I bought an Oceanic Atom 3.0 in December. It came with the wireless transmitter and the data download cable. All brand new, from my LDS, for $550. They MAY even still have some at that price. I haven't checked in a few months.
I really could not be happier with it. The WAI has worked flawlessly. The data, particularly regarding my RMV, is very educational to look at once downloaded to Subsurface. I really like the wristwatch form factor. I rarely whack it on things (diving or during an SI) because it is so small/low profile. I have masks with reader lenses in them so reading it easily is no problem. Without reader lenses, I can still read the big numbers - I just can't read the smaller print of the labels that tell me what each number is. But, when I was originally diving it with no reader lenses that wasn't a problem because it was always pretty obvious to me what each of the numbers was without needing to read the labels.
It supports 3 gases, though I'm not sure when I'd ever take advantage of that. On a Rec dive, I'd only ever have a second gas if I were to take a pony bottle. And if I'm using the pony, that means I've run into an emergency situation and I'm just concentrating on getting to the surface. Not sure I'd be bothering to do a gas switch on my computer at that point.
And if I were doing a Tech dive, I'd be using a computer with proper tech diving features, so still not relying on the Atom for anything related to gas switches.
Also, the Oceanic/Aeris family of computers generally seem to be among the most liberal computers (for NDLs, on repetitive dives) out there - if you choose to use the more liberal algorithm. I did 2 dives last Sunday. First was to 112'. Total dive time was something like 38 minutes, with an average depth around 77'. I had a 1 hour, 34 minute surface interval, then did the next dive, which happened to be almost the exact same profile. My computer gave me enough NDL on the second dive that I still ended up with an EDT of 31 minutes or so (IIRC), with the same max depth and approximately the same average depth.
I haven't ever heard anyone claim that the Oceanic algorithm is so liberal as to be unsafe. So, I really appreciate how much bottom time I got on Sunday and am glad I was not using a more conservative computer. From the research I have done, I believe that there are a number of other popular computers out there that would have probably given me a bit less NDL time on the first dive and a fair bit less on the second dive.
If you are shopping for a computer and looking at the Atom, be aware that the Atom 3.0 and 3.1 only have one difference. The 3.0 has the Buddy Check feature. The 3.1 had that feature removed due to a patent infringement lawsuit. That is the only difference between them. Yet the 3.0 can be found for cheaper (if it can be found at all) because there is a "newer" model out that superseded it.
For the record, I also have an Aeris A300 XT console (computer, SPG, and compass) which I dive with as my backup. I like knowing that, if my primary computer fails, having my backup computer along on every dive means I could finish my current dive and continue on with my next planned dive and my backup computer would have all the same tissue-loading info as the primary, so I would not have to be guessing about the tissue loading I took on during the dive where the primary failed. And, conveniently, the A300 uses the same algorithm as the Atom, so I don't get issues where I'm fine according to the Atom, but I'm in deco according to my backup. It seems to me that, if you dive with two computers, you should be following the NDL of whichever one is most conservative. Though maybe that's really not such a big deal for normal Recreational diving. I do know that my dive buddy last weekend had 3 computers. One of them went into deco on one of our dives. He hung on the line long enough to let that one clear before we got out, so that he wouldn't get hassled for violating a deco stop by a mate or the boat captain when we got back aboard.
---------- Post added July 30th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ----------
There are several recent posts expressing concern or even dismay at the sad state of affairs when it comes to divers and their dive planning, and especially gas management. I believe this entire thread is presumed to be in the context of Recreational diving. I mean, nobody is really, seriously trying to debate the use of WAI in Tech diving, right?
So, when you are talking about Rec diving, why do you (those of you that do) think dive planning and gas management is such a big deal?
I mean, for just about every one of my 35 dives, so far, the dive plan and gas management has been the following:
Me: "What's the max depth here?"
DM: "X"
Me: "Okay. The dive plan is to get in and swim around and go no deeper than X. Then get out before we run out of NDL."
Me: "The gas management plan is to be back on the boat with 500 psi left."
Or, occasionally:
Me: "The gas management plan is to be back to the anchor line and starting the ascent with 1000 psi left."
I don't really consider that to be real dive planning and gas management planning. Yet, it seems perfectly adequate for Recreational diving. So, are you saying there should be more to it than that? If so, what and why?
If my normal planning and management is adequate, then I definitely don't see how WAI is dumbing things down compared to having a HP hose with an SPG - and even using tables instead of a DC. With tables and an SPG, I could look up the max depth on a table, to get the NDL, before I get in, and then set a dive watch to count down that much time. I suppose you might consider that "educational" and, thus, desirable for people to do. Even with that, I would still just be getting in and watching a countdown timer and my pressure gauge/readout to make an on-the-fly decision about when to ascend and get out. Same as if I am flying a WAI DC.
Anyway, planning with tables versus flying a computer is kind of a different discussion that what this thread is about. Air integration versus a dedicated SPG doesn't really seem like it really makes any significant difference to how someone would dive - other than AI *possibly* making the dive a little safer, in the case it tells the diver to get out sooner because the computer has figured out the diver is going to run out of air.