I Don’t Want A Better Watch Next Time

Sitting with this connected watch next to me, I just want to challenge Samsung to really make its next one better.

I don’t want to have to rely on a phone for setup and customization. And I will accept that an app on any platform — web browser included — would do just that.

I don’t want to accept that Samsung doesn’t have the chops to come out with better screen and battery technologies right now. Screw what the market can bear — create another set of arms for a heavier weight.

I don’t want to take off my watch at night. I don’t want to be compelled to keep it on either. It should know me by now that I sleep at certain times — and record what I do then accordingly.

Can I accept that a connected watch isn’t acting like a personal hard drive — allowing me some kind of access to federate information to whom I wish, without the peering eyes of anyone — including the watch’s maker?

I don’t care about running after the activity tracker set of things. But, if Samsung is going to do so — why not use the tech and methods developed by Polar (whom I admire in this space), Garmin, or even borrow Health and pledge of an ecosystem from Microsoft?

To be a wallet. To be a wallet that uses my heartbeat as the authentication. To be a wallet for more than just purchases. To be a wallet for keys. A wallet for workflows. A wallet in a sense of being more than just a place transactions are accepted to happen. But a place where a wallet lets its walls be less walled.

I know that better is coming. Rumors of what Samsung is or might be doing makes good sense. I also know that I’d rather be using it right now. Testing my perspective of real-world applications of the features which might mean no more than ink and a journalist’s dribble. And to that I challenge Samsung (or someone else) to find me. Invest in my thoughts for a while. Then make something that truly is better.

I don’t want to rely on hope to see you do better next time.