#at least a smartwatch would function as a watch and count my steps or whatever

[buckets-of-dirt]

What is the point of a very specialized "watch" that costs the same amount as an actual smart watch (which have apps that theoretically do the same thing) but has fewer functions and isn't even very good at the one thing it's supposed to do?

[alphas-girl]

I’ve Got You

Based on Anonymous Prompt: Hi! This prompt literally just came to me and I thought it was cute. Could you please please write this Owen x reader where (Y/N) works for the park as member of the containment unit. Her team is sent out after the Indom and when Owen finds out, he’s horrified. The plan turns into a disaster and the only thing giving Owen the smallest bit of comfort is the fact that (Y/N)s heart monitor is still picking her up.

A/N: Sorry, not as fluffy as I would have hoped, but I got so wrapped up in making sure all the ACU details were right.

-

Code 19.

Asset out of containment.

Report to briefing room.  Move out in 15.

You almost spit out the first sip of your margarita as you read the message on your cell phone.  You look around at the tourists milling about on Main Street, unaware of the situation you’re about to go handle.

You envy them.

Normally, the briefings are full of jokes and laughter.  Asset Containment usually deals with a baby triceratops who wandered out of the petting zoo or a gallimimus that’s gotten too close to the Gyrosphere loading dock.

Today, the room’s silent, as everyone stares up at the specs on the Indominus.  No one’s laughing.

As you grab a taser rifle, you fight the urge to call Owen.  You know your boyfriend would want to know where you’re headed, but you decide against it.

You don’t want to worry him.  But as you stare at the ashen faces of your fellow ACU troopers, you can’t help but wonder what exactly you’ve gotten yourself into.

-

“I need to see a badge. Sir, I need to see a badge.”

Owen ignores the security guard, pushing past and heading straight for Claire.

“What the hell happened out there?” he asks accusatorially, eyes trained on the redhead.  “There are thermal cameras all over that paddock. She did not just disappear!”

The security guard moves to block Owen, but it’s then that he catches sight of the screen, the ACU insignia.  His eyes scan the faces of the ACU troopers who are out on the mission and his heart drops into his stomach.

“Not (Y/N),” he says, and he brushes the security guard off with a little more force than necessary.  His eyes scan the rest of the screen and widen in horror.

“You're going after her with non-lethals?” he asks, trying to contain the simultaneous fear and rage that are spreading through his body.

“We have $26 million invested in that asset,” Masrani replies matter-of-factly.  “We can't just kill it.”

“She’s–” Owen stops himself.  “They’re going to die.  You need to call this mission off right now.”

-

As you creep forward through the underbrush, you can tell something’s wrong.  The forest is silent – no birdsong, no chirping insects.  Quiet.  As if the forest and everything living in it knows that there’s something that does not belong.

You check your smartwatch, which tells you that the tracking device is a mere 300 feet away.  You shake your head.  300 feet is too close.  At 300 feet, you should be able to see something as big and obvious as a white dinosaur.  

You hear the splash of a stream a short way ahead, and you suddenly see your commander, Hamada, put his hand up in a fist.  You and the rest of the team stop, waiting.  

Hamada crouches down and picks something up, though you can’t see what.  You strain your ears, desperate to catch anything, a crack, a screech, a breath.  Anything that’ll give you an edge.

Slowly, Hamada stands up, his eyes tracking something you can’t quite see.

A branch cracks.  A bird screeches.  And then the brush starts to move.

The Indominus Rex steps out into the clearing, its skin shifting from green back to its normal white color.

“It can camouflage!” Hamada shouts and dashes to get away, but it’s too late.  The Indominus lumbers forward, snatching Hamada as if he were a doll.  You watch in horror as he’s tossed through the air, only to be stepped on by the Indominus.

Your watch vibrates briefly, something that it had never done before.  When they’d told you that there’d be a function to tell you a teammate had died, you never thought it’d go off.

The clearing erupts into chaos.  Cattle prods and taser guns crackle to life.  You see some of your teammates fleeing, and you don’t blame them.  Every nerve in your body is telling you to run.

But you know that you’re the last line of defense between the Indominus and the unsuspecting tourists you’d seen earlier.  You had to try.

