Tag Archives: AMOLED

I Had Waited, Patiently, For Years For A ‘Pixel Watch’ — But Now The Newly Released Watch Leaves Me COLD!

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by Anura Guruge
on October 13, 2022

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Click to ENLARGE. From ‘Google’.

Yes, indubitably, IF I had not ‘recently’ (like 2-months ago) upgraded to a ‘Garmin’ ‘Epix Gen 2‘ watch, & was still wearing my ‘old’ Garmin ‘Venu 2‘, I might have felt more compelled to try out the Pixel watch. But, I retired the Venu 2 because I really needed more navigational tools on my wrist given my incessant ambling in the wilds of the ‘Bold Coast‘. And that is where the Pixel 2 falls short of my expectations.

Yes, with the Pixel I will have Google Maps on my wrist. That would be neat. But, what about all the other navigational widgets & APPs I have on the Garmin?

Plus, the Pixel does NOT have Multi Band Dual Frequency GPS for better-than-average GPS accuracy. Plus I have already read some reviews that CLAIM that GPS on the Pixel watch is below par on accuracy! Yikes. But, this needs confirmation.

Yes, it is TRUE that the Titanium, Sapphire Expix 2 I have costs 2.8 times that of the Pixel. So, it is not really fair to compare the two. It is not even an apples to oranges comparison; more like apples to pineapples.

As I said at the start, IF I was still wearing a Venu 2 I would have been more receptive to the Pixel. But, that is NOT the case. I can’t go backwards. Yes, I did go from an Garmin Fenix 6 to the Venu BUT that was because I am a sucker for AMOLED displays. The Epix 2 does have a lovely AMOLED. That was THE deciding factor.

So, that is where I am. I would have liked to have got a Pixel watch. I am a BIG Google fan — &, moreover, a Google shareholder. I will get a ‘Pixel 7 Pro’ for Christmas though my latest Pixel 6 Pro would only be 6 months old at that point. But, over the last few years treating myself to a new Pixel phone every Christmas has become a tradition. It would have been neat to have the matching watch. Well, that is unlikely to happen.

But, I will keep you posted on what I find about the Pixel watch as it gets more widely used.

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I Finally Have A ‘Garmin’ ‘Epix Gen 2’ Smartwatch On My Wrist — It Was Inevitable.

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by Anura Guruge
on September 1, 2022

Click to ENLARGE.

My ‘Fenix 6 Titanium’ & ‘Venu 2’.

Click to ENLARGE. The 22 smartwatches I have owned & worn since June 2017. Note most have been Garmins & mainly Fenix models

I said I doubt whether I would get a ‘Fenix 7’ & that indeed did prove to be the case.

The Epix Gen 2 was different; it has an AMOLED screen & I am a sucker for AMOLED screens. That is one of the reasons I finally decided to get an Epix 2.

I had been wearing my Venu 2, daily, only taking it off for charging, for 493 days. 1.35 year. That is a LONGTIME for me to wear the same smartwatch. The longest I had gone previously was 254 days with my Fenix 6 Titanium. I had worn the Venu 2 for nearly twice as long.

What I really missed on the Venu 2 was MAPS. I like to to have maps on my watch.

Plus, I don’t like to fall too far behind on Garmin technology.

I sold my Fenix 6 Titanium, to ‘BuyBackWorld‘ in July, to justify getting the Epix 2.

You will notice from the top two images that I am using the SAME WATCHFACE (‘Logos’) on the Epix as I had on the Venu 2! Yep, new watch, 2.5x the price BUT the same watchface. I really looked BUT I couldn’t find another that so met my needs. I will do a separate post, soon, as to that watchface. It is brilliant. It packs a LOT of data into that screen — & I love that.

So far, so good with the Epix. Some small changes when it comes to starting/stopping ACTIVITIES but no big deal. Just different.

Yes, the Epix 2 feels like a more substantial watch — which it is & which it has to be. It collects more data — especially with activities. That is good, though I really don’t need all of that.

But, I am glad I got it. I like it. The HUGE question is going to be what I will do when ‘Google’ finally gets around to announcing the long, long, long awaited ‘Pixel watch’. I always said I would get one. I am Pixel all the way. Crazy enough the one thing that will stop me will be the lack of a watchface with as MUCH DATA as I now have with Logos! That is crazy. There are some real nice ‘Wear OS‘ watchfaces BUT they never have enough datafields!

‘BuyBackWorld’ Lived Up To Their Promise When I Sold Them My ‘Garmin Fenix 6 Titanium Sapphire’.

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by Anura Guruge
on July 20, 2022

Click to ENLARGE.
Click image to access their Website.

I had never heard of them, let alone dealt with them, until the start of this month. I found them on a Google search. I checked the reviews & they seemed to be kosher. That PROVED to be the case. Their process is NOT as quick as they imply, BUT in time they delivered.

