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Apple Watch: Seven Weird Features

The Apple Watch Can Do Some Really Weird Stuff
Thomas Tamblyn

The Apple Watch is finally here and has -- we think it's fair to say -- surprised more than a few of us with its all-new interface.

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Apple has built an operating system specifically for the watch which uses both the touchscreen and an interactive dial called the 'Digital Crown'.

For interacting with other people however Apple has gone a bit outside of the box, rather than use actual words Apple wants you to try everything else from drawing to what looks like wrist-mounted morse code.

Apple Watch: Seven Weird Features
Emoticons(01 of06)
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Been sent some words asking a question? Well rather than send words back Apple's built a range of super-cute animated emoticons that'll bounce around the recipient's screen. Of course you could be really boring and send some words back via a list of contextually prepared templates that you simply tap to send.
Digital Touch(02 of06)
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It may be a small screen but Apple wants you to use it nevertheless. With a 'Digital Touch' display that can register both light taps and longer firm presses you can draw shapes that'll be sent straight to the person you're talking to. We're not sure whether this will become anything more than a gimmick but the feature is there just in case.
Walkie Talkie(03 of06)
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Who'd have thought it. Years after being invented and then replaced by the phone, the two-way radio is back in the form of 'Walkie Talkie'. Apple Watch lets you record short clips and send them to another Apple Watch. Designed for people who miss the days of telegrams and can only speak in short abrupt sentences.
Heartbeat(04 of06)
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Well this is sweet. Using the optical heart-rate monitor on the back of the device Apple Watch can measure your heart rate, record it and then send it to someone. Just hold down on the screen with two fingers and it'll send it over. It's a ludicrously gimmicky feature that actually uses some really cool technology underneath it. Whether or not that'll make it a success remains to be seen.
Taptic Feedback(05 of06)
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Rather than use the term Haptic, Apple has gone with 'Taptic' because ultimately, the vibrations through the Apple Watch feel like you're being tapped on the wrist. See what they did there? Well if you're bored of sending smiley faces, or drawing shapes then you can always send taps. Apple marketed it as a way of creating recognisable patterns that your friends would recognise as meaning certain things. So three taps in a triangle could mean 'You won't believe what I saw John doing the other night', and so forth.
Fitness App(06 of06)
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Apple is going big on fitness and health which is why the Watch brings with it an all-new fitness experience. The new fitness app measures not only the amount of exercise you do but also how often you're standing up. It's a well-documented fact that simply sitting in an office all day is actually pretty bad for you so Apple's new app will gently remind you to stop gazing into the distance and at the very least go for a wander around the block. That's either great parenting or downright invasive.
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