You brace yourself against a nearby tree, setting the Indominus in your sights.  As your teammates rush the indominus with cattle prods, you struggle to get a clear shot, ignoring the vibration that emanates from your watch every so often as your team is picked off, one by one.

You take the shot, but the charge barely phases the giant, as it snatches up another ACU trooper in its claws.  It’s become clear that none of the nonlethal weapons are working and the steady vibrations from your watch keep reminding you of the ever-growing body count.

“Fall back!”  You turn to see Austin, the next in the chain-of-command, calling out the order.  You spot a few of your teammates dragging Barclay, who's severely injured.  You start over to help, but spot Miller staring down the Indominus alone, trying to buy them some time with a shotgun.  

You whip your taser gun onto your shoulder and take aim, firing blast after blast without seeming to slow down the Indominus.  You’re so focused on hitting your target that you don’t see the Indominus’s tail swinging towards you until it’s too late.

As you fly through the air, you see the Indominus open its jaws and crush Miller.  You hit the ground with a splash in the stream, the wind knocked out of you.  

You’re face-down, unable to see anything but the rocks of the stream bed.  Your body goes rigid and you do your best to slow your breathing, trying your best to look dead.  

You hear the thud as Miller’s body drops to the ground and you hear the dull thuds of the Indominus’s footsteps, approaching you.  You squeeze your eyes tight and console yourself with the fact that if you’re about to die, at least you won’t see it coming.  And it should be pretty fast.

-

The voices around Owen are debating the pros and cons of evacuating the island, but the only sound he can hear is the steady beat of your heart.

Your body camera is dark, but Owen chalks it up to a technical malfunction, his eyes fixed on the increasing spikes in your heart rate that are still showing on the monitor.  

She’s alive.  She’s alive.  She’s alive.  

He repeats it like a mantra in his head.  You’re alive, and everything will be okay.

-

After what seems like hours, you hear the footsteps recede.  You wait for five, ten minutes before you slowly push yourself up, only to be met with a sharp, stabbing pain in your abdomen.  

The pain gets worse and the edges of your vision start to go dark.  You shift yourself out of the stream, laying down on your back as you lose consciousness.  As you drift off, your last thought is of Owen.  Once he knows what’s happened, he’ll come for you.

It’s a comforting thought, and you can only hope that you’re right.

-

Owen fears the unshed tears in his eyes prick as your camera moves, light flooding the lens.  The view shifts rapidly until the camera is pointed up at the treetops.  

But then you stop moving, and the view stays fixed.  

And that’s enough for Owen.

“Evacuate the island,” he growls, already turning around to walk out the door.

“We’d never reopen,” Claire protests.  

“Tell whatever’s left of Asset Containment to use live ammunition,” Owen says, pressing the elevator button.  “You have an M134 in your amor.  Put it on a chopper and smoke that thing!”

“Mr. Grady, if you're not gonna help, there's no reason for you to be in here,” Masrani says and Owen shakes his head, frantically jiggling the elevator button.

“I’m on my way out anyways,” he says.  “But I’d have a word with the people in your lab.  That thing out there, that's no dinosaur.”

The elevator doors slide open and Owen rushes inside, slamming his hand down on the button.  He punches the coordinates of the attack into his phone drumming his fingers nervously on the elevator wall.

He can’t get to you fast enough.

-

You fade in and out of consciousness, only able to hold onto the small things.  

The feel of the damp pebbles under your hand.  The taste of blood in your mouth.  The sound of footsteps approaching.

You grit your teeth and pull yourself up to a sitting position.  The pain nearly knocks you out, but you steel yourself and pick up your gun.

“Hey, hey!” a voice says, and you let yourself drop the gun and sink back to the ground.  Dinosaurs can’t talk and if they can, then you’re already dead and you’ve arrived in some weird afterlife.  “(Y/N).”

“Here,” you breathe out, barely able to muster more than a whisper.

“I see you.”  Suddenly, Owen’s face floods your vision and you breathe a sigh of relief.

“Owen,” you whisper softly and suddenly you feel weightless.  He’s carrying you, his strong arms supporting your body.