As you can see from the top image I started the process (i.e., ‘the order’) on July 4, 2022, online. That is when I got, via e-mail, my pre-paid USPS shipping label. I mailed my Fenix 6 in the next day, i.e., Tuesday, July 5, 2022. They received it & made sure it was inside the box on Thursday, July 7, 2022. I got an e-mail from them, on that day, to say so. So, that was FAST & impressive. Just two days.

Then I did NOT hear again from them until this past Monday, i.e., July 18, 2022. That, i.e., 11-day wait, was slightly unnerving. But, they said the Fenix passed their tests & that they would give me the price they had originally quoted $185. That was good. The watch was like new though I had worn it, 24×7 for 254 days. I was happy. The $185 was in my PayPal account today, July 22, 2022. So, 15 days since they got it.

As far as I am concerned, the process was slightly slower than I had expected, BUT it worked. They gave me the price they had originally quoted. They didn’t try to cheat me. That was good. YES, I would deal with them AGAIN!

I am ‘OK’ with the $185 I got for the Fenix 6. I probably would have got more if I tried to sell it on my own BUT I didn’t have to go through the hassle of dealing with online buyers. I had got the Fenix 6 back in November 2019. I didn’t pay for it in cash. I was given it for professional writing services performed. So, I never had a ‘proper’ dollar value for it in my mind. I was going to keep it, BUT now that I am used the bright AMOLED display on my ‘Venu 2‘ I really cannot see myself ever been able to cope with a non-AMOLED display! Hence the decision to get rid of it.

I am glad I ended up choosing BuyBackWorld. Yes, I am endorsing them.

Getting To Know ‘pOLED’ vs ‘AMOLED’ Screen Technology Prior To the Launch Of The Google ‘Pixel 6 Pro’.

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by Anura Guruge
on July 9, 2021

Click to ENLARGE. From ‘GIZMODO‘ (click here to access full post).
Good article on ‘pOLED’ technology. Click image to access full article.

As you can see from the ‘GIZMODO’ post (above) the two different models of the forthcoming Google ‘Pixel 6’ range will have different screen types. The smaller model will use Samsung’s ‘AMOLED‘ technology while the bigger model, with a superior camera module, will rely on LG’s ‘pOLED‘ technology.

By now AMOLED is a known technology renowned for its vivid, bright display characteristics — against a jet-black background. pOLED is relatively unknown & is easily confused with ‘PMOLED‘ (a technology not as good sa AMOLED).

pOLED a term coined by LG while Samsung came up with AMOLED.

LG kind of missed the boat with that name. It should have been called pAMOLED.

So, let’s quickly sort out these acronyms.

OLED = Organic Light Emitting Diodes (the underlying display methodology).

AM = Active Matrix, which basically allows each OLED to be individually controlled.

PM = Passive Matrix, where individual OLEDs cannot be selectively controlled.

p = Plastic (as opposed to glass).

AMOLED = Active Matrix OLED.

PMOLED = Passive Matrix OLED.

AMOLED displays are superior in terms of vividness, brightness & speed to PMOLED. All of today’s high-end mobile devices used AMOLED.

pOLEDs also used Active Matrix. So they are really p(AM)OLED rather than just pOLED.

What differentiates pOLEDs is that they are built with flexible plastic as opposed to more rigid & breakable glass. That it is plastic also makes it less expensive.

So, in terms of display quality AMOLED & pOLED are not that different. Different comes in the pOLEDs flexibility — which permits the cost-effective creation of curved or bendable displays. So, that is the story. OK?

I Get To Check Out The New, ‘Fitbit Luxe’ With Its Bright AMOLED-Display, Compliments Of ‘HRM USA’.

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by Anura Guruge
on July 1, 2021

Click images to ENLARGE.

The ‘Fitbit Luxe‘, on right, next to my ‘Garmin Venu 2’. They both have bright, AMOLED displays.
Click image to access the ‘HRM USA‘ listing.

It is cool. The best display I have ever seen on a fitness ‘band’ — since that is what it is. A band — albeit with all the core functionality you get with a modern, smartwatch. The AMOLED display really makes it stand out — & Fitbit provides 20 colorful watchfaces that make it stand out. It does not appear to have an ‘always on’ mode. This is fairly standard with AMOLED displays. ‘Always on’, with AMOLED, impacts battery life & can result in screen ‘burn through’. So, it is easier (& best) not to offer it.

I have only been wearing it for a few hours. Per the Fitbit APP it will collect all sorts of data in the hours ahead — especially when I am a sleep. So, looking forward to seeing what Fitbit has to say about my ‘condition’ tomorrow morning.

I am going to wearing it alongside my ‘Garmin Venu 2‘ — just higher up on my arm (using the longer strap that came with it). This will allow me to compare many of the stats. That should be interesting.

I will keep you posted.

Thanks, ‘HRM USA‘.