All I want is an analog watch that shades the face of the watch when I have calendar events coming up. That's it. No screen, no pings, no nothing. Just the ability to check my watch and see how long till my next appointment. Unfortunately, [this kickstarter watch](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1540240985/calendar-wat...) is now dead.
The quest for a simple smartwatch
11–20 of 232 posts
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#12I have not personally used, but looks like banglejs[0], a fully hackable watch with GPS and a good battery life (4 weeks claim) is proabably the best successor for Pebble [0] https://banglejs.com/
I have worn a Bangle.js daily for 2 years (I have both the original and the version 2). I really like the watch, it is easy and fun to program. But I'm not sure it's what OP is after. The requirements are: > Phone notifications (so I don’t miss calls/ texts) > Step counting > A long battery life Bangle.js doesn't connect to your phone at all, so you won't get any phone notifications. I don't personally use step count…
Another enthusiastic Bangle.js user here: I had the original and used it, programmed it until the strap (integrated into the body) broke.
Apparently you can actually connect it to phone notifications using gadgetbridge[0] but I didn't have much success when I tried it. The BLE was a little flaky at the best of times (pairing to a PC for programming failed more often than I'd like).
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#13The Amazfit ones are fine, I get the reliability concern but when it's 1/4 the price of a Garmin you can buy one and buy another if it breaks. I don't really get the complaint about it being "too simple" - isn't that exactly what he was after?
Like MP3 players 10-20 years ago, I suspect there's "a market" for a simple smartwatch, but not a very profitable market. So your choice will be the expensive Apple version (and maybe a couple of other luxury brands) or the basic no-name Chinese manufacturer version.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#14If you get a used Pebble off of eBay, you can still bring it back to life with https://rebble.io/.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#15I have not personally used, but looks like banglejs[0], a fully hackable watch with GPS and a good battery life (4 weeks claim) is proabably the best successor for Pebble [0] https://banglejs.com/
Third enthusiastic Bangle JS supporter. The hardware is fine, but the ecosystem that comes with it is the best part. The excellent documentation makes it easy to make your own watchface or application.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#16All I want is an analog watch that shades the face of the watch when I have calendar events coming up. That's it. No screen, no pings, no nothing. Just the ability to check my watch and see how long till my next appointment. Unfortunately, [this kickstarter watch]( https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1540240985/calendar-wat... ) is now dead.
That's a super nice watch design; too bad it died. I know it's not what you want, but that interface is slick enough that I wonder if there's a good implementation of the same UX for an existing smart watch.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#17I want to see more wearable tech besides watches. I've never been a fan of things on my wrist, but I have a problem of missing calls from my wife when my phone is on vibrate. I don't need a screen, just something that is close enough to my body to always vibrate noticeably without being uncomfortable.
I think Sony had one of the few smart wristbands for analogue watches but IIRC its japan only. I found the idea quite nice, a small led row display to show whos calling for example and the wristband looked like a normal band for the watch.
Havent found anything like that since that Sony one
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#18Was talking to an older lady the other day.
Very non-tech. Only uses an iPhone and an Apple watch. No laptop or tablet/iPad.
Gets a surprisingly large quantity of things done via her phone.
My phone is an Android. She shared 2 things her iPhone can do that I don't think my phone (OnePlus 7 pro) and watch (Amazfit T-Rex 2) combination can do:
- she can always find out where she parked her car
- her watch buzzes to warn her if she leaves her keys or phone behind in her car. I think she has some airtag type of thing in her keyring.
Surprised that Android phone + watch combination doesn't already natively offer these features (with easy discoverability).
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#19Watchy is something that you could customize to meet your needs. Looks like it has an accelerometer to do step counting.
Re: The quest for a simple smartwatch
#20All I want is an analog watch that shades the face of the watch when I have calendar events coming up. That's it. No screen, no pings, no nothing. Just the ability to check my watch and see how long till my next appointment. Unfortunately, [this kickstarter watch]( https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1540240985/calendar-wat... ) is now dead.
Automatic mute isn't part of it, but I enjoy the "my day" watch face on my Galaxy Watch. It shows a simple analogue clock, the date, and an abstract time line around the edge of the watch representing calendar appointments. You can also tap the little blue lines to get a quick overview of the details without opening the calendar app on the watch.
I'm not sure if this is available for other platforms. If not, there's money to be made, especially if you can add some kind of auto mute feature.