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The Q Founder is one of the few Android Wear smartwatches to provide iOS support out of the box. Though, compared to the robust experience on Android that's flush with apps and features, Android Wear on iOS strips the smartwatch down into a simple second display that's reserved only for the most basic of notifications.
Say what you will, at least it gives iOS users more options than just the Apple Watch to scratch the smart wearable itch.
In terms of the apps available to you, it depends on your phone's operating system. While iOS users will be limited to the Q Founder's core functionality, Android users have the Google Play Store to peruse for native apps and a more expansive selection of watch faces.
I wouldn't be too surprised to see the support on iOS to expand in the future, but the fact that it currently works at all is a big deal for those who don't want to switch phones just to get the latest smartwatch.
Android users, there are a ton of apps to take advantage of. From money management software, to grocery list-makers, the abundance of practical apps to download is a good indicator of the wearable platform's health.
Of course, you can do a lot of other neat things from the wrist, like navigate via Google Maps, set reminders and shoot over text messages with just your voice. That already-large list of capabilities is set to expand with the arrival of Android Wear 2.0. We just don't currently know whether this watch will support the next version.
Battery life
The Q Founder packs in a 400mAh battery that promises all-day battery life. It's up there in terms of battery capacity when ranked against the competitors, but like the boosted specs, the larger battery here doesn't necessarily equate to a duration that's markedly improved.
Call it a weakness of Android Wear, or a limitation of the small, wrist-based form factor, you end up at the same place. These batteries aren't great, especially compared to battery-sipping wearables like the upcoming Pebble Time 2, which offers built-in heart rate monitor and promises 10 days per charge.
From 100% charge and on the lowest screen brightness setting, with gestures and always-on screen switched off, I was able to squeeze just over a day of use out of the Q Founder.
If you aren't one to mess with settings, you'll naturally see the battery drain much faster. By leaving the screen at its default brightness, with gestures and always-on screen flipped on, the Q Founder only lasted about 15 hours.
At its best, it beats the "all-day" target, but I'm not sure that should be celebrated as an accomplishment if most, if not all of Android Wear's marquee features needed to be switched off to achieve it, and that it needs to hop right back onto the charging cradle to endure another full day. I'd prefer to keep it on my wrist so that it can buzz me awake in the morning, but I have to leave it to charge at night.
