Only a few things keeping it from perfection
I'm not sure where I first saw this item (Game Time Men's MLB team Schedule Series watch in my case Washington Nationals) but it looked like a really neat gadget and nearly instantly appealed to me because well it's a gadget and because it relates to my being a baseball fan.
I'm sure that I could find some means of getting a schedule for my favorite team or perhaps all of the teams in MLB into one of the portable devices that I carry around be it my 'Smartphone' or my iPod Touch but then again I don't always carry my iPod Touch and I'm too frugal to pay for a data plan to use with my Smartphone (I have a Smartphone so I can sync my contacts and schedules with my PC but I don't carry a data plan as I don't want to shell out that much money for what really seems to be a limited network usage experience).
When I'm home I can easily check the team schedule online or I could just check in the "old school" printed newspaper and find the daily match-up information if I want to but then I tend to simply glance at the information when I do see it and not remember it later in the day as game time rolls around. (Some may ask why not surf for such information while at work and the answer to that question is that while it's ok to check news sites and such the internet at work is really supposed to be used for work and not for amusement...)
Anyway as I mentioned above I grew intrigued with this device from pretty much the moment I first saw ads for them online. I wear a watch nearly all of the time and having the schedule information where I can look at it quickly and easily (at a glance) is really nice. Add in the melody feature that plays the "Take me out to the ballgame" tune when the game is starting and you have a pretty nifty little gadget.
I mention in the review title that a few things keep this item from perfection. What are those things? One would be that there are parts of the information on the display that are hard to read/see. The LCD font is good but not perfect and some parts of some letters on the display are a bit thin and not as clear as one might wish for. The team logo takes up a healthy portion of the display space and is merely stenciled and/or painted onto a small covering over the bottom third (give or take) of the display. If that logo were perhaps a bit smaller then there might be more room to enlarge the fonts on the screen a little. That said well part of the appeal of this watch is having the logo for your own favorite team displayed for others to see your team spirit so I don't expect future versions will be all that different.
One of the other things holding back perfection is the cost for future schedule downloads and the worry that such updates might not be available for some reason or another (if the leagues decide to stop doing business with the makers of the device as an example). The device ships with a special USB cable and adapter that connects the device to a PC (sorry Mac users the device's instructions don't mention Mac at all and simply state the operating systems supported as "Windows ME Windows 2000 and Windows XP". That said it appears that Windows Vista wouldn't be a problem at all...) and users are instructed to visit the manufacturer's website at www.schedulewatch.com Once you connect to that website you'll find that the manufacturer charges a nominal fee ($9.95 at the time this review is written) for schedule updates. The process appears to be fairly straight forward and simple enough and is documented nicely in the simple and clear instructions that come with the device.
I mention that the instructions are simple and clear and they are just that though I note at least one part of the instructions that was wrong -- the procedure that tells how to turn off the melody shows the wrong button. It was easy enough to experiment and find the proper button but it could be frustrating trying to follow the instructions only to find that you just can't turn off the melody (which seems to be defaulted to being 'on' when you purchase the device).
On the plus side the battery for the device is user replacable in what seems to be a very easy process. The back of the device offers a cover that can easily be opened by using the edge of a penny or similar coin. Turn the battery cover clockwise and it should pop off easily enough and allow quick access to replacing the CR2032 battery.
Possibly related to that plus is another slight negative the device is NOT really water resistant. The instructions note Water/splash resistant only -- do not submerge. It would be nice to be more assured that the device would be more water resistant so owners/users wouldn't need to worry about keeping it from getting soaked but I expect that the device would be just fine if you don't try to swim with it on.
That about covers things for this review. If you're looking for a buy it or not recommendation I'd say this is easily something that is worth spending your money on even if the price seems a little high compared to budget priced watches that can be found so easily. The Game Time Men's MLB Schedule Series watch seems to be constructed to be relatively durable with a bezel that helps protect the LCD display and should help prevent scratching and other damage.
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