[deleted]
Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
71–80 of 155 posts
Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
We're trying to make it as easy as Arduino to develop an app for your watch! To dodge the arm-gcc toolchain issue, we've built a cloudcompile system which allows all platforms Mac/Ubuntu/Windows to have an equally easy time compiling. Simply code your app in C, then run our python script to compile your code and load it onto your watch, wirelessly!
Also, your terms of service ( http://www.getinpulse.com/terms/ ) states that you claim rights over information I upload to sites run by Allerta. That must include code I upload to be compiled, correct? From the terms: "hereby grant to Allerta a perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license, with the right to sublicense, to reproduce, distribute, transmit, publicly perform, publicly display, d…
Good point.
As I mentioned, we're releasing the entire SDK with instructions on how to compile using the full arm-gcc, right on your local machine. We just started off with this cloudcompile service to make it super easy for everyone to get Hello, Watch! (http://getinPulse.com/apps/hello_watch) running.
We are developers ourselves and committed to providing the best experience possible. We'll work fast to get the full toolchain out there.
Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
#73You guys make Waterloo proud!
Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
#74For 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!
Can the watchband be removed to make it a pendant (or pocket watch) ?
Looks too big for a woman's wrist? Can't find actual dimensions...
Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hi Guys, Eric from inPulse here. We're trying to make it as easy as possible for people to develop for inPulse. That's why we've built a cloudcompile service. No messing with DLLs, drivers and other annoying parts of embedded coding. I think we've succeeded! In our beta testing, users were able to go from downloading the SDK zip to loading their first app on inPulse within 5-8 minutes. I think that's pretty impressiv…
It's certainly easy to use, as long as the server remains up. But do I still have full control over the code that I upload to you, or does it count as "user-generated content" in http://www.getinpulse.com/terms/ ? What privacy guarantees do you make regarding the code that I upload? (Hopefully very little; it is transmitted in the clear, after all..) We live in a world where device vendors (even small ones) routinely…
You've made some very good points. We'll strive to improve over time, and you comments/questions here will help guide us. Any and all comments are welcomed to devsupport@getinPulse.com
I encourage you to try out the hardware, throw it on your wrist and wait for the amazed looks from passersby. It's quite awesome having a net-connected terminal (I pair my inPulse with my Blackberry) right on your wrist.
Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
#76I'm puzzled to see such resoundingly positive feedback here. Props for the hard work on building this product out.
However, in a world of smart phones I can't imagine ever using a watch like this.
Watches have been relegated to primarily fashion items, I can't imagine why you'd want one that runs code.
Sorry for the harsh review, best of luck.
Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
#77Is Bluetooth the only way to get apps onto the watch? Also, Python is the language to program apps in? They only language?
Python is a scripting language used on the receiving end of the messages, not on the watch. The language for code you run on the watch seems to be C
Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
#78Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is interesting to note that the EZ430-Chronos can last about 6 months on a charge if continuously reading BlueRobin data (which is a one-direction wireless data) while this inPulse aparently can only last 2 to 3 days recieving data over bluetooth. Less powerful processor and cheaper display might be a good thing, depending on your uses.
From http://www.getinpulse.com/faq/ What is the battery life like? With aggressive power management (turning the screen off most of the time and leaving bluetooth disconnected), it can be up to 3 days. If bluetooth is constantly connected with the screen turning on periodically for alerts, you can expect 25 - 30 hours. If you have a processor-intensive application and are using the full capabilities of the screen non…
The _state_ of battery technology is the biggest issue _for_ inPulse. There's not much they can do, given the lack of viable battery technology available.
They _might_ be able to save a decent amount of battery life by using e-paper, but you lose color, and I'm not sure in practice you'd end up saving much power over the OLEDs they're currently using.
Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
#79This is a very hacker-unfriendly device. I wouldn't buy one. The SDK's compilation tool doesn't invoke a compiler; it uploads your code to a service running off of http://174.129.29.50:8080 . The Arduino is fantastic because the bootloader is open-source, the hardware is open-source, and it's easy to find out full information about the hardware and pull the MCU datasheets yourself.
I think it's a pretty good idea, but the ideal solution would be both a CAAS and the opened sourced toolchain that worked on at least one open source platform. Doing that is probably easier than releasing something cross platform like arduino, and for most people is going to be easiest to use.
Re: Show HN: Our new $149 hackable Bluetooth wristwatch
#80I'm puzzled to see such resoundingly positive feedback here. Props for the hard work on building this product out. However, in a world of smart phones I can't imagine ever using a watch like this. Watches have been relegated to primarily fashion items, I can't imagine why you'd want one that runs code. Sorry for the harsh review, best of luck.
Not a motor/bicyclist eh? :)
Having access to information without having to dig your phone out of your pocket (not to mention a phone you can't operate with sturdy gloves) is very useful in such situations.
Which reminds me; how "weatherproof" is this thing?