Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch • Hacker News Board

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#131

Post by Markoff » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:13 PM UTC

insane_dreamer wrote: post #108

Markoff wrote: post #73

same here with Amazfit Bip, had few months stint with AMOLED smartwatch which was necessary to charge twice a week until I got fed up with that (plus unreadable display in sunlight unless maximum brightness) and bought again second Amazfit Bip (1st broke) which cost me less than 20USD used and I have to charge it once a month plus it has perfectly readable transreflective display not requiring any backlight, which lo…

> just watch with notifications so I don't have to turn on phone screen you might like the Withings

they are anything but cheap, display to show notifications seem to have only expensive models

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#132

Post by stinkytaco » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:14 PM UTC

benj111 wrote: post #111

stinkytaco wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think these are apples to apples comparisons. Yes, watches had much longer batteries, but they didn't have smart features. So you're really comparing the Pebble to something with a comparable feature set, like another smart watch. Phones used to be powered directly from the wire and work even during a power outage and now they have batteries and die, but I'm still willing to trade that feature to have a GPS a…

Well it's less featured than a modern smart watch so it's not an apples to apples comparison there, but the comparison was still made. Further Casio made a range of smartish watches back in the day. I don't know battery life's but they weren't measured in days.

Some of it has to do with existing experience. I suspect many people in this thread have not worn something other than a smart watch with regularity in at least 15 years, possible longer if they were below watch wearing age when cell phones became common. Additionally, I'd argue that the pebble is closer to an apple watch than even a digital watch and certainly closer than an automatic watch. You chose to compare a smart phone to a flip phone rather than a POTS phone? Likely you either have very limited experience with POTS phones or you view the smart/flip comparison as more apt. Either way, I think context is important when making comparisons so I still think it's entirely fair to say "the Pebble has good battery life".

And those Casio watches were terrible. Even without a comparison to anything else, they just didn't work reliably.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#133

Post by xrd » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:17 PM UTC

delecti wrote: post #56

dcormier wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there any comparable alternatives to Pebble even now? I’ve yet to see one, but I haven’t followed the market very closely since I stopped using one.

One problem with the smartwatch market is that it's hard to know what "comparable" means to any given person. I've found an Amazfit Bip to be a totally satisfactory replacement for my Pebble Time, but it doesn't cover every single usecase. It does have a battery life measured in weeks though (usually 3-4 for me, less if I use the GPS to track a bunch of exercise), which is a pretty nice selling point.

Do you build your own apps for it? I'm interesting in understanding how hackable it is? For example, can you write an app that pulls the GPS data from a run off it, or is that data readily accessible somehow?

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#134

Post by xrd » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:18 PM UTC

mikepurvis wrote: post #39

andrepd wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I still don't see the value in a smartwatch. Paying with nfc with your wrist? That's probably the only use case I can see. But then it's not worth it having to charge yet another device daily

I was in this position as well but after about a year of a FitBit Luxe, I'm a convert. Fitness-wise, I like the heartrate and GPS tracking for walks and bike rides, and length-counting for lane swims. I like that it's an easy interface to input my weight and see that as a trend over time. And I like the sleep tracking and smart-wake alarms quite a bit. Notifications I could take or leave; they're not super reliable b…

Can you write your own apps for a FitBit Luxe, i.e., can you pull the GPS data off using your own app, or get it off the device somehow?

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#135

Post by xrd » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:18 PM UTC

paulcole wrote: post #18

andrepd wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I still don't see the value in a smartwatch. Paying with nfc with your wrist? That's probably the only use case I can see. But then it's not worth it having to charge yet another device daily

I wear a Coros Apex Pro all day. Between notifications and GPS running ~40 miles a week I charge it about every 2.5 weeks.

Do you know what the developer story is for Coros? I'd never heard of it until you mentioned this, and it is an expensive device for sure.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#136

Post by smolder » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:19 PM UTC

rootusrootus wrote: post #91

aliqot wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder sometimes how can people reconcile buying a new X every Y and still be concerned about human rights and the environment, etc.

I expect that most people buy what they want and human rights and the environment are just something they discuss online.

