advance-pay, yearly discount) for nationwide coverage, which was very reasonable, IMO.

I'll have to look up those Internet Messenger watches. I didn't realize those supplanted Beepwear at Timex.

I'd still love to hear from anyone who's gotten one of these MSN Direct watches synced up with OS X.

SplijinX · Jun 30, 2004, 03:04 PM

Originally posted by bbcclo:
i don't really understand how that watch works.... how does it connect to the MSN network?

Does it have a monthly charge?

That little flash video didn't tell me much, except that I can change the layout of the time.

It uses Microsoft's DirectBand(TM) wireless technology. Unless you live in or near a big city, I think coverage is pretty limited: http://direct.msn.com/about/coverage.aspx

Here's something that might be helpful from their FAQ:

To use MSN Direct, you must have the following:

* An MSN Direct-ready watch.
* A computer running Microsoft� Windows� 98 or later, or a computer running Mac OS X 10.2 or later. The computer must be able to print or store information received from the service.
* An e-mail address.
* Software capable of sending and receiving e-mail via the Internet.
* A supported Web browser (see next FAQ).

Important: If you use a Macintosh computer, please note the following:

* You cannot install the MSN Direct Calendar Add-in program on a Mac. The add-in program runs only on Windows.
* You cannot send messages to a MSN Direct watch from MSN Messenger for Mac. The Send a Message to an MSN Direct Watch option is not available at this time. However, you can receive messages from your contacts who use MSN Messenger for Windows.

So you lose some messaging capabilities and perhaps not be able to sync calendar?

Casper Crane · Jun 30, 2004, 04:44 PM

$7/month.... hmm, i have enough subscriptions i think. especially if mac support is weak. but i guess if you just factor it in with the cost of the watch, it's not bad compared to dress watches.

but i have heard that these are not catching on very well, and will probably be dropped in the next year.

the Fossil wrist PDA never made it to market for some reason. that would have been useful, and no monthly service.

the biggest watch-vaporware is the samsung wrist-phone that was announced last summer but never was heard of again. no surprise, however, that you cannot make an affordable phone that small yet. but i wanted to believe!

DigitalEl · Jul 1, 2004, 03:48 AM

but i have heard that these are not catching on very well, and will probably be dropped in the next year.

That's too bad. I really like the way the Fossil ones look, but I may simply be suffering from the gadget-buying withdrawal which comes after a new baby and reduced disposable income.

the biggest watch-vaporware is the samsung wrist-phone that was announced last summer but never was heard of again. no surprise, however, that you cannot make an affordable phone that small yet. but i wanted to believe!

Swatch announced one something like 5 or 6 years ago, too... And it never saw the light of day, AFAIK