so, I just stumbled on the hardware review by "A Woman" and Scott's AccessWorld review of the Dot Watch, a Braille smart watch. I really want this thing. Unlike an Apple watch, which doesn't really add anything to my personal use cases, the Dot Watch would allow me to check incoming calls, texts, and security camera alerts while I'm in a meeting or teaching a class. Because sometimes, I gotta know, and it has to be the tactile equivalent of a glance. Filling that need, the Dot Watch or similar seems like it could become a basic piece of blind tech. But if only two AppleVis members have bought the thing, one wonders how long this company can stay in the game, and hence how many IOS upgrades the hardware will be supported. I'm not interested in comparisons with the Apple Watch, etc. That's a different topic. Just wanting to hear from owners (a) that you exist and (b) how your watch has held up.
Comments
Dot Watch
They're an international company and I suspect there are more than two Dot Watch owners. I have one. I have had it for I think for over a year. I don't use mine out and about as you say you want too, so I am not sure how it'd hold up under more intense use cases. I use mine every day, but nightly. I wear it to bed so I can get alerts, check time, etc., without putting on hearing aids to hear the iPhone. As I said it has worked fine, but this is a fairly gentle use case. It does have some protection to help with daily getting dirty and splashes, etc., but I don't' know how well that works long term as I don't subject mine to that.
Keep in mind it has four braille cells, and they refresh slowly in comparison to a full featured display. So yes you can read messages, and I do. But it isn't as instant as you may hope for anything that is more than a few refreshes worth.
And then there were three
So I guess there are *three* AppleVis Dot Watch owners. The Cool Blind Tech piece on it claimed there had been 140,000 advanced orders two years ago, so that's encouraging. I do wish it had a lid like a Reizen Braille watch or pocket watch.