{"id":2213,"date":"2014-01-07T10:20:34","date_gmt":"2014-01-07T15:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.equipmentlink.org\/blog\/?p=2213"},"modified":"2014-01-07T10:20:34","modified_gmt":"2014-01-07T15:20:34","slug":"tactile-watches-a-consumers-review-1714","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.equipmentlink.org\/blog\/?p=2213","title":{"rendered":"Tactile watches – a consumer’s review, 1\/7\/14"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contributed by Joel Zimba, Special Projects Coordinator, MDTAP<\/em><\/p>\n

Informed consumer choice is one of our goals at MDTAP.\u00a0 Meaning, you, the consumer, must choose the assistive technology which works best for you.\u00a0 There are two aspects to this.<\/p>\n

In an ideal world all technology works well and performs as expected.\u00a0 This is not the case with any technology; unfortunately, it can also be true of expensive and complicated assistive technology.\u00a0 I have often seen two otherwise identical products function identically, except that one often fails to function.\u00a0 When selecting equipment for our loan library, we try to get the best products available.\u00a0 When clients report problems, we relay this information to prospective purchasers of this technology.\u00a0 We also would gladly tell you if a product spends more time in the shop than in the library.<\/p>\n

A more subjective form of informed choice is finding the best fit.\u00a0 This sounds simple and obvious, but each case is different.\u00a0 All too often, one small feature of one product works exceptionally well for a user, and that helps them make a decision.\u00a0 If two products seem to work equally well and are of similar price points, then it might be time to look at the service record.<\/p>\n

All of the above sounds great in theory.\u00a0 Here’s a story about assistive technology which blurs the lines of the informed choice camps.\u00a0 There are always trade-offs in life, especially with technology.\u00a0 This is my story of trade-offs.<\/p>\n

Tactile watches, often mistakenly referred to as “Braille watches” have been around for quite a long time.\u00a0 Some estimates say a century or more.\u00a0 The idea is simple.\u00a0 Find a way to tell the time without looking at your watch.\u00a0 This is obviously useful to people who are blind or low vision, but also great for someone working in low light environments or who simply wishes to be discrete.<\/p>\n

Tactile watches have been used by soldiers, miners, railroad engineers, and of course, blind people.<\/p>\n

The most common kind of tactile watch has raised markings around the face of the watch.\u00a0 The hands can be felt to see where they are on the clock face.\u00a0 Simple, yet highly effective.\u00a0 One might even say this is low-tech assistive technology.\u00a0 These watches are available from a variety of manufacturers.\u00a0 Many styles and price points are available.\u00a0 I’ve had the same one for nearly 15 years.\u00a0 I have had to have it serviced twice because I got it wet.\u00a0 These watches are rarely water resistent.\u00a0 They can also benefit from a good cleaning from time to time, as touching their delicate mechanism takes a toll.<\/p>\n

About ten years ago, Tissot released an excellent timepiece called the Silen-T.\u00a0 Their version of a tactile watch vibrates in different patterns as you move your finger around the watch face to tell the time.\u00a0 Now that we are all familiar with touch-screen technology, this has a bit less wizz-bang factor. \u00a0But, it’s still an excellent device.\u00a0 The Silen-T has the advantage of also having a tactile alarm.\u00a0 This is definitely moving out of the low-tech mechanical world and into the high-end technology for which Tissot is known.\u00a0 Here’s the trade-off–it takes longer to tell the time.\u00a0 It really just takes a moment or two to know what time it is with the conventional tactile watch discussed above.\u00a0 With the Silen-T, you may have to wait several seconds to be sure you got the time correct.\u00a0 I find this frustrating, but that alarm sure is nice, and not having to worry about getting your watch wet or having to have its guts cleaned is pretty cool too.<\/p>\n

In Fall of 2013,\u00a0 a new kind of tactile watch was funded on Kickstarter.\u00a0 Eone is a small company located in Washington D.C.\u00a0 They produced The Bradley Timepiece.\u00a0 Rather than touching the actual watch hands, a pair of ball bearings make their way around the circumference of the watch.\u00a0 The bearing on the front face indicates the minutes, while the bearing on the outside edge indicates the hours.\u00a0 It’s a great looking watch, and the internal mechanism is protected from the elements and from\u00a0 grimy fingers.\u00a0 Eone has a great idea here.<\/p>\n

In practice, The Bradley\u00a0 has some challenges.\u00a0 First, and probably biggest, you must have a delicate touch, as the bearings lose their magnetic clasp on the proper time quite easily.\u00a0 More unfortunate, the bearings often go on walkabout as my wrist moves through my daily life.\u00a0 Especially the hours indicator.\u00a0 If my arm is level, with the back of my wrist facing up, such as for typing, I would say the proper time is shown about 9 out of 10 times.\u00a0 Having the wrist in any other angle reduces the accuracy rating from there.\u00a0 True, it’s no big deal to hold your hand still and let the little guys roll to their appointed positions, but again, we’re back to taking a while to figure out the time.\u00a0 Even worse, it’s easy to decide it’s completely the wrong time.\u00a0 False positives are not so good in this business. \u00a0It is also quite large by many watch standards.\u00a0 It may easily overwhelm the wrists of many women.\u00a0 There may be mechanical considerations for this.<\/p>\n

This is of course the first generation Bradley from Eone.\u00a0 I think their idea is excellent, and I look forward to improvements. I am wearing it now, which brings me back to the trade-offs.<\/p>\n

As we all know, watches aren’t simply functional.\u00a0 They also perform double duty as fashion accessory.\u00a0 I dig the steam punk aesthetic of the Bradley.\u00a0 I like flicking the bearing and listening to it wobble back to rest.\u00a0 I like taking the time to find out where in their orbits the little spheres have gotten off to.\u00a0 It’s fun, and innovative and just plain cool.\u00a0 Three versions of tactile timekeeping.\u00a0 Each with pros and cons.\u00a0 There are trade-offs.\u00a0 I am fortunate enough to not have to select one and only one.\u00a0 I can switch between them at will.<\/p>\n

There is one tactile timepiece which I have not used.\u00a0 It’s a pocket watch called Meteor.\u00a0 It also tells time via vibration.\u00a0 One button for the hours and one button for the minutes.\u00a0\u00a0 Yet another example of how to solve a problem in an innovative fashion.<\/p>\n

The cost and ease-of-use of the standard mechanical tactile wrist watch will probably keep it the dominant variety for some time.\u00a0 It’s good to know there are options with their corresponding trade-offs.\u00a0 That’s one downside to informed choice–you might end up with a collection.<\/p>\n

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