Citizen Smartwatches – YouQ
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Let us dive into the world of Citizen Smartwatches. Their latest smartwatch line offers a special feature called YouQ that uses research into alertness and fatigue from NASA as well as artificial intelligence models created by IBM Watson Studio to predict when you may peak and decline in alertness levels.
This feature may not be revolutionary, but it adds another intriguing component to wearable tech devices.
About The Brand of Citizen
Citizen has unquestionably made its mark in the watchmaking industry, thanks to their innovative designs that continue to improve their watches. Citizen boasts many firsts to their name which may explain its success.
Their watches have long been revered for their innovative technologies, with Eco-Drive being perhaps their best-known example. Launched in 1976 as the world’s first light-powered analogue quartz watch, Eco-Drive worked by using sunlight to power an analogue quartz watch by passing through a transparent dial and charging its secondary battery with sunlight; enabling months without battery changes required – quickly becoming one of Citizen’s hallmark watch collections and helping solidify environmental sustainability as a core value.
Citizen watches have always been known for their eco-conscious approach and exceptional craftsmanship, producing most watch movements and components themselves to ensure quality control is not compromised during production. Because of this dedication to excellence and production processes, their watches have proven so popular among military and aviation markets; NASA even chose Citizen as official timekeepers on multiple American space missions!
Citizen has long been recognized as a major force in designing and manufacturing watch movements, so it comes as no surprise that they are also major players in the smartwatch market. Offering both Google Wear OS-powered CZ Smart range as well as hybrid Citizen Connected models is no secret; unlike their competitors however, Citizen opts to focus on hardware design rather than software programming in order to compete more effectively against increasingly fierce competition in this increasingly challenging sector.
Their History
Citizen stands out among watchmakers by expertly manufacturing almost all components that go into its watches. Where other companies purchase movements and parts from outside sources, Citizen manufactures them all within its state-of-the-art factories – giving it an immense competitive advantage that allows it to create innovative timepieces at reasonable prices.
Citizen has made significant technological contributions to watchmaking through Eco-Drive, one of the first solar-charging movements introduced into watchmaking in 1976. Utilizing a special quartz movement designed for charging by any light source from sunlight to lamplight on your nightstand, Eco-Drive ensures no need for replacing batteries and makes watches more durable than ever.
The company also a pioneer of titanium watch design, pioneering models with soft yet lustrous surfaces crafted using their Duratect surface-hardening process that give titanium five times greater hardness than stainless steel for greater wear resistance and color combinations.
They have continued to develop its watchmaking expertise since the dawn of digital watchmaking, creating notable pieces like Caliber 0100; an Eco-Drive quartz caliber which tracks time to within one second per year without depending on radio-controlled or satellite-synchronized data from other clocks.
Citizen introduced its hybrid smartwatch, CZ Smart at CES 2023. Combining traditional hands with Wear OS functionality, it can monitor sleep and stress levels, track activity goals, encourage self-care practices and even provide you with assistance through an AI “self-care advisor”. Furthermore, this device boasts enhanced phone dialer app, smart battery modes and preloaded wellness apps such as Strava Noonlight Spotify for added functionality.
Their Most Popular Citizen Smartwatches
Citizen is an esteemed watch manufacturer renowned for its commitment to quality. Each product is meticulously manufactured using premium materials for maximum durability. Furthermore, their prices make them accessible to wide range of consumers, while their global distribution network ensures they can satisfy diverse consumer preferences.
Citizen offers many popular models, such as the CZ Smart which utilizes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100+ processor and boasts an elegant design. It also comes equipped with many similar features as other Wear OS watches like proximity payments, heart rate/blood oxygenation tracking, notifications from apps/calls/messages/activity tracking; GPS for tracking your location while hiking/traveling etc.
The main distinction between this Wear OS watch and other similar models is its YouQ app, which draws upon research on alertness and fatigue by NASA and IBM Watson Studio to help you gain an understanding of your body throughout the day. By combining Alert Scores and sleep data to predict when you will be most productive and then offer suggestions to enhance performance, YouQ provides invaluable insights.
Eco-Drive technology makes this watch stand out, converting light to energy to power the watch without needing battery replacements. While not as good at doing this as other Wear OS watches with GPS tracking or atomic clock sync features, Eco-Drive still makes for an impressive feature at such an attractive price point. Furthermore, its display can be tailored so only relevant information will show up.
Their Outstanding Features
Citizen Smart PQ2 watches were recently unveiled at CES 2023 with their second generation, featuring Citizen’s proprietary CZ Smart YouQ wellness application that utilizes research from NASA as well as AI models developed by IBM Watson Studio to help users better understand their own performance. It can be found both touchscreen and hybrid models of the Smart PQ2.
The CZ Smart YouQ app quickly learns a user’s chronotype (preferred timing for sleep and wake-up), along with information gleaned from an Alert Monitor test that mimics NASA’s Psychomotor Vigilance Task Test for astronauts at its Ames Research Center Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory, over 7 to 10 days and collates this data together. As a result, recommendations and advice to increase alertness can be offered by their watch in order to promote healthier lifestyles.
There are the same preloaded applications you would find on any smartwatch, including Google Fit, Strava, Spotify, YouTube Music and Amazon Alexa as well as GLONASS GPS to track your location while on the move and Bluetooth connectivity for connecting headphones or speakers. Furthermore, it supports iOS and Android smartphones while boasting 24-hour battery life.
Last but not least, it’s worth mentioning the unique design of this charger dock. Instead of small terminal leads that can be difficult to connect securely, this model features two circular lead tracks which make it easy to see whether or not your charging cable has been correctly seated.
Overall, the Smart PQ2 looks good and feels comfortable on your wrist, though its lack of innovation doesn’t impress us much; similar watches from other manufacturers may provide better results at less expense. Notification delivery was less reliable than with other Wear OS devices and the YouQ app was difficult to use as well.
Their Latest Innovations of Citizen Smartwatches
CZ Smart watches combine timeless watch design and purposeful function with cutting-edge technology and an AI “self-care advisor.” Compatible with iOS and Android phones, these wearables use Google Wear OS software. Incorporating proprietary wellness app YouQ powered by AI models developed with IBM Watson Studio research conducted at NASA to display alertness/fatigue levels throughout the day for maximum daily potential.
YouQ stands out as an innovative fitness tracker, using sleep tracking and customized, gamified tests designed to measure alertness. Additionally, its app displays daily “Power Fixes”, suggesting activities designed to boost alertness and minimize fatigue. While other fitness trackers mainly track physical activity levels, YouQ’s alertness metrics focus more on everyday tasks so the wearer has control of their daily life.
Citizen’s engineering team deserves special recognition for coming up with one of the smartest magnetic charging dock cable connections I’ve ever seen. Instead of using standard round terminal leads that can easily disconnect, they created circular lead tracks on the back of their case that appear as two concentric rings; this allows smaller leads to connect at any point along this track they touch.
Citizen CZ Smart Hybrid II may look and feel like a premium smartwatch, but its hardware may seem out-of-date by modern standards. It utilizes Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 processor – no longer one of the latest chips – however its performance remains good enough that new Wear OS smartwatches featuring Snapdragon 4100 chips may become available soon enough. Made from steel with black IP finish and featuring tapering bracelet instead of rubber or silicone bands like most Wear OS smartwatches; 44mm case features black IP finish with tapering bracelet – making this hybrid design standout from others on Wear OS smartwatches currently on offer by other makers.
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