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Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch

getinpulse.com

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Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch

#11

Post by brk »

rmah wrote: post #5

The devices look cool from a technical perspective. It could use a few more sensors (GPS, gyro/movement, temp, etc.) but I'm sure that will come. The only problem, I think, is that they're not very stylish. A bit too large/clunky looking. I'm not sure how to fix that while keeping the display a useful size. But that what geniuses like you guys are for!

If they really take off, I'm sure the design could become much smaller and more elegant over time.

I ordered one to hack about with. If it becomes part of my daily routine I'll probably have my jeweler in Detroit hook up a more attractive case and band for it.

Agree on the sensors, it would be nice to at the very least have a dead-simple accelerometer, but I also know what goes into bringing a piece of hardware like this to market. The $150 price point probably doesn't leave a ton of margin, and it's just on the cusp of not having to be a "considered purchase" for people. Adding more stuff would drive up the manufacturing cost and price into something that starts to become a $399 product and the number of experimenters who will buy one on a whim drops dramatically.

Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch

#12

Post by markszcz »

erohead wrote: post #7
markszcz wrote: post #2

Awesome!!!! They even look good too. I might think about getting one and whip up an Android library for people to use. Question to anyone reading this. What would be a good use to notify users? There was an article on HN about startups using a visual dashboard: http://mygengo.com/talk/blog/why-your-startup-needs-a-visual... I think something like that would be cool to have. Hook into your KPI's and have that informat…

We've even got a sample Android project to get you started. Download the SDK and example apps: http://www.getinpulse.com/images/pulse_sdk100.zip

Awesome thanks!

I just checked the specs, "4 days depending on display/Bluetooth use"

Even if its two days of full time use, thats great.

Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch

#13

Post by erohead »

JonnieCache wrote: post #8

For comparison: Texas Instruments sell something called the EZ430 Chronos watch, which has a much lower-res display, a proprietary RF protocol with a USB transceiver, and a bunch more sensors including 3-axis accelerometers, pressure and temperature. It is based on the MSP430 microprocessor which is much less powerful than this thing, its capped at 16mhz or something IIRC and only has around 8K of program space. It i…

Yup, but we've got Bluetooth, a fantastic OLED screen, and example Python, Android, Blackberry code!

Also, we're right here on HN to answer your questions!

Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch

#14

Post by growt »

erohead wrote: post #13
JonnieCache wrote: post #8

For comparison: Texas Instruments sell something called the EZ430 Chronos watch, which has a much lower-res display, a proprietary RF protocol with a USB transceiver, and a bunch more sensors including 3-axis accelerometers, pressure and temperature. It is based on the MSP430 microprocessor which is much less powerful than this thing, its capped at 16mhz or something IIRC and only has around 8K of program space. It i…

Yup, but we've got Bluetooth, a fantastic OLED screen, and example Python, Android, Blackberry code! Also, we're right here on HN to answer your questions!

Ok first question:

Why only one button?

Two would have been really nice for most things (like back and forward in powerpoint/itunes).

Edit: Another one:

Why don't you ship outside the US/Canada? I considered buying one, but I'm in Germany :(

Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch

#16

Post by erohead »

growt wrote: post #14
erohead wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, but we've got Bluetooth, a fantastic OLED screen, and example Python, Android, Blackberry code! Also, we're right here on HN to answer your questions!

Ok first question: Why only one button? Two would have been really nice for most things (like back and forward in powerpoint/itunes). Edit: Another one: Why don't you ship outside the US/Canada? I considered buying one, but I'm in Germany :(

We choose one button to keep it simple (and quicker to get to market). You can do a lot of things with just one button, just look at the single button on the iPhone! For example, you can do two actions, like click and click-hold.

Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch

#19

Post by spiffworks »

erohead wrote: post #13
JonnieCache wrote: post #8

For comparison: Texas Instruments sell something called the EZ430 Chronos watch, which has a much lower-res display, a proprietary RF protocol with a USB transceiver, and a bunch more sensors including 3-axis accelerometers, pressure and temperature. It is based on the MSP430 microprocessor which is much less powerful than this thing, its capped at 16mhz or something IIRC and only has around 8K of program space. It i…

Yup, but we've got Bluetooth, a fantastic OLED screen, and example Python, Android, Blackberry code! Also, we're right here on HN to answer your questions!

Hey, I know this must be there in the sdk docs somewhere, but can the knob on the side of the watch be used as an input device? Also, I wish I had more upvotes to give you.

EDIT: Oh, never mind, just saw that its a button, not a knob.

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