As you know, I co-host a weekly podcast with David from UKMobileTech called Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast. It is a light hearted tech podcast broadcast bi-weekly. To subscribe click here for iTunes or copy and paste this link into your favourite podcast app.
Episode 21, is now live for your listening pleasure.
This is a much shorter but more costly production via satellite phone.
5 days ago I posted an article explaining that Google support had given me a time sensitive deal which would only be valid for 24 hours to accept a replacement LG G Watch.
I challenged this with a simple request. Would the replacement be of a different design? and or would there be any reason to expect corrosion with a replacement. I really liked the G Watch. But all I wanted was some form of conclusion and confirmation by Google.
So how did this get resolved by Google. A RMA for a refund has been processed. No explanation has been provided. So it could be that the specialist support team knew nothing, knew everything but could not confirm either way or knew the watch would corrode again after the OTA update to fix the charging pins being active whilst off the cradle.
What is odd about the LG G Watch OTA update which is suppose to stop the charging pins being active when not on the cradle, is the Samsung Gear Live watch is about to receive the exact same firmware update OTA and yet it does not have the same issues.
Whatever the reason or reasons for the corrosion, these will remain unanswered for now.
Update – official internal document from LG. Shame Google support knew nothing about this –
After a week of emails and a few conversations I have finally received an email back from Google Play support. The email gave me a 24 hour time sensitive offer to accept a free replacement LG G Watch. I wouldn’t need to pay for postage to return old phone and also I would receive the new watch before sending back the corroded one.
Sounds fair? Not really as the question I asked was whether there was any change in design or anything else that would stop this from happening with a replacement. This question was completely ignored.
So another call to Google support and with a response time of 24-48 hours indicated.
To be continued.
Update. The watch just received a firmware update to 4.4w. Build kmv78y. This is meant to be an update that stops the pins corroding somehow. Yet Google new nothing of this update and this was a specialist support person.
Last week I posted an article detailing the corrosion on my LG G Watch charging pins. See here https://gavinsgadgets.wordpress.com/2014/07/31/lg-g-watch-review-update-design-disaster/ for further details and photo of corrosion.
According to a number of sources (android police, techradar and talk android ) LG is due to issue a software update to fix a hardware fault. Hmmm. Apparently, the software update with deactivate the pins unless sitting on the cradle. I remain skeptical.
I also have chased Google Play support twice now for an update and as of today’s date there has been no proper response. Poor show really.
The above photo is a close up of the charging pins on my LG G Watch. This has occurred within a month of use. Not only that, but I don’t have the watch tightly strapped to my wrist.
According to stories on the internet once the pins corrode there is a high chance of getting a rash on your wrist.
I’ve spoke to Google customer support for their help and will report back in due course.
I hope there is a solution, as I really like the look and simple functionality.
A few weeks ago I mentioned that there were several new reviews to land on Gavins Gadgets.
The LG G3 is well underway and further posts will appear shortly. In addition the LG G3 QuickCircle and Slim Guard case reviews will be up hopefully over the weekend or early next week. The Premium Hard case review is already live.
The AKG K845 Bluetooth headphone review should be live by the end of next week.
So folks, is there a handset you would like me to review next? If so, let me know in the comments.
As you know, I co-host a weekly podcast with David from UKMobileTech called Gav & Dave’s Tech Podcast. It is a light hearted tech podcast broadcast bi-weekly. To subscribe click here for iTunes or copy and paste this link into your favourite podcast app.
Episode 20, is now live for your listening pleasure.
Apart from the LG G3, LG G3 official accessories , LG G Watch and an update on the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom reviews coming up next week, I also have a few other reviews on the horizon.
On the headphone front the AKG K845 are being reviewed. At the time of being reviewed they were compared head to head with the Sennheiser Momentums Over The Ears. Expect big surprises from these AKG cans.
Don’t forget to look at the accessories reviews sections for previous reviews on the Sony SBH80, Sony XBA-H1, Logitech UE 6000 and Audio Technica ATH-900x headphones. Click here to jump to accessories review page https://gavinsgadgets.wordpress.com/reviews-accessories/
This also includes reviews of other accessories, including Wearables from Pebble , Samsung and LG.
So I have had the LG G Watch just over a week so far. In fact it is nearly 10 days. My thoughts and experiences on this device have changed since using it.
After just a few days, I really thought this smart watch would be returned as I was thinking it is simply an overpriced piece of plastic that does nothing useful.
Fortunately, I have been really busy with my day job, so I have not been able to give the G Watch any specific time, and that is actually why I am loving it now.
It has simply just slotted into my life, providing useful information in a timely manner and nothing too excessive. Each day, I find another handy thing to do with it without too much fuss.
It does help that I like the look of the white/gold finish as well. It has also saved me time as I have not had to pull my smartphone out of my pocket that much, meaning that at the end of a working day, I still have 90% battery left on my G3.
It is sad however, the it needs a charge daily, although that does not take too long and the charging cradle is magnetic making it a breeze to drop on and off.
As time moves on it will be interesting to see what improvements are made to the Android Wear firmware and apps.
Now just a quick note of a couple of new apps that I have installed –
Android Wear Calculator – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rocketstartups.wearcalculator
A calculator on your watch and on the square LG G Watch is simple and easy to use.
Wear Camera Remote – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dheera.wearcamera
This is an awesome app. It is a remote camera shutter for your phone, but you also got a preview on the watch.
And another called IFTTT. I’m not going to say anything about this app. Just install it and get blown away at what can be done. Eg. Use your watch to turn the lights on. Silence your phone. Or turn volume to full. And another 100 options.
The annoying part of the Android Wear apps is Google’s own list is missing over 100 apps. So it is a search and search again at the moment.
Just a quick update on my experiences of the 2 devices from yesterday.
It was a good day. Both devices got used a lot and I started to find more uses for the LG G Watch. My notifications were less, so battery at 8pm was around 51%. Still really a daily charge for this wearable.
The LG G3 really is outstanding. With the screen off, music playing and all the other apps running in the background, it hardly uses the battery. So much so, that my work BlackBerry Curve (due to high security this is a mandatory use device) was the one that needed the car charger!!
So referring back to my other post today, do I keep the LG G3/G Watch combo or the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom?
Answers on a postcard please 🙂
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 