“I’ve got you, (Y/N),” he says, pressing a feather-light kiss on your forehead.  “I’ve got you.”

“I know,” you say, as you start to fade out of consciousness again.  “I knew you’d find me.”

[josephlrushing]

Huawei Watch GT 2: Smarter Bio-Tracking with Excellent Battery Life

Earlier this year, I reviewed the Huawei Watch GT; I was a huge fan of its long battery life and sleep tracking, but I felt its larger size might be an issue for those with smaller wrists, and I lamented the limited selection of watch faces. Well, the updated Huawei Watch GT 2 is here, and I’ve been wearing it for the past month. How does it compare?

Available with a 42mm case or a 46mm case, I was sent the larger version. The 46mm Huawei Watch GT 2 comes with a silver case and a pebble brown leather band, a black case with a sunset orange silicone strap, or the black case with a matte black silicone strap like I was sent. Included in the box are the Watch GT 2, a USB Type-C charging cable, a wireless charging cradle, a quick start guide, and a warranty card. Like the previous Watch GT, The 46mm Watch GT 2 can get up to two weeks of battery life with heart rate monitoring on, 90 minutes of exercise per week, sleep tracking, stress tracking, and 30 minutes of music per week; if you prefer to do continuous exercise with GPS, heart rate monitoring tracking, sleep tracking, and exercise tracking, you can expect up to 30 hours of battery life.

  How is the Huawei Watch GT 2 able to deliver such fantastic battery life on a 455 mAh battery? As was the case with the original Watch GT, the Watch GT 2 is not running Google’s Wear OS; you’ll have to add the Huawei Health app on your Android or iOS device to access the deeper watch settings, and you won’t get some of the Wear OS smartwatch traditional functions — like adding apps that you usually use from your phone, answering phone calls from your wrist, or replying to texts with your voice from your wrist. The watch doesn’t have its own 4G/LTE eSIM inside, and you can’t wake it by saying “Okay, Google.” You also won’t have Android Pay on your wrist. What you will get, however, is a semi-smart watch with solid battery life, excellent sleep tracking, an activity tracker, a heart rate sensor, tracking for sports activities including outdoor and indoor runs, outdoor and indoor walks, outdoor and indoor cycling, pool swimming, open water swimming, climbing, hiking, trail running, triathlon, elliptical, rowing machines, and other activities.

There are also 13 pre-programmed running courses that coach you through running activities ranging in time from 22 to 66 minutes; those running courses include run/walk primary (22 minutes), run/walk advanced (25 minutes), easy run (28 minutes), a fat-burning run primary (36 minutes), a fat-burning run advanced (46 minutes), fat-burning run MIIT (26 minutes), MAF180 primary (30 minutes), MAF180advanced (46 minutes), an aerobic endurance run (36 minutes), a long but slow distance run (66 minutes), a cruise interval run (29 minutes), a tempo run (26 minutes), and a HIIT run (23 minutes).

The Huawei Watch GT 2 case measures 47mm wide by 46mm tall (54mm from top lug to bottom lug), and 11mm thick; the watch is 13mm thick if you measure it at the slightly protruding circular heart rate monitor in the center of the watch’s back, but that will end up pressed into the top of your forearm so it doesn’t really count. With the rubber band, the Watch GT weighs 22.4 ounces. As with the original Watch GT, there are 24-hour marks etched into the GT2’s bezel, but they don’t really serve any purpose unless you are using a traditional numbered watch face and can match the hands with the 24-hour positions. On the right side of the watch, there are two buttons; the top button wakes the screen and pulls up the watch’s menu; menu items include workouts, workout records, workout status, heart rate, activity records, sleep, stress, breathing exercises, a call log, contacts, music, air pressure, compass, notifications, weather, stopwatch, timer, alarm, flashlight, find my phone, and settings. The bottom button can be programmed to open whatever function you would prefer — I set it to open the stress tracker.

The matte black silicone band has plenty of notch holes in it, so it will easily fit a variety of wrist sizes. If the black silicone band is too casual for you, you can easily swap out the included band with any other 22mm watch band; the Huawei Watch GT 2 strap has those easy to release pins that so many other smartwatches are using for easy band swapping.