Probably true, though to different degrees for different folks. I've always taken joy in holding out for the right component upgrades for my PC and related gear to get the best bang for the buck and biggest leaps in performance. It's a lineage that's been going since 2000 or so, where at least one part always gets carried forward, and the rest is gifted or sold at steep discount. It started as me trying to get the most from my limited money, but decades later it's more about minimizing the guilt of frivolous e-waste. My last phone of 5 years sadly got the boot from my carrier, forcing an upgrade. I know I've seen other people take pride in their slow/picky upgrades, too.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#137

Post by mikestew » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:20 PM UTC

jjice wrote: post #98

solarkraft wrote: post #27

That few? I wasn't a huge fan of Pebble, the company - they didn't sell replacement parts, for instance (the watch for geeks? yeah, sure). For some crazy reason, though, to this day, this watch is still almost the only one that gets such a basic thing right: Telling the damn time. The formula is as simple as it is unreplicated: - Always telling the time - Good battery life - Buttons Why nobody else makes such a watch…

Tactile buttons, easy replies, and the epaper display. Such a simple combination, but I don't think we'll ever see a new one again. Seeing the time without having to shake my wrist like a maniac was such a game changer. Haven't used a smart watch in 6ish years, so maybe they're better. From what I understand though, they still don't have always on displays for time, right? I hope I'm wrong and that they do.

From what I understand though, they still don't have always on displays for time, right?

Apple is on the fourth version that has an always-on-display, and Google's new Pixel watch has it. Can't say about any others with any confidence, but I'd be surprised if Apple/Google are the only ones.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#138

Post by x86x87 » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:22 PM UTC

rootusrootus wrote: post #91

aliqot wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder sometimes how can people reconcile buying a new X every Y and still be concerned about human rights and the environment, etc.

I expect that most people buy what they want and human rights and the environment are just something they discuss online.

Sometime this also happens in person.

Also being shamed for everything you do as bad for the environment or bad for human right does not work.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#139

Post by gnicholas » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:23 PM UTC

jabroni_salad wrote: post #113

dcormier wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there any comparable alternatives to Pebble even now? I’ve yet to see one, but I haven’t followed the market very closely since I stopped using one.

Fossil Neutra, I think. They have an eink display and 2 week battery life. I don't use one though, been enjoying my citizen ecodrive for the past few years.

Fossil has a couple hybrid smartwatches, under their own brand and under Skagen. They also license the technology to Citizen.

I’ve used a few Fossil watches and found the battery to be very good, but the software to be lacking. One example is that if you receive a notification, you have to click the center button to select it, and then the down button to scroll down. The buttons on some models are quite mushy, which makes navigation even more frustrating. The light is also unimpressive and hard to trigger.

I don’t love the styling of the current Fossil models. The Skagen version looks nicer to me, but sadly the software forced you to display a Skagen logo instead of one of the four complications that’s available on the Fossil-branded version.

I don’t know what I’m going to do when my Fossil dies. The battery is down to 4 days if I remember to put it in airplane mode every night. I’m considering the Apple Watch Ultra, which should get around 5 days of battery in low power mode but I don’t love the styling, don’t need the sporty features, and don’t love the price.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#140

Post by dotnet00 » Thu, Nov 03, 2022, 2:25 PM UTC

stinkytaco wrote: post #132

benj111 wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well it's less featured than a modern smart watch so it's not an apples to apples comparison there, but the comparison was still made. Further Casio made a range of smartish watches back in the day. I don't know battery life's but they weren't measured in days.

Some of it has to do with existing experience. I suspect many people in this thread have not worn something other than a smart watch with regularity in at least 15 years, possible longer if they were below watch wearing age when cell phones became common. Additionally, I'd argue that the pebble is closer to an apple watch than even a digital watch and certainly closer than an automatic watch. You chose to compare a s…

I agree with the existing experience point, I hadn't worn a "dumb" watch since middle school (~12 years ago) until I finally ended up buying a smart watch last month, which I wear nearly 24/7.

If it's just for telling the time I don't exactly need a watch, I'm almost always looking at or within reach of some device that can tell me the time anyway. A smart watch is useful for other purposes.

Also while weeklong battery lives would be nice, even needing to charge daily isn't too bad, I just stick it on the charger at night while relaxing and getting ready to sleep.