Is it possible to create a watchface that contains seconds. According to the programmers guide, onUpdate is only called once every minute for watchfaces and its not possible to create a timer in a watchface.
It could be he just forces the seconds to be ":00" in low power mode, so it displays "nice".
If you choose to display seconds in low power mode, I believe it updates on the first minute and then every minute thereafter, so you see :00 after a bit. I'm pretty sure that it doesn't actually wait 1 minute from the time it entered low power mode.
I'll let you in on a little secret: The default watch face does not run on the main processor, but instead runs on a much lower power micro which doesn't have enough memory to run Connect IQ. It honestly doesn't have enough memory to hold the screen buffer; I work with some mad/crazy embedded hackers here at Garmin. All that for a second hand.
We face similar challenges to other smart watches when it comes to balancing functionality and power usage. I think all smart watches have been figuring out how to offer the customize-ability of custom watch faces without killing the battery for the use cases the devices is intended before. We're starting with a conservative approach, but it could evolve over time.
-Alpha Monkey
Thanks for sharing (I know I'm a bit late to this thread!). Perhaps this explains why we currently do not have the option to show the current temperature - via smartphone (using location through the Connect, like the Accuweather MinuteCast widget), not the watch's internal sensor - as a data element on the default watch face. While this is pretty standard on other much less capable, smartwatches, I imagine that's part of the reason why the F3's battery life is better. Do you think this is something that could 'evolve over time'?
Thanks for sharing (I know I'm a bit late to this thread!). Perhaps this explains why we currently do not have the option to show the current temperature - via smartphone (using location through the Connect, like the Accuweather MinuteCast widget), not the watch's internal sensor - as a data element on the default watch face. While this is pretty standard on other much less capable, smartwatches, I imagine that's part of the reason why the F3's battery life is better. Do you think this is something that could 'evolve over time'?
From a watchface, you don't have access to either sensors (internal temperature sensor or Tempe for example), or to do any comm (get something from phone or internet). To do this, it's got to be an app or a widget
I did something that kind of looks like a watchface, but is an app, so I can display the Temperature from a Tempe. It only update every minute, but it does drain more of the battery and isn't meant to be someone's every day watchface. I have a similar app in the works that gets the weather data from the internet, where the screen updates every minute and it updates it's weather data from the net every 20 minutes (configurable), and that one still uses more battery than a watchface, but actually less than the version that uses the Tempe.
From a watchface, you don't have access to either sensors (internal temperature sensor or Tempe for example), or to do any comm (get something from phone or internet). To do this, it's got to be an app or a widget
I did something that kind of looks like a watchface, but is an app, so I can display the Temperature from a Tempe. It only update every minute, but it does drain more of the battery and isn't meant to be someone's every day watchface. I have a similar app in the works that gets the weather data from the internet, where the screen updates every minute and it updates it's weather data from the net every 20 minutes (configurable), and that one still uses more battery than a watchface, but actually less than the version that uses the Tempe.
Sounds like the SDK is pretty limited. Looking forward to seeing the second app you describe (with the non-Tempe temp)
There are many CIQ watch faces that show seconds all the time. There's a hardware restriction where not all watches support the feature, but it first appeared with the f5/935.
