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Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

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Re: Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

#11

Post by usrusr »

jey wrote: post #2

Who's the target audience for this? Doesn't nearly everyone have a smartphone with an accelerometer, or will very soon?

Many runners don't like carrying a heavy smartphone during exercise. The iPod shuffle form factor does have a certain appeal to those.

The bad news (for pebble) is that runners have been using wrist mounted gadgets literally for decades (HRM watches go back to the 1980ies), so they are trying to leave the wrist in the single market where wrist-worn computers are actually established.

Re: Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

#12

Post by digi_owl »

Seems Pebble has lost their direction. Their original product was excellent. A information UI on your wrist.

But then came their update, and it was all about "timelines" (thanks but no thanks, i know where this is going having dealt with Facebook and Twitter "timelines").

And now this, whiskey tango foxtrot...

Re: Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

#13

Post by kingosticks »

eitally wrote: post #10
caractacus wrote: post #6

As a runner, I really don't see the point. I have a gps watch (Garmin) that records distance, time, pace, cadence, etc etc and shows it all to me on my wrist. Sure, there are people out there who just want to track a run but the use case for this - particularly with no display - seems very very limited.

Your Garmin can't play mp3s.

My TomTom Cardio can: https://www.tomtom.com/en_us/sports/fitness-watches/gps-watc...

But I wish it could play music from Spotify, specifically Spotify in offline mode... which this can! I'm sold.

Re: Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

#14

Post by sp332 »

digi_owl wrote: post #12

Seems Pebble has lost their direction. Their original product was excellent. A information UI on your wrist. But then came their update, and it was all about "timelines" (thanks but no thanks, i know where this is going having dealt with Facebook and Twitter "timelines"). And now this, whiskey tango foxtrot...

This has nothing in common with Facebook or Twitter timelines.

Re: Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

#15

Post by sp332 »

usrusr wrote: post #11
jey wrote: post #2

Who's the target audience for this? Doesn't nearly everyone have a smartphone with an accelerometer, or will very soon?

Many runners don't like carrying a heavy smartphone during exercise. The iPod shuffle form factor does have a certain appeal to those. The bad news (for pebble) is that runners have been using wrist mounted gadgets literally for decades (HRM watches go back to the 1980ies), so they are trying to leave the wrist in the single market where wrist-worn computers are actually established.

I don't think they're leaving the wrist. The Core only has 2 buttons, so all the UI is on the Pebble on your wrist. (Or on your phone.)

Re: Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

#16

Post by diego_moita »

yurisagalov wrote: post #8

I posted this on Twitter, but re-posting on HN for further discussion... A lot of people are going to be talking about how Core is a wearable for runners, but if that's all, we (and _especially_ we at HN) are missing the bigger point. The Pebble Core is what the Raspberry Pi should be - a fully functional computer so small it fits on a keychain. One way of thinking about the Pebble Core is as the new CPU at the heart…

That's what I thought, an upgraded and packaged version of Photon & Electron[1].

But Pebble needs to get serious about openness if they want this thing to catch on. There are already dozens of companies trying this on Ali-Express, Indie-Gogo, Kickstarter, etc.

It is not enough to be "developer friendly", they need an API that gives open access to all the hardware, including Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS controllers. They promised an Bluetooth LE API on Pebble for the end of 2015 and we have nothing so far.

https://www.particle.io/

Re: Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

#17

Post by 27182818284 »

jey wrote: post #2

Who's the target audience for this? Doesn't nearly everyone have a smartphone with an accelerometer, or will very soon?

I was looking at Pebbel the other day as sort of an entry into the smartwatch world for one.

Running and sleep tracking were secondary reasons. I'm glad I chose not to buy as I would have remorse with the "new version" of sorts being presented on Kickstarter.

Re: Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

#18

Post by usrusr »

sp332 wrote: post #15
usrusr wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many runners don't like carrying a heavy smartphone during exercise. The iPod shuffle form factor does have a certain appeal to those. The bad news (for pebble) is that runners have been using wrist mounted gadgets literally for decades (HRM watches go back to the 1980ies), so they are trying to leave the wrist in the single market where wrist-worn computers are actually established.

I don't think they're leaving the wrist. The Core only has 2 buttons, so all the UI is on the Pebble on your wrist. (Or on your phone.)

True. The pebble core should probably be seen as an alternative "server backend" that can stand in for the smartphone whenever one of the "fat client" smartwatches would be used in standalone mode. As that, it makes a lot of sense, literally filling a gap in the pebble lineup. And yet it may still find a market amongst non-smartwatch wearers as the "spotify shuffle".

Re: Pebble goes off wrist with Core, dedicated running gadget

#19

Post by a_small_island »

>"I ask him this question while we are sitting in a conference room in Pebble’s spacious new Redwood City headquarters, offices that became more spacious than intended because of the layoffs. (Instead of spreading over two floors, Migicovsky decided to squeeze the workforce into one.)"

Just another submarine piece, also I wonder if it's an open office?

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