Open Source Smartwatch • Hacker News Board

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#41

Post by willis936 » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:12 PM UTC

Waterluvian wrote: post #25

This is really cool. $25 is quite impressive too. A GPS would be killer though. But doesn't quite scratch the itch that I've got for a higher level open source wearable or tablet (think IP67 Raspberry Pi tablet or watch) The key is that like this watch, the hardware is done and "consumer" ready.

Even the Pi Zero uses an order of magnitude more power than you want in a watch.

A Pi tablet would be a very fun toy. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t something available for that now but may be bulky.

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#42

Post by codecamper » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:12 PM UTC

Waterluvian wrote: post #25

This is really cool. $25 is quite impressive too. A GPS would be killer though. But doesn't quite scratch the itch that I've got for a higher level open source wearable or tablet (think IP67 Raspberry Pi tablet or watch) The key is that like this watch, the hardware is done and "consumer" ready.

My fitbit charge 4 has gps, but what's it good for? I look at my runs and it shows a circle.

I guess if I were out hiking it could be pretty nice to see where I've hiked. But that seems like such an edge case for 97% of people.

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#43

Post by swetland » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:17 PM UTC

ctz wrote: post #37

Does this mean there's a free and open-source version of the Nordic softdevice?

I'm not aware of anybody reproducing the exact softdevice design, but there are open source BLE stacks out there that run on the nRF528xx family, for example:

https://github.com/apache/mynewt-nimble

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#44

Post by m-p-3 » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:19 PM UTC

pistoriusp wrote: post #14

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check out the Amazfit Bip (S) watch. Cheap, sleek, waterproof, gorilla glass always-on display, battery lasts a month, does GPS tracking without smartphone connection and you can sync it via Gadgetbridge to keep all your data private without any account/cloud services.

Unfortunately they no longer make them. Or at least I could not find any to be bought.

I bought mine on AliExpress a couple of months ago.

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#45

Post by lormayna » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:21 PM UTC

Doctor_Fegg wrote: post #4

Interesting. Shame there’s no GPS, though. As a cyclist I’d love a hackable GPS device that isn’t a (fragile, bulky) smartphone.

As cyclist, the best option would be to have an hackable cycling pc with speedometer, hearth rate monitor, cadence and power meter. You can create then a bunch of applications for better training.

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#46

Post by pantalaimon » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:22 PM UTC

sgt wrote: post #17

Has anyone thought about the potential of using these in embedded projects? It already has a powerful processor, and some outputs/inputs should be possible to reach by having a breakout board, and it comes with a screen so it would be useful for on-site configuration and diagnostics.

A nrf52840 dongle would be more useful for that

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#47

Post by Waterluvian » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:22 PM UTC

willis936 wrote: post #41

Waterluvian wrote: post #25

This is really cool. $25 is quite impressive too. A GPS would be killer though. But doesn't quite scratch the itch that I've got for a higher level open source wearable or tablet (think IP67 Raspberry Pi tablet or watch) The key is that like this watch, the hardware is done and "consumer" ready.

Even the Pi Zero uses an order of magnitude more power than you want in a watch. A Pi tablet would be a very fun toy. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t something available for that now but may be bulky.

Good point about the watch!

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#48

Post by pantalaimon » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:23 PM UTC

vuciv1 wrote: post #23

Ah, I don't see sleep tracking. Gimme sleep tracking and I'm in!

well it's all open source, so you can add it yourself

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#49

Post by mbreese » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:25 PM UTC

solarkraft wrote: post #30

TekMol wrote: post #12

I would totally buy it if I could order it locally in Europe. When I ordered a PinePhone from Hong Kong, it was just too much of a hassle for my liking. Waiting for an indefinite amount of time until it gets shipped and then deal with customs. I wonder how many customers there are per country. Would it make sense to have local distributors around the world? Or maybe at least one per continent?

The PinePhone is a special beast that had or still has some supply issues AFAIK (also with the higher value customs issues are more likely). I personally had no issues ordering stuff from Pine64, albeit it did take long.

It’s not a special beast. Everything I’ve ordered from there has some issues with shipping (maybe the rock boards are better). But honestly, that’s to be expected and they make no claims to the contrary. Hopefully the shift to a commercial store will make this better.

Re: Open Source Smartwatch

#50

Post by sgt » Sat, Jan 02, 2021, 2:31 PM UTC

pantalaimon wrote: post #46

sgt wrote: post #17

Has anyone thought about the potential of using these in embedded projects? It already has a powerful processor, and some outputs/inputs should be possible to reach by having a breakout board, and it comes with a screen so it would be useful for on-site configuration and diagnostics.

A nrf52840 dongle would be more useful for that

Yeah but does it come with a screen and buttons?