If they could get rid of that horrible bezel design, more people would probably buy their product. I still can't understand how they shipped the round with that HUGE bezel. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! Did no one want to tell Eric that that was a bad idea or was he just stubborn in wanting to ship it like that? Also, what was up with their terrible website design? SEE THIS FOR CONTEXT --> https://web.archive.org/web/201…
Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff
41–50 of 72 posts
Re: Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff
#42I never understood the appeal of smart watches. Aren't they like tiny screens for the phone in your pocket? Why can't you just use the phone? I don't own a smart phone either, but I understand why you would want one. But with smart watches I'm at a complete loss. Can some smart watch owner please explain what they like about having the watch?
1. While driving. You can easily take a quick glance at your wrist while your hands are on the wheel and your eyes are on the road. Rummaging around for a smartphone in your pocket is significantly more unsafe. I've saved myself 20 minutes on a couple occasions because my wife IMed me to tell me the place we were meeting up has changed, or that she'd already gone to the grocery store and I didn't need to stop there.
2. While exercising. A lot of people don't like to wear things with pockets while out for a run or cycle.
3. In a meeting. It's less rude and less obvious to glance at your watch than to pull your phone out and start fiddling with it.
4. While cooking. This is a pretty big one: oftentimes your hands are very messy and a call comes in, and you'd miss it if you washed your hands. This is also why half of Apple Watch owners have used their nose as an input device.
5. While carrying things. This is great at the grocery store; I always found having to juggle my bags to grab my phone out of my pocket to be a huge hassle. I can flick through my shopping list without dropping what I'm doing now.
6. When your phone is charging. I'm much more inclined to leave my phone in the charger when I'm home now, because I'll get notifications on my wrist if an important call or message comes in. This in turn frees me up to wear pants that don't have pockets at home, which are often more comfortable.
It's also great in general for screening your notifications so you don't have to take your phone out of your pocket.
I think that the best uses for it will actually come about later, when devs realize they aren't like tiny screens for the phone in your pocket. Rather, they're tiny computers that can deliver information to you in bursts of 1-5 seconds (and from you continuously). How many moments are there where the right information could've led you to make a very different decision? I've encountered several - knowing not to go to the grocery store because your wife has already been, or that the person you're meeting will be 15 minutes late, or that your meetup has changed locations, or that it's about to rain in 10 minutes and so it's time to cut my walk short. I can brainstorm several others: remembering that it's your client's daughter's birthday just as you're about to sell to them, or that the item you're looking at at the store is on sale on Amazon right now, or that your employees think that this presentation you're giving is full of bullshit. What else can devs think of? There are a lot of 1-5 second moments in the day, and historically, whenever computation has reached new situations new $100B businesses get founded.
Re: Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff
#43I never understood the appeal of smart watches. Aren't they like tiny screens for the phone in your pocket? Why can't you just use the phone? I don't own a smart phone either, but I understand why you would want one. But with smart watches I'm at a complete loss. Can some smart watch owner please explain what they like about having the watch?
My wife and I would be very sad if Pebble went away. Even "crippled" with iOS it is a huge improvement. * my phone is permanently on silent. Only my watch vibrates. I've found this to be much more professional. * good step tracker * I have an app that wakes me up between REM cycles. It's glorious! * I always know the time, you know, like watch people do * battery life and water proof -- I never take it off... One rea…
Re: Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff
#44I never understood the appeal of smart watches. Aren't they like tiny screens for the phone in your pocket? Why can't you just use the phone? I don't own a smart phone either, but I understand why you would want one. But with smart watches I'm at a complete loss. Can some smart watch owner please explain what they like about having the watch?
My wife and I would be very sad if Pebble went away. Even "crippled" with iOS it is a huge improvement. * my phone is permanently on silent. Only my watch vibrates. I've found this to be much more professional. * good step tracker * I have an app that wakes me up between REM cycles. It's glorious! * I always know the time, you know, like watch people do * battery life and water proof -- I never take it off... One rea…
Re: Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff
#45Re: Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff
#46If they could get rid of that horrible bezel design, more people would probably buy their product. I still can't understand how they shipped the round with that HUGE bezel. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! Did no one want to tell Eric that that was a bad idea or was he just stubborn in wanting to ship it like that? Also, what was up with their terrible website design? SEE THIS FOR CONTEXT --> https://web.archive.org/web/201…
To exaggerate your statement you're basically saying that Pebble is making a crap product that doesn't appeal to anybody, though that's provably incorrect by their market penetration. You could say that they could make a better product, but that's a very different argument.
Re: Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff
#47If they could get rid of that horrible bezel design, more people would probably buy their product. I still can't understand how they shipped the round with that HUGE bezel. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?! Did no one want to tell Eric that that was a bad idea or was he just stubborn in wanting to ship it like that? Also, what was up with their terrible website design? SEE THIS FOR CONTEXT --> https://web.archive.org/web/201…
Agreed. I really wanted to buy a Pebble, but that bezel is just atrocious. Really really bad. Especially the new round Pebble. I truly can't understand what they're thinking. By this point there should be minimal bezel. It is literally the only thing that turned me off buying one.
Re: Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff
#48Smartwatches always seemed like a fad to me. Part of the point with smartphones, at least to me, is to get rid of the watch. Smart or not. I used a watch throughout my youth and still remember when I got watch free. My wrists: free at last! It's also puzzling me a bit because the appeal of watches among people where e.g Apple is aiming their watches for given the price range, tend not to be about supporting the lates…
Re: Smartwatch firm Pebble lays off 25% of its staff
#49Plus, I'm a sucker for a traditionally crafted, Swiss-made watches!