On the underside of the Watch GT, there is an optical heart rate sensor and the two magnetic charging pins.

Even though this is a larger watch, its curved top gives it a sleeker appearance.

When turning the watch on for the first time, you’ll be instructed to download the Huawei Health app. I’m a little disappointed that Huawei hasn’t moved to a Qi charging pad or a multi-directional charging dock, but at least the magnets on the charging dock are strong, and it is easy to place the watch in the proper charging position.

Next, you can select your preferred language.

There was an update waiting on the Huawei Health app.

There are, once again, 14 watch faces to choose from. I have no doubt that these were all selected because they use the least amount of battery life possible, but I was bummed that the cutest face (in my opinion, anyway) was the Edges style, and it doesn’t display anything but the time. I might have liked the Sleek watch face as a runner up, but rather than displaying something useful like steps, the date, or a second timezone, the smaller dial displays the day; what day of the week it currently is isn’t usually something I usually have difficulty figuring out. The only customizations available are adding second times zones to the Urban or Resilient watch faces; that’s it, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was disappointed.

The Huawei Health app is decent for what it is, but it still has limitations like only accepting weight entries manually or from readings made on a Huawei Body Fat Scale, an Honor Smart Scale, or a PICOOC S1 Pro Body Fat Scale. I am still happily using a Withings scale, so while my weight is updated to Google Fit (which I have linked to the Huawei Health app), my weight doesn’t transfer over to this app. Oh well.

As with the previous version, the Watch GT 2 does an excellent job of tracking sleep as well as giving you useful insights into your sleep score.

My favorite new feature is the Stress level mode; the Huawei Watch GT 2 uses your heart rate, which is consistently being monitored as a means to measure your stress levels. Obviously, things like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and the drugs you take can affect your heart rate.

I loved being able to stop and perform a stress test at certain times just to see how I was doing. I realize that I could just look at my heart rate to get a general idea, but I found it oddly comforting to see visual proof that I was managing daily stressors.

Other features that you can easily access by swiping the watch’s screen to the right or left include your step count, the MP3 player (the watch has storage for up to 500 songs, but they have to be actual MP3s on your phone — not saved songs from a streaming service like Spotify. The next screen shows the weather, then there’s the screen showing the stress test, and finally, the screen showing your heart rate.

There is a speaker built into the watch, but you can also connect to the Huawei FreeBuds for your workouts (I’ll have the Huawei FreeBuds 3 review ready soon). One other thing worth mentioning is that you can opt to have an always-on standby watch face; using this feature will cut your battery life in half, so while it is nice, I don’t recommend it.

So just as it was with the original Huawei Watch GT, you arent going to get extra apps and voice features like you would with a Wear OS watch, but I think that you’ll find the Huawei Watch GT to still be plenty smart and full-featured. If you’ve dealt with shoddy battery life on other Wear OS watches, and you’ve longed to be able to track your sleep and daily activities without needing to charge every 24 (or fewer) hours, you’ll likely very much enjoy the Huawei Watch GT 2. Getting great battery life is a fair trade-off to me for not being able to use my watch to pay or track my Lyft.

The Huawei Watch GT 2 retails for $299.99, and it is available directly from Huawei if you live outside of the US; those of us in the US can get it on Amazon [affiliate link].

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Excellent build quality; Comfortable to wear while awake and asleep; You can swim with it on; Battery lasts roughly 2 weeks with heart rate monitoring on, 90 minutes of exercise per week, 30 minutes of music, notifications on, and 24-hour wear with sleep tracking; You can use it for accurate sleep tracking; Attractive watch design; You can swim (and track your swimming) with it on; Beautiful and bright touchscreen display; I like the new Stress monitoring feature; You can store up to 500 songs on the watch

What Needs Improvement: There are still only 14 available watch faces (and I’m not a huge fan of any of them); Might be a bit large and thick for petite people; You’ll have to manually enter your weight in the app unless you have a Huawei or Honor scale; You have to use the included magnetic charging dock (No Qi charging); Using the standby (always-on) watch face will cut your battery life in half

from Joseph Rushing https://geardiary.com/2019/12/02/huawei-watch-gt-2-review/