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Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

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Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#191

Post by edejong »

gnicholas wrote: post #183
edejong wrote: post #163

There still is no good replacement for these properties of the Pebble 2 smartwatch: - > 7 days battery life - HR monitor (useful as a sports watch) - - toned down to fit different clothing styles - hackable - high-contrast, always-on screen - buttons I am currently wearing a Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire sportswatch, which comes close.

Just to clarify, you're talking about the version that was never released — the one with the Kickstarter that was cancelled? All of the above features except the HR monitor exist on my PTS, I think.

The Pebble 2 was released to the backers of the Kickstarter campaign. I've had 3 different ones over the years (all of them eventually broke down)...

(correction, I lost one because the band snapped and the watch dropped into the sea).

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#192

Post by lapetitejort »

gnicholas wrote: post #183
edejong wrote: post #163

There still is no good replacement for these properties of the Pebble 2 smartwatch: - > 7 days battery life - HR monitor (useful as a sports watch) - - toned down to fit different clothing styles - hackable - high-contrast, always-on screen - buttons I am currently wearing a Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire sportswatch, which comes close.

Just to clarify, you're talking about the version that was never released — the one with the Kickstarter that was cancelled? All of the above features except the HR monitor exist on my PTS, I think.

The second (or third?) kickstarter was for the Pebble (and Time) 2, which was cancelled after Pebble was purchased by FitBit. They still release the base Pebble 2 with the heart rate monitor.

I bought that after the Kickstarter fell through. I loved it until the plastic membrane over the buttons degraded, rendering it open to the elements. It didn't last long after that.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#193

Post by happymellon »

Belphemur wrote: post #50
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.

If I remember correctly, after Fitbit purchased pebble they released the Versa line up that had some similar functionalities. However it looks like Google is killing that in newer iterations...

I got a Versa 3 after my Galaxy Active stopped working, after my Bip broke, and after my Pebble screen went bad.

I've enjoyed it, although I am really missing the ability to write my own apps. Everything else is great.

I understand that the Versa 4 is generally worse than the 3. Insane, why would you remove music controls?

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#194

Post by ProAm »

ClassyJacket wrote: post #10

After the disaster that was the Galaxy Watch 4, I've given up completely on Android Wear - it is just too slow, even right out of the box, and the battery life is abysmal. Going flat at 7pm without anything extra installed and with 4G off is unacceptable. So I'm trying to move to a simpler watch with just basic smart features and longer battery life, but one where I can customize the watchface with code. I ended up g…

What features are you looking for? I moved away from the 'Smartwatch' arena to the fitness watch (Suunto Baro or Garmin Fenix). It allows notifications/messages, music streaming, fitness tracking. And the battery last 5-7 days (depending on what you use and how often, for example if I fitness track often the battery life decreases due to extra monitoring, etc..) I found it a good middle ground between a full blown smart watch and a dumb watch.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#195

Post by INTPenis »

gnicholas wrote: post #169
INTPenis wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not hackable but I replaced my Pebble Time with a Fossil Collider HR and was very happy until it broke 1 week ago. Now I'm in a different country trying to get a replacement. It had a MONTH charge and it filled all my requirements which were mainly about getting notifications.

How did it break? I've read in forums that the screens go bad when exposed to to much sunlight, which seems like an odd weakness for a wearable.

I believe I bumped it one too many times and created a way for moisture to enter, but the first visible sign was that I had left it on the toilet to shower and it was a steamy shower so when I came out it had moisture inside the glass.

The moisture was stuck there for a day or two, came and went depending on temperature and outside climate. After about a week it became even worse and eventually it gave up and showed 0 charge.

I live in northern europe so too much sunlight would not affect it. I was so hyped for this watch that I actually had an american friend ship it to me before it was released here.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#196

Post by odabaxok »

FeistySkink wrote: post #176
imiller wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can get a similar experience to the Fenix (but without the higher end sports features) with other Garmin sports watches. The Forerunner 255 is well reviewed and very similar to the Fenix for about half the price.

And there are other lines like Venu, that are more focused on the smart part and are more affordable.

I don't think the Venu line is "smarter" than the others. It's more every day watch design and has an AMOLED touch screen, but the functionality is nearly the same.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#197

Post by idiotsecant »

Wildgoose wrote: post #114
ryukafalz wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Buttons This is the killer feature for me and why I still use mine daily. I don't know why nobody else is doing this. With media controls on a shortcut slot I can pause whatever media I'm playing, switch songs, etc without even looking at the screen. No other smartwatch I've used comes close to that convenience.

I have a Fossil Hybrid HR Collider that allows this. Real watch hands, buttons and an e-ink display. 7-10 days battery life. It's a really nice watch.

Seems like a lot of reviews out there that indicate that the screen fails pretty quick - have you had any trouble with lack of contrast on yours?

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#198

Post by delecti »

fullstop wrote: post #148
xrd wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Not OP, but you can't really make your own apps for it. There are third party clients for it, though, and you can export data through them. I like mine, except for the fact that the front fell off and I had to glue it back on. The battery lasts for 3 or 4 weeks, you can receive notifications (but not respond to them) and it looks fairly stylish.

Ha, the front fell off of mine too. It still works just as well after regluing though, so I guess it's not that big of a problem.

Re: Over 16k people still use a Pebble smartwatch

#199

Post by 51Cards »

I am one of those and every year I renew my Rebble subscription to keep my devices viable as long as possible. I currently have 4 of them, including 2 still "new in box". I still haven't found anything else that suits my use case as well. Still makes me sad though that the Time 2 model didn't release as it would have fixed the few (!) complaints I had about my Time